Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Feb 4, 2010, 13:52 GMT

On a remote island of glass surrounded by a sea of acid, there is a machine that can remove evil from the minds of an entire population – the Conscience of Marinus. Fearful of its immense power falling into the wrong hands, its sole guardian has scattered the machine’s operating keys across the planet. The TARDIS crew arrives to find the island under attack by the evil Voord. Marinus’ last ...more

The fifth episode of Doctor Who sends our intrepid time and space travelers on a quest to recover the Keys of Marinus.  It would not be the last time that the show would use the format.  

The TARDIS deposits the Doctor (William Hartnell), Ian (William Russell), Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and Susan (Carole Ann Ford) on the planet Marinus on an island of glass surrounded by a sea of acid. The travelers are forced by the elderly Arbitan (George Coulouris) to retrieve four of the five operating keys to a machine called the Conscience of Marinus, of which he is the keeper.

These have been hidden in different locations around the planet to prevent them falling into the hands of the evil Yartek (Stephen Dartnell) and his Voord warriors, who plan to seize the machine and use its originally benevolent mind-influencing power for their own sinister purposes.  Now the machine has been modified to control the Voords and can be reactivated, but the keys must be recovered.

In their quest, The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan have adventures in the city of Morphoton; in a building besieged by ambulatory plants; with a lecherous and murderous trapper; and in the city of Millennius where Ian is falsely accused of murder and discovers that the legal rule is 'guilty until proven innocent' with the Doctor stepping into the defense. 

The fifth episode of Doctor Who is perhaps the first in a long line of “quest” episodes.  The Doctor and his companions are forced to get several pieces of a plot device that leads into episodes that feature differing locations and stories. 

Thereby keeping the audiences interested by the change of location and to see if they will accomplish their goals.  Hartnell’s Doctor is a gruff, secretive, manipulative, Victorian grandfather type who may seem foreign to our current crop of Who watchers who expect trainers, stylish brown suits, and mod hair. 

The episode was written quickly by Dalek creator Terry Nation to replace another problematic script so basing the adventures around a series of self-contained episodes worked better in this harried writing environment (this too would happen many times throughout the show I’d imagine).  It also allowed Hartnell to go on holiday since the Doctor is not in two episodes and the onus of the quest falls to his companions. 

Keys is still entertaining, but pales in comparison to what came before, Marco Polo – which is mostly lost, so reputation is mostly what’s left, and after, The Aztecs – a wonderful historical adventure with the main baddie channeling Richard III.  Keys also benefits from the presence of Coulouris, who was the biggest name to that date that had appeared on the show.

I applaud any release from what remains from the early Doctor’s time since many, including the aforementioned Marco Polo, were lost or wiped.  

The Keys of Marinus is presented in fullscreen.  Special features include a commentary by William Russell, Carole Ann Ford, director John Gorrie, and designer Raymond Cusick.  Cusick is also interviewed for the 9 minute “Sets of Marinus.”  Other features include subtitle production notes, a photo gallery, and a 1 minute preview of the upcoming Dalek War set (Pertwee!  I must have!). 

On DVD-ROM you also get the Radio Times listings and a Doctor Who adventure that was told on sets of cards from cigarettes that feature the Daleks and the Voord. 

The episode may have been a rush script, but the adventure still has the ability to entertain.  Even though the mini-adventures are rushed to fit into 25 minute running times. Any Who is welcome in this house and it’s wonderful to hear from William Russell and Carole Ann Ford again.  

Visit the DVD database for more information.