Doctor Who's Underrated Political Thriller

Let's take a deep dive into 'The Sound of Drums' to see how it explores The Doctor and The Master's relationship and whether it's an underrated gem nestled in the Series 3 finale.
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#DoctorWho #Series3 #Review

[@HarboWholmes]

haha patreon go boom boom www.patreon.com/harbowholmes

[@Domisbeast]

Looking forward to your collab with Crispy Pro! Great work as always

[@bigobloks1656]

I don't think that he wants to kill the doctor. I think he likes to make the doctor suffer.

[@leejohnstone9047]

I love the way John Hurt's Master and David Tennant's Doctor are written as the mirror images of each other

[@douglasparkinson4123]

yourvideos are so serious and high quality and then your pinned comments are a meme.

[@LukSter18998]

@@leejohnstone9047 *simm

[@nicolebee3283]

my favourite scene in this episode was when the Master and the Doctor talk about Gallifrey being gone. Tennant and Simm sound like old men reminiscing

[@georgelinford5576]

Literally one of the best scenes in Series 3

[@jimmythompson8919]

@@georgelinford5576 I never knew this was an unliked episode. Me and my family enjoyed it greatly when we watched when I was younger and I have rewatched it many times since and I’d say it’s possibly the greatest 2 parter (id probably say it comes 2nd to either the tennant or capaldi Davros 2 parter

[@georgelinford5576]

@jimmy thompson yeah, I love Utopia and The Sound of Drums tbh but Last of the Time Lords isn't great in my opinion. And officially its actually a three-parter. My favourite multi-parter is the Series 10 finale, but I also love both of the Davros ones

[@redjirachi1]

They aren't? Both of them have regenerated in the double digits at this point

[@OscarOSullivan]

I love all of the three parter episodes

[@hailander09]

"Even this sociopathic, maniacal killer, with no fear, was too scared to stand and fight, instead running away from it. ...Oh, and the master ran away scared too..." GOLD

[@quaesitrix881]

XD

[@craytherlaygaming2852]

shots fired

[@ptolemeeselenion1542]

Oh wow. I just get it.

[@bigobloks1656]

Holy shit... just realised that the master was already on earth in series 2

[@anealingfeeling5356]

Yeah it's crazy. If you rewatch Love and Monsters, he's mentioned on the front page of a newspaper the Absorbalov is using to hide himself.

[@MrGreaves]

@@anealingfeeling5356 also there is a Vote Saxon poster in Torchwood s1e12, outside the town hall.

[@bigobloks1656]

@@anealingfeeling5356 i must check this out

[@anealingfeeling5356]

@@bigobloks1656 here you go! RTD is a genius. photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1983/431/1600/Dr_Who_Abzorbaloff_1.1.png

[@Cyber_Smoke]

@@MrGreaves Also in SJA in S1 E3.

[@taladavidson5400]

the master committing genocide to a 00s pop song is hilariously horrifying. gets me every time

[@alim.9801]

THAT SCENE SLAPSSSSS MY FAVORITE SCENE IN MY FAVORITE 2 PARTER!!!

[@ptolemeeselenion1542]

Hm.

[@JoshSweetvale]

19:40 With both Lucy and the laser screwdriver, it always seemed to me that the Master was parodying and mocking the Doctor on purpose. Turning his tool into a gun, and his apprentice into a... wife.

[@lilliesupreme9767]

Psycho wife

[@redjirachi1]

If the series had a higher rating the laser screwdriver would look like something else

[@thelifelivlives1]

the phone tracing plot makes a lot more sense when you add the context of the whole series taking place over 4 days. having them be watching her family that closely, waiting for calls for only 4 days actually doesnt seem too unbelievable!

[@jayfundo3002]

That’s what I saying

[@jimmythompson8919]

And if it’s any technological dispute against it that can be explained by the master literally owning the worldwide most used phone network and satellite array

[@jimmythompson8919]

P.s. we also know that Martha uses archangel network on her phone

[@saoirsedeltufo7436]

"Oh you public menace" is still one of my favourite lines

[@Whitelight]

Gotta agree with this premise. I thought RTD's best political thriller was Children of Earth.

[@aalumha]

CoE is one the best stories in the whole Doctor Who universe

[@macasaurusrex4863]

Good to see our boy is a whovian

[@georgelinford5576]

I think there's like 6 Doctor Who stories I would rank higher than CoE. It's just phenomenal.

[@YiningDai]

If we are comparing all of RTD's work, years and years would like a word :)

[@thedoctor1263]

You like doctor who too

[@benrobinson6683]

Just noticed it, bot the cabinet office here is different from the one in the slithene 2-parter. A nice detail since that one was destroyed.

