For some, Simm’s return as the Master in the series 10 finale was a disappointing one. But was it really a “two Masters” story, or was it something else for the Doctor’s arch-enemy?
As you can probably tell from these articles, at Doctor Who Watch, we really enjoyed The Doctor Falls. However, there is one criticism raised by fans that needs to be acknowledged, and it’s a very valid one. Namely, how the team-up of two Masters, a first for the TV series, was hardly focused on at all. While Simm’s Master was seen a lot in the finale, neither he nor Missy were truly the villains of the story. And they certainly weren’t the main focus.
Now compare this to Big Finish’s Two Masters trilogy from last year. Yes, that’s right: trilogy, with each story running at two hours long. It didn’t focus on both incarnations for all three stories, but it was smart enough to focus on one incarnation each for the first two, before showing the confrontation in full in the final story.
There was a lot that I absolutely adored about the aptly named The Two Masters, of which you can read my review in full here. But what really made it work was, while it focused on things like space pirates, epic wars, and oh yeah, the end of all time and space, the two Masters were the main focus of it.
Compare this with what The Doctor Falls focused on. Even when the episode was extended from forty-five minutes to a full hour with no commercials, the episode also had to focus on Bill’s departure and the beginning of Twelve’s regeneration. To be honest, it really does make you wonder why they bothered to bring Simm’s Master back in the first place. Was it simply just for funny lines with Gomez and a seriously awesome cliffhanger?
Missy’s Arc
I’ll admit, that was more than likely part of Moffat’s reasoning, but not all. When looking at The Doctor Falls as a Master story, the important thing to remember is to take it for what it is – a finale. It’s not just an epic battle for the Doctor, but also the ending of many key arcs, particularly character ones. It’s not just Bill that this series has been keen to explore and develop as a character. It’s arguably done the same for Missy, too.
While we didn’t see her until the sixth episode, Missy’s presence had cast a huge shadow for the Doctor since the beginning of Series 10. And the best part is, we really did get to see her grow as a character.
The decision of gradually making the Master turn good (which was looked at in more detail in this article by my editor Molly), was certainly a risky one. Personally, I thought it was handled just right. We had seen Missy completely evil in Series 8 and 9. However, we also saw her wanting her friend back. Admittedly, her initial attempts may have been to make the Doctor as evil as she was. But they still followed that motivation.
So her desire to change wasn’t out of the blue. It also helped that she initially just wanted to survive, so clearly, neither the Doctor nor the audience could trust her. But over the course of series 10, we were made to feel increasingly uncertain over whether she was faking it. We finally had to ask ourselves: was the Master really turning good?
The Return of the Master
Which is what brings me back to why Simm’s return makes sense, at least for Missy’s story. When the Doctor finally trusts her enough to let her play the hero, her previous self turns up. One who was not only before all of Missy’s crucial development in Series 10 but also one who still remained a firm enemy of the Doctor. As far as Missy was concerned, her former, more evil self couldn’t have shown up at a worse time.
Therefore, Simm’s Master returning fits for The Doctor Falls. Along with showing exactly how much Missy has really changed, she’s also given a great tragic ending to her story. The moment she actually wants to stand with the Doctor, without agenda, her former self shoots her in the back. Even if Missy does regenerate, it’s more than likely that she (or he) will never try to stand with the Doctor again.
(Not) “The Day of the Master”
If Simm’s return hadn’t been as heavily advertised (or more accurately, spoiled) by the BBC, and if we hadn’t been lead to believe that this would have been something along the lines of “The Day of the Master”, would it have been accepted better for what it is, rather than what it’s not? Specifically, a resolution to Missy’s arc rather than a two Masters event? Possibly not, especially after the amazing cliffhanger in World Enough and Time. But I do think that the BBC’s promotion didn’t do it any favours.
So while I think The Doctor Falls isn’t great as a multi-Master story, it is great at ending Missy’s arc. Bringing things full circle with the end of Simm’s Master was a nice touch. Enjoyed on those terms (as well as how seeing how great Simm looks with a more “classic” Master style), and I think it works very well.
(But seriously, if you want a great multi-Master story, listen to The Two Masters. It’s absolutely amazing, and you literally get what you paid for.)
Next: Part 2: How John Simm's Master was featured