Jamie Revell
The second instalment in this series was somewhat weakened by having the four episodes written by different authors, but here, we return to the original format - still four hour-long ‘episodes', but all written as a single story with a single writer.
This starts a little after the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, and it's worth noting that, while it leaves things open for the fourth and final instalment, it does not itself finish with a true cliffhanger. The focus this time is on the machinations of the Master, and his attempts to manipulate the Eminence - the main villain of the previous volume - for his own ends. This it does very ably.
In fact, the first segment is largely a Master story, with the Doctor reduced to a passive bystander watching his longtime foe setting up his plans for the rest of the narrative. The joy here is largely trying to work out what he's really up to, followed, of course, by the Doctor and new assistant Liv Chenka trying to track him down and foil his scheme. We also learn rather more about the Eminence, although its true origins are seemingly being left open for the final volume.
Prior Dark Eyes companion Molly O'Sullivan, while crucial to the plot, is more of a maguffin here than previously - the Doctor is trying to save her, but she's not present for most of the story. On the other hand, we do have the appearance of Coordinator Narvin, one of the main characters in the Gallifrey series, who meets the Doctor for the first time here, and is understandably met with some initial suspicion.
But the real strength is in the overall story, and the performance of Alex MacQueen as the Master. Perhaps the best sequence is one in which he and the Doctor are trapped on a doomed starship with no means of escape, forcing them to interact with one another and explore their differing motivations and morals. A number of the minor characters also add weight and humanity to the story, putting the galactic conflict into context, while Sally Armstrong, as the Master's companion, also has quite a bit of agency of her own.
But there's plenty of action too, from a Magnificent Seven style defence of an isolated colony to a race of subjugated aliens turning on their former masters. It's consistently well paced, and interesting throughout, and a particularly good evocation of the Master and the kind of schemes he comes up with.
The second instalment in this series was somewhat weakened by having the four episodes written by different authors, but here, we return to the original format - still four hour-long ‘episodes', but all written as a single story with a single writer.
This starts a little after the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, and it's worth noting that, while it leaves things open for the fourth and final instalment, it does not itself finish with a true cliffhanger. The focus this time is on the machinations of the Master, and his attempts to manipulate the Eminence - the main villain of the previous volume - for his own ends. This it does very ably.
In fact, the first segment is largely a Master story, with the Doctor reduced to a passive bystander watching his longtime foe setting up his plans for the rest of the narrative. The joy here is largely trying to work out what he's really up to, followed, of course, by the Doctor and new assistant Liv Chenka trying to track him down and foil his scheme. We also learn rather more about the Eminence, although its true origins are seemingly being left open for the final volume.
Prior Dark Eyes companion Molly O'Sullivan, while crucial to the plot, is more of a maguffin here than previously - the Doctor is trying to save her, but she's not present for most of the story. On the other hand, we do have the appearance of Coordinator Narvin, one of the main characters in the Gallifrey series, who meets the Doctor for the first time here, and is understandably met with some initial suspicion.
But the real strength is in the overall story, and the performance of Alex MacQueen as the Master. Perhaps the best sequence is one in which he and the Doctor are trapped on a doomed starship with no means of escape, forcing them to interact with one another and explore their differing motivations and morals. A number of the minor characters also add weight and humanity to the story, putting the galactic conflict into context, while Sally Armstrong, as the Master's companion, also has quite a bit of agency of her own.
But there's plenty of action too, from a Magnificent Seven style defence of an isolated colony to a race of subjugated aliens turning on their former masters. It's consistently well paced, and interesting throughout, and a particularly good evocation of the Master and the kind of schemes he comes up with.