Showing posts with label the Master. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Master. Show all posts
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Multi-Master update!
Exciting news: the classic Fifth Doctor line "quick, back to the TARDIS!" has just made it into the script. Rumours that the Master will chuckle, smirk, grin and use the word "dear" inappropriately are still unsubstantiated.
The Master: dressing for the occasion
Today we're going to talk about RM. The movie has him dressed up as Bruce for the whole time, and I can't believe that his costume of choice would be the Prydonian robes. It'd be like AM going around dressed as Khalid for absolutely no reason (no wait...)(:p just kidding)(but not really) So I've designed him his own outfit for the comic. You'll be pleased to know it's black.
Just as AM's outfit wasn't entirely removed from Tremas' dress sense, so I've tried to incorporate some of the black leather look. I've given him a futuro version of the jacket, along with shiny leather trousers. He's terribly camp in the movie, so I've made it deliberately 60's sci-fi, with only a hint of cheap stripper. It's supposed to have a cursory resemblance to those mancandy calenders, with posing lumberjacks and hunk firemen. I haven't forgotten the robes though - hence his sleeves are massive Jacobean affairs of which Deadly Assassin Doctor would thoroughly approve. I let him keep the sunglasses. My art is dodgy at best, and I do intend those trousers to be very tight, so I'm seeing how far I can decently go with crotch.
My one concern is that he's not his Doctor's mirror. 3 and DM had very similar tastes - refined, sleek - and would cut similar silhouettes; 5 and AM are both broadly historical - one Edwardian, the other Elizabethan, and both a little daft; SM and 10 are in suits. But crucially, those three Master-Doctor pairs have similar attitudes - whereas it's hard to put 8 and RM even in the same galaxy. 8's mirror-Master would be a vampiric lost romantic, instead of the tough guy we got. And there is something 8 would agree with in RM's new Space Pirate look.
Perhaps because it's the Master's one outing in a really buff body, you see him resort to physical violence in a way no other Master ever has (or, indeed, has needed to). As a tribute to that, I've given him a gun and an OTT sword - mostly because the costume looked bare. But now I look for one, I've had a wonderful use for that gun all along, and it's good to provide him with the means for a round three swordfight if 8 was ever in the mood. I've given it a greeinish ting in tribute to the snake stuff.
Just as AM's outfit wasn't entirely removed from Tremas' dress sense, so I've tried to incorporate some of the black leather look. I've given him a futuro version of the jacket, along with shiny leather trousers. He's terribly camp in the movie, so I've made it deliberately 60's sci-fi, with only a hint of cheap stripper. It's supposed to have a cursory resemblance to those mancandy calenders, with posing lumberjacks and hunk firemen. I haven't forgotten the robes though - hence his sleeves are massive Jacobean affairs of which Deadly Assassin Doctor would thoroughly approve. I let him keep the sunglasses. My art is dodgy at best, and I do intend those trousers to be very tight, so I'm seeing how far I can decently go with crotch.
My one concern is that he's not his Doctor's mirror. 3 and DM had very similar tastes - refined, sleek - and would cut similar silhouettes; 5 and AM are both broadly historical - one Edwardian, the other Elizabethan, and both a little daft; SM and 10 are in suits. But crucially, those three Master-Doctor pairs have similar attitudes - whereas it's hard to put 8 and RM even in the same galaxy. 8's mirror-Master would be a vampiric lost romantic, instead of the tough guy we got. And there is something 8 would agree with in RM's new Space Pirate look.
Perhaps because it's the Master's one outing in a really buff body, you see him resort to physical violence in a way no other Master ever has (or, indeed, has needed to). As a tribute to that, I've given him a gun and an OTT sword - mostly because the costume looked bare. But now I look for one, I've had a wonderful use for that gun all along, and it's good to provide him with the means for a round three swordfight if 8 was ever in the mood. I've given it a greeinish ting in tribute to the snake stuff.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Update on the Master project - we have art!
