Doctor Who:
Pyramids of Mars
By Stephen Harris
“The forces that are being
summoned into corporeal existence in that house are more powerful and more
dangerous than anything even I have ever encountered.”
The Doctor and Sarah are
attempting to return to Earth and UNIT headquarters when they land at the exact
spot but in 1911 way before UNIT occupy the house its HQ is in. Something throws the TARDIS off course which
contributes to arriving at the wrong time. They discover an Egyptian is living in
the house that belongs to Marcus Scarman.
It appears that the sarcophagus in the house is the unit that made the
TARDIS veer off course.
It appears the sarcophagus
is a time tunnel connecting Scarmans house with Suteks tomb in Egypt. Sutek is using Scarman to build a space missile
that would destroy the pyramids on Mars and thus releasing him from his
prison. This would allow Sutek to take
over the world and destroy it and destroy everything in the universe. It’s up to The Doctor and Sarah to prevent
this from happening and to stop Sutek from getting free at all costs.
The Pyramids of Mars is
one of those all-time classics. Don’t
take my word for it ask any fan of Doctor Who who loves the classic stories
from the past. What makes Pyramids of
Mars so enjoyable is how well Sarah and The Doctor get along. Plus they have some wonderful dialog between
them. Most of it pretty funny in a serious way that only the two of them could
pull off. Yes the Doctor gets cranky
with her at times but the rapport they have is something special. Elizabeth Sladen is just amazing in this
story and for once she does more than just getting captured and waiting to be rescued. She at times becomes very important and we
learn that she has a top notch eye when firing a rifle.
I would be remiss if I
didn’t mention Sutek and the robotic mummies that inhabit this story. One of the few times that Doctor Who uses
Egyptian Mythology in the show and fusing it with Mars works to make the
mythology highly enjoyable in a sci- fi way.
I mean these mummies look awesome and menacing. I was in awe of them as a kid and still find
them cool today. They are truly an
awesome part of Doctor Who’s history. I
love how the Osirins are based on Mars.
Trapping Sutek in a pyramid in Egypt really builds to the mythos of the
mythology. Plus having them based on
Mars where Sutek couldn’t reach them was pretty clever and adds to the story
especially when The Doctor and Sarah head to Mars and face the traps and
puzzles of the Osirins.
Pyramid of Mars is one of
those stories that are perfect in so many ways.
Great performances, great story and great execution make it one of the
true classics in Doctor Who’s history. Plus
the music is perfect in this. It adds to the atmosphere and really sets a tone
of doom and despair. All you have to do
is watch The Pyramids of Mars for yourself and you will see how wonderful a
story it is.
Pyramids of Mars is just
one of those stories in which Tom Baker just excels as The Doctor. He is in top form and puts in one of his
finest performances ever. He truly has
found his groove by this time and he truly is The Doctor. Watching Pyramids of Mars you can truly see
why many consider him the greatest Doctor ever.
Grade A
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