[@Tototoo88]

I believe Saxon has a one liner saying the cabinet office was newly rebuilt

[@Josh-ze6xo]

I always felt that the sound of drums was the best episode of the three episodes

[@jayfundo3002]

100%

[@livingdeadgirlss]

yeah the utopia then last of the time lords btw in that episodes the two songs are jams i downloaded and listen to voodoo child and i cant decide a lot

[@baggieboydan82]

@@livingdeadgirlss I only saw the I cant decide scene for the first time recently because it was removed from Netflix

[@EmonEconomist]

I agree!

[@livingdeadgirlss]

@Barbara Zhang yay

[@hunterkiller1440]

This series finale was the reason I prefer Martha over Rose.

[@berniet1215]

Season 2 is really disliked apparently and that’s due to rose. I never knew this apparently popular opinion till recently

[@edgymoji8260]

@@berniet1215 i didn’t mind series 2. had some great moments like the Doctor facing the devil, Sarah Jane being reintroduced and of course the bitch fight of Canary Wharf

[@MCshadr217]

@@berniet1215 Yes, apparently because it went from a badass Rose that loved the doctor, to some mopey character who's scared for her life most the time.

[@BambiTrout]

@@berniet1215 Series 2 will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first I watched in full live. However I have to admit it's not the best season. For me the main issue it still has some of the growing pains of Series 1 in that it can be a bit overly campy and melodramatic, and the music can be a bit too squelchy and cheap sounding, and often doesn't quite match the tone of the scene. The problem is that Series 1 was mostly able to get away with these things given the lower budget, lower expectations, and overall more offbeat tone that welcomed these campy moments. Series 2 was a bit more shiny and serious, which made the overly campy bits stick out like sore thumbs. Also, the pacing of the season seemed very off. Placing the extremely campy and weird Love & Monsters and the quite dull Fear Her immediately before the finale robbed the season of pretty much all of the intensity and momentum built up from The Satan Pit. Imo The Idiot's Lantern should have been our palate cleanser between the two heavy-hitting two-parters, and then we just stash the filler episodes mid-season where everyone will hopefully forget about them. The Idiot's Lantern showed what The Doctor was willing to do if he lost Rose and really demonstrated their love for each other, which would have been really poignant occurring the episode before she left. Series 3 fixed pretty much all of the issues with Series 2. It was more restrained with the camp and made sure to earn it when it was used. Murray Gold really started to hit his stride and got a proper orchestra finally, and the directors/editors started to use Gold's excellent music a lot more effectively. I'm not shitting on 2 too much though. Girl in the Fireplace is a masterpiece, and the two parters were all thrilling, gloriously dark, and hard-hitting. Even if I don't really watch it that much, it's definitely a unique and interesting season. There have definitely been worse seasons.

[@val-bs1cq]

I absolutely love Rose but I don't prefer either Martha or Rose. I have more of a connection to Rose but as companions both Martha and Rose are amazing

[@craytherlaygaming2852]

19:33 actually I find the laser screwdriver clever, as it feels like a mockery of the sonic. The master is basically saying "haha im copying you and you can't do anything about it"

[@MegaLolings]

I thought you were going to say something different in regards to the same music playing during the Doctor's description of humanity in Utopia and the scene of Martha's resolve as the Toclafane invade. Her preserving and continuing the human race is a good point, but I think conversely the music takes on a very sinister and perverse tone when you know what the Toclafane are. They're that concept of humanity always surviving no matter what taken to an extreme, watching as they invade in their millions and kill their ancestors is uniquely fucked on a second viewing.

[@lateralhistory]

Totally agree, I think it's a bit of foreshadowing for the audience too. The truth of the Toclafane is right there if you're listening - just as the Master's hypnotic drumbeat was. Hidden in plain sight. It's a major theme of the episode, with the perception keys and Saxon's own rise to power. I like that even the final moments of the episode slyly invite you to look deeper and see what else has been hiding right under your nose.

[@lateralhistory]

Really there's so much "hidden in plain sight" in this episode, it's truly a joy. Yana hiding his true biology right to the Doctor's face. Saxon hiding his presence on Earth and subsequent rise to power with the Archangel network. Even little things like the bomb behind Martha's TV and the fact that Jack works for Torchwood now - the Doctor didn't have a clue about that, or that he was basically parked on top of their base in the last episode!

[@tardisnet9487]

I think this three partner as a whole is very underrated. John Simm is my favourite Master and really carries the episode. The Master being prime minister is one of the best things they've done with the character putting him in a position of pure power and control with a lot of relevance and his backstory with the drumbeat in his head gives him further depth and motivation and the Doctor and his companions are put in a situation of great struggle and vulnerability

[@danm3882]

I wonder whether RTD deliberately called the character in Years and Years who becomes Prime Minister and the woman who challenges Saxon are both called Vivian Rook.

