N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!
It’s Doctor Who pretending to be Shakespeare again. Well, sort-of. It’s not quite so obviously wordy as The Crusade or The Curse of Peladon, but with some cracking dialogue, a mediæval Italian setting and a bit of the old ultraviolence (well, a swordfight and some implied torture), The Masque of Mandragora is as close as we’ve had to bard-like for a while.
From the costumes, the sets, the masks (and indeed the masque) to the near-perfect location of the Italianate folly village of Portmeirion, it looks fabulous too. And for once I can say that I’ve actually been to the location used. Aside from this, the obvious London landmarks and the Bluewater quarry, I’m struggling to think of any others. Even my Wookey Hole bookmark was a gift! But Portmeirion? I’ve been there!
“You’re not talking his language, Doctor.”
Sarah, The Masque of Mandragora:
Part Two
It’s nice finally to have an explanation for why no matter where they are in the universe, the Doctor’s English-speaking companions are able to understand the local language. True, the Doctor’s reasoning for thinking there was something wrong with Sarah for asking about it is a bit dodgy.
It’s a bit of leap to assume that because previously Sarah had unquestioningly accepted it that it meant there was something wrong with her now that she had mentioned it. What if it had genuinely just occurred to her?
I’d have thought Sarah would have cottoned on to there being something odd when she was able to provide Peladonian Queen Thalira such sage advice back in her early days of travelling with the Doctor, but evidently she hadn’t. Still, the suitably vague ‘Time Lord’s gift’ the Doctor shares with his companion means we the viewers can also follow what’s going on, which is especially handy in those scenes where the Doctor and companions are not present.
“The worse the situation, the worse your jokes get.”
Sarah, The Masque of Mandragora:
Part Four
The Masque of Mandragora marks a solid start to the fourteenth season of Doctor Who. I perhaps don’t have quite the love for it that some fans do, but at the same time I can find little to fault with it.
In a way, The Masque of Mandragora: is as solid of piece of Hinchcliffe & Holmes era Doctor Who as The Dæmons was Letts & Dicks. They’ve found their niche and they’re going to play it for all its worth.
"Wait a minute, the new control room is the old control room?"
"The masks (not masques) that the Brethren of Demnos wear are so weird."
"'They say there are places where the bat droppings are twice the height of a man.' That's a lot of poo!"
Son of UT Rating: 8/10
