My favorite classic series episode is “Pyramids of Mars.” For me, it is one of the quintessential Fourth Doctor adventures. The story features Sutehk, a powerful alien from a now extinct race known as the Osirans. Sutehk became obsessed with threats to his power and vowed to destroy all life in order to hold onto it. The remaining Osirans tracked him down to ancient Egypt where they imprisoned him supposedly forever with an energy source beamed from the Eye of Horus on Mars to his pyramid prison. In 1914, an archeologist accidentally set in motion Sutehk’s escape before the Doctor traps Sutehk again.
“Pyramids of Mars” has all the low budget Wholigan trademarks--the sarcophagus is made of obvious plastic, robot mummies wrapped in Ace bandages, the levitating TARDIS key is held up by clearly seen wires, and Sutehk’s eyes are barely disguised light bulbs. All silly fun saved by a good script and a clever, non-violent resolution.
There is something mystical about Egyptian mythology that adds another layer of enjoyment, too. “Pyramids of Mars” aired in 1975 around about the time the public was gaining interest in King Tut’s tomb and the alleged curse surrounding the archeological team that dug it up and put artifacts into museums. The curse is total poppycock, but there is still something intriguing about the ancient Egyptian fascination with death and the afterlife “Pyramids of Mars” captures well.
