Overdue Doctor Who Review: The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords

[@Jedi_Spartan]

I think that Martha is the only modern companion who willingly chose to leave the Tardis in her own time (full time ones only and I'm not counting series 6 and 8)... Rose: Trapped in a parallel universe dispite trying to stay. Donna: Memories of her time with the Doctor erased. Rory + Amy: Sent back in time and trapped by Weeping Angels (admittedly Amy chose Rory over the Doctor but both would have continued travelling). Clara: Sacrificed herself, even though she was brought back she needed to return to the point the Doctor took her from). Bill: Turned into a Cyberman.

[@Silverwind87]

How do you feel about how Graham and Ryan left the TARDIS? I kinda liked it, it felt like someone going home after a long vacation.

[@joshuaescopete]

Ah, Martha Jones.... “The Woman Who Walked the Earth”. This 2 parter may have its problems, but one of it’s best parts is undoubtedly turning Martha into a travelling nomad who gives hope to the masses. Jack dropping that he might be the Face of Boe is amazing and The Doctor and Martha’s reaction never fails to put a smile on my face. Martha putting her foot down and choosing to leave as opposed to continually be sidelined by Rose’s memory remains one of my favourite companion exits in the show. Bittersweet, but hopeful.... as it should be.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

Simm does have his quieter moments, like the call with the Doctor. He's so vulnerable and I love the effect the Time War has on their relationship. I love his death scene and especially the bit where he says "I'm a timelord, I have that right."

[@rockattlian9]

I kinda wish there had been mention of Jack's hinting that he is the Face of Boe

[@chloethipthorpe4973]

Unpopular opinion but I love john Simms master. I like the idea of him just being an out of control man child. It's different but I like it.

[@Elcrisso1]

Is it an unpopular opinion? I feel as though the people who complain are the vocal minority

[@chloethipthorpe4973]

Dunno literally the only one in my social circle that likes him he was a bit OTT in the doctor falls but other than that👌 x

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Out of control man-child could be great, my only issue with that is that I think it's way out of character for the Master specifically. So Simm's would have been fine with me if they just made him a new character. The Master's type of childish is more like the unreasonable haughty petulance of a rich person who doesn't understand why they can't have things their way this time. It's the motives that are childish, but the means are ruthless, scheming, charming, and composed. Then again, I think Tennant's Doctor also had poor characterization, so YMMV.

[@jarjared3522]

I agree. In fact John Simm was the perfect amount of over the top campiness in The Sound of Drums & Last of the Time Lords.

[@hx823]

I agree, although the resurrected master was a bit overblown. The original and the master with Capaldi and Missy was great!

[@protonnatron]

Undoing the consequences is only okay if undoing the consequences has consequences

[@Jedi_Spartan]

I think Stubagful gives a good justification for reversing everything since the Earth would still be picking up the pieces from story by episode 24...

[@tomchaney6085]

I actually don't mind the rollback. I think the idea of The Year That Never Was really adds t the fairytale vibe that I love and is already quite prevalent in the tale end of series 3. I also think the idea of this very small group of people having to live as the only ones who remember this horrible thing reinforces the theme of travelling with the Doctor being a burden as well as a blessing that Davies was quite fond of

[@Jedi_Spartan]

That and the fact of how long it would take the planet to recover.

[@DalamReviews]

I've had a complicated relationship with this episode. The first time I watched this episode I recall really liking it, but later I re-watched it a couple years later and just didn't as wrapped up in it. Well since then I've seen it a couple more times and have come to really like it, it's now actually one of my favorite finales. It's just such a grand episode that I get really wrapped up in, and I love how dark this one gets, and honestly I think John Simm is excellent as the master, his energy gets me really captivated in his villainy. Also (SPOILERS) the ending with The Master dying in The Doctor's arms is beautiful and I absolutely adore it.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

Me too.

[@lwaves]

I like these episodes too, although there are a couple of faults. Simm's Master was great and I think his personality fitted well, given all the regenerations, stolen or otherwise that the Master has been through. It made sense that he would be more manic by that stage. I also liked how Martha's mother changed her feelings about the Doctor and hopefully learnt a lesson. Martha leaving by her own decision was the best way for her to go and it made sense. The Master dying was great and I actually felt a little bit sorry for him. My biggest fault is one that the video also points out, the Doctor Dobby. It was too far and had become ridiculous at that point. It always takes me out of the show. My only other real fault is that even though it skipped a year, it would have been nice to see more of Martha spreading her story, even as a montage, instead of telling us that she did it.

[@DalamReviews]

@@lwaves Those are fair points. I suppose I can swallow the "Dobby Doctor" because I'm used to the show being a little cartoonish and over the top in the RTD era, had it been done in a more grounded era I might've had more difficulty rolling with it. Fair points though.

[@lwaves]

@@DalamReviews Yeah, I come from the classic era, I started watching in the early part of Tom Baker's run and never missed an episode. There's a lot I like about RTD's run, even the cartoony stuff, but the Doctor Dobby, Slitheen, the Peter Kay creature and Adipose have never sat well with me as creatures. I do get that they are aimed at the younger audience, which is fine as they had to find a way to bring them into the show. DW is so varied that you're never going to get every episode/creature aimed at your particular age range.

[@DalamReviews]

@@lwaves That is true, not every monster can work for everyone. Also I do agree with half of the instances you listed, the abzorbaloff and slitheen don't work for me. Although the other two instances, while going a little further than I would like, are still something that I can roll with.

[@fredjones2170]

I think Lucy Saxon was a really underrated performance in this episode: Upon rewatch, it’s unsettling seeing how BROKEN she’s become during the Master’s regime, how OUT of it she is. And it makes you wonder what he really did to her, which is a disturbing question to answer.

[@jamiestevens3074]

I rewatched this finale recently and I genuinely really love it. Let me just get the dumb point out of the way: TOM ELLIS IS IN THIS STORY. He plays the person who helps Martha and I love him. I really want him to be the doctor one day. Anyway, this finale is really great. Part one is just flawless and it’s so awesome, part two is really fun and intense, part three is really decent but the ending is frustrating and a let down. Overall I’d say it’s a 7/10 finale.