[@MrShark01]

Yeh, I'm sure he did an interview and said it was a nod towards her.

[@nettieb7604]

I know it’s so cliche at this point to compare rtd with chibnall era but this episode really put spyfall pt 2 into perspective for me - both episodes make the main cast fugitives under constant surveillance, but while Chibnall’s felt flat because it was split with 13 doing (admittedly fun) time travel stuff and the characters were mostly doing comedy with one kind of shallow (but much needed after s11) heart to heart , RTD takes the time to show the personal stakes to martha and draw it out into a situation that genuinely feels tense and dire by the end don’t get me wrong spyfall pt 2 is definitely one of the stronger elements of s12 and I enjoyed it at the time, but I can’t help but feel sad seeing how fast paced, energetic and character based the modern series used to be (Also this video is great as always btw!)

[@Tyranniod]

That rhythm of 4 is so good that I still find myself tapping it now all these years later.

[@TheHighSpaceWizard]

Forever. Bum bum bumbum

[@HALchannel108]

Omg same

[@sumthingwikked4257]

1234 1234 1234 1234 They never stop.

[@lateralhistory]

There's a lot of discussion of the use of 'Voodoo Child' on the soundtrack for this episode, but it seems to have been lost to time that this was actually an Easter Egg. To explain: The song is by a band called Rogue Traders. Yes, the album is also called 'The Sound of Drums' but that's not as far as it goes. Before she joined the band the lead singer, Natalie Bassingthwaite, was an actress, who played an iconic character in the Australian soap Neighbours. The guest star for the then-upcoming Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, was Kylie Minogue - an Australian pop singer who began her career playing a famous character on, you guessed it . . . Neighbours! Her casting was a Big Deal at the time and the song was likely chosen as an in-joke by Russell and the team.

[@EddieM1994]

Simm's Master is almost the anti-Doctor...like, he's the same level of wacky and charismatic, but turned to evil.

[@nightowl8477]

Considering Russell wrote this finale in a weekend (he hates a deadline, even when they're his own) I think this story is as good as it could have been, but I do feel it would have been better with another few drafts.

[@Respectable_Username]

~8:00 I don't think Lucy's under the hypnosis. Her "resolve hardened" when the Master entered the room and it was no longer safe to say anything

[@jeniglace]

Is it bad to say that I used to pretend that a basketball was a Toclafane, and would antagonize my older sister with it lol

[@ark2364]

When I was younger I had an old video-cassette tape recorder and I used to film myself acting as if I was the Doctor. Sonic screwdriver, TARDIS and everything. I was only about 5 or 6 years old at the time; do I regret it? Nope, absolutely not lmao

[@spongemaster]

@@ark2364 Reminds me of how I used to make little stop motion videos with my Doctor Who figures because that was a thing you could do with the mid-2000s camera phone I had back then. They're lost to time now but they probably would have been in terrible quality anyway.

[@georgelinford5576]

Satan: *Well I just wanna say I'm a huge fan*

[@joanna8009]

My son would terrify his younger brother simply with the words "Vashda Narada" after series 4 for many years. Still makes him shiver at 17 😂

[@TheHighSpaceWizard]

My fiance makes fun of me for being afraid of the weeping angels. I'm 31.

[@KrisFrost4359]

There's not a single moment I dislike in that three-parter. This was always one of my favorite Doctor Who stories and I've always felt that the dissonance of playing an upbeat pop song over the heavens tearing open and demonic cyborg balls of death descending on the Earth was hilariously sinister and I actually would've enjoyed it if it kept playing over the mayhem that followed. It would've felt like a dark comedy and something that fit the style of Simm's Master.

[@thetimeshadow6769]

Couldn't agree more. Possibly my favourite Doctor Who story in the whole show.

[@charliebowman2379]

Just did a bit of research on Spotify Harbo, turns out Voodoo Child was a song by a band called Rogue Traders. I agree, very cheesy naughties on a par with Toxic in End of the World. Anyway, turns out the album it’s on is actually called the Sound of Drums. Written in 2003 so I assume it gave the episode its name, in addition to the Timelord heartbeat rhythm that is a recurring feature of John Simm’s Master.

[@lateralhistory]

So weird to see people "researching" this, like some archaeological excavation! It's weird to think enough time has passed that people don't get the joke automatically anymore.

[@FTZPLTC]

I didn't get it then!

[@charliebowman2379]

@@lateralhistory True, I was a kid then so it feels like a different era!

