Tom Baker is of course my favorite doctor, so I have been collecting all of his episodes, because of course, you never forget your first Doctor. And I enjoyed this because it is Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, but honestly it isn’t one of the better stories. The actresses who play the sisterhood freak me out, and have cheesy makeup, and this one just doesn’t come together too well for me.

The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) find themselves on the Planet Karn, where the Doctor suspects the Timelords have sent him for some unknown reason, and he isn’t happy about it. He only comes out when Sarah screams after finding the body of an insect alien who has had it’s head cut off, and then a whole field of crashed spacecraft. The Alien was killed by a hook handed minion named Condo (Colin Fay) who works for the mad scientist Mehendri Solon (Philip Madoc). Solon is trying to find a head for some evil experiment he is working on. The Doctor and Sarah head to Solon’s castle, but are observed by Ohica (Gilly Brown) of the ancient Sisterhood of Karn and goes to report their presence to the high priestess Maren (Cynthia Grenville). Maren confides in Ohica that she believes that the Doctor has been sent by the Timelords to steal their Sacred Fire, which creates a liquid that gives eternal life, and is sometimes used by the Timelords, when regeneration is not possible, and now the flame is going out. She an the sisters then use their powers to steal the Tardis, as The Doctor goes to meet Soron, and of course Soron is fascinated by his head.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

Solon gets Condo to bring wine, and The Doctor recognizes him as a scientist who worked on organ transplant, but who disappeared and was rumored to have joined the cult of Morbius, an evil Timelord, that was dispatched after a great battle with the sisterhood on Karn. Solon denies the rumors, and gets the Doctor to drink, though Sarah pours her drink out. The wine was poisoned, and the Doctor recognizes a bust of Morbius, and senses his presense before passing out, and they take the Doctor to the lab.

Sarah sneak into the lab and finds a hideous creature made of many parts, missing a head.

Solon finds the Doctor his gone, and realizes he was taken by the sisterhood and goes to get him back.

The Doctor awakens to find Maren trying to get him to admit to trying to steal the elixer, but he of course denies it, as it is not true. He finds the sisterhood has been crashing passing ships to protect the last of their elixer. As they are going to kill the Doctor, Solon comes in and asks for the Doctor’s head, but is forced to leave, but Sarah Jane has snuck in and helps free the Doctor, but she is blinded by Maren’s ring as they attempt to escape.

Solon infroms the Doctor that the only remedy for Sarah Jane is the elixer, so he heads back to the sisterhood to get it, while Solon sends Condo with a message to get the Doctor’s head once again. A voice in the lab, turns out to be a brain in a jar, and it is the brain of Morbius (Michael Spice), and he isn’t very patient. Sarah also stumbles ont he brane, and is found by Solon, who rushers her out, but she hears his plans for the Doctor, which is to take his head, and put Morbius into it and attach it to the monster body. Sarah locks Solon in the lab and heads out to get the Doctor.

The Doctor is taken to Maren again, and realizes he has been duped by Solon, because it turns out that Sarah Jane’s blindness is only temporary. He convinces the sisters to let him have a look at the flame. He drops a firecracker down the shaft and dislodges a buildup of soot, and restores the flame to it’s full size.

Condo manages to open the door, and Solon sends him to get Sarah Jane.

When Solon tells Morbius that he plans on using the brain of a Timelord, Morbius is furious, because he believes the Timelords have tracked him down, and he convinces SOlon to use the artificial brane case he had built, but not perfected. Condo sees the creature and recognizes his own hand, and attacks Solon, knocking over the brain. Solon shoots Condo, and then gets the blind Sarah to help him, not knowing if their has been brain damage. During the operation, Solon finds the Doctor has been left by the sisterhood, and is angry, because he could have used his head.

The creature stirs and Sarah Jane gets back her eyesight. Morbius has only motor function, so he is a savage monster. Sarah Jane is saved by Condo, who sacrifices his wounded self. The Doctor awakes, and goes with Solon to hunt Morbius, and they bring it back, but Solon tricks the Doctor, and locks he and Jane into his lab, as he continues to revive Morbius.

The Doctor makes a gas and puts it into the vents, which knocks out Solon, but Morbius is complete. The Doctor challenges Morbius to a mindbending contest, which overloads Morbius’s circuits, but also almost kills the Doctor. The Sisterhood runs Morbius off a cliff, where he falls to his death, and Maren uses her life to make enough elixer to save the Doctor. He then leaves them a pack of firecrackers to keep the fire alive.

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Silly fun, but not all too impressive this time around.