Doctor Who review: Dark Eyes 3 (Eighth Doctor audio box set)
By James Aggas
The Master begins one of his grandest schemes yet, as he plots to take advantage of a full-scale galactic war. Only the Eighth Doctor can stop him in the epic Doctor Who box set Dark Eyes 3!
When Dark Eyes was given a sequel, the format was given a noticeable change in Dark Eyes 2. The first box set told one single story split across four episodes. The second, on the other hand, had more of an anthology nature, with different villains in each episode.
Once again, things have changed noticeably for Dark Eyes 3. Once again, like the first box set, there’s just one single writer for the whole set.
Also, while it’s not exactly one single continuous story, the same villains appear in all four episodes: specifically, the Master and the Eminence. Dark Eyes 3 is also the only set in the series not to feature the Daleks or the Dalek Time Controller.
Both Alex Macqueen’s Master and the Eminence had appeared in a couple of stories before. Both were also due for some further exploration. Dark Eyes 3 seemed to offer that. How well did it succeed? Let’s find out.
The Death of Hope
The opening episode of Dark Eyes 3 is an unusual one. For one thing, The Death of Hope feels like a ‘Doctor-lite’ story. McGann’s Doctor does appear, but he’s not involved in the main plot. Instead, he’s observing what the Master is getting up to.
And this leads me to the next thing that stands out about The Death of Hope: the Master’s role in the episode.
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The Master has arrived with his two companions on a distant world. It’s suffered from attacks by the Eminence and its Infinite Warriors, although it’s not a key planet in Earth’s long war against it. Fortunately, the Master has come along to save the day!
Master and saviour
Having the Master play the role of the hero is definitely an intriguing premise. Especially when the Doctor isn’t there to stop him, only to observe.
At this point, we’ve seen the Master pretend to help others in several stories. In fact, Alex Macqueen’s Master was first introduced disguised as another Doctor in UNIT: Dominion.
The key trick to this kind of story is making sure that the character remains true to who he is. That’s easy enough to do when he’s the clear villain against the Doctor. But when he’s playing the hero, there’s a risk that it’s easy to forget just how nasty he can be.
I think Matt Fitton does a really great job of making sure that, while the Master loves being seen as a stranger coming into town to fight evil, he is completely working towards his own agenda. There’s never any question of that. He’s not turned over a new leaf, just using the colonists as a means to an end. And he’s using one of the Doctor’s own friends to do it.
I really like how Molly’s character is taken in a new and dark direction with this episode. We’ve had companions under hypnosis before, of course. But in some ways, she’s being controlled much more subtlety than with your typical mind-controlled companions.
Molly believes that the Master is a genuinely good person and that she’s doing some good in the universe. It’s scary to hear the Master using Molly’s innocence to an evil advantage.
Narvin
One more thing that The Death of Hope introduces? Narvin. Not as a brand new character entirely, but this is the first time we’ve heard him meet the Doctor.
A Coordinator for the CIA, the Doctor doesn’t trust him, and understandably, too. All of his previous experiences with the CIA have been far from pleasant, and he doesn’t trust Narvin for a second.
What’s interesting is that this is the version of Narvin who’s already been through a lot of character development after the first six seasons of Gallifrey. So fans of the series know exactly what kind of person Narvin is by this point.
So there’s an added enjoyment there of knowing more about the character than the Doctor does, if you enjoy Gallifrey, at least.
The Death of Hope does a great job of focusing on the Master and the Eminence War. It also brings a great popular character from a spinoff series into the world of Doctor Who. Overall, an excellent way to establish exactly what Dark Eyes 3 is about.
The Reviled
The Reviled shows a rather different viewpoint to the Eminence War. Instead of focusing on something as straightforward as a battle between the humans and the Eminence, we instead see human colonists on the planet Ramosa, experiencing extreme tensions with the natives.
The Reviled is an episode with some very interesting themes. For both the humans and the Ramosans, there are clear and interesting points on both sides. Neither side are simply heroes or villains.
The fact that there are so many shades of grey in this situation allows us to see the Doctor play diplomat. He’s looking for the best possible solution to the problem, with minimal loss on both sides.
Because the situation is so morally complex, it presents a rather interesting angle to the Eminence War. At first, it only feels tangentially linked, at least initially. But the longer the episode goes on, the more you see of how it connects. Especially how it’s a part of the Master’s plan.
