The Mind Robber [TV/1968.9.14 ~ 10.12]
★★★★★
You say 'Dr. Who adventure bursting in the seams, absolutely brimming with unfiltered imagination', and I say without hesitation 'The Mind Robber.' I mean, it's like saying water is wet; this serial introduces the Land of Fiction, where everything fictional is made real and given life, and the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in the middle of it all trying not to either be killed or made fictional themselves. How glorious is that as a story?
Oho, that's not all; Jamie is turned into cardboard and then reassembled as a completely different actor, Zoe gets trapped inside a very naff old English riddle, and the Doctor meets Lemuel Gulliver. They encounter unicorns, monsters from old Greek legend and even a superhero from a 2000 comic strip! Peter Ling obviously had a whale of a time writing this insane script, and director David Maloney has an equally fun time bringing to life all the impossible set pieces. It's truly remarkable that despite the budgetary troubles they were going through during Season 6, the most demanding and ambitious serial on paper should be given the most amount of polish and conviction. I'm glad it did, though, and I'm incredibly grateful that all five episodes exist in the archives -- it's a serial that demands to be watched in all its visual splendor. A forest of giant letters, atmospheric labyrinths, Rapunzel's tower and a white void making up a very moody first episode -- this is above and beyond what one would normally expect for the visuals of 60s Dr. Who.
I have loved The Mind Robber ever since I first laid eyes on it, and that love's only strengthened throughout the years. Patrick Troughton, Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines clearly have an amazing time bringint this story to life, and the Land of Fiction remains one of the best, most creative Who settings ever (by nature, it has to be). It's a testament to just how perfect something can be when practically everything comes together nicely in a neat bow, sound design and direction and all. From the mysterious and quite shocking first episode to the madcap, insanely creative final one, The Mind Robber's one serial everyone, Dr. Who fan or otherwise, should watch.
You say 'Dr. Who adventure bursting in the seams, absolutely brimming with unfiltered imagination', and I say without hesitation 'The Mind Robber.' I mean, it's like saying water is wet; this serial introduces the Land of Fiction, where everything fictional is made real and given life, and the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in the middle of it all trying not to either be killed or made fictional themselves. How glorious is that as a story?
Oho, that's not all; Jamie is turned into cardboard and then reassembled as a completely different actor, Zoe gets trapped inside a very naff old English riddle, and the Doctor meets Lemuel Gulliver. They encounter unicorns, monsters from old Greek legend and even a superhero from a 2000 comic strip! Peter Ling obviously had a whale of a time writing this insane script, and director David Maloney has an equally fun time bringing to life all the impossible set pieces. It's truly remarkable that despite the budgetary troubles they were going through during Season 6, the most demanding and ambitious serial on paper should be given the most amount of polish and conviction. I'm glad it did, though, and I'm incredibly grateful that all five episodes exist in the archives -- it's a serial that demands to be watched in all its visual splendor. A forest of giant letters, atmospheric labyrinths, Rapunzel's tower and a white void making up a very moody first episode -- this is above and beyond what one would normally expect for the visuals of 60s Dr. Who.
I have loved The Mind Robber ever since I first laid eyes on it, and that love's only strengthened throughout the years. Patrick Troughton, Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines clearly have an amazing time bringint this story to life, and the Land of Fiction remains one of the best, most creative Who settings ever (by nature, it has to be). It's a testament to just how perfect something can be when practically everything comes together nicely in a neat bow, sound design and direction and all. From the mysterious and quite shocking first episode to the madcap, insanely creative final one, The Mind Robber's one serial everyone, Dr. Who fan or otherwise, should watch.
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