Snakedance

When your mind snake has a mind of its own.

Extended Storyline

We open with Tegan having nightmares again — because nothing says “fun space adventure” like waking up to find your subconscious screaming, “By the way, there’s still a psychic snake in here.” The Doctor decides that a little trip to Manussa might help, since it’s the ancient home of the Mara and currently in the middle of celebrating how they destroyed it. You know, as civilizations do — throw a carnival about that one time you survived mass possession.

Manussa itself looks like someone mashed up a dusty bazaar with a New Age crystal shop. The locals are all preparing for the Great Crystal of Manussa ceremony, the symbolic defeat of the Mara. Unfortunately, symbolism isn’t much use when the Mara is still hanging around, waiting for a good opportunity to come slithering back into the physical world.

Tegan, still possessed, is having a rough time. Imagine trying to go about your day while an ancient psychic snake uses your brain like an Airbnb. She starts snapping at people, wandering off, and eventually gets hypnotized into helping the Mara’s cultists (because of course there are cultists).

Enter Lon, the bored aristocratic heir of Manussa, played with all the enthusiasm of someone stuck at a family function they desperately want to escape. He’s skeptical about the Mara, sneers at traditions, and generally behaves like the snarky teenager of the ruling elite. Naturally, he becomes the perfect candidate for possession — and soon he’s strutting around in eyeliner and sinister robes, which is how you know a Doctor Who villain means business.

The Doctor, meanwhile, is busy trying to get anyone to take the Mara seriously. As usual, the locals wave him off with a, “Pfft, don’t be silly, it was destroyed centuries ago.” (Classic Who bingo card: ✔️ Disbelieving Authorities.) Nyssa plays the role of supportive science-friend, though at this point she’s probably wondering why every planet they land on insists on ignoring the Doctor until people start dying.

The climax revolves around the Great Crystal, which the Mara plans to use as a psychic amplifier — think Bluetooth speaker for evil. With Tegan and Lon under the Mara’s thrall, the big ceremony devolves into chaos. The Doctor, realizing brute force isn’t going to cut it, whips out the most terrifying weapon of all: reflective surfaces. He sets up mirrors to force the Mara to face itself, which, in pure Freudian fashion, causes the snake to collapse under the unbearable weight of its own self-awareness.

In a surprisingly dark moment, Tegan pleads, “Don’t let me be destroyed!” — but the Doctor presses on, because letting your best mate turn into a psychic snake goddess is generally considered bad form. The Mara is defeated once more, Tegan survives (barely), and everyone leaves Manussa a little shaken. Especially Tegan, who’s now got more trauma than most daytime soap opera characters.