[@lwaves]

Martha is helped by the devil to save the Doctor. It's kind of a pity they didn't expand on her relationship with Doctor Tom when Martha returned. I know she mentions it but it would have been nice to see him back. Maybe he was busy though. Lucifer returns next week too. Season 4 incoming and I'm looking forward to what they do with it in it's new home.

[@Elcrisso1]

It’s funny. I’ve watched Lucifer and I’ve seen this episode a dozen times since 2007, but I tried to picture Martha’s doctor-friend from these episodes and it only just clicked that that was Tom Ellis. He’s very charismatic

[@historymysteries4134]

If you weren’t in the fandom, you may not remember the Doctor Dobby jokes.

[@locustboy8448]

I’m not sure how many people have actually considered this, but I think another reason John Simm’s Master is the way he is is because of the destruction of Galifrey. Even though he’s an insane supervillain, that’s still his home. Destroying and enslaving earth was him trying to make a new Galifrey. In his own evil twisted way, he’s trying to deal with the destruction of his home.

[@SplotchTheCatThing]

My favourite appearance of the Saxon Master is honestly World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls... where he looks like he's been through some deep sh*t since he went back to Gallifrey, he seems haunted and broken, and the conflict ends up not being about fighting him or punishing him for what he did to Bill so much as just trying to convince him to stay and maybe make amends. The manic energy is still there, it's just dialed down to a simmer... and I just found him so much more compelling that way. It has shades of the Master's last couple appearances in the classic series where he and the Doctor essentially have a common foe (one the Master helped bring into being) but they can't bring themselves to help each other very much and still have to fight along the way. Of course the roles of who just wants to leave and who is compelled to stay and fight are reversed compared to Survival... huh, I wonder if that was intentional...

[@thetalisman7722]

It isnt the best of Finales but it has some great stuff, the scene with the Master dying and just saying "I win" and then the Doctor holding him and crying is great, The Toclafane are a creepy ("They're Us"), The Masters Wife is a great and I like how a companion leaves of their own accord. I unlike most people like the Paradox thing because it makes sense with the Paradox it's just the dobby Doctor suddenly transforming into the Doctor with the power of prayer thing that ruins it for me personally. Not needed.

[@WiloPolis03]

Turns out the Toclafane were actually originally gonna be the replacements for Daleks, when Davies thought he wouldn't be able to get the rights to the Daleks on the show. I liked them enough on their own but I thought that was an interesting footnote to their concept.

[@Meglomaniaforever]

I'm not going to lie, I want to see Daffy Duck the serial killer.

[@ariannaoverton4906]

I think he was more like Tigger.

[@michaelkpate]

I am still so happy that Martha got to leave by her own choice. Jack died (regardless of what came after.) Rose got stuck on a parallel earth. Astrid died. River died. Donna had her memory wiped. Amy & Rory died. Clara died (regardless of what came after.) Bill died (regardless of what came after.) I have been disappointed by Chris Chibnall but at least he has only killed one companion (Grace) so far. Also she had one of my favorite speeches from the shows. My name isn't important. There's someone else. The man who sent me out there, the man who told me to walk the Earth. And his name is The Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times and you never even knew he was there. He never stops. He never stays. He never asks to be thanked. But I've seen him, I know him... I love him... And I know what he can do.

[@michaelkpate]

@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 There is a difference between wanting to leave and choosing to leave. Martha didn't want to leave either but she knew the relationship she wanted with The Doctor was never going to happen.

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

I also like Adjoa Andoh (Martha's mom) a lot. She also read/performed the audiobooks of Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy (Ancillary Justice, etc). Those are amazing reads of some IMO brilliant sci-fi.

[@tylerowens]

I'd say that that interlude serves to make it believable that the Doctor can reform the Master, which adds to the tragedy of his death. And oh my, that death. That death single handedly sells this version of the Master to me. It's like he's saying "you might have beaten me, but I still won." Gave me chills watching it.

[@lucypreece7581]

Firstly I love your nail colour. Secondly I like Martha's story in this. Real progression. I like that she saved the earth using stories and prayer. I like that it's the power of thought and prayer that saves the world. Something powerful and poignant in that. And I love that she saved the earth in a non violent way. As Churchil said Jaw Jaw not War War. She was clever and used her people skills and one of the tools humans naturally have at our disposal to make it happen. And I like the moment when everything is back to normal and she gives the flowers the last that betrayed her in the alternative time line. Shows that Martha is empathetic to other people plights and understands why they might do the things they do. The thing that bugs me though is the deus ex machina style way The Doctor comes back to the way we know him and it's all blazing lights and God like and angel like way they do that. I feel it's too flashy and slightly undermined what Martha did. I also loves the little hint the Jack was the face of Boe and I love that there have been further hints to that in later series so they did it as a running thing. I have mixed feeling on this too.

[@CaesiusX]

As tired as it seems for me to say so, _again_ I agree with you. Specifically regarding the deus ex machina. Because, as you said, they go _so big._ The only saving grace to that concept in this episode IMO, is the _Paradox Machine._ Because if you're ever going to _undo a whole year,_ I would say that the destruction of a machine, which was allowing a paradox to occur the whole time, actually makes sense. But as far as _the feels_ go, I can't agree more. If you are going to go that big without consequences, then just don't. And as I've said before in another video, I am right on board with you regarding the Master. I never could really put my finger on it, except that it was such a departure from what I was used to. But that wasn't solely the case. It was his manic behavior.

