History Recap / DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp

Also the one where the Sixth Doctor returns to his jerkass ways...''[[ManipulativeEditing or does he?]]''

Time slowly resumes its normal course and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim all that's left of Peri is Kiv]]. Yrcanos, having fallen for her over the course of the story, is devastated and blows everything up -- whatever remains of Peri included. The Doctor, watching this from the courtroom, [[HeroicBSOD is shocked into silence]]. The Inquisitor and the Valeyard tell him that it was necessary to end Peri's life to prevent the disastrous consequences of Crozier's experiment, and the Valeyard further claims that Peri's death is ultimately the Doctor's fault as he abandoned her in the first place (with the Time Lords failing to acknowledge that the only reason the Doctor abandoned her was because ''they'' plucked him out of time and he'd've made it to rescue her if they hadn't!) But rather than numbly accept the accusations of the Valeyard, however, the Doctor angrily insists that there is something extremely fishy about this whole trial and that he was removed from time for other, more sinister reasons. He, being (rightly) ''exceptionally displeased at Peri's death,'' [[RageAgainstTheHeavens vows to get to the bottom of all this]], and that he will somehow avenge the loss of Peri.

This serial is notable for featuring venerated actor Creator/BrianBlessed in a major role as King Yrcanos. This serial is more notable among the fans, though, for having a companion killed off rather than given a happy ending... at least until Creator/JohnNathanTurner reversed it at the end of the season.[[note]]At least this allows for Peri to return in the Expanded Universe material. [[CosmicPlaything Sadly, she goes through more rough shit beyond her initial happy ending...]][[/note]]

* WorldOfHam: Perhaps one of the hammiest productions ''Doctor Who'' has ever done.

!The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp

This serial is notable for featuring venerated actor Creator/BrianBlessed in a major role as King Yrcanos. This serial is more notable among the fans, though, for having a companion killed off rather than given a happy ending... at least until Creator/JohnNathanTurner reversed it at the end of the season.

'''Production code:''' 7B

Written by Philip Martin. This four-episode serial first aired from October 4--25, 1986.

* TheBadGuyWins: Although [[spoiler:it gets reversed in the end]], Peri's death ends up casting the Doctor in an even worse light than before.

* UnreliableNarrator: The Matrix itself, here, although to exactly what degree the events have been falsified is never made clear. "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E4TheUltimateFoe The Ultimate Foe]]" makes it clear that, at the very least, [[spoiler:Peri's "death", shown in this story, did not really happen, and she in fact married Yrcanos]].

Time slowly resumes its normal course and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim all that's left of Peri is Kiv]]. Yrcanos, having fallen for her over the course of the story, is devastated and blows everything up -- whatever remains of Peri included. The Doctor, watching this from the courtroom, [[HeroicBSOD is shocked into silence]]. The Inquisitor and the Valeyard tell him that it was necessary to end Peri's life to prevent the disastrous consequences of Crozier's experiment, and the Valeyard further claims that Peri's death is ultimately the Doctor's fault as he abandoned her in the first place. But rather than numbly accept the accusations of the Valeyard, however, the Doctor angrily insists that there is something extremely fishy about this whole trial and that he was removed from time for other, more sinister reasons. He, being (rightly) ''exceptionally displeased at Peri's death,'' [[RageAgainstTheHeavens vows to get to the bottom of all this]], and that he will somehow avenge the loss of Peri.

JustForFun/TheOneWith '''''Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}}.'''''

-> ''"Today, prudence shall be our watchword. Tomorrow, '''I SHALL SOAK THE LAND IN BLOOD'''!"''
-->--'''King Yrcarnos''', played by Creator/BrianBlessed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1k-pvCZ2Kw at his finest.]]

The one with '''''BRIAN BLESSED'''''.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bald_peri_4823.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Looks like Peri's [[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture Ilia]] auditions are going well. It's a pity her outfit isn't as colourful as [[RunningGag the Doctor's coat]].]]

Time slowly resumes its normal course and [[DroppedABridgeOnHim all that's left of Peri is Kiv]]. Yrcanos, having fallen for her over the course of the story, is devastated and blows everything up -- whatever remains of Peri included. The Doctor, watching this from the courtroom, [[HeroicBSOD is shocked into silence]]. The Inquisitor and the Valeyard tell him that it was necessary to end Peri's life to prevent the disastrous consequences of Crozier's experiment, and the Valeyard further claims that Peri's death is ultimately the Doctor's fault as he abandoned her in the first place. But rather than numbly accept the accusations of the Valeyard, however, the Doctor angrily insists that there is something extremely fishy about this whole trial and that he was removed from time for other, more sinister reasons. He, being ''exceptionally displeased at Peri's death,'' [[RageAgainstTheHeavens vows to get to the bottom of all this]], and that he will somehow avenge the loss of Peri.

