Doctor Who: Frenemies – looking at the Doctor’s and the Master’s unique relationship
By James Aggas
Since the evil Time Lord’s introduction in Doctor Who, the Doctor and the Master have been established as arch-enemies. But they’ve also had hints of their old friendship, too.
"A long time ago, we used to be friends…"
That line will not only have many of you nostalgic for the Noughties (especially for a certain television series with Kristen Bell). It also perfectly sums up the most interesting element about the Doctor’s and the Master’s relationship. While they grew to become the worst of enemies, they were very good friends, once upon a time.
And this aspect is actually pretty clear at times. Especially during the early years. The Pertwee and Delgado relationship will always be one of the most memorable, perhaps because they became such good friends in real life that it reflected on screen.
But it’s also how the relationship was written, too. Yes, the Master was always trying to kill the Doctor and take over the world, and the Doctor was always trying to stop him. But there was always a huge amount of respect for each other, too.
This is especially clear in the Master’s first ever story, Terror of the Autons. The Master himself says that the Doctor is his equal (almost). And the Doctor says that he’s actually looking forward to their next meeting with a smile. So at that point, hints of their old friendship still remain.
Later Doctors and Masters had a more confrontational relationship, including Tennant’s and Simm’s incarnations.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
Growing enmity
Unsurprisingly, this faded over time. Across not just later incarnations, but also continual defeats, the Master grew to absolutely loathe the Doctor.
This is especially clear in the scarred incarnation played by Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers. By this point, their old friendship had been completely destroyed. The Master wanted two things at this point: to survive and to make the Doctor suffer. He’s spiteful towards his former friend, and considering he’s on the last of his regenerations at this point, while the Doctor is still very healthy in his Fourth incarnation, that’s not surprising.
This reduced aspect continued with subsequent incarnations, too. Occasionally, you’d have some friendliness, or even moments of mutual respect, between Ainley’s Master and the Eighties Doctors. But generally, the Master was simply out to destroy his old enemy. (Castrovalva is entirely based around the Master trying to kill the Doctor, with no universal grand plan in mind.)
The same is also true for John Simm’s Master. The phone call he shared with Ten is a real highlight from The Sound of Drums, and the two certainly have their moments in The End of Time, too. But generally, his Master is pretty open in his hatred of the Doctor, even going so far as physically dying just to spite him.
When Missy was introduced, the possibility of the Doctor and the Master becoming friends again was explored like never before.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
A return to friendship?
This is why Missy is such a fascinating incarnation, especially her relationship with Capaldi’s Doctor. For the first time since Delgado and Pertwee, we have a Doctor and a Master that’s closer to friendship than ever. In fact, each of them wanted to be friends again.
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Missy tried it her way first – to show that the Doctor was just as bad as her in Death in Heaven. Series Ten was essentially her trying the Doctor’s way instead, especially in World Enough and Time.
I really love that this aspect was brought back. It allowed for a different side to be explored by the Master, and allowed for so many Doctor/Master scenes that really explored both characters. They’ve been complete enemies for a long time now, so it was great to explore what happened when they actually tried to be friends again.
When the Master is brought back, male or female, will this element of friendship continue in their relationship? Possibly not. The Master has always been one of the greatest enemies the Doctor’s ever had. You know the Doctor is facing their true equal when they face the Master, no matter what incarnation either of them is in. And, with Missy paying the ultimate price for simply trying to be good, it’s likely that, whether the next incarnation is male or female, the Master won’t try to be so kind ever again.
Still, I hope a remnant remains, at least. Even if they become complete enemies once more, I hope the Doctor and the Master share at least something that reminds us that, a long time ago, they used to be friends.
Next. Missy’s brand new spin-off series begins today!. dark
Do you prefer the Doctor and the Master to be complete enemies, or do you prefer the two to share a hint of their old friendship? Which incarnations of the Doctor and the Master worked best against each other? Let us know in the comments below.