56) THE MIND OF EVIL

​The Mind of Evil essentially aspires to be a cult-Who-classic and it is, because it works, just about, and remains one of the underrated highlights of the Third Doctor era. There’s an underlying commentary about British society, and attitudes towards hard-nosed criminals. Episode 1 has an excellent monologue from Professor Kettering, and even some of main characters display uneasy feelings being near Barnham, even though his ruthless criminal persona has been replaced with that of a handicapped child.
   The bulk of the story is basically an action-packed thriller which has to juggle with three major plot points 1) the Keller Machine, 2) the Peace Conference, and 3) the capture of the missile. The plot threads are continually disconnected, and each of them becomes a focal point for an episode or two, but the sense of universal destruction never wains, and each of them could have made up a decent story entirely of its own accord. The scripts are a much stronger contribution from Don Houghton mixing together satire and some comedic moments, but they still suffer from slight repetition. There are two prison heists within 2 episodes, and the first four cliffhangers all centre around the same setup, but everything else is highly entertaining and the structure keeps everything together even when the narrative loses momentum for brief periods. 
Impressive production values are evident throughout and it’s an impressive attempt to keep The Doctor isolated largely within one location, and episode 5 has an extraordinary heist scene, and the cliffhanger is possibly the best of all time. This was Timothy Combe’s last assignment on Doctor Who; he went over budget, and was sadly never utilised on the show again. We’ll miss him.
   The Keller Machine provides a chilling monster for The Doctor to battle, and is more than ‘a simple box of tricks’. The Master’s worst fear is THE DOCTOR! An intriguing statement and this provides subtle clarity on the long standing unseen relationship between one and another. We as viewers, would also find the Keller Machine unsettling; we all fear facing our dark sides, and we all suffer phobias which could be projected back on us; an excellent commentary on the human race as a whole. Aside from the Keller Machine, the rest of the cast of characters are a mixed bag, Mailer is rather unconvincing but the acting is generally solid.
   The Mind of Evil deserves all the recognition its gets, and awaits a fan-cult following who can appreciate its brilliance, despite its obvious flaws that Puff the Magic Dragon can’t even ruin; a true delight and an underrated classic.****