Doctor Who’s fourteenth season opens with The Masque of Mandragora – an extremely enjoyable historical that also mixes in sci-fi, action, and horror.
Tom Baker’s third season as the Fourth Doctor kicks off with the delightfully entertaining The Masque of Mandragora. This is a Doctor Who story that has it all: scheming uncles, evil cults, and even a sword fight or two.
The story begins with the introduction of the secondary TARDIS console room, which is in some ways a big moment in itself. While the show had seen a couple of console rooms at this point, there had been nothing like the wooden walls and stained-glass windows of this particular design. The fact that the Doctor and Sarah stumbled across it while he was showing her around the TARDIS was a nice touch.
The TARDIS duo then stumble across the Mandragora Helix, giving us a typically sci-fi opening. But then the story leaps into history when they arrive in 15th century Italy. As expected from Classic Who, the period is brilliantly brought to life. While the story was filmed in England, the direction, set design, and excellent location work help bring the historical setting to life.
It’s not just how the story looks that makes it work, however. We’re also treated to some great performances, especially from the villains. Jon Laurimore is fantastic as the scheming uncle Count Federico. He treats the story seriously while still having fun with the role, and the enjoyment he has from playing such a distinctly villainous character is clear to see.
Even better is that he’s not the only great villain in this story. There’s also Hieronymous, an astrologer in league with the Count who has ambitions of his own. Norman Jones clearly relishes every line, and like Laurimore as Federico, he has a lot of fun with the part. (His character also gets to have a magnificent beard too, which probably helps.)
History and other genres
But it’s not just how well history is brought to life that makes The Masque of Mandragora such a fun story to watch. The serial also makes sure to include other genres, too.
For example, we mentioned that The Masque of Mandragora begins with a sci-fi scene, and that sci-fi aspect remains in the form of the Mandragora Helix, which is (unsurprisingly) a key part of the story. But we also get some horror, as we see the Mandragora Helix start to influence a powerful and ancient cult. Horror was a big part of this period in Doctor Who history, and while it’s only partially used in this story, it’s still very effective.
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We also get plenty of great action sequences, too. The Masque of Mandragora features several highly entertaining sword fights and chase sequences. The Doctor’s escape at the beginning of part 2 is particularly effective, as there are several stunts that are still great to watch today.
Overall, The Masque of Mandragora is a really solid story. It mixes history, sci-fi, horror, and action extremely well, and it features several excellent performances. Watching it again has been an absolute joy, especially on Blu-ray.
This period in Doctor Who boasts several amazing stories, some of which we’ll be reviewing this week. The Masque of Mandragora has sometimes been rather overlooked as a result. But that doesn’t stop it from being a solid story in its own right. In short, it’s an excellent opening for Season 14.
Have you seen The Masque of Mandragora? What are your thoughts on the story? Do you think it still stands out? Let us know in the comments below.