Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords was the three-part finale to the Tenth Doctor’s second season, and featured the resurrection of the Master, the Doctor’s greatest foe.
I’m not going to do my usual breakdown on these episodes, suffice to say that Utopia, even with its rather pathetic representation of the end of the known universe was a great episode. Derek Jacobi’s performance was amazing as both professor Yana (stupid, stupid name) and the Master.
His turn as the Master was all too brief, being replaced by John Simm, late of Life on Mars, as an absolutely bonkers Master – and I don’t mean that in a good way.
The story rapidly tanks throughout Sound of Drums and plumbs new depths in Last of the Time Lords. It’s the poorest ending I can think of in a long time – perhaps since the end of Life on Mars, so, not that long actually. A John Simm curse perhaps or just a stupid idea.
Although I like Simm, I did not like this portrayal as the Master just being nuts. I preferred him much more as a calculating, arrogant villain. It’s a sad crutch of writers these days that they cannot simply portray someone as “evil.†To be evil they seem to think, you have to be crazy. Crazy characters aren’t interesting.
So much promise, such a letdown.
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*focuses on the good stuff*
Not only did Utopia feature a corking performance from Jacobi (who I normally try to avoid), but I admired the way the writing cleverly pulled together strands from this season, earlier seasons and even Torchwood.
In addition to this, Murray Gold’s score was exceptional (also featuring clever Torchwood references and foreshadowing The Sound of Drums).
Most strikingly though, rewatching it, is how well directed it is; and in particular how beautiful are the shots in the final scenes featuring the TARDIS. Iconic.
If only the season had ended there, on that cliffhanger.
*focuses on the good stuff*
Not only did Utopia feature a corking performance from Jacobi (who I normally try to avoid), but I admired the way the writing cleverly pulled together strands from this season, earlier seasons and even Torchwood.
In addition to this, Murray Gold’s score was exceptional (also featuring clever Torchwood references and foreshadowing The Sound of Drums).
Most strikingly though, rewatching it, is how well directed it is; and in particular how beautiful are the shots in the final scenes featuring the TARDIS. Iconic.
If only the season had ended there, on that cliffhanger.
I must admit, I’m not at all familiar with Mr. Jacobi prior to story, so I had no expectations of any kind. The performance was just a joy to watch. Sincere and somewhat sad in the kindly old professor, and almost chilling as the Master. Would that they have kept Jacobi as the Master.
The final “tie-ups” in the last few moments of the episode notwithstanding, they used the season theme a lot more effectively and unobtrusively this year.
I happened to watch The Unquiet Dead just before watching Last of the TIme Lords and the mention of the “big bad wolf” still hits me like fingernails on a chalkboard. The Saxon references were only in episodes which made sense (time and space-wise) and at least somewhat integral to the stories they appeared in.
I also watched the Sea Devils the same day and Roger Delgado, Mephistophelean appearance and all, still defines the Master, but I would have liked to have seen Jacobi have a hand at unseating him.
I must admit, I’m not at all familiar with Mr. Jacobi prior to story, so I had no expectations of any kind. The performance was just a joy to watch. Sincere and somewhat sad in the kindly old professor, and almost chilling as the Master. Would that they have kept Jacobi as the Master.
The final “tie-ups” in the last few moments of the episode notwithstanding, they used the season theme a lot more effectively and unobtrusively this year.
I happened to watch The Unquiet Dead just before watching Last of the TIme Lords and the mention of the “big bad wolf” still hits me like fingernails on a chalkboard. The Saxon references were only in episodes which made sense (time and space-wise) and at least somewhat integral to the stories they appeared in.
I also watched the Sea Devils the same day and Roger Delgado, Mephistophelean appearance and all, still defines the Master, but I would have liked to have seen Jacobi have a hand at unseating him.
Haven’t watched that for ages, but rewatched The Daemons recently. It’s his turn as the vicar that I find just totally chilling in that one. It makes it the ultimate Master story for me.
What defines the Master? IMO it’s the hypnotic “I am the Master and you will obey me”, the meddling with forces far greater than a Time Lord’s, the schemes and deals. Not pure evil, or simple revenge, but pursuit of power for its own sake.
And, to my mind, it’s never really worked outside the Pertwee era. Until Jacobi. The contempt he gets into the one word “utopia” as he throws away the disc… That’s the Master.
Contempt. Now that’s what defines the Master. Someone should have told John Simm.
Haven’t watched that for ages, but rewatched The Daemons recently. It’s his turn as the vicar that I find just totally chilling in that one. It makes it the ultimate Master story for me.
