Directed by Peter Grimwade (Kinda) and Fiona Cumming (Snakedance), this collection features the nefarious snake-like entity know as the Mara which created a little bit of an uproar during its day. By just mentioning the title of the first story, it will bring back repressed memories of Doctor Who fans of this giant rubber snake that unfortunately spoilt the excellent story from the first episode. However who are we to judge? Both episodes have a rather stellar cast that include Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse, Simon Rouse and a very young Martin Clunes.

Unfortunately when the Doctor and his companion Tegan investigate the alien paradise of Deva Loka, she becomes a portal to an alien parasite known as Mara and there's some very strong acting by Fielding here. This episode is reminiscent of the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who from its moody storyline and eerie settings and unfortunately the mystery of this story is a little tainted by the giant rubber serpent at the end of the story. The follow-up to Kinda is Snakedance that once again sees the Mara return after it has been banished for centuries.

This story is considerably more down to Earth than the more coloruful and spiritual adventure of Tegan which once again pushes the Doctor aside with Martin Clunes stealing the show as this stuck up aristocrat. Considering we've been watching the new Doctor for several years now, these older stories are still a treat to those true Whovians. With that said, the stories generally hold up well and it's easy to see where the mythology of Doctor Who began and if you're a fan of the good Doctor, this is a must have boxed set. Best of all, there is an option to replace the horrible rubber snake with a CGI snake that looks considerably better and will help push those memories of the rubber monstrosity away for ever.
 
With above average video and audio quality, there is a wealth of special features that include a Making of Documentary on both episodes, a featurette on director Peter Grimwade and best of all, commentary by Peter Davison with all his companions from these stories. Add in some deleted scenes and a few more titbits and this nicely rounds out another impressive release from the BBC that comes affordably priced at around $19.95.