Mindwarp
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Template:Doctorwhobox Mindwarp is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 4 to October 25, 1986. It is part of the larger narrative known as The Trial of a Time Lord, comprising the whole of the 23rd season.
Synopsis
Presenting more evidence of the Doctor's crimes, the Valeyard now presents the events of Thoros Beta, which he claims are more damning still. The Valeyard demands of the Inquisitor that the Doctor should face the death penalty and forfeiture of all his future regenerations.
After receiving a tip-off that the race known as the Mentors from the planet Thoros Beta have been making illegal energy weapons and distributing them around the galaxy, the Doctor and Peri investigate the report, suspecting their old enemy Sil to be involved. Sure enough they find Sil, but are captured and the Doctor used in an experiment designed to find a suitable host body for the Mentor's leader Kiv.
While the Doctor's mind seems to go awry after the experiment, Peri joins up with a Warrior King named Yrcanos, with whom the Mentors were also experimenting. A warrior to the last, Yrcanos and Peri band together to form an army and crush the Mentors once and for all. With the Doctor acting so out of character, it's up to them to stop the evil experiments once and for all.
Notes
- It's often debated amongst fandom as to what exactly happens during this story. It's stated on screen that the Valeyard has somehow distorted events, and that the actual scenes are by and large presented correctly but merely that the Doctor's performance has been distorted to show him in the worst possible light to the court. Many such scenes are prevalent throughout the story, leading fandom to great confusion as it isn't entirely clear which bits are "real" and which were concocted by the Valeyard. There are several theories:
- That the events seen are the true events, but distorted to show the Doctor in the worst possible light. For example, his line 'Look out behind you' is shown on screen as the Doctor giving King Ycranos away to some guards, whereas the "true" events might very well have been the Doctor warning him of an attacker sneaking up ('Look out, behind you!'). It's all in how the line is pronounced rather than what the line is.
- That the Doctor was fried by the "Mindwarp" machine, which is why he exhibits 'out of character' behaviour throughout the story. The event is shown on screen, but as to whether it really occurred or not is still an event of great contention.
- That the Doctor is pretending to have been twisted by the "Mindwarp" machine, whilst really seeking to find a way to put things right. In the courtroom the Doctor claims this is the case, though he is at this stage unable to recall events.
External links
- Cast and Crew list, on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/episodeguide/trialtimelord2/castcrew.shtml)