What defines the Master? IMO it’s the hypnotic “I am the Master and you will obey me”, the meddling with forces far greater than a Time Lord’s, the schemes and deals. Not pure evil, or simple revenge, but pursuit of power for its own sake.
And, to my mind, it’s never really worked outside the Pertwee era. Until Jacobi. The contempt he gets into the one word “utopia” as he throws away the disc… That’s the Master.
Contempt. Now that’s what defines the Master. Someone should have told John Simm.
You’ve put your finger on something there that hadn’t immediately occurred to me. Roger Delgado’s turn at the Master was superior to Anthony Ainley’s (in my mind) because it was a real performance, rather than Ainley’s the over-the-top pantomime.
But, now that you bring it up, there was (once) clear motivation for the character. During Delgado’s term, the Master was, as you point out, almost always seeking ultimate power, be it meddling with dark forces (Daemons, Time Monster) or advanced technology (Colony in Space) or using others to further his goals (Autons, Daleks, Sea Devils etc.)
At some points, as the battle ensued between the Doctor and the Master, the Master’s goals were more towards escape from Earth or prison, which is a logical extension. Even the dreaded Claws of Axos made sense in that respect. The Master had been captured and would have died if he hadn’t promised them the Earth, which he picked as pure revenge against the Doctor and Earth. Consistent with his character, he tried to turn that further to his advantage.
When we move on to Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers, I think the character is still within scope. Like with the Axons, he has a serious – life threatening – problem and he sets about methodically to solve it.
His choice of the Doctor as his unwitting agent in Deadly Assassin is a little dubious, but, if we consider the Master thinks there is a very real chance he’ll die, I suppose I can accept that, as potentially his last chance, he might find it necessary to try to destroy the Doctor. Like in Axos, not only does he want to escape his predicament, he also wants to control power – in this case the power of the Time Lords.
In Traken (as I recall, my DVD set hasn’t arrived yet) the Doctor’s involvement is somewhat accidental. Was he invited by the Keeper because the Keeper knew it was the Master or because the Keeper knew the Doctor was the type to help?
Nonetheless, the Master’s motivations are entirely in character: New life and power.
I think that largely ended after Logopolis. That’s the last time I recall the Master having a clear motivation. Who can forget his speech from the Pharoah’s project, “People’s of the Universe, attend…”? That’s classic Master, attempting to control something as big as universal entropy so that he can rule all.
Afterwards, his motivations and plans were as lame and illogical as the Rani’s.
For example, the “I’m going to go back and erase the Magna Carta so western civilization collapses and the Earth will be easy pickings” plot of the King’s Demons was absurd. I’m more inclined to believe some third-rate high school history teacher proposed the idea as a thought exercise.
“So, students, let’s play a thought game today. What if the Magna Carta was never signed? Would western civilization have never come to prominence? Since (obviously) none of the non-western civilizations will ever amount to anything, would our planet be a backward society populated by mud-harvesting peasants who would be easy prey for some alien force to come dominate us?”
This is hardly a well thought out plan worthy of a brilliant mind like the Master’s.
The character really lost his way during that era, and I certainly don’t blame Ainley for that, he would have had no control over the writers or producers who farmed up those awful stories for him to appear in.
In Jacobi’s performance we again see the brilliance of the Master. Perhaps he’s not quite as brilliant as the Doctor, but he’s as near an equal as the Doctor has got. We see the Master’s mind, unfettered by his personality.
When freed, we see the reaction of an arrogant man who has been imprisoned, didn’t know it and now full realization is dawning. There’s no sign of madness, but there’s hardly time, just fury and calculating revenge.
And then Simm is just insane. How dull.
You’ve put your finger on something there that hadn’t immediately occurred to me. Roger Delgado’s turn at the Master was superior to Anthony Ainley’s (in my mind) because it was a real performance, rather than Ainley’s the over-the-top pantomime.
But, now that you bring it up, there was (once) clear motivation for the character. During Delgado’s term, the Master was, as you point out, almost always seeking ultimate power, be it meddling with dark forces (Daemons, Time Monster) or advanced technology (Colony in Space) or using others to further his goals (Autons, Daleks, Sea Devils etc.)
At some points, as the battle ensued between the Doctor and the Master, the Master’s goals were more towards escape from Earth or prison, which is a logical extension. Even the dreaded Claws of Axos made sense in that respect. The Master had been captured and would have died if he hadn’t promised them the Earth, which he picked as pure revenge against the Doctor and Earth. Consistent with his character, he tried to turn that further to his advantage.