So, if anyone cares, and if anyone has faith that I'll ever finish it (I certainly don't), here's the first smash of art. I'm doing it my usual style - fairly realistic, a bit comic book-y, but not too stylised. Mainly I'm just obsessing about getting the details right.
Yes. I know I forgot the celery. I always forget to draw the celery, and I don't know why as its hardly an obvious omission. I'm happy with the colours though. Cute, isn't it?
On the other team will be these easily recognisable fellows:
You might recognise them as SimmMaster and DelgadoMaster. If you don't, then I'm in more trouble than I thought. The reason I've only posted two of the Masters is that the other two STILL look nothing like their TV counterparts. But I think these two are great.
Excited now, aren't you? Next installment - Nyssa and Tegan, and hopefully another Master.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Multi-Master update!
"He's back from the dead, and ready to party. He's just been rescued from the Eye of Harmony, newly troubled by a mysterious drumming. He's come back from Sarn and hell bent on revenge - for something the Doctor hasn't even done yet. And he’s just along for the ride...
The Doctor’s a little puzzled by the Master’s behaviour – random murders and freak disasters all over planet Earth. But he’s happy to keep cleaning up the aftermath as long as Nyssa’s safe – studying a valuable tourist drug on [insert planet name]. When war breaks out there 10 years too soon, he discovers something threatening the whole universe. So what's new? But why has the Doctor just met a different version of the Master who the Doctor knows to be dead? And who is the suited man who sees to be manipulating events on a rival planet?"
So here’s the blurb, which I’ve been working on instead of doing any real work towards the story.
Obviously you’ll have to imagine better clarity with the first paragraph when accompanied by pictures – in order, its meant to be SM, RM, AM then DM. The most lingering gripe that Caves has left me with is that my plot is, how shall we put this, in principle exactly the same. Two planets, an argument over a luxury drug – and I put DelgadoMaster in the Morgus role, manipulating both sides for maximum chaos.
I’m hoping this won’t matter – factional rivalry is nothing new to Who, and what makes Caves such a darn good episode is the way it doesn’t do the obvious thing. The Doctor doesn’t get involved in the war – its just a background to a personal story. I have gone down the simple route – stopping the conflict is his main priority. Combined with the difference in atmosphere – I’m all space ports and open spaces – I hope it won’t make too big a difference. As I noted in the previous post, Five Doctors and Journey’s End has taught me fan indulgence will make up for any deficiencies in plot or plagiarism.
And also glorious continuity errors. Will a casual reader be annoyed, or even notice the fact that a sequence relying on SM’s hands being free takes place at a time when he is canonically handcuffed? The end of series 3 is responsible for my DW obsession; I’ve seen it far more times than can be healthy, and so surely few people would notice this minor detail from Last of the Timelords when I forgot it? Neither did the Portreve, my Master-obsessed friend, who’s been correcting me on all sorts of minor points as I go. So here I am, trying to reproduce all the crying and hugging which occurred on the Valiant, which is a hard enough job, and now I’ve got a whole page of it to redraw. It’s not just a case of adding handcuffs. I’ve got to move shoulders, arms, elbows, shadows, angles – its starting from scratch.
I’ve now got something that will pass as an acceptable 5, from some angles or for some emotions. I’ve also got sick of trying to make AM any better – I’ve got something OK, and I’m sticking to it. Only now to find out my DMs have gone down the shoot. Ultimately, I may have to draw them on separate days.
Other problems? Well, my 5th Doctor is just splendid - I'm starting to worry his lines have been taken verbatim from existing scripts, he's such a joy to write for. I know why companions were criminally underwritten in the old series - its really hard. So far, Tegan has just stood around and asked questions. I feel guilty - she's one of my faves - and the lines I have do all have her individual twist. But she's still just walking exposition. And I need to see some more DM quick - I feel his character is becoming unfairly reasonable. With SM jumping about all over the place, RM unintentionally speaking in double entendres and AM going overboard with the chuckles, I worry he's uncharacteristically sane in comparison. He comes across very well balanced in Claws of Axos - is that always the case?