[@Darth_Nycta_13]

missy has simms madness but not his goofiness she's more manic but more sinister in some respects and more serious

[@ZipplyZane]

Can't agree about the world-wide consequences. This was needed to show just how big a threat the Master is, and to allow Martha to actually save the day. This is a time travel show. Having the consequences removed from time is just normal. My only issue is with the psychic energy somehow reverting the Doctor's age. Sure, the ability to send him the psychic energy was set up well, with those satellites. But why did that restore the Doctor? That's where the "deus ex machina" accusations come in. What that means is that the resolution was not adequately set up, and so it comes off like the writer just came up with a solution last minute that had nothing to do with what went on before. A better way to have handled it would have been to have the psychic energy somehow overload some sort of lock that lets the Doctor out and had locked away the Master's screwdriver, allowing the Doctor to return himself to normal. It just doesn't make much sense that psychic energy overrode the genetic modifications of the Doctor to give him back regeneration powers, let alone having it somehow give him the ability to fly out of the cage.

[@gingergoddess8953]

I want to know how the fork Lucy figured out that there was a Harold Saxon witch cult bent on bringing him back and how she obtained the anti-Master potion while in prison, especially when its pretty well established that she isnt exactly cerebral. There's an audio adventure or novel spinoff in there somewhere.

[@ksaunders4362]

I wonder if, because Martha remembers what happened, the consequence of the year from hell for the Doctor is Martha leaving him. He's had so many companions over the years and, whilst I'm sure it's terrible for him when they die, its kind of more personal when they choose to leave. They're saying explicitly, "This is too much. I can't take this. My mental health is on the line here. I need to leave." Not in those words, obviously, it's just that general tone. It has to cut deep. 'You aren't good for me.' Those aren't words anyone would like to hear from a friend, I'd imagine. I don't know if I agree about having the year of hell rolled back being a bad thing - I'm not sure people could cope with remembering that, let alone trying to keep going after it. Its too traumatic. Humans are resilient buggers, but that resilient? I guess we'll never know.

[@robo3007]

I have to disagree entirely, the way John Simm played the role was absolutely perfect in my opinion. His "goofy" moments were less goofy and more witty in his own psychopathic and twisted kind of way. Also I LOVED the duality between his sense of fun and carelessness he shows on the surface with the feelings of anger and revenge he keeps on the inside. As I said, perfect, and this has to be the most perfect series finale Doctor Who has ever produced in my opinion.

[@englishgiraffe2124]

As much as I love Donna (and I really love Donna), I do think that 10 and Martha should have had another series together. Looking at the end of Series 3, they really grew together, and Ten doesn't mention Rose nearly as much as the first three episodes. I think with another series, 10 and Martha would have been a close friendship, much like 3 and Jo Grant. Also I believe that Rose and Donna had complete arcs in their own series, but Martha just needed a little bit more of a complete arc.

[@CulturePhilter]

She kind of did, in the series 4 episodes she was in, then on Torchwood.

[@CulturePhilter]

She kind of did, in the series 4 episodes she was in, then on Torchwood.

[@lwaves]

If they had, the dynamic between them would need to be changed. Another season of Martha looking lovelorn and the Doctor ignoring her would have been bad and redundant. They would need to move into the Doctor and Donna thing of being friends and nothing more but that would mean no Donna, as she would then be redundant.

[@ink_blot25]

Your views on JS's Master does show the importance on how to introduce a generation to a character. His was my first Master, and I thought that his crazy personality was what the whole character was like! Now I've seen Missy and learnt about the other Masters, I'm definitely realising more things about the importance on how to establish a character to a new audience

[@AroAceGamer]

Well note that the personalities of Time Lords vary from regeneration to regeneration. I do like this Master, regardless and I like Missy. I have only seen a few episodes with past Mastere though.

[@jakerockznoodles]

For me, I liked Simm in his quieter moments but not so much the goofy OTT stuff. I was relistening to some of the BF audios on my mp3 player and the Master in those was a campy supervillain who was aware that he was a campy supervillain, yet was somehow a lot more fun.

[@englishgiraffe2124]

Personally, this is my favourite Tennant finale. It's one of the very rare times that the Master wins (even when time gets reversed, Martha's family had been traumatised), the fact that the Doctor, Martha and Jack were fugitives was intense and had stakes, and Martha's journey and development in this was nothing short of incredible. And I love her exit, it's probably the only time that a NewWho companion has a Classic style exit, and just leaves. The only thing I don't care for was the resolution, felt a bit too cheap, and was one of the rare times that I can agree that Russell made the 10th Doctor into Space Jesus.

[@ink_blot25]

Russell T Davies did seem to favour Tennant's Doctor a lot...

[@Ben-vf5gk]

I'm surprised more people haven't given the story credit for having the Master win three times over.

[@ink_blot25]

@@Ben-vf5gk Oh yeah! Give this Master credit no wonder he's so over the top he's too excited about winning

[@Ben-vf5gk]

@@ink_blot25 It happens so rarely.

[@ink_blot25]

Am I the only one who laughs so hard when the Doctor goes "HAAALLLOOO! You must be Mister Jones we haven't met!" Because it's all true 😂 Not in any of Season 3 did The Doctor or Martha's father ever interact with each other. So it's funny when the show acknowledges it

[@ink_blot25]

They should do a Big Finish episode with the Master's wife asthe lead, only it tells the story of the lead up to Sound of Drums/Last of the Time (and the events of those episodes) bit from HER point of view. Because you're right, there is an untold story with the Master's wife that we don't really get to see. Where did they meet? HOW did meet? What sort of false promises did the Master make to her if she stood by his side? Why was she all for conquering the world? And then the steady progression as she slowly realises what the Master is really like, and the abuse she's suffered from him. How freakin amazing would that be?! I'd pay money for it

[@stevetayler9518]

caz_ cina 👍 That would be amazing as a Big Finish one shot. Exactly the kind of thing they’d do so well too.

[@ZipplyZane]

Another improvement would be to link the "because it's fun" declaration back to the previous episode. Show someone with the motivation of having fun being the reason they want to go to Utopia (probably a kid). Have someone who clearly gets enjoyment out of killing the ferals. And then reuse those voices when dealing with the Toclafane, showing they are all there, and that the Master kept the traits that were most beneficial to his plan.

[@adampoll4977]

This was the ep that truly pissed me off about how Martha was treated as a character. She walked the globe as fugitive for a year and had her family put through hell as slaves in that time and yet she was still in the unearned shadow of Rose (who just sucked down some Tardis energy for a few minutes). #justiceformartha ;)

[@danielsleeper2307]

One thing I noticed with Lucy is the red mark under her eye in Last of the Time Lords, implying abuse, which adds to her story.

