14x1. The Masque of
Mandragora
Writer: Louis Marks
Director: Rodney Bennett
Script Editor: Robert Holmes
Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe
Synopsis: After a brief
unplanned detour through the Mandragora Helix, the Doctor and Sarah
arrive in Renaissance Italy, only to discover that Helix energy has
accompanied them and has begun wreaking havoc on the locals. Meanwhile,
the young Duke Giuliano faces a brewing plot from his corrupt uncle
Federico and the court astrologer Hieronymous, who is also the leader
of a secretive cult dedicated to the god Demnos. The Helix energy
manifests itself to the Demnos cult, threatening to cast the world back
into the Dark Ages, as the Doctor and Sarah are caught up in the
machinations of both Federico and Hieronymous.
Review: The previous season of
Doctor Who closed with a story
that fired on all cylinders in terms of plot and characterization, with
thematic elements that were present but not particularly emphasized.
"The Masque of Mandragora" has the opposite set of strengths and
weaknesses: the conflict between reason and superstition is in the
foreground, but the characters aren't especially memorable and the
story itself is a bit thin in places.
"Masque" places the Doctor and Sarah in the midst of a three-way power
struggle in Renaissance Italy. Duke Giuliano is an intelligent and
honest ruler who genuinely has his subjects' best interests at heart
and rejects horoscopes and other notions that he sees as antithetical
to reason and proper education. His uncle Federico is cruel and
power-hungry, cheerfully willing to exploit superstitions and ignorance
to get his way, while Hieronymous, though cut from somewhat similar
cloth, actually starts to believe in his own powers after he and the
Demnos cult make contact with the Mandragora Helix energy. In a way,
the Helix itself operates in a similar fashion as well, exploiting the
beliefs of the Demnos cult to gain a foothold and intending to use fear
and superstition to keep the planet's populace from progressing by
depriving them of a sense of purpose. The Doctor is particularly
perturbed by this, as he considers this sort of assault on the pursuit
of knowledge and meaning just as immoral and oppressive to humans as
any standard alien invasion; as an explorer and a scientist, this makes
sense for his character, and Tom Baker portrays it convincingly.
Aside from this examination of a society in a difficult transition
phase, the merits of "Masque" are mostly decorative. The secondary
control room in the TARDIS is an interesting change, shifting away from
the "gleaming white interior" approach typical of sci-fi in favor of
something a little more unique and quirky. After a number of deadly
serious turns in Season 13, the Doctor's playful side is accentuated in
this installment, whether he's sticking an orange on somebody's sword
or doing an impersonation of the Demnos cult's high priest at the end.
The set design, costumes, and dialogue are all convincing, making for a
strong showing in the first real period piece of the Baker era
("Pyramids of Mars," though set in the early 20th century, isn't really
specific to its time period in terms of the actual story being told).
The script also throws out an answer to one of those logical questions
that the more obsessive among us ponder from time to time, by
explaining that some sort of Time Lord telepathy or hyperintelligence
allows her to understand languages she doesn't know (in this case
Italian).
Still, I can't say that Giuliano, Federico, and Hieronymous really
function on any level other than the archetypal: they aren't very
memorable characters, and the story is mostly just palace intrigue done
competently -- nothing more, nothing less. While the Helix is an
interesting idea, it feels a bit underwritten, to the point that it
almost could just be an "evil spirit" and we probably wouldn't really
notice the difference. Yes, the Doctor does explain it, and at the end
he defeats it not through supernatural means but by causing the energy
to exhaust itself because "the plasma ionization is spread thin," but
the explanation feels a bit lazy and interchangeable with almost any
other random technobabble, and the sense of legitimate danger to the
Doctor
doesn't feel as real as it does in, say, "Pyramids" or "The Seeds of
Doom." Basically, this amounts to, "Well, the Doctor's really smart, so
he puts the whammy on the evil energy thingy, and the bad guys, uh, all
fall over, or something." It's not exactly illogical, but only because
the logic is so arbitrary that we just have to take the script's word
for it. "Masque" gets a recommendation from me for the thematic content
and the stylistic touches, but it's not the Baker era at its best.
Rating: *** (out of four)
Back to the main Doctor
Who Reviews page.