And I'm still plotless. The main problem I've identified with Torchwood is a tendency to write for character not story. A DW example is Journey's End - all set up, a plot wrapped up without ingenuity but because it has to be, and the climax is Davros taunting the Doc. What does he do in the episode? He gets kidnapped. He stands around. He feels bad. He doesn't defeat the invasion, he doesn't do anything. Maybe you're now thinking "interesting observation, Fifth Doctor fan", but that's different, Resurrection of the Daleks does brilliantly, and it really doesn't work outside of his era anyway. Think Pyramids of Mars - the Doctor spends the whole thing finding ways to defeat Sutekh. Things happen. Its easy to lurch from character incident to character incident - lets face it, its easier to write and more fun too. The best bits of Pyramids is him facing off Sutekh, him dealing with Scarman jnr's grief, every aside to Sarah-Jane. So far, I've only done the confrontations - the exact details of what will be going on in the mean time I've left for now, and will probably never will square out.
I don't want to be left with a Journey's End - I don't want my terrific setup spoilt by a lazy ending, the Doc brushing it off with a bit of technobabble. I want it to be the ultimate Master adventure - all four of the sneaky bastards quadruple crossing everyone on set, and setting up a slick smart plot which befits five timelords all trying to outthink one another. In short, an impossible task. But a girl can dream. And Lucy Saxon looks awesome.
The Doctor’s a little puzzled by the Master’s behaviour – random murders and freak disasters all over planet Earth. But he’s happy to keep cleaning up the aftermath as long as Nyssa’s safe – studying a valuable tourist drug on [insert planet name]. When war breaks out there 10 years too soon, he discovers something threatening the whole universe. So what's new? But why has the Doctor just met a different version of the Master who the Doctor knows to be dead? And who is the suited man who sees to be manipulating events on a rival planet?"
So here’s the blurb, which I’ve been working on instead of doing any real work towards the story.
Obviously you’ll have to imagine better clarity with the first paragraph when accompanied by pictures – in order, its meant to be SM, RM, AM then DM. The most lingering gripe that Caves has left me with is that my plot is, how shall we put this, in principle exactly the same. Two planets, an argument over a luxury drug – and I put DelgadoMaster in the Morgus role, manipulating both sides for maximum chaos.
I’m hoping this won’t matter – factional rivalry is nothing new to Who, and what makes Caves such a darn good episode is the way it doesn’t do the obvious thing. The Doctor doesn’t get involved in the war – its just a background to a personal story. I have gone down the simple route – stopping the conflict is his main priority. Combined with the difference in atmosphere – I’m all space ports and open spaces – I hope it won’t make too big a difference. As I noted in the previous post, Five Doctors and Journey’s End has taught me fan indulgence will make up for any deficiencies in plot or plagiarism.
And also glorious continuity errors. Will a casual reader be annoyed, or even notice the fact that a sequence relying on SM’s hands being free takes place at a time when he is canonically handcuffed? The end of series 3 is responsible for my DW obsession; I’ve seen it far more times than can be healthy, and so surely few people would notice this minor detail from Last of the Timelords when I forgot it? Neither did the Portreve, my Master-obsessed friend, who’s been correcting me on all sorts of minor points as I go. So here I am, trying to reproduce all the crying and hugging which occurred on the Valiant, which is a hard enough job, and now I’ve got a whole page of it to redraw. It’s not just a case of adding handcuffs. I’ve got to move shoulders, arms, elbows, shadows, angles – its starting from scratch.
I’ve now got something that will pass as an acceptable 5, from some angles or for some emotions. I’ve also got sick of trying to make AM any better – I’ve got something OK, and I’m sticking to it. Only now to find out my DMs have gone down the shoot. Ultimately, I may have to draw them on separate days.