[@kaicreech7336]

Heck, John Simms played a much more serious version of the Master in series 10.

[@willimations277]

The conclusion is pure cheese, it's stupid and shouldn't work. BUT I LOVE IT SO MUCH! The score, Freema's acting, the concept in and of itself is all just so perfect. Definitely the best part of a very flawed finale. Could have done without the Christ metaphor though.

[@Lovemypirates11211]

As I said in the last video, you're not alone in not being thrilled with this Master. I've only seen one story with Delgado (Terror of the Autons), but I thought he was great. Very dignified and suave. And Missy is very poised while still being delightfully wicked and unpredictable. But Simm, not quite so much and for some of the same reasons. I was glad to see him go, especially as you can see the Master's wife had bruises on her face at one point after that year. I loved Martha wandering the Earth and how she saved the Doctor, and that bait and switch with that gun, letting it get back to the Master so he has no idea what they're really up to. :) I rewatched that recently and had to shake my head as I remembered meeting Tom Milligan, a doctor Martha becomes engaged to by "Sontaran Strategem" only to somehow end up with Mickey by "End of Time pt 2". (I'm sure it had something to do with Tom Ellis not being available, but still...) I have mixed feelings about this episode as it does have the Doctor, Martha and Jack, but yeah, I'm not a fan of Simm's Master.

[@vincineltheseventhwarrior8836]

Just started watching the video, so I'm not sure if you knew about this yet, but there was a scene in Last of the Time Lords that was *CUT* from the American version of the episode. I don't know the dialogue well, so anyways. In the scene, Martha's mom (I forgot her name) aims a gun at the Master, but the Doctor is trying to tell her to not do it, and after a few seconds, she finally breaks down and gives the gun to the Doctor. I have no idea what shots it went between, let alone why it was cut, since it shows some good character development.

[@maurinet2291]

I totally agree here. And yeah, John Simm & David Tennant were great whenever they spoke to each other. But I think you underestimate how often that occurred, I bet it was under ten minutes in the whole two parter. I so wish they would have done more with it. And that first phone conversation! It was good enough as it was, and also gave some insights into the Doctor's character that we'd never really explored. But how much better would it have been if they'd done it face to face? I think John Simm didn't really get the Master here, he understood the character better later. And that ending was total cheese. The cheese visuals to go with it didn't help at all.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

I love this story despite its flaws. It's mad, so over the top and surprisingly dark and I love it. Last of the Timelords is the weakest entry of the three parter the Deus ex machina is stupid but the Master's death scene, Martha's departure pulls it back again. Plus Tom Ellis is in it.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 To each their own

[@danielsleeper2307]

Honestly, the justification for the one year rollback works enough for me. The TARDIS couldn't remain as a Paradox Machine, so time had to play out without the Toclafane coming to Earth and killing everyone.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

My problem isn the narrative logistics. It’s the fundamental nature of the choice. It negates most of the consequences of what happened.

[@danielsleeper2307]

@@CouncilofGeeks I totally get it. For me, personally, the narrative justification excuses the lack of consequences this time. It just hits that sweet spot for me, I guess.

[@billlowery3898]

In a Doctor Who Confidential John Simm looks straight into camera and says "I hope the viewers understand that I am playing The Master EXACTLY as I was asked to." He might as well have held up a sign saying "Don't blame me"!

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Haha, now that's professionalism!

[@Benji568]

Thankfully in Series 10, he got to be more serious with it.

[@arubinojr5670]

I remember when Riri used Martha's plan on Sailor Moon all those years ago.

[@nicolaspriet5856]

First, let me begin to say I like John Simms’s master. Your criticism of this version has a lot of valid points. I will just try to explain to you why his version works for me and why undoing the whole story can work because of that. First the 10th doctor. If you try to see the whole Doctor who as tapestry (it doesn’t really work but) and you see each regeneration as a subconscious desire from the previous one (it actually works pretty well) you can tell that Tennant’s doctor is an idealized version of the doctor. Handsome, young, heroic, dashing, good with the ladies. That’s not what the doctor is but one he could have wished he was when the 9th doctor started to mellow down. So it seems quite normal to me that when the Master regenerated, he wanted to become an idealized version of himself too in the same way. If the doctor is going to be a hero, I will become a proper villain. That’s what I think Russell T Davies wanted to explore in the Master. Not the character but the idea of the character. So the master is a mad villain. His ultimate purpose is to take over the world. (Basic villain purpose that does not make sense for a Time Lord but he is mad) . If you want to do a proper final story about this kind of character, you do a story where he is in control of everything, he succeeds, look what that means to him and you take everything away from him. Undoing the story is important because the Doctor needs to defeat completely this idea of a mad villain and to do that, you need to also rob him of his ultimate victory. That is why the story and the character works for me. But as you said , your mileage may vary. I did like the exploration of the character, not the idea, at the end of time. And I liked how Moffat understood the concept in the Doctor Falls. Missy is the evolution of a character. The Simms Master wants to stick himself to the idea, the way he does villain make-up. (It is the only way the character can work after the ending of End of times) Just my own take. That said, I love your videos, especially on Doctor Who.

[@superraegun2649]

You said it was tied for worst offender of a deus ex-machina. What would it be tied with? Also next week can you review “Time Crash”?

