Fourth Doctor Revisited: "The Brain of Morbius"

Working my way through the Fourth Doctor still, but I slowed myself down rewatching/preparing for Captain America, Daredevil Born Again, and Thunderbolts. Marvel projects aside, I did have some thoughts about the Doctor and Sarah Jane's adventure in "The Brain of Morbius". I thought to write about the Sisterhood of Karn or about Morbius. Final decision: All of the above.

First let's talk about the Sisterhood of Karn. Before I ever watched this story, I encountered the Sisterhood when the mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor" brought the Eighth Doctor full circle before the 50th Anniversary. It was a short visit, but the Doctor's banter with the sisters proved a point. The Sisterhood of Karn fought in this story for the perpetuation of their immortality and they dabbled in Time Lord science (maybe they were involved with Tecteun's experiments on the Timeless Child?) but what is life without an end? Even from a religious perspective, living forever without a greater purpose.... well, go read "Tuck Everlasting". Despite the Fourth Doctor's feelings about the Sisterhood, he was happy to keep their eternal flame glowing. To be fair, they saved Sarah Jane from being blinded forever. 

Next on my notes: Morbius. He and Solon certainly played the role of a Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. However, I'd love to get more about Morbius. TJ and I have talked a few times about how we need more variety with our rival Time Lords. This story came after a few years after the death of Roger Delgado (the first actor to play the Master), so I'm not sure Doctor Who knew what to do about the Doctor's rival. While the Master returned in "The Deadly Assassin" we could have easily gotten more from Morbius. It would've been earlier in his timeline, but still. With Morbius, the Monk, the War Chief, and other renegade Time Lords, I can't help but reiterate the point of giving us a variety. But that's enough ranting for now.

My third and final note for this story: the Doctor's previous faces. During the mental battle between Morbius and the Doctor, a number of faces appeared as incarnations of the Time Lord before the First Doctor. It's a perfect example of how continuity is fluid in Doctor Who and it's constantly evolving and expanding. For decades, these faces were seemingly disregarded, but the Thirteenth Doctor later learned that other faces existed before she was the First Doctor. So while the Timeless Child is a subject of controversy, I maintain that the constantly "regenerating" continuity of Doctor Who is what's kept the series alive for over sixty years now. We may never get more information on these past lives, erased from the Doctor's memory, but it's all part of the ongoing wibbly-wobbly story.

That's enough about Morbius, but I'm sure I'll have more to say about renegade Time Lords at a later date (I always seem to have more). In the meantime, I need to figure out a good way to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of modern Doctor Who. Allons-y!