Other problems? Well, my 5th Doctor is just splendid - I'm starting to worry his lines have been taken verbatim from existing scripts, he's such a joy to write for. I know why companions were criminally underwritten in the old series - its really hard. So far, Tegan has just stood around and asked questions. I feel guilty - she's one of my faves - and the lines I have do all have her individual twist. But she's still just walking exposition. And I need to see some more DM quick - I feel his character is becoming unfairly reasonable. With SM jumping about all over the place, RM unintentionally speaking in double entendres and AM going overboard with the chuckles, I worry he's uncharacteristically sane in comparison. He comes across very well balanced in Claws of Axos - is that always the case?
And I'm still plotless. The main problem I've identified with Torchwood is a tendency to write for character not story. A DW example is Journey's End - all set up, a plot wrapped up without ingenuity but because it has to be, and the climax is Davros taunting the Doc. What does he do in the episode? He gets kidnapped. He stands around. He feels bad. He doesn't defeat the invasion, he doesn't do anything. Maybe you're now thinking "interesting observation, Fifth Doctor fan", but that's different, Resurrection of the Daleks does brilliantly, and it really doesn't work outside of his era anyway. Think Pyramids of Mars - the Doctor spends the whole thing finding ways to defeat Sutekh. Things happen. Its easy to lurch from character incident to character incident - lets face it, its easier to write and more fun too. The best bits of Pyramids is him facing off Sutekh, him dealing with Scarman jnr's grief, every aside to Sarah-Jane. So far, I've only done the confrontations - the exact details of what will be going on in the mean time I've left for now, and will probably never will square out.
I don't want to be left with a Journey's End - I don't want my terrific setup spoilt by a lazy ending, the Doc brushing it off with a bit of technobabble. I want it to be the ultimate Master adventure - all four of the sneaky bastards quadruple crossing everyone on set, and setting up a slick smart plot which befits five timelords all trying to outthink one another. In short, an impossible task. But a girl can dream. And Lucy Saxon looks awesome.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Here's trouble.
After months of wondering "why has no one ever done a multi-Master story?", I've decided to embark on the ugly task myself and it's causing me headaches. I'm involving everyone bar the decaying corpses - the remaining four are referred to as DM, AM, RM and SM to ease confusion. Sadly, not even I could squidge canon to fit Derek Jacobi's twominuteMaster into the mix.
I very quickly came up with a scenario which would require all four of them, an excuse for them to be together, and something sufficiently challenging. And that's when the trouble began.
My first instinct was "anyone but 5". I never want to let anyone pigeonhole me as a fan of just one doctor, and I'm paranoid. It would be such an obvious, easy choice; so I had a look at my options first:
I wanted it to be someone who recognised at least one Master, but also there were others he wouldn't recognise - ruling out 1, 2 and 10 instantly. I also felt 3 was an unlikely candidate - because I wanted this to be a space story, and he doesn't get much space time, and also because I feel he gets enough Master time in too. I couldn't use 9 without breaking time - he'd figure out He Was Not Alone two seasons too early. 8 would have worked, but companions were impossible.
By this stage, I was beginning to like the idea that not only would he fail to recognise SM, he'd be unnerved by the nonchronological appearance of DM. And I wouldn't dare write for 4.
Which narrows it down to three inevitable candidates. I feel I could write 7's dialogue, but not his character - I'm in rebellion against New-Adventures-Evil-7, making me particularly allergic to the idea. I can draw 6, but I couldn't catch his voice. And 5, who is striding quite merrily around my head as we speak, his lines, character and movement all perfect - in sufficient detail that I could never hope for the skill to draw it.
In terms of story, there wasn't much to determine either. The Master's plan depends on the Doctor being sufficiently distracted by a chain of nasty events on Earth to not notice his other selves quietly taking over a different corner of the galaxy. That ruled 7 out pretty quick - that guy really did have an eye for the big picture and disregard for collateral damage; I needed someone who would ignore the undercurrents in favour of rescuing cats from trees. Sounds like a pretty obvious case for 5 - but he couldn't talk down a Tereleptil; whereas throwing 6 in with four Masters at once would be hilarious fun to write, not to mention he'd be the most intimidating thing in the room.