[@justkerowen3191]

Random thoughts: I liked Jack and Martha's interaction - always felt it was a bit of a shame she didn't stay on with Torchwood. "You too, huh?" Martha's family was good. It was interesting watching them be manipulated and played by The Master over the course of the season - kind of the logical conclusion of the families of Companions being a known quantity, I think. I also would've enjoyed seeing more of Lucy's story. There are some suppositions floating around as to what broke her, but they're only that. I thought the "Know your enemies" sequence was clever, even though I was blindsided by the double meaning on first viewing. I also quite liked Thomas Milligan, and would really like to know why he and Martha split up. The Toclafane were also another invocation of the "That's just a fairy tale" trope that pops up occasionally in Who, which we'll see again later with the Pandorica. I'm kind of with you on the Doctor in a birdcage thing. The first aging was fine, the second a bit much. The problem as I see it with the whole subjugation of the earth thing is that it was so big they *had* to hit the reset button to regain some sort of normality. If they'd left it, it would've been an entirely different programme. So yeah, from a "show the consequences or don't do it" perspective, the latter would've been preferable. I don't care what backwalking Davies has tried to do - as far as I'm concerned, Jack's canonically the Face of Boe. I have mixed feelings about the roommate story. On the one hand, it did make explicit to The Doctor what exactly was going on from Martha's perspective and how she was done with it, which he'd been pretty oblivious to. On the other, I never liked the whole "Martha mooning over The Doctor" throughline, so there's that. Overall, not bad. There're definitely worse episodes.

[@FitzyCify]

"Laser Screwdriver! Who'd want Sonic?" At this point in time, _nobody_ wants Sonic! *shudders* It would seem that the trend of a gripping, suspenseful penultimate episode being followed by an underwhelming cop-out of a finale is not all that recent a phenomenon in _Doctor Who,_ eh?

[@menachemsalomon]

_Editor's note:_ Comma _before_ the underscore. If there's no space on one side of the character, it won't be recognized as special and will appear _like this_.

[@FitzyCify]

@@menachemsalomon fixed, cheers

[@EraNex97]

just clap your hands together and say "I do believe in time lords I do I do I do." I got little problem with the paradox machine being broken and time snapping back, and I disagree because Martha's family and the Master's wife both very much remember the year of hell and the hellacri... I mean the Valiant is still a thing because it was at the center. but I hated the Tinkerbell ending. I understand the dynamic that went on the reason for the interplay, but I can see where it might get stale if you are not into the twisted friendship the two of them have and really don't see the masters motivations or the Doctor's disappointment in his friend 'the unimaginative plotter"

[@clomiancalcifer]

I think the first half works much better than the second half (Which is common for most two-parters) because the first half is the first time, we're really seeing the Doctor defeated, outright, and so completely, it is a metaphorical curbstomp that the Master delivers to the Doctor. But that's why the second half works so less well. Which has been a problem with RTD's era, he likes to drive up the drama of despair in these series finales, which often leads him to writing himself into a corner that he really can't get himself out of without resorting to some kind of authorial escape. First series the win is delivered by an out of context event (Bad Wolf), second series he gets out of it by using an unexplained phenomena (or a property of said phenomena not explained until really too late to not make it feel convenient). This one the Doctor's secret story/faith restoration plan (which rightfully got the nickname blue crystal Jesus Doctor). Series 4 it's the metacrisis... The Master I think works fine, for what they are going for. I think Simms was on record as not really wanting to play it that 'cartoonish' but was told to ham it up, and it's part of the reason why he was unwilling to come back after End of Time. I think the rough vacillation between 'wacky Donald Duck' and 'cold, steely conqueror' fits. He literally sees the whole thing with the Toclafane and Earth and the conquest of the universe as a sideshow joke that's beneath him, the only part that's important is that the Doctor sees him 'win'. The Master is treating this like a video game and the only thing that matters is that he beats the Doctor, but if you're going to win a video game, you may as well play your favorite music, have your lady sit in your lap and eat chips and pop. This bleeds into Missy (especially her first couple of outings) in the sense that she's trying to prove herself, and win at the game with the Doctor; it's just at this point in his life, the Doctor's done playing games. I agree that Jack kinda doesn't get used much in this story, and his only function is to act as a plot item transference machine (IE the story don't go if you don't have that vortex manipulator). I'd have liked to have seen a little more of the Doctor and Jack talking. Or the Master and Jack interact (I think they get three brief lines together). I don't think we needed more of Lucy's dissatisfaction I think it did enough with what was there and I think had we seen more I think it would've pushed the Master too far beyond irredeemable (yes he's genociding the human race but that's comic book irredeemable, I think spousal abuse would've been too on the nose). They did go back and cover Martha's year in book form. And her family for what we got of them, did the thing they needed to do, and much more of them would've been grating maybe. The faceoff scene, I think was either to fill time, or convey a grander scope of what was happening; but show the intimacy that was between the Doctor and the Master. The time reset was annoying but not unexpected considering the opening shows Earth going through 'terminal extinction' and the year late setting, it was unlikely RTD would continue the series with Earth mostly dead and society fractured....considering his desire for contemporary lynch pins. Everything being said, this series finale is still the series finale that I think works the best of RTD's run, and given a push I'd say all of them up to World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls. I really disliked Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, so much so that I don't think I've watched it in years. Journey's End I don't mind but find it ends up having a weaker feeling as it so spread thin with so many characters in it. Matt's finale's were fine (except Wedding of River Song...{Name of the Doctor is also not my favorite}) and Capaldi's range from excellent (World enough and Time) to frustratingly annoying (Hell Bent) to frankly not great (Dark Water). And Whittaker's finale was....present....? I mean it exists....in theory...basically I think Resolution would've made a better finale with Graham and Ryan leaving at the end......

[@menachemsalomon]

If this was tied for worst _Deus ex machina,_ which was the other? Do you mean at the end of the Amy Pond's first season, with the "Universe being rebooted" and all, with no repercussions and no memories, except for the Doctor and his companions? Or did you have something else in mind?

[@andreamiller3578]

I think you pretty much nailed my issues with these episodes. I did like Simms' quieter moments. I felt they were much more effective than the manic moments. Martha was great as usual. The deus ex machina thing is an ongoing problem for me in Doctor Who. I have seen only a few of the Classic Who episodes and they didn't employ it so I assume this is a Moffat thing. He seems to write himself into these grand corners and then DEMs his way out. And as much as I love New Who, I do find it frustrating when that happens.