[@alpha_wolf220]

7:42 i thought that the reason she was that way was because the master showed her the end of the universe which broke her mind, making her loose her grip on reality and not caring about anything anymore. seemed more interesting then her just being hypnotized

[@rinmixx]

I always wondered why Jack didn't take Martha and The Doctor to take refuge in Torchwood hub. I can probably guess the IRL reasons but I've yet to see a canon explanation. Sure, The Master said he put the Torchwood team on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas, but surely that can't be a reason to not take shelter in the then abandoned Torchwood hub.

[@rikudoubapeck]

Arguably he could have reasoned it wasn't safe considering Martha's apartment was rigged to explode. Since The Master knew about Torchwood Jack probably figured he knew where their base was. Also the base is in Cardiff, Wales. Is he going to take Martha and The Doctor all the way to another country when they have to act quickly to defeat The Master who is in London?

[@rinmixx]

@@rikudoubapeck That's actually a really good point! Thanks dude!

[@Traveler_202]

Since the master was the prime minister he probably knew about Torchwood and all of its assets

[@fran_03]

great review! these episodes always felt darker and scarier than any I'd seen before them, I think because of that feeling of hopelessness. The stakes felt higher because they were less alien-related and more human - instead of monsters and daleks they're on the run from society and the guy in charge. The entire planet going to shit for a whole year and it being up to Martha to turn fugitive and save the day was the icing on a wonderfully depressing cake.

[@bellag3293]

25:33 I love Utopia because that is the purest depiction of the Master and the Doctor being friends and enjoying each other’s company, and they don’t even know it 🥲🥲

[@lucypreece7581]

It's like Davies was like "we have three protagonists, one big villain and 3 parts to this finale, lets give one episode to each protagonist" Jack got Utopia, The Doctor got The Sound Of Drums and Martha gets The Last Of The Time Lords. And i love it. this 3 parter is really clever, well written, well executed, well acted and well paced and yeah there are campy cheesy bits but that add to the slightly dystopian, disjointed feel of it all and like you said adds to further demonstrate the sociopathic nature of The Master. it's really well done. I will say it again Series 3 is underrated, over hated and deserves more love. People need to get over Rose not being their. These series is amazing. apart from like 2 maybe 3 weaker stories this is a solid series all round. Way more highs than lows. Series 2 for me was always weaker in terms of writing. Series 3 is way better. And unlike Rose, Martha is a more fully fleshed out companion. for a start she is older than Rose cus she is in her mid twenties, she lives independently, she is studying to go into a very complex and respect job, she has a very complicated family (relatable. child of divorce) and she is more level headed, more strong willed, can hold her own and has the combination of book smarts and street smarts. Series 3 man, needs way more love.

[@Venemofthe888]

its interesting that in modern who there has only been 3 parters. Series 3 Finale and the 3 parter in series 10 (Extremis, Pyramid at the end of the world and Lie of the Land). I suppose making 3 parters means a story needs that extra time and make the threat be huge with the doctor winning in the end but also losing at the same time especially with this one.

[@peacefuldawn6823]

Turn Left could be considered part of the S4 finale (the stars are going out, Rose's return, Donna being special, and it ends with a direct cliff hanger for The Stolen Earth). S7 can also be a three part finale if you take all of the 'X' Of The Doctor episodes as a trilogy. S9 is also a three parter since Face The Raven leads directly to the unique conditions of Heaven Sent. So I'd argue there are 5 three parters in New Who.

[@radioactiveowl95]

As much as it pains people to talk about series 12, I'd argue we can count the last 3 episodes of that as a 3 parter

[@David-io4sg]

Also Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent.

[@peacefuldawn6823]

@@radioactiveowl95 You're right, though it took me a while to remember what episodes they were lol

[@ShaggyDabbyDank]

Also Day of the Doctor, Name of the Doctor, Time of the Doctor

[@xBoringPerfectionx]

I've gotta say I love the noughties music and anything that 'ages' the show in the first few series. I started watching in 2005 with the first series at 10 years of age and it just brings all the nostalgia for me.

[@MrGreaves]

Tbh this is one of my favourite episodes of the show. For me, this is perfectly paced, shot, written, scored and acted.

[@frazzlesreviews5379]

The image of the Doctor being twisted into a rotted old man gave me childhood trauma 😂I was only 5 at the time and hearing my hero screaming and on the verge of death I actually found quite disturbing.

[@spongemaster]

It was the weird tiny old Doctor for me, something about the CGI and just the absurdity of the design.

[@droidbot6284]

The thing that gave me childhood trauma were the weeping angels, especially because I missed the part where it's explained that they send you back in time, so I just thought they killed you.