When we move on to Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers, I think the character is still within scope. Like with the Axons, he has a serious – life threatening – problem and he sets about methodically to solve it.
His choice of the Doctor as his unwitting agent in Deadly Assassin is a little dubious, but, if we consider the Master thinks there is a very real chance he’ll die, I suppose I can accept that, as potentially his last chance, he might find it necessary to try to destroy the Doctor. Like in Axos, not only does he want to escape his predicament, he also wants to control power – in this case the power of the Time Lords.
In Traken (as I recall, my DVD set hasn’t arrived yet) the Doctor’s involvement is somewhat accidental. Was he invited by the Keeper because the Keeper knew it was the Master or because the Keeper knew the Doctor was the type to help?
Nonetheless, the Master’s motivations are entirely in character: New life and power.
I think that largely ended after Logopolis. That’s the last time I recall the Master having a clear motivation. Who can forget his speech from the Pharoah’s project, “People’s of the Universe, attend…”? That’s classic Master, attempting to control something as big as universal entropy so that he can rule all.
Afterwards, his motivations and plans were as lame and illogical as the Rani’s.
For example, the “I’m going to go back and erase the Magna Carta so western civilization collapses and the Earth will be easy pickings” plot of the King’s Demons was absurd. I’m more inclined to believe some third-rate high school history teacher proposed the idea as a thought exercise.
“So, students, let’s play a thought game today. What if the Magna Carta was never signed? Would western civilization have never come to prominence? Since (obviously) none of the non-western civilizations will ever amount to anything, would our planet be a backward society populated by mud-harvesting peasants who would be easy prey for some alien force to come dominate us?”
This is hardly a well thought out plan worthy of a brilliant mind like the Master’s.
The character really lost his way during that era, and I certainly don’t blame Ainley for that, he would have had no control over the writers or producers who farmed up those awful stories for him to appear in.
In Jacobi’s performance we again see the brilliance of the Master. Perhaps he’s not quite as brilliant as the Doctor, but he’s as near an equal as the Doctor has got. We see the Master’s mind, unfettered by his personality.
When freed, we see the reaction of an arrogant man who has been imprisoned, didn’t know it and now full realization is dawning. There’s no sign of madness, but there’s hardly time, just fury and calculating revenge.
And then Simm is just insane. How dull.
Absolutely. The Master’s motivation was always self-interest, a counterpoint to the Doctor’s altruism, just as the Doctor’s contempt for…well, everyone else was a counterpoint for the Doctor’s fondness for human’s (albeit disguised as grumpiness back then).
He gets what he wants by manipulating. The Doctor/Master relationship worked when they were thrown together – and of course it began when the Doctor was stuck on Earth.
That moment of contempt Jacobi offered us was the closest to the Master since Delgado to my mind (I haven’t seen The Deadly Assasin). His running and hiding as a human – that’s the Master’s self preservation. Then he gets stuck on Earth, and tries to take over the world. That’s classic Master territory too. But by standing in an election? Don’t make me laugh. (It didn’t, btw).
Now, you mention the Rani. Back when the rumours about the season-29-classic-villain-revival were settling on a Time Lord, I wondered about the Rani. I’ve only seen one story with the Rani – and I think the amoral scientist is a spin on the renegade Time Lord concept with continued relevance and great potential (not that it was realised in The Mark of…). Revivals of the Master have shown diminishing returns. But with the Rani there’d have been nothing to lose.
Absolutely. The Master’s motivation was always self-interest, a counterpoint to the Doctor’s altruism, just as the Doctor’s contempt for…well, everyone else was a counterpoint for the Doctor’s fondness for human’s (albeit disguised as grumpiness back then).
He gets what he wants by manipulating. The Doctor/Master relationship worked when they were thrown together – and of course it began when the Doctor was stuck on Earth.
That moment of contempt Jacobi offered us was the closest to the Master since Delgado to my mind (I haven’t seen The Deadly Assasin). His running and hiding as a human – that’s the Master’s self preservation. Then he gets stuck on Earth, and tries to take over the world. That’s classic Master territory too. But by standing in an election? Don’t make me laugh. (It didn’t, btw).
Now, you mention the Rani. Back when the rumours about the season-29-classic-villain-revival were settling on a Time Lord, I wondered about the Rani. I’ve only seen one story with the Rani – and I think the amoral scientist is a spin on the renegade Time Lord concept with continued relevance and great potential (not that it was realised in The Mark of…). Revivals of the Master have shown diminishing returns. But with the Rani there’d have been nothing to lose.