Really, it came down to companions. Even though I still imagine the second half of the story functioning better with 6 in charge, I'm not fond enough of Peri or Mel to want to write them. I'd be too worried about letting them become "companion default", because I don't know them well enough to notice how they're different. And as someone who loves the character moments, it'd be rough to write an episode without them.
And then lots of lovely ideas started bubbling in my mind. Nyssa and Tegan - two of them, and it's a story that takes place in two different parts of the universe. As a scientist, Nyssa is also the perfect candidate to be at said part of the universe. And in particular, Nyssa gets to meet a pre-Tremas Master. Oh lovely, lovely ideas. What if the multi-Master time crash was the reason AM got saved in Planet of Fire, instead of the popular canon-wrangle with Five Doctors? AM wanting revenge for something the Doctor hasn't even done yet. Delicious.
It was pretty inevitable, wasn't it? Ignoring the 10th Doctor, there's no era I know better, so perhaps its for the best. I've already got the last scene sorted out - when the Doctor, inevitably, wins - and I'm still in mourning for 6 being put in the same situation, and doing the exact opposite action.
Plot wrangling over. Stage two: art and dialogue. I'm in pain. I can draw DM, SM and Tegan. However I'm floundering with RM and Nyssa, my AM's don't look dissimilar enough from his predecessor, and I don't know where to start with 5. Having boiled it down to three expressions - barely suppressed panic, inappropriate polite smiling and "Oh no! It's a cliffhanger!" - I find I can't do any of them. Its because the whole thing is too vivid in my mind - any other Doctor (again, sans 10, who's also causing trouble in his two-panel cameo), I wouldn't know any different, and thus wouldn't notice. If all else fails, I might start copying the perfect art from The Ten Doctors comic instead of trying to draw from life. Nyssa's even worse - I can draw something like her, but every time I give her an emotion it looks wrong. I figure that's because Ms Sutton's role on the show involved her doing little or no acting.
If all else fails, I could write it as a novel. But the idea is a drawing practice, and my writing is very rusty. In any case, I have some preparatory viewing drawn up:
I very quickly came up with a scenario which would require all four of them, an excuse for them to be together, and something sufficiently challenging. And that's when the trouble began.
My first instinct was "anyone but 5". I never want to let anyone pigeonhole me as a fan of just one doctor, and I'm paranoid. It would be such an obvious, easy choice; so I had a look at my options first:
I wanted it to be someone who recognised at least one Master, but also there were others he wouldn't recognise - ruling out 1, 2 and 10 instantly. I also felt 3 was an unlikely candidate - because I wanted this to be a space story, and he doesn't get much space time, and also because I feel he gets enough Master time in too. I couldn't use 9 without breaking time - he'd figure out He Was Not Alone two seasons too early. 8 would have worked, but companions were impossible.
By this stage, I was beginning to like the idea that not only would he fail to recognise SM, he'd be unnerved by the nonchronological appearance of DM. And I wouldn't dare write for 4.
Which narrows it down to three inevitable candidates. I feel I could write 7's dialogue, but not his character - I'm in rebellion against New-Adventures-Evil-7, making me particularly allergic to the idea. I can draw 6, but I couldn't catch his voice. And 5, who is striding quite merrily around my head as we speak, his lines, character and movement all perfect - in sufficient detail that I could never hope for the skill to draw it.
In terms of story, there wasn't much to determine either. The Master's plan depends on the Doctor being sufficiently distracted by a chain of nasty events on Earth to not notice his other selves quietly taking over a different corner of the galaxy. That ruled 7 out pretty quick - that guy really did have an eye for the big picture and disregard for collateral damage; I needed someone who would ignore the undercurrents in favour of rescuing cats from trees. Sounds like a pretty obvious case for 5 - but he couldn't talk down a Tereleptil; whereas throwing 6 in with four Masters at once would be hilarious fun to write, not to mention he'd be the most intimidating thing in the room.
Really, it came down to companions. Even though I still imagine the second half of the story functioning better with 6 in charge, I'm not fond enough of Peri or Mel to want to write them. I'd be too worried about letting them become "companion default", because I don't know them well enough to notice how they're different. And as someone who loves the character moments, it'd be rough to write an episode without them.