[@evo_is_confused]

Watching the episodes I thought: surely a sonic screwdriver is better than a laser one, because a laser screwdriver needs its laser to directly reach the target, but a sonic screwdriver only needs things to be affected by the vibrations of sound, not to have the light from it hitting the target. Say a control panel was behind a mirror that The Doctor/Master couldn't get to. A laser screwdriver wouldn't be able to access the controls and open a door, because the mirror would reflect the laser. A sonic screwdriver, however would be able to access the control panel with no problem, because the sound would travel through the mirror.

[@techcommenter]

Maybe I’m in the minority, but the master going insane is something I like. This story helps when the master returns at the end of time. Then we see how the time lords messed with his whole life so they could survive.

[@solekman916]

I honestly adore John Simms master, probably my favorite tbh

[@deanjones2192]

parts of the sound of drums were filmed opposite my house

[@rowanc88]

What did you think of the Face of Boe revelation?

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

It would only be a revelation if it mattered, and IMO there is no reason to assume that it does. My guess is that it was only RTD nerd-baiting some mythos/continuity-obsessed people.

[@lucasdolding6924]

On the point about Lucy Saxon, she is seen with a bruised a cheek at the beginning of LotTL, so we can assume the Master probably abused her physically as well as mentally when he was suggesting having a threesome with her and that lady giving him a massage, so there were elements of mental abuse in their relationship as well. There's also the scene where the Master has Lucy tell the Doctor about when he took her to the end of the Universe, so she probably got a little messed up by seeing all that as well.

[@timelordrohan9425]

I loved the toclofane, they were great! The idea of promising a species utopia and then forcing them to kill their own kind is just so weird and sick it is just so good!

[@nostars5919]

Since when does Netflix cut stuff out??? The last ep was 45 mins on Netflix but 51 on BBC iplayer and the scene with Martha's mum aiming the gun at the master isn't in Netflix

[@lwaves]

If that's true then it's one more reason I feel justified in buying disc versions, instead of trusting streaming services. They control what you watch, they only give you the illusion of viewing freedom. Go look up the intro to The Outer Limits, that's what you signed up for. ;-)

[@vladdrakul7851]

Glad to see you reconsider John Simms. You are very honest and open to change as one should be. It happens to all of us. A very insightful solid review despite the fact I think Simms is the only great original version (rather than varying quality Delgato redos) Master after Delgato and Jacobi's (all too short version)! I do completely agree with your criticism about the overdone aging and the cheap 'solution' and agree that it truly weakens what was otherwise a great story! I hate those consequent free stories, something that Moffatt did far too often but here it is RTD who in fact did this stupid mistake. (here you changed my point of view on this point). My one harsh criticism is the Doctor pushed as a 'Jesus bringing hope' idea. It STINKS like rotting fish.

[@michaelv4871]

The reason that the interlude was included was because John Simm and David Tennant told the writers that they wanted more scenes between the Doctor and the Master.

[@utherteasdale933]

I really like John Simm as the Master but the Editor should have been an incarnation of the master

[@oween_mash]

Was it just me or did the masters wife have a black eye is one scene on the airship?

[@kristienwhitneyjohns2215]

I think a major thing you are forgetting is the sound of drums. This master isn't high energy or eccentric. He is bat shit insane. So his behaviour in these episode is on point. He's effectively keeping himself busy.

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Well, I remember that whole "drum" business. I simply disregard it as being a silly half-baked reason for indulging in cringey characterization. Generally, I think that explanations in stories are a terrible idea. Especially when the explanation itself would already be a terrible idea on its own!

[@werlost]

I Agree with your take on the master. It makes sense later in the end of time but here it seems off. I wish there was more moments between the doctor and the master. Ive seen simm in other things and he's a great actor. I didn't care for his portrayal of the master. I think his energy was supposed to throw people off and make them underestimate him. However it seems to make him seem like a psychopath not a calculating villain. I was waiting for him to show up with a black hat twirling a mustache. I agree with the ending too.

[@ThePonderer]

I used to really dislike both these episodes, but honestly (while I quite dislike Simm’s Master) nothing about Sound of Drums is really unsalvageable, and Last of the Time Lord’s is a decent enough exercise in alternate universe world building. What REALLY kills the whole story is the Messiah Doctor moment. It’s SUCH a ridiculously stupid resolution that the whole 3-parter suffers for it.

[@khaosbydesignuk946]

I quite liked this Master tbh, the older interpretations of him were usually more the evil, maniacal genius's which worked for the tone of the older series but "new who" has always been more high energy so it made sense to have a high energy Master too; plus there was an unhinged psycho element to it that made him seem more dangerous imo.

[@mlp_firewind8129]

I personally don’t mind the year that never was thing. Because realistically they couldn’t have presented the consequences. I mean torchwood maybe could have because it’s set exclusively on earth. But to much of doctor who isn’t set in the “present” so like out of a 13 episode season maybe three or four would be set in this post Master world. And with that little screen time there would be no way to explain to answer viewers why the world is like this, give world building to this new world, and tell a proper doctor who story. And most of all the fact that the real modern world exists as we understand it is important as a well for relatable companions

[@TrocaTheNero]

For me, I don't mind the time rollback really, I mean it's a time travel show taht has gone on for decades upon decades, resets need to happen sometimes. It also still has consequences even if they're focused only on Martha and her family since they still remember the horror of living through the Master's regime. The actual resolution (Doctor is restored via prayer, essentially) is what I have a bigger issue with because it really just felt pulled out of thin air. Still, I did enjoy the finale.

[@MrRjhyt]

I recall getting the 'Deus Ex Machina' shudders, of someone walking over my grave when the Master delivered the 'Decimate' line with such relish. It just felt that the genocide of 700 million odd people wasn't going to stand in the show. The reveal of the 'Paradox Machine' too, just made me sigh... But as ever, I endeavour to focus on the positives. I'd make a terrible reviewer. But, it just makes my heart soar, to see the dysfunctional family come together so well. Or just David's excellent delivery of his lines. I could watch him read a phone book.