Reunion
It’s also nice to see the Doctor and Liv reunited once more. There are some really great scenes between them, and these scenes were the highlight of the episode for me. Especially moments like when the Doctor explains exactly who the Master is to Liv, which are great to hear.
But it’s the ending that has the greatest impact. The Doctor sees the consequences of the Eminence War in a big way. At least, at the end. This is the moment where the story feels the most connected to Dark Eyes.
And the way it leads directly into the next episode is brilliant. Once again, the Doctor’s sense of responsibility is challenged, and he makes a very dangerous choice. A choice that could literally change everything.
Masterplan
Masterplan explores the Doctor choosing to make a difference in a very bold and dramatic way. But it’s also about much more than that choice, too. It focuses on the relationship between the Doctor and the Master in a way that we haven’t seen before.
This is probably my favourite episode of Dark Eyes 3. It’s not just that it feels heavily connected to the story of the Eminence. Its origin isn’t entirely explored here, but we are given many clues to it. Particularly with David Sibley, the voice of the Eminence, also playing the mad scientist Markus Shriver.
But as interesting as that is, it’s how this episode focuses on the Doctor and the Master. Unlike most stories, the majority of the episode isn’t the two simply trying to stop each other.
Instead, they’re trapped in a room together, looking desperately for an escape. As they try to work out ways to do this, they also decide to talk to each other. Perhaps more than they have done in a very long time.
McGann and Macqueen are fantastic to listen to. You get the strong sense that they really used to be friends. That either one could have gone on the other’s path, if things had been different.
Their sense of morality is especially explored, which is always interesting with the Eighth Doctor. Each one really challenges the other’s point of view. It’s fantastic drama to hear, especially with two long-established characters that really get to explore their history together.
Rival companions
What’s also interesting is that Liv and Sally are also put into a similar situation. Both of them are loyal to their Time Lord, and therefore, both have very different points of view.
Sally’s a particularly interesting character. Introduced back in Fugitives, we’ve seen how much being with the Master has changed her. Or, at the very least, brought out the worst in her. So exploring whether the Master has truly corrupted Sally, or whether Sally was always like this, at least deep down, was an interesting angle.
Masterplan is an episode that places character exploration over mythology, and in this case, it works brilliantly. Filled with great performances and wonderful dialogue, it’s a real highlight for Dark Eyes 3, and possibly the whole series of Dark Eyes altogether.
Rule of the Eminence
Rule of the Eminence is a rather interesting episode. It’s not about the Doctor trying to stop the Master’s plan from taking over the world. This is mainly because the Master, in fact, takes over rather quickly. Like Last of the Time Lords, we actually get to see what happens when the Master wins.
Rule of the Eminence has a large sense of scale. Characters are spread out across the globe in order to fight or aid the Master. The entire population of Earth falls under the Master’s control. What can the Doctor possibly do to change that?
The stakes feel much higher for this episode, and that feels appropriate. After three hours of the Master working on a huge plan to take over, you kind of want to see what happens when that plan succeeds, at least.
More importantly though is how well this episode uses Molly. Aside from this episode, the character only appears in The Death of Hope. After months of being under the Master’s hypnotic influence, we really get to explore just how much the character’s been through.
Rule of the Eminence resolves a great deal of threads from Dark Eyes 3. It also gives a surprising exit to a major character. The scene is written really well, but it also makes it clear that things will be different for Dark Eyes 4. Overall, it’s a solid finale to the third volume.
Summary
Dark Eyes 3 is a rather bold release, in some ways. The focus on both the Master and the Eminence across all four episodes does work brilliantly, though. In fact, my least favourite of the set was the episode that focused on them a great deal less than the rest of the box set.
While Dark Eyes 3 focused a little less on companions compared to the first box set, the larger focus on villains worked really well.
Particularly on the Master. Not only was the series great at exploring Macqueen’s Master, but also the relationship between him and the Doctor. And when the companions were explored, it was very satisfying to hear. Overall, Dark Eyes 3 is an enjoyable set of episodes. Particularly for fans of the Master, regardless of the incarnation that they love most.
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Have you listened to Dark Eyes 3? Are you a fan of Macqueen’s Master? Do you enjoy stories that focus on the Doctor’s and the Master’s relationship more? Let us know in the comments below.