And then lots of lovely ideas started bubbling in my mind. Nyssa and Tegan - two of them, and it's a story that takes place in two different parts of the universe. As a scientist, Nyssa is also the perfect candidate to be at said part of the universe. And in particular, Nyssa gets to meet a pre-Tremas Master. Oh lovely, lovely ideas. What if the multi-Master time crash was the reason AM got saved in Planet of Fire, instead of the popular canon-wrangle with Five Doctors? AM wanting revenge for something the Doctor hasn't even done yet. Delicious.
It was pretty inevitable, wasn't it? Ignoring the 10th Doctor, there's no era I know better, so perhaps its for the best. I've already got the last scene sorted out - when the Doctor, inevitably, wins - and I'm still in mourning for 6 being put in the same situation, and doing the exact opposite action.
Plot wrangling over. Stage two: art and dialogue. I'm in pain. I can draw DM, SM and Tegan. However I'm floundering with RM and Nyssa, my AM's don't look dissimilar enough from his predecessor, and I don't know where to start with 5. Having boiled it down to three expressions - barely suppressed panic, inappropriate polite smiling and "Oh no! It's a cliffhanger!" - I find I can't do any of them. Its because the whole thing is too vivid in my mind - any other Doctor (again, sans 10, who's also causing trouble in his two-panel cameo), I wouldn't know any different, and thus wouldn't notice. If all else fails, I might start copying the perfect art from The Ten Doctors comic instead of trying to draw from life. Nyssa's even worse - I can draw something like her, but every time I give her an emotion it looks wrong. I figure that's because Ms Sutton's role on the show involved her doing little or no acting.
If all else fails, I could write it as a novel. But the idea is a drawing practice, and my writing is very rusty. In any case, I have some preparatory viewing drawn up:
- Claws of Axos - all the DM I have, so it'll have to do.
- King's Demons - my favourite of the AMs, and some of my favourite master-doctor dialogue too.
- TV Movie - because it's my only option. I can't decide how to pitch his character. Should he be charming, following Eric Roberts wonderful Sal in The Dark Knight? Or should we follow the rule that he should be the Doctor's mirror, and make him a vampyric figure? Or should he come out of the Eye of Harmony completely mad and mangled? DM, AM and SM already have charm, vengeance and lunacy covered, so there's really not much else for him to choose from. Apart from "campness".
- Mr Brightside music video - scraping the barrel for good ideas with Mr Roberts.
- Goth Opera - set at more or less the same time as mine, post Arc of I (his was post Snakedance). Also, to remind me how not to do it...
- Journey's End and Five Doctors - to remind me that if the timecrash is good enough, and the dialogue sufficiently fun, then the plot is irrelevant.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Kings Demons: a defence
Edited:4th May 2009
What makes Doctor Who better than any other program when our heroes go around saving the world? The Doctor. Wasn't that painless? All I ask of an episode is buckets of character moments, and this had them in abundance. Perhaps it was the shorter running time, chopping out padding in favour of what is absolutely necessary? It certainly defines his attitude towards the Master better than anywhere else, and vice versa.
The Doctor is on his merciful finest form here, trying to save everyone, in various ways and with mixed results. The Doctor's open offer of help to the family defines his motives just as the Master's "universe domination" speech spells out his ultimate goal. While the Doc comments the Master's plan is only "small time" villainy, to me it seemed thoroughly consistent with his character. It works through disguise and subtlety; he manipulates the robot-king, the Doctor and his hosts in turn, and is one of his few plans cunning enough to actually succeed. I love all the double dealing that goes on, each of them adapting to the changing situation with that poor family stuck in the middle.
