Tread Perilously’s celebration of Tom Baker’s 90th year continues with the Doctor Who story called “Pyramids of Mars.”
A quirk in time and space forces the TARDIS to land at UNIT HQ some 60 years before it is built. Instead, they find a priory owned by archeologist Marcus Scarman. For his part, the explorer has been possessed by Sutek, an alien imprisoned under a Saqaara pyramid for millennia. Will The Doctor and Sarah Jane figure out the Osirian’s plan before he launches a rocket at Mars or will the bodies of hapless Edwardians keep piling up?
Erik points out the Robert Holmes hidden in the proceedings. Justin enjoys the silliness of it all. Elisabeth Sladen proves to be the MVP as Sarah Jane snarks her way through the adventure. The Scarman brothers prove to be compelling guest characters even as Justin and Erik can’t help but riff on Sutek’s genocidal tendencies. Ancient Aliens comes up every so often. The presence of a poacher leads to a lot of discussion. The many highs of the story are tempered by an unusually soggy middle and an obscure plot. Erik figures out where Sutek was the whole time and Ramses II starts selling discount pyramids.
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