[@robertmcelwaine7024]

The problem I have with the Sound of Drmans/The Last of the Time Lords is that the Doctor locked the space-time coordinates so that the Master could only travel to Earth in a very limited time frame. Therefore how did the Master manage to contact the Toclafane zillions of years in the future? Better yet how did the Doctor know the people on Malcassairo would be fated to become the Toclafane in the first place? This was never explained, and how with the limited resources that they had could the Master and the Toclafane contacted one another considering they existed in timelines centuries upon centuries apart. This struck me as lazy wring on the part of Davies.

[@rogvortex58]

I still count utopia as part one of this season’s finale.

[@lizzie8561]

I agree about John Simm's Master in these episodes. I only liked Simm's portrayal of the Master in "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls."

[@WiloPolis03]

I think the blonde Master should be counted as a separate incarnation from the Master. Not only is he a lot different from the Saxon Master in both personality and appearance, he was also reincarnated as a new entity. I know that kind of complicates things with the Saxon Master sort of being brought back for Series 10 but idk

[@helloitsme7553]

Can you review 'the three doctors' please

[@jedisalsohere]

What a mixed bag of a series. Not quite to the extent of Series 2, which I think had lower lows, but close.

[@ink_blot25]

It is interesting looking back on these episodes and realise how crazy or how low low they got!

[@robo3007]

Personally, with the exceptions of the Lazarus Experiment and 42, I loved every episode! I loved them so much it's my favourite series of Doctor Who ever produced. :)

[@jedisalsohere]

@@robo3007 I can't say I particularly enjoyed the Dalek 2-parter, Gridlock or The Shakespeare Code.

[@robo3007]

@@jedisalsohere Oh I forgot the Shakespeare Code - yeah, that was a bit silly - but I thought the Dalek 2-parter was a great exploration of the Delek psyche and I loved the whole stylistic look of it all, especially with the pig-people! As for Gridlock I personally loved the fact it focused in on a few people's day to day lives instead of the big picture Doctor Who stories usually focus on. It really makes you feel like you're there stuck in traffic with them and makes the world seem more believable somehow. I wish they used this template for more stories.

[@zterry224]

The very thing you point out as what bothers you about the Master-his cartoon bouncing about.. Is the very thing that delineates and defines the interactions between the Master and the Doctor which you found impressive. Its a contrast between this incarnation of the Master's realization to the monster Rasillion made him and his remembrance of who he had been and his relationship with the Doctor. They had been friends. Good friends. He centers and becomes grounded with the Doctor and then swings into and gives in to his hatred and resentment of him. The Master is the creature of the torture inflicted on him yet he seeks out the Doctor at every turn because he wants the Doctor to stop him while hating and resenting him for not saving him before the brainwashing. And the Master knows he is beyond redemption so he refuses the Doctor's attempts to save him in the present. It was the most sympathetic view of the Master we had been given up to that time, going past the flat "I am the Master (of all, soon)" motivation of classic Doctor Who. The introduction of the Master as Missy builds on the Master's longstanding resentment further with her need to punish the Doctor by forcing him to deal with and clean up after her swaths of destruction..but that's a discussion for another time.

[@roxxychik06]

Definitely agree with you on this one

[@daniellasmith7348]

I know why the master's wife killed him. You say she seemed broken, but no one is seeing why. I could see her eyes, and they looked so dark. I honestly think, even though it's horrible to assume such, that he beat his wife. I know, really far fetched, and it's horrid thing to think. But no one seems to notice it. She looks like she is abused, and that is enough to make anyone snap. Great performance, and you're right. Her arc should have been portrayed better, as it had amazing potential.

[@binkey3374]

Daniella Smith Agreed. I haven’t watched the episode for a while, but I remember that being pretty clearly the case. Not outright, shown, but more than just implied.

[@daniellasmith7348]

@@binkey3374 thank you, I thought people were not going to agree and slaughter me for saying it. But yes, I honestly think she looks like she's been given a black eye. Thought I was the only person who thought it.

[@arthurgatward7369]

She has a black eye for most of the second part, i don't think she got it from walking into a door :-)

[@timenotime]

uhhhh how exactly is missy any less high energy than simm's master? I don't think that's right at all.

[@maurinet2291]

Right? I think there are differences, but I did want more of a discussion about them. :(

[@quinnsinclair7028]

The thing I hate about a lot of what they do with the timelords, and especially bad here is how much they make timelords science look like magic. I get it, advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic. I just feel like try could change a few design elements and add a bit of technobabble and it would come across much better as “this tech is so far above you that it might as well be magic but you know it’s not”. Take this episode, from how it’s presented the Doctor is essentially saved by belief. That’s not what happens. It goes back to the Shakespeare Code. He’s tied himself into a satellite network that is in turn tied into the mind of every human on the planet. By getting them to all think the same thing at the same time he’s able to channel the unified psychic energy of seven billion people for a few minutes. But they did such a poor job going over that that it sounds more like “everyone said his name at the same time so he gets super powers”. It gets worse in the End of Time where it looks like the Master is revived with a necromantic ritual rather than what they should have: some ancient Gallifreyan technology.

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

I see it the opposite way - that +95% of wanna-be sci-fi should simply admit that it is fantasy, and has no real interest in science. Because it's more aesthetically accurate - handwavium doesn't become scientific by picking more technical words without the methodology or implications of their scientific use. That's besides the whole semantic quagmire of what people mean by the term "magic" in the first place.

[@quinnsinclair7028]

Popo Bawa Magic and science might serve the same purpose between sci-fi and fantasy but it’s ascetically jarring when one looks like the other. I’m fine with tech that does anything I’m pretty much used to that but when it has all the trappings of magic, chanting ad potions and such it just feels wrong. It wouldn’t take much to flip it. Have the master leave instructions for a Gallifreyan device he designed which when activated drains lifeforce from people to reconstruct a biological sample and exposure to a certain substance causes the machine to go haywire and reconstruct the person incorrectly. It wouldn’t take much. Giving it these magical elements just feels lazy.