Their final scene also made me understand their relationship better than ever before. Despite the lives at stake, I felt a genuine sense of chess honour in their dealings, like a sophisticated game for the two higher beings. The Doctor and the Master could have permanently stopped the other, hundreds of times; here, there is a sense that to do that would be very unsporting and not at all cricket - especially with the Master's claim that the challenge "inspires him". The Master does eventually get to cry "kill the Doctor!", but in my reading of the episodes I've seen (excepting, um, Logopolis), I don't believe he would actually let it happen - not permanently. The Doctor's language here reinforces the image - his reminder that humans are "a primitive people", his question "can anyone play?" As much a game to both of them? Once the Doctor liberates Kamelion, he doesn't press his advantage (does he ever?). He dashes off, with an unspoken agreement that the Master will leave too. He could have easily continued without the robot - instead, he leaves immediately. The Doctor even leaves the Tissue Compression Eliminator - a blatantly terrible idea from a moral standpoint, but not in terms of a game. Screwing up his TARDIS is part of the fun and well within the rules; confiscating it would put it on an all too serious level. Particularly coming straight after Enlightenment, another story about rival higher beings who are entertaining themselves at the expense of everyone else. There, the Doctor is naturally horrified; but there is something similar in his dealings with the Master.
The Master gets a lot of fun in this story. Once he has lost the swordfight (which is terribly fun in its own right), his control over the robot-king could have easily followed up on the Doctor's unwillingness to kill him, and let him depart in a simple way. Instead, he demonstrates how he knows his old friend and gives him a good moral twist - letting the robot-king condemn him to death, making the Doctor choose between them, and knowing that he will be forced to "kill" him by a different route. These adversaries go way back - the Master's accusation of "moral scruples", or suggestion he regenerate is as much the banter of friends.
The Doctor is on his merciful finest form here, trying to save everyone, in various ways and with mixed results. The Doctor's open offer of help to the family defines his motives just as the Master's "universe domination" speech spells out his ultimate goal. While the Doc comments the Master's plan is only "small time" villainy, to me it seemed thoroughly consistent with his character. It works through disguise and subtlety; he manipulates the robot-king, the Doctor and his hosts in turn, and is one of his few plans cunning enough to actually succeed. I love all the double dealing that goes on, each of them adapting to the changing situation with that poor family stuck in the middle.
Their final scene also made me understand their relationship better than ever before. Despite the lives at stake, I felt a genuine sense of chess honour in their dealings, like a sophisticated game for the two higher beings. The Doctor and the Master could have permanently stopped the other, hundreds of times; here, there is a sense that to do that would be very unsporting and not at all cricket - especially with the Master's claim that the challenge "inspires him". The Master does eventually get to cry "kill the Doctor!", but in my reading of the episodes I've seen (excepting, um, Logopolis), I don't believe he would actually let it happen - not permanently. The Doctor's language here reinforces the image - his reminder that humans are "a primitive people", his question "can anyone play?" As much a game to both of them? Once the Doctor liberates Kamelion, he doesn't press his advantage (does he ever?). He dashes off, with an unspoken agreement that the Master will leave too. He could have easily continued without the robot - instead, he leaves immediately. The Doctor even leaves the Tissue Compression Eliminator - a blatantly terrible idea from a moral standpoint, but not in terms of a game. Screwing up his TARDIS is part of the fun and well within the rules; confiscating it would put it on an all too serious level. Particularly coming straight after Enlightenment, another story about rival higher beings who are entertaining themselves at the expense of everyone else. There, the Doctor is naturally horrified; but there is something similar in his dealings with the Master.
The Master gets a lot of fun in this story. Once he has lost the swordfight (which is terribly fun in its own right), his control over the robot-king could have easily followed up on the Doctor's unwillingness to kill him, and let him depart in a simple way. Instead, he demonstrates how he knows his old friend and gives him a good moral twist - letting the robot-king condemn him to death, making the Doctor choose between them, and knowing that he will be forced to "kill" him by a different route. These adversaries go way back - the Master's accusation of "moral scruples", or suggestion he regenerate is as much the banter of friends.
That's pretty much all the fun that is to be had here. The medieval background is atmospheric and nicely done - especially the musical interlude, which sets the scene and makes for a creepy reveal. The supporting characters are about as good as ever they are, although the faux-Shakesperian talk got old quickly. King John is also excellent - sinister, powerful, and pantomime in the best of ways.