* AlienSea and AlienSky: Thoros Beta has a green sky (with another planet visible, large and close enough to see its rings) and a pink ocean.

* TheBadGuyWins: Although it gets reversed in the end, Peri's death ends up casting the Doctor in an even worse light than before.

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Subverted; Peri's character's death was overturned in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E4TheUltimateFoe The Ultimate Foe]]".

* UnreliableNarrator: The Matrix itself, here, although to exactly what degree the events have been falsified is never made clear.

* {{Deconstruction}}: While much of it is embellished by ManipulativeEditing, the main plot scathingly takes apart all the most distinctive elements of the previous season. The Doctor and Peri wind up in yet another evil vs. evil situation where the Doctor is forced to help a villain in order to defeat them, but he only ends up alienating not only Peri, who finally gets fed up with his arrogance and moral grayness, but also the people he's actually trying to help, who take him for a traitor. The end result is that nobody wins: the whole situation devolves into chaos and the apparent death of Peri at the hands of the man who loved her. The Valeyard even notes at the end of the story that the Doctor is finally forced to face the consequences of what he had become in his new incarnation, and that even then, this was the ''best'' possible outcome.

* WeirdWorldWeirdFood: The Doctor visits Thoros-Beta, a colorful rocky planet where most people live in caves. Sil, a native, is repeatedly shown snacking on marsh minnows, a neon-green, newtlike creature that he typically consumes live. In the serial's novelization, the Doctor compares the taste of them to [[ItTastesLikeFeet an internal combustion engine]].

The footage shown to go along with the trial has the Doctor and Peri landing on the aforementioned Thoros Beta, a planet beach [[SpecialEffectsBeefUp with green sky, blue rocks and a pink ocean]]. They meander around the beach before going into a cave - and are quickly captured by natives of the planet. Among those aliens is [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E2VengeanceOnVaros Sil]], whom the Doctor suspects is behind the problems of this planet as well. As it turns out, this is Sil's homeworld, the planet of his species: the Mentors. The Doctor and Peri are taken to a Doctor Crozier and his experiments -- one of them being the ever-lovable [[Creator/BrianBlessed BRI... King Yrcanos]], a barbarian warrior king in samurai garb. Before the Doctor can object, a lie detector is slapped on his head and the Mentors begin to probe his mind. Before it can do much, however, Yrcanos blows up the machine, breaking free and taking the Doctor and Peri with him. Yrcanos plans to go steal weaponry and blow up the Mentors, but the Doctor then whacks the king on the head and turns Yrcanos and Peri over to the Mentors.

As it turns out, the Mentors are being evolved into higher beings by Doctor Crosier -- and the leader Kiv now needs a new body before his brain essentially explodes. Trying to avoid himself becoming a target of that transplant, the Doctor interrogates Peri and accuses her of being against the Mentors repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Doctor is denying that this happened at all during the trial -- and that he's being manipulated by someone who's messing with the Matrix ([[Film/TheMatrix again, not that one]]). Finally, Yrcanos escapes with Peri and both join the [[LaResistance resistance]] against the Mentors -- and plan a massive attack against the Mentors as well, but are stunned and captured. Sil and Crozier decide to use Peri as a more suitable body for Kiv's brain, despite the Doctor's objections. As the operation is being prepared, the Doctor sneaks away and frees Yrcanos, urging him on for Peri's safety.

The footage shown to go along with the trial has the Doctor and Peri landing on the aforementioned Thoros Beta, a planet beach [[SpecialEffectsBeefUp with green sky, blue rocks and a pink ocean]]. They meander around the beach before going into a cave - and are quickly captured by natives of the planet. Among those aliens is [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E2VengeanceOnVaros Sil]], whom the Doctor suspects is behind the problems of this planet as well. As it turns out, this is Sil's homeworld, the planet of his species: the Mentors. The Doctor and Peri are taken to a Doctor Crozier and his experiments -- one of them being the ever-lovable [[Creator/BrianBlessed BRI... King Yrcanos]]. Before the Doctor can object, a lie detector is slapped on his head and the Mentors begin to probe his mind. Before it can do much, however, Yrcanos blows up the machine, breaking free and taking the Doctor and Peri with him. Yrcanos plans to go steal weaponry and blow up the Mentors, but the Doctor then whacks the king on the head and turns Yrcanos and Peri over to the Mentors.

* AuthorAppeal: The concept of the Mentors being a heavily-capitalist society, buying up planets and then using them up is a self-admitted example from author Philip Martin. No one really cares, though, because the whole effect of the species is just that cool - especially for the 1980s.

* GrandTheftMe: Poor, poor Peri.

* SpecialEffectsBeefUp: Just... damn. The scenery has been turned into something fantastic with just a subtle application of a retro software known as Quantel Paintbox. Think of it as a 1980's Photoshop for film.