[@frazzlesreviews5379]

@@spongemaster the tiny old Doctor would have upset me as a kid but the damage had already been done haha

[@frazzlesreviews5379]

@@droidbot6284 funnily enough there was a line in the original script that said in the final act the Angels were in attack mode and wouldn’t bother eating them but would just kill them. I don’t know why it was taken out though.

[@intergalactic92]

"He doesn’t care about the job of Prime Minister, he just craves the power it wields." A surprisingly relevant statement in this day and age.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

What I love about Sound of Drums is that it's the kind of plan the Master would get up to in the Pertwee era blown up to massive scale. There's a good balance of the old and the new when it comes to the Simm Master. It's the some modus operandi but with a new context. That phone call scene is some of the best character work I've ever seen, Simm plays a really good contrast between the person in him being horrified by the Timelords destroyed but the Master in him, curious, in awe of the power and even envious of the Dr being the one to "be like God". This was the point in the revival I stopped seeing the Doctor has immortal, he gets ground under the Master's heel, the only other times 10 was brought this low was Midnight and Waters of Mars. And the best part is it's completely the Dr's fault. The domestic angle is possibly the best it's ever been in the RTD, Martha's family who we've gotten to know this series are now a target This story really finds the balance of making the Master both sympathetic and a monster and that's to do with how the different characters perceive him. The Master's pride and history with the Dr means that he'll only show him that vulnerable, tormented side of him "I was so scared" and it's pain the Dr empathises with cause he's also been through the initiation and the time war. Whereas Martha sees him as a monster who hijacked her country's democracy and tormented her family, she focuses on the damage he's doing. Jack is still the closest they have to a voice of reason like when he stops Martha and the Dr arguing and tells her they've got ditch the car.

[@nightowl8477]

I only wish there were _more_ emphasis on the Doctor and Co on the run, and the Jones's imprisoned. Highlight of the story, easily. Personally, I'd have had the whole of The Sound of Drums be that, and just streamline Last of the Time Lords. The Paradox Machine is pretty undeveloped so let's scrap the Valiant as the Master's base - have him plot and scheme from a decked-up, modified TARDIS instead! And, as I've said before, I'd utilise Utopia more on having The Sound of Drum's cliffhanger be that Earth is moved to the end of the time - the universe now barren of life; no one left to oppose the Master. Like in my Change of Hearts script, only now can he rule the universe since there's so few left to stand against him. And in this new empire, I'd have him convert Earth to Gallifrey 2: turning the Last of the Humans from Utopia into a new generation of Time Lords. Using the Vortex Manipulator, Martha ventures across the five planets (seriously, did Russell just forget she had that?), telling stories of the Doctor, healing people. Finally, it's revealed that Martha's been getting through to the Toclofabe, and they rewire her Vortex Manipulator to move Earth back in time, erasing themselves in the process. The Master is left, alone, on the last planet in the universe. No TARDIS, no earth, no Doctor. Still the emperor of the universe, but abandoned all the same. Of course the Earth was halfway to becoming Gallifrey 2, but Martha promises humanity will rebuild and reform; the perception filter spanning globally. Everyone knows the Earth is a wreck and work to fix it, but no one questions how it came to be so. The Doctor remodels the TARDIS to how it was, and Martha leaves, etc., etc.. It's next on my list of rewrites, but I can't get a bloody hold of the originals.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

@@nightowl8477 I'm clearly just too attached to this story. While I like the idea of plannet swapping, moving in theory, I think bringing the terrible future to earth, this way he's inflicting his will not moving it to a point where he's in charge by default. Simm was already turning earth into gallifrey 2.0. Plus having them be the Toclofane and that they remain that way even at the end is probably the darkest thing in this franchise. And them being a nursery rhyme highlights the Simm Master's child like mind that he's regressed to Davis also suggested leaving the Master on his own and while that has poetic justice... Him dying in the Drs arms is the high point of this entire era for me

[@erebusvonmori8050]

I always took the laser screwdriver as the Master deliberately mocking the Doctor.

[@lisaa6755]

As an American viewer who didn’t know the OG series, this 3 parter was perfect intro to the Master.

[@taladavidson5400]

this arc honestly had such tight build up. utopia, as you’ve said, is one of the best from S3. sound of the drums might be my favourite from the 3 parter (it’s very close with utopia); simm was perfect for the role of reintroducing the master to a new audience, stellar performance. the country run by a sociopathic madman and a great tardis team on the run is a whole lot of action packed fun with a desperate, depressing edge. anything to do with gallifrey/timelords/time war in this episode is instantly a highlight, it’s really well handled. it’s such a solid story with a perfect blend of political/social commentary and RTD wackiness, i love it. i think that’s why it’s such a shame that last of the timelords is, well, pretty bad. it feels like a complete let down. i love the depth you go into for these videos, and i’m looking forward to see how you’re gonna defend the next ep lmao

[@jdg9825]

so who else had that laser/sonic screwdriver set where you had you had to like point them at the little toclafane sensor to score points lol

[@palikia3233]

Memories!

