DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who – The Mind of Evil’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who – The Mind of Evil’ on Blogcritics.

One Doctor Who serial that has not yet been released on DVD (until now) because of difficulty in producing or restoring a color copy is The Mind Of Evil. Considering that this six-episode serial features a showdown between the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and the Master (Roger Delgado), one of the Doctor’s greatest foes, it is surely one that fans will want to see. Now, they have their chance, as The Mind of Evil recently got a two-disc release.

The Mind of Evil is one of those stories that appears to be about one thing, and then revelation by revelation, changes into something else entirely. The original problem introduced is a machine that removes evil from the brain of criminals, but some of the “cured” keep winding up dead. Then, we find out about an issue between the Chinese and the Americans at the First World Peace Conference. Finally, the Master is shown to be the real culprit of the unrest. It’s this continuously-escalating device that gives the beginning of the story real umph, and because all three still matter past their first focus, it’s a rich, layered story, even if a few have complained about the Master’s seemingly-incoherent plan.

The battle of wits between the Doctor and the Master, two Time Lords with radically different values and points of view, is one that never gets old. They have fought through many a serial, including an arc only a few years ago during David Tennant’s tenure as the Doctor. Any encounter the two share is worth watching, and The Mind of Evil is part of that proud tradition.

What is really interesting is that the Master’s greatest fear is the Doctor, a dynamic that does not go both ways. We see the Doctor terrified by Daleks, Cybermen, and fiery hell, but not the Master, whereas the Master’s vision, when exposed to the fear-inducing device, is of a giant Doctor. I think it is this fixation on the Doctor that keeps the Master coming back and staying relevant, while the Doctor has foes with bigger-scale plans to worry about, so he often underestimates the Master until they are face to face.

Besides the Doctor / Master stuff, there’s plenty left for UNIT, including Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), Sergeant Benton (John Levene), and Captain Yates (Richard Franklin), to do, and Jo (Katy Manning) gets involved in the story, too. While the title of Doctor Who is accurate in that the show has always been, and will always be, about the Doctor, I have really enjoyed the periods in the run where the Doctor has a team, which has sort of happened this past year in Matt Smith’s tenure, though not to the extent as during the Pertwee era. The Mind of Evil makes use of that group in a nice way, and I really appreciate the ensemble chemistry.

This is the first DVD release of The Mind of Evil. As such, it is not a Special Edition, nor does it have quite as many extras as the last couple Doctor Who titles put out, which were. But that does not mean it skimps on the bonus features, still needing two discs to fit everything in.

The audio commentary for this serial is provided by Manning, regular participants Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks, director Timothy Combe, stunt arranger Derek Ware, guest actors Pik-Sen Lim and Fernanda Marlowe, and moderated by Toby Hadoke. On top of the photo gallery and PDF materials, there is a twenty-two minute “Making Of” that was produced in 2009, a revisit of the filming locations in the present day, and a look at the BBC Television Centre circa 1971. All of this combines to give a very full presentation, one worthy of a Doctor Who release.

Doctor Who The Mind of Evil is available now.

Doctor Who fights The Claws of Axos

This month, perhaps due to the release of a modern-day Doctor Who set, only one of the classic serials gets the DVD treatment, instead of the usual two. But it's a pretty good one, and a Special Edition, at that.

Titled The Claws of Axos, these four episodes aired in the middle of season eight, way back in 1971. The most interesting thing about this, that will set it apart from many of the other old releases, is that season eight has a large arc, spanning multiple serials. As such, The Claws of Axos exists as a stand alone story, but also as part of something much bigger. Allow me to explain.

As the episode opens, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is trapped on Earth, the Time Lords having taken away the memories he needs to fix the TARDIS. He is growing weary of UNIT and the other military-minded humans, wishing he didn't have to bear witness to their violent streak. When something crashes near a power plant in Britain, the tension between the Doctor and UNIT comes to a head, as UNIT wants to fire missiles, and the Doctor thinks that they need to figure out what the aliens' intentions are first. The Doctor scores a point when he decrypts a distress call from the ship.

At first, the aliens seem friendly enough. They need fuel, and are willing to trade Axonite, a rare material that can replicate, for it. This would end hunger and starvation for the entire world. But then, a friend is captured by the Axons, and finds the Master (Roger Delgado), whom they thought had left Earth, within the bowels of the ship. Clearly, there is more going on here than first glimpsed.

I really like the clash between the Doctor and the humans in this episode. Being played by a human, of course, and looking like one, it's sometimes easy to forget that the Doctor is an alien, and not like everyone else on Earth. This is not the case in this serial, where he very obviously considers himself apart, and better. While UNIT has to remain somewhat sympathetic, as Lethbridge Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and Benton (John Levene) recur on Doctor Who often, Chinn (Peter Bathurst), who tries to cut the UN out of any deals with the Axons, hoping to win rewards solely for Britain, has no such constraints. The Doctor does still love humans, but this is exactly why he can't live and work among their government, at least not in the present. We are just too flawed a species.

The Doctor usually seems more evolved than mere mankind. Obviously, he travels through time and space, and so has seen a lot. But he also often has a stronger sense of right and wrong than most species, or, at least he believes that he does. The Claws of Axos actually tests this mettle, and see him making what appear to be some questionable choices in the service of escaping our planet. Not only is this more relatable, allowing chinks in the armor of the character, but it also knocks him down off his high horse, even while allowing him to be right and save the day.

The visual effects in The Claws of Axos are attempted too early in film history. In the special features, you will hear about how the people making Doctor Who just couldn't wait to use the latest technology! And yet, while the result may have been impressive in the day, it seems incredibly hokey now. The disappearing effect is OK, considering, but some of the aliens get just a bit too laughable, like piles of spaghetti, or someone rolling around in a colored blanket. It's a good thing that there's a strong story here, with wonderful moments for several characters, especially the Doctor, so this can be overlooked.

The special features on the Special Edition two-disc DVD include an audio commentary with Barry Letts and actors Katy Manning and Richard Franklin, far less crowded than the normal large group. There are almost a half hour of deleted and extended scenes, some PDF materials, and a photo gallery. Something cool for die-hard fans who wish they could be on set is seventy three minutes of studio recording that survives, which includes things like background conversation and recording breaks.

Among the featurettes are a "Making Of" and an interview with Michael Ferguson, who directed the serial. Katy Manning narrates a look at the locations that were used in shooting. But the best inclusion is "Living with Levene," in which frequent Doctor Who DVD contributor Toby Hadoke spends some time in the recent past with John Levene. Levene puts on a bit of a show, as Hadoke notes, and tells some stories that not all of his former co-stars might appreciate! It's really a fascinating thirty-five minutes, for the personality showcased, as well as the tidbits from the past.

The Claws of Axos Special Edition is definitely worth a look, even if you checked it out back in 2005, when it was originally released on DVD. The writing holds up beautifully, and the extras make it a pretty cool find.

Doctor Who The Claws of Axos Special Edition is available now on DVD from the BBC.

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