As for the companions, Tegan again gets to demonstrate why she polarises people - on the one hand, all she does is moan; on the other, she is a fully rounded human being, who takes objection to being cold and threatened with death when they could be on a warm space-beach instead (it's interesting to see her attempt murder too, just a few episodes after a great conversation between her and Turlough on the topic in Terminus. It's easy to forget Auntie Vanessa, but boy doesn't she get vital.). We also get to see the Doctor finally react to her nagging, in a scene which says a lot about both of them. Certain quarters could also have a field day with Kamelion turning into Tegan, and the suggestion that that image is the strongest in the Doctor's mind. I leave that romantic minefield to you...
Turlough doesn't have as much to do, although a friend has noted he whines just as much without the Black Guardian over his shoulder as with. His final line to the Master is pretty good too - it's nice to allow the boy a flash of heroism once in a while, even if provoked by irritation. Companions are always fatally under-written, especially in the older bits of the old series. Turlough has always been for me a triumph of performance over script - he really can wring an interesting role even out of the most mundane dialogue, as here.
It also contains one of the few "goofy moments" the Fifth Doctor would ever pull. The Doctor is, at his core, a curious and arrogant genius who tries to help people, while mucking about to disguise how dark and scary he can get. You could give points, if you like - 3 was more arrogant and less dark, 4 was predominantly daft arrogance, 7 is famously darker and scarier. When you cut it down to points, the 5th Doctor does seem to be lacking in several quarters. He can be all of those things at times, but just isn't. This backs up my theory that he is the "mid life crisis Doctor", which I'll someday explain (the gist is, he does all the things he's always done, but somehow it doesn't work as well - Midnight in slow motion, spread over 3 years if you like).
All in all, an enjoyable episode which is unfairly maligned. It certainly comes highly recommended for AinleyMaster fans, because I think its one of his best (I prefer Planet of Fire, but I love that for other reasons and he's much better here).
As for the companions, Tegan again gets to demonstrate why she polarises people - on the one hand, all she does is moan; on the other, she is a fully rounded human being, who takes objection to being cold and threatened with death when they could be on a warm space-beach instead (it's interesting to see her attempt murder too, just a few episodes after a great conversation between her and Turlough on the topic in Terminus. It's easy to forget Auntie Vanessa, but boy doesn't she get vital.). We also get to see the Doctor finally react to her nagging, in a scene which says a lot about both of them. Certain quarters could also have a field day with Kamelion turning into Tegan, and the suggestion that that image is the strongest in the Doctor's mind. I leave that romantic minefield to you...
Turlough doesn't have as much to do, although a friend has noted he whines just as much without the Black Guardian over his shoulder as with. His final line to the Master is pretty good too - it's nice to allow the boy a flash of heroism once in a while, even if provoked by irritation. Companions are always fatally under-written, especially in the older bits of the old series. Turlough has always been for me a triumph of performance over script - he really can wring an interesting role even out of the most mundane dialogue, as here.
It also contains one of the few "goofy moments" the Fifth Doctor would ever pull. The Doctor is, at his core, a curious and arrogant genius who tries to help people, while mucking about to disguise how dark and scary he can get. You could give points, if you like - 3 was more arrogant and less dark, 4 was predominantly daft arrogance, 7 is famously darker and scarier. When you cut it down to points, the 5th Doctor does seem to be lacking in several quarters. He can be all of those things at times, but just isn't. This backs up my theory that he is the "mid life crisis Doctor", which I'll someday explain (the gist is, he does all the things he's always done, but somehow it doesn't work as well - Midnight in slow motion, spread over 3 years if you like).
Sir Extra -"But he is the best swordsman in France!" The Doctor - "Luckily, we are in England..."
All in all, an enjoyable episode which is unfairly maligned. It certainly comes highly recommended for AinleyMaster fans, because I think its one of his best (I prefer Planet of Fire, but I love that for other reasons and he's much better here).
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