[@strbourne]

You put so much effort in your videos and they are so underrated, everyone give some love to our boy Harbo by liking his video, subscribing to him and leaving a comment

[@HarboWholmes]

Aw thank you!

[@PlanetNateGaming]

Personally I think the reveal that the master is Harold Saxon would have been a bigger surprise if we the audience had seen him once prior to Utopia, Also you can see a vote saxon poster in the torchwood episode End Of Days as a foreshadowing of whats to come (Also the question is where would the master have went to if the doctor didn't lock the tardis coordinates?)

[@VeracityLH]

Hmmm... I had a different take on Lucy's hardened resolve in her interview with Vivian. I assumed that she started to speak, then heard or sensed Harry enter the room. She only speaks one sentence before acknowledging him, so he must have been there when she paused. I'm not sure she was ever completely under his spell. In TLotTL during the I Can't Decide scene Harry pauses for a brief dance break with her. She's smiling until he turns away, then her smile immediately drops. And we know from The End of Time that her father worked against Harry and the Book of Saxon gang with Lucy's knowledge. Yes, that's retcon, yet it just verifies those other two scenes showing glimpses of Lucy's true thoughts. But I do like the idea that once the Archangel Network was down she immediately shot the bastard...

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

We also see a scene on the Valiant where her face is bruised, indicating The Master had been physically abusing her.

[@maddyc2412]

She was definitely into it at first, you can see her dancing while everyone on Earth is being killed. But you can see bruises on her later, he has been abusing her so her infatuation is not the same

[@atomicknight63]

The Master's mistake is the same EVERY time, he wants The Doctor to suffer before he kills him.

[@elliotcrossan6290]

I love that you split this review into three parts! Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords is a fuckin masterpiece and I will not hear any different. Looking forward, nervously, to your analysis of part three!!

[@jayfundo3002]

The masters little speech at the end with him the doctor and Lucy always gets me

[@flyhyland]

The Sound Of Drums is actually my favourite part of the trilogy for some reason. xD

[@Traveler_202]

I think the voodo child scene really shows that the master just really dosent care about earth, and he really wants the doctor to know that, wish it was longer

[@harrymcsherry5272]

This is more were the doctor has been completely at his lowest point and most doomed in all of who with no Tardis and the Master having been laying traps for him for ages blowing up Marthas house and sending Torchwood off to the Himalayas. This for me is where the doctor is defenseless and hasn't got anything to help him magnificent episode this

[@Blandy8521]

I clicked on this the instant I saw it

[@danm3882]

Great review Harbo! Loving the longer video essays, keep them coming. The longer the better

[@CineScarborough]

It was such a genius idea to make the Master become prime minister. That really helped to raise the stakes.

[@Reirek]

I’m kind of gutted there was almost NO mention of this arc in torchwood season 2, not even mentioning them going to the Himalayas (which wasn’t undone by the end of the arc)

[@prongs0611]

Jack and Martha talk about it in an episode.

[@erinella]

There's something I always enjoy about watching Doctor Who episodes take place in the streets of Earth. It makes me more real for me.

[@DoctorDex]

The actress playing Lucy Saxon is so distractingly beautiful! This is still my favorite Who Finale.

[@ali-ej6rv]

I actually love the transformation scene personally. To me, it really feels like you’re watching the Doctor as his body’s rapidly ageing with his screams there to really drive home that he’s helpless in what’s happening to him.

[@lateralhistory]

The transformation scenes were great. The flabby prosthetics and the appearance of the unholy Dobby-Doctor thing, however . . .

[@The12thDimension.]

