Season 19, Episode 3 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 1–9 February 1982 | Writer: Christopher Bailey | Director: Peter Grimwade
Cast
- Peter Davison as the Doctor
- Matthew Waterhouse as Adric
- Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
- Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka
- Richard Todd as Sanders
Summary
The TARDIS arrives on the idyllic jungle world of Deva Loka, home to the gentle, telepathic Kinda people and a small, increasingly paranoid human survey team. As Tegan falls under the influence of a malevolent entity called the Mara through her dreams, and the human commander’s grip on reality begins to unravel, the Doctor must unravel the psychological and spiritual forces threatening both the Kinda and his own companions.
Interesting Facts
- The story draws heavily on Buddhist philosophy and Jungian psychology, giving it an unusually dense, symbolic script for the series.
- It introduces the Mara, a recurring malevolent entity that would return the following season in Snakedance.
- Writer Christopher Bailey’s background in psychology and religious studies shaped the serial’s unconventional, cerebral tone.
- The story’s minimal but striking studio jungle set belied its ambitious, philosophically driven narrative scope.
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