[@Benji568]

The only thing I never liked about this finale was the fact the Master was kinda overpowered in this. John Simm looked good and he performed the part well despite some of the dialogue that he was given and possibly the way he was directed. I much preferred him when he returned in Series 10 with Capaldi, he was more like how the Master should be. Calm, calculating, sinister, ruthless and scheming and he's like that in the more recent Big Finish audio Masterful which I highly recommend.

[@PedroGBSilva]

I don't know why but I love these two episodes so much despite the flaws

[@ridensroom6957]

I will never watch another Chibnall era episode again after the final episode of s12. But this was always my least favourite finale for every reason you said. Obv Timeless Children tops it but until that came out, this was always the worst.

[@AceOThorns]

YES, that's it - John Simm works best when he isn't so manic, when he gets a moment to SLOW DOWN and simmer, rather than boil. Delgado will always be THE Master for me - and my first introduction to the RL notion of death, in all honesty - but Simm's Master was just a bit TOO different to fit with the general notion of regeneration. Otherwise, a good story, a good end of season... just not the payoff from THAT REVEAL AND REGENERATION.

[@landlighterfirestar5550]

The solution works because of the mind link, the same thing that the master used to get people to vote for him

[@theaquinnwrites]

Like i said before I actually like Simm!master a lot, so I had no problems with that. I agree about the shrunken Doctor, that's just stupid. I actually didn't like the explanation of the T.. creatures killing humans "because it's fun" like, just. That just seemed like lazy writing to me. I agree with you with that a year of time being undone. The people coming back to life, maybe, because that solves the paradox, but it was just kind of disappointing to see all that stuff being undone. And considering that RTD was the show-runner for another season after this, why not have the 4th season deal with those consequences? i am not even saying spent the entire season on Earth, dealing with that, but it certainly could've been touched upon, at least. I also like Martha choosing to leave and I want to see that with more companions in Modern Who.

[@roguebritgravy1]

That was your master introduction

[@ljnchannel2706]

I liked john simms as the master, but wasn’t too fond of the episode. Thought the end of time was better. Also, i didn’t know people didn’t like the end of time part 1. Part 2 is better though.

[@mattevans4377]

Considering what the Master has gone through before, no wonder this incarnation has a few screws loose.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

My problem isn't that there's no narrative justification. My problem is I don't like it, regardless of the reason.

[@madeleine5561]

I agree with you 100% on the downsides of Simm's Master. I hate him so much. He makes me want to punch him in the face and not in the love to hate this character way. Nobody can be Delgado. But this Master was just plain cartoony. The worst part is that I got NO sense of the two timelords had a real history and that they were once friends. Not to mention I also hated the resolution

[@canyouimagine6688]

Loved it when the doctor spoke of galifrey

[@DisabledDragon]

I'm really not a fan of the goofiness with the Master. I think Missy has similar moments, especially early on (like when she refers to herself as being "bananas") and while those aren't my favorite parts of her performance, I think they work better for me because it feels so much like a performance. She always feels very in control of what she is and who she's presenting in a way that Simm's Master didn't for me personally (some people will disagree, I'm sure.) I think that level of control made her series 10 arc more effective. My thoughts about Missy performing the generic tv "craziness" that typically bothers me are also tied to my thoughts on why she dresses so femme and really leans into the whole "being a woman" thing, too--it largely using people's expectations to her advantage, but also a kind of "screw you" to both the saneism and now misogyny she encounters. (I really recommend The Missy Chronicles) Which is a really long ramble about Missy on a video about Simm!Master, but I really was attempting to make a point about the latter, I promise.

[@boofyhalfpint8559]

Your comment that you "Dislike the John Simms Master when he is loud but like him when he is more normal/quieter/softer" is the same comment you made about Donna Noble in The Runaway Bride.

[@TonksMoriarty]

The rollback is my biggest problem with this episode, and I'm glad that problem was not repeated recently in a non-BBC production.

[@thenebulasystem8251]

I understood that reference.

[@Foebane72]

If there's one thing I despise, it's talking head videos, especially when I'm drunk (when I so often am).

[@thomasrdiehl]

So your complaint is the good guys won? The whole point of fighting for something is avoiding the consequences of losing/not fighting.

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

I wonder why you frame a question in terms of changing what they said. If that's what they meant, I'm guessing they probably would have said that. The way I see it, either choice has consequences. Victory can come easily, or can cost dearly. Winning a war doesn't bring your troops back from the dead, fix your people's wounds and trauma. It doesn't replace the billions of dollars and mountains of resources used. Even just time is lost, that could have conceivably been used for something constructive.

[@thomasrdiehl]

@@HereComesPopoBawa I was making clear what the complaint sounded to me like to make a point and what I see as the problem in the critique. Still, even when taking what was said word by word, how is it a problem when the consequences get erased? There were clear stakes (if they loose, the world ends, basically), so what does it matter whether there were consequences in the end? I don't get how not having any is a negative. After all, this is normal for this show, every other week some planet gets threatened,and there are no consequences because the TARDIS just flies into the next adventure. The situation was dire to the characters and interesting to the viewers. It establishes what the Master is capable of both psychologically and practically. That's all that matters imho.

[@nightowl8477]

In hindsight, Russel has said he had no idea what he wanted from these episodes. I don't think he knew what he was going for.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

*citation needed

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Word processing is a hell of a drug!

[@nightowl8477]

@@CouncilofGeeks Page 678 of The Writer's Tale. There! Took me a year and a half of on-and-off sifting, but *THERE!* If you haven't read The Writer's Tale, there's nothing I could recommend more, both as a Doctor Who fan and a writer. Buy the book, tell yourself you'll have finished it by next year, and actually finish it next week. It's my Bible (if the Bible were open to other viewpoints.)

[@mrssherlockasy4236]

I think the goofy elements and the serious ones are not well-balanced and tend to not go along well together. I really like John Simm but, I rarely saw someone over-act as he did there and I don't understand why ! Most of the time, his acting is very great and nuanced. Not here unfortunately. I had a good memory from the first time I saw this triptic but, watching it recently, I didn't like it as much as I did when I first saw it. I expect a lot from the third and last time with Simm on the show, so finger crossed !

[@WiloPolis03]

The Master is inevitable