16:39 wow that's a good coat, Capaldi would definitely approve with it's lining

[@captainkiwi77]

The score from the end of the universe being reused in that instance with Martha also subtly hints that the toclafane were the humans from the end of the universe the whole time

[@craytherlaygaming2852]

4:47 I normally would agree with it derailing the tensity but yes because of how the Master is portrayed It instead increases that tensity and then adds the dread as it shows just how psychotic and inhuman the Master truly is that he acts like a sadistic maniacal child

[@7evenseas975]

16:40 that coat is absolutely stunning, perfectly villainous and warm

[@HyndalOne]

An amazing and underrated episode, but honestly the best thing was the Master correctly using the word "DECIMATE" ~to remove one tenth

[@overlydramaticpanda]

Honestly, this has always been my favourite episode of the 3-parter. It's like Doctor Who's answer to The Empire Strikes Back. Literally, the only thing about this episode that has ever annoyed me is the blocking of the scene between Vivian Rook and Lucy Saxon (and then the Master) because there is absolutely no way the Master could have entered the room where they were talking without Vivian seeing him. The "silly Master" moments like the Cabinet scene and the Voodoo Child song playing, while I can understand people being somewhat annoyed by them, I think actually make the Master seem all the more dangerous - it would be one thing if he just walked in to the Cabinet meeting and told them off in an understated way before just gassing them as a Classic Master might have done; the fact that he does it all in such a patronising way like a teacher telling off a class of really young children (the kind of telling off that as a child on the receiving end of it makes you want to laugh even though you know you'll just get in more trouble if you do) makes the whole thing feel that much more sinister since you genuinely don't know where he's going to go with it. It's like the Toclafane in the next episode answering "because it's fun" and laughing when asked why they kill so many humans - the juxtaposition between the objective silliness/childishness with which something sinister is being treated highlights just how thoroughly messed up it all is. Also, can I just say how much I appreciate the love being given for the music? I feel like Whovians tend to sleep on Murray Gold's compositions and they really do deserve all the praise that can be given to them...

[@Kameth]

This finale had a great build, but like many Doctor Who finales, failed to stick the landing. Once the Master had wiped out 10% of the world you knew they weren't going to commit to that and were going to hand wave it away. Coupled with the start of Doctor / messiah symbolism that RTD was fond of and the final 'plan' and resolution came off as ridiculous instead.

[@Joshua-Eden]

Arthur Coleman Winters was President since 2008 in Doctor Who. Not just a President-Elect.

[@MilA-eh3gf]

13:38 that's literally my FAVOURITE scene in the entirety of the new Doctor Who. I love many scenes before and after that but THIS ONE brought me to tears the first time, and then every single time I re-watched it. Doctor the lone solider gallivanting the universe but in his heart really just yarning the simple childhood home of his, and not the one that was changed by war. Murray Gold's music *chef kiss*

[@Companion92]

I love the Voodoo child song part tbh

[@robbiesmith8055]

I haven't even watched the video yet and I'm cacking myself over the unintentional comedic zoom at 0:08

[@entertain7us148]

one reason i adore this episode is because it's the moment Martha actually starts fighting back against the doctor. she began to see through him in Utopia, now she's just not standing for his shit, because she finally realises her family has been put in danger and the Doctor doesn't particularly seem to care.

[@fadikhoory5350]

I've said this before, it's a shame that Delgado and Ainley died too soon, particularly Ainley who'd died before the series began. If Chibnall did this, no one would like it. The last episode isn't that great, but the penultimate episode was just perfect. Edit: I'm surprised how Robert Holmes never took it a step further. "Apart from dominating a galaxy, planet or universe, why not make him prime minister?" Thought RTD. If McGann continued and made his series American(which they were gonna do) the master would have been president! You know the Doctor and the Master were meant to be brothers. Martha: I thought he was your secret brother. Doctor: You've been watching too much TV.

[@Venemofthe888]

In a book I forget the name of the Anthony ainley master is the only master 9th and 11th doctors have met apparently. 10 also meets him as well

[@Jedi_Spartan]

And we're not going to mention how RTD reused the name of a side character in this for Viv Rook in Years and Years?

[@itzimperiumxvi2620]

4:42 I think it’s a good addition, it’s just plain funny

[@gardenshed6043]

I think these episodes contrasted with Graham, Yaz and Dan in Spyfall perfectly shows where the writing of Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor Who went wrong.

[@Emptylord]

You know, it's only just occurred to me - did they really get the concept of phone tracing wrong when Martha was only with the Doctor for less than a week in present day relative time? Heck, do we even know if those phone calls happened on separate days from the present day perspective? It's not hard to "wait to receive a call" if you know what day the call is going to happen.

[@tomw4014]

The scene following the bomb always gets me teary-eyed. Such a good sequence with Martha and her family. It’s exactly what anyone would do and it being so relatable just makes you think of your own fam and what would happen being put into this position

[@leejohnstone9047]

The Master: You killed all of them? The Doctor: yeah...I had no choice. The Master: and they call me evil! I'm a amateur compared to you Doctor

[@Tulf42]

Before this video I saw the review for all 3 series 3 finale episodes by "He Who Moans" and I agree with his idea that it might have been good to see episodes between each of the 3 official episodes, showing the Master's rise to power, and then the opening to The Sound of Drums is the ending of that first extra episode showing the Master's victory as Prime Minister, and the second extra episode being the Master's Dominion and Martha's year long journey, leading into Last of the Time Lords. I'm not sure if this idea would pad out the entire story too much but I believe it could work as a 5 part story which covers most of the series, especially in this day and age of Netflix shows like Daredevil where pretty much all the episodes are essential in the great battle of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, who in a way is like the Master rising to power.

