Doctor Who review: Time’s Assassin shocks us with major revelations
By James Aggas
The second volume of Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures: The Syndicate Master Plan kicks off with Time’s Assassin, which pushes the series in a shocking new direction!
Time’s Assassin continues exactly where The False Guardian left off: with Zephon, son of Zephon, seeking revenge against the Doctor for what he did to his father!
Who is Zephon, I hear you ask? Well, that’s quite the story.
The original Zephon wasn’t exactly a major enemy for the Doctor. In fact, he wasn’t even that important in the story that he originally appeared in: The Daleks’ Master Plan. (Guess who’s the main monster in that story?)
He was one of the members of the Galactic Delegates that had chosen to ally themselves with the Daleks to take over the universe. However, it wasn’t long before Zephon was made a fool of when the Doctor impersonated him and stole the Tiranium Core, which was so vital to the Daleks’ plans.
Naturally, Zephon’s son isn’t too pleased when he meets the Doctor. But there is a much greater enemy for the Doctor to fear, as he finds out more about the mysterious organization known as “the Syndicate”…
Zephon wants vengeance against the Doctor for what he did to his father. But is he really the villain of the story?
(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Characters pathetic and tragic
Jon Culshaw gives an excellent performance as Zephon. He doesn’t make him a strong threat, but then again, that’s not the intention of the character. He’s someone who wants to be a major villain, who wants to play with the big boys, but is clearly just someone with delusions of grandeur. So Culshaw plays the role exactly as it’s meant to be played: someone who thinks he’s brilliant, but is actually kind of pathetic.
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One character who has the opposite journey of that is Nigel Colloon. Initially, when he was introduced in last month’s The False Guardian, he simply seems to be even more delusional than Zephon, believing himself to be far more important than he actually is. But Time’s Assassin reveals a rather shocking and tragic side to his character, and John Shrapnel gives an excellent performance portraying that.
We learn more about the temporal threat in this story that False Guardian hinted at, and it gives us an excellent cliffhanger. There’s a strong feeling of escalation throughout this story, especially by the time we reach the ending.
Oh, the ending. This is when splitting the eighth season of The Fourth Doctor Adventures into two halves really starts to make sense. Because there’s a moment in this story that completely changes the direction this series is going in. Do not listen to this story in public, because you will gasp. Loudly, too.
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Have you been listening to The Syndicate Master Plan? What have you made of Time’s Assassin? Did you see the twist coming? Let us know in the comments below.