Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series which has been around off and on since 1963. The main character is just known as "The Doctor" and is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. This means he travels through time to various places. One of his favorite places to visit is Earth. Typically, he has a companion traveling with him, usually female, sometimes male, sometimes one of each. He travels in a time machine known as a "Tardis" which is disguised as a British Police booth.

A Time Lord can regenerate if fatally wounded, which has accounted for all the different actors who have played The Doctor throughout the years. In this episode, the Doctor is portrayed by Colin Baker.  He is traveling with Peri (portrayed by Nicola Bryant).

England in the 1800's was not a luxurious place.  The story-arc known as Mark of the Rani opens with a group of miners arriving back at their accommodations at the end of a long day to clean up.  Some type of gas seeps into the room and the men collapse.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Peri find themselves being dragged off course by the effects of another time machine somewhere.  They arrive at the time and place of the time distortion that intercepted them.  The Doctor manages to ingratiate himself with the local nobility, Lord Ravens worth (portrayed by Terence Alexander) and learns that inventor George Stephenson is planning to hold a meeting of inventors and scientists in the village with all of the violence practically at their doorstep.

In the village, the Doctor and Peri find the Master and his sidekick Rani (Portrayed by Kate O'Mara).  They have been preying on the local population, stealing a chemical from their brains which enables them to sleep, using the luddite riots as a cover for what they are doing. The Master has manipulated the locals into following him.  He's told them the Doctor is here to automate the mine and put them all out of work.  They steal the TARDIS and bury it deep within the mine.

Mark of the Rani has the feeling of being filler with only two episodes in the arc. Peri is at her most annoying. Of all the companions the Doctor has had, she seems to be the one who whines the most. They were generally written to be the damsels in distress and while some are real screamers, it’s the whinier ones like Peri who got on my nerves.

The story-arc had a lot of potential with two evil Time Lords teaming up together. Bringing back The Master is a treat for all Doctor Who fans. Unfortunately, with the short nature of the story-arc, it feels like they have been shortchanged. Rani doesn’t ever get up to her potential as a villain either. Anthony Ainley and Kate O’Mara do fine in the roles, but they just never seem to get enough to do to really appreciate them. Seeing The Master just hanging out in a field as a scarecrow is laughable as well and one of those plot points that doesn’t seem to make sense. Doesn’t he have those minions of his under his control for such mundane tasks?

I give Colin Baker a lot of credit, because what’s good about this episode is largely due to him. For people who don’t like Colin Baker as the Doctor, this is an episode where they can really appreciate him. Although this isn’t one of the better outings of the show, Baker does a commendable job with the material he’s been given.

What helps Mark of the Rani as well is the setting. Filming outdoors in Shropshire really gives the show a fresh feel over just using a set not so cleverly modified to look like a coal village in 19th century England. The effects are what fans expect from the show. One of the sillier ones are landmines that turn those who step on them into trees, although they are sentient trees that can reach out and grab people when they walk by.

All of the Doctor Who DVDs get a great treatment in terms of extras, and this one is no exception despite it being a lesser story than most. There’s a terrific commentary that’s more interesting than the story-arc itself along with a couple of documentaries on the show and reminiscing from the major players during this time of the series.

All of those extras can’t make up for what’s lacking here. Although not horrible, it’s not a story-arc fane of the series should seek out, never mind anyone who isn’t into the series in its earlier incarnation. Mark of the Rani does not represent the best of Doctor Who in the mid 1980’s and there’s much better story-arcs to be found out there.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Commentary with Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, and Kate O'Mara
• Information Text
• Isolated Music Score
• Alternative Soundtrack for Episode 1
• Lords and Luddites
• Now and Then
• Deleted Scenes
• Playing With Time


Doctor Who on DVD: 



The First Doctor (William Hartnell) 

The Beginning Collection ~ The Keys of Marinus ~ The Aztecs ~ The Dalek Invasion of Earth ~ The Rescue/The Romans ~ The Web Planet ~ The Time Meddler ~ Lost In Time ~ The War Machines

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) 

Lost In Time ~ The Tomb of the Cybermen ~ The Mind Robber ~ The Invasion ~ The Seeds of Death ~ The War Games

The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) 

Spearhead from Space  ~ Doctor Who and the Silurians ~ Inferno ~ The Claws of Axos ~ The Sea Devils ~ The Three Doctors ~ Carnival of Monsters ~ The Green Death ~ The Time Warrior 

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) 

Robot ~ The Ark in Space ~ The Sontaran Experiment ~ Genesis of the Daleks ~ Planet of Evil ~ Pyramids of Mars ~ The Brain of Morbius ~ The Hand of Fear ~ The Deadly Assassin ~ The Robots of Death ~ The Talons of Weng Chiang ~ The Horror of Fang Rock ~ The Invisible Enemy ~ The Invasion of Time ~ The Ribos Operation ~ The Pirate Planet ~ The Stones of Blood ~ The Androids of Tara ~ The Power of Kroll ~ The Armageddon Factor ~ Destiny of the Daleks ~ City of Death ~ The Leisure Hive ~ The E Space Trilogy ~ The Keeper of Traken ~ Logopolis 

The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) 

Castrovalva ~ Four to Doomsday ~ The Visitation ~ Black Orchid ~ Earthshock ~ Time-Flight ~ Arc of Infinity ~ Black Guardian Trilogy ~ The Five Doctors ~ Warriors of the Deep ~ Resurrection of the Daleks ~ The Caves of the Androzani 

The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) 

The Twin Dilemma ~ Attack of the Cybermen ~ Vengeance on Varos ~ The Mark of the Rani ~ The Two Doctors ~ Timelash ~ Revelation of the Daleks ~ The Trial of a Time Lord

The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) 

Delta and the Bannermen ~ Remembrance of the Daleks ~ Battlefield ~ Ghost Light ~ The Curse of Fenric ~ Survival 

The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) 

Doctor Who - The Movie

The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) 

Doctor Who 2005 - The Complete First Series 

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) 

Doctor Who 2006 - The Complete Second Series ~ Doctor Who 2007 - The Complete Third Series ~ The Infinite Quest ~ Doctor Who 2008 - The Complete Fourth Series ~ The Next Doctor  ~ Planet of the Dead ~ The Waters of Mars ~ The Next Doctor ~ The End of Time

The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)

Doctor Who 2010 - The Complete Fifth Series


DOCTOR WHO MOVIES

The Doctor Who Collection: Doctor Who and the Daleks ~ Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.


OTHER RELATED SERIES:

Torchwood Series One ~ Torchwood Series Two ~ Torchwood Children of Earth

The Sarah Jane Chronicles



© 2009 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: No

Viewing Format: DVD