[@Moonshine_Victory]

15:51 that scene will always be special to me as it was the first I ever saw of Doctor Who before watching the series fully

[@wayneigoe6722]

I think the fact that Voodoo Child plays during that scene is designed to really help to illustrate how the Master is insane and totally unstable.

[@maddyc2412]

It's also from an album called The Sound of Drums

[@lharrowing]

Hey :) I'm a new patreon, love your stuff!

[@Nephalem2002]

There’s something hysterical about committing evil to pop music. Especially when John Simm IS ACTIVELY SINGING THE SONG AS WELL.

[@genesisofandrozani7313]

i cant wait for your defence of Last of the Time Lords, its one of the most misunderstood episodes ever. And is so damn brilliant.

[@ysmni7274]

Anne Widdecome would 100% support the Master, Archangel or not

[@craytherlaygaming2852]

...damn... Harbo... your smart... Carmel dancing truly is the sound of drums... a mindworm

[@RoboRaptor-gq1ns]

This is probably one of my favourite doctor who episodes

[@jamesbrooking1287]

i think Chibnall (The Current Show Runner) wrote a few episodes of Life On Mars which had John Simms in

[@lexezlao]

1:19 that bit

[@kezmsfilms1300]

19:54 10+ fucking years of me watching Dr Who, and watching this episode many many times. Yet just today do I notice, for the first time, the flag of my fucking country on the wall. 10+ YEARS AND MANY MANY REWATCHES AND I NOTICE THAT NOW

[@joshrobins130]

19:21 Wait, people hate the Laser Screwdriver? I actually liked it, always thought it was kinda neat and cool.

[@larsswig912]

13:49 yees, i was so excited to finally see the planet

[@simondavid5239]

24:59 Series 10 also had a 3 parter

[@HarboWholmes]

Not an official one

[@simondavid5239]

@@HarboWholmes Really, why? That makes no sense 🤔

[@HarboWholmes]

No idea. I've always hated that the BBC don't count it as one, but it's just the way things are

[@laineydavis00]

I love how you take time to address the music, like the repeated themes. It makes me appreciate it even more. However, points off for forcing me to watch a clip of the Nostalgia Critic :/

[@merlin8046]

I LITERALLY just turned off Carmella Girls to play this video. Btw. This three-parter is my absolute favorite part of all of doctor who

[@timrosswood4259]

Awesome video! But i think you made a tiny mistake. The Master doesn't want to kill the Doctor, he just wants to make him suffer and get him down to his level.

[@MovieMagic515]

Yeah i don't think the Master would ever intentionally kill the Doctor and the same for The Doctor treating the Master. I think he would just revel in his pain.

[@thogthemighty7960]

25:01 What are you talking about, it is not the only 3-parter! There was Extremis, Pyramid At The End of The World, and Lie of The Land in series 10, and Haunting of Villa Diodati, Ascension of The Cybermen, and The Hour-long Retcon in series 12! For shame Harbo, have you already forgotten about The Rise of Chibbers?

[@HarboWholmes]

None of those are official three-parters, the BBC says so

[@JamesBa08]

I have been waiting for you to do these episodes!!!

[@nightowl8477]

The All The Strange, Strange Creatures Chase is so good, one of my favourite sequences in the show. I particularly love how Tish'w phone syncs up with the beat.

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

I didn't realize how VALIS-y this all was.

[@HALchannel108]

As in the turbo grafix 16 video game?

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

@@HALchannel108 what?

[@fandomshuzzah1907]

Clicked this thinking it was gonna be about the gallifrey audio series

[@EshfulCookie]

Before the Master reveal in Utopia/the Saxon reveal in Sound of Drums, was the consensus among Classic Who fans that the hinted Saxon would be the Master?

[@lateralhistory]

Yeah, there were definite suspicions. No-one saw the Yana twist coming but there has been buzz about Saxon all season long

[@lateralhistory]

After Torchwood and Bad Wolf fans were primed to notice the hints, and we'd all basically been awaiting the return of the Master or Rana or somebody for ages at that point. No-one was buying Russell's claims he had no interest in the character. But Jacobi regenerating into Simm was a proper shock!

[@kwuzie2265]

the carameldansen bit got me good dear god