Lesser Evils

 

"His own people had cast judgement."

Writer: Simon Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: October 2020

Series: Time Lord Victorious: Short Trips #2

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

The Kotturuh have arrived on the planet Alexis to distribute the gift of death to its inhabitants. The only person standing in their way is a renegade Time Lord, who has sworn to protect the locals. A Time Lord called the Master...

Verdict

Lesser Evils was a very good little Short Trips adventure to continue the Time Lord Victorious story arc! I was a fan of the simplicity of this audio and thought it did a really good job of giving the Kotturuh a voice. I must admit, I had been pronouncing their name entirely wrong but thankfully now that won't be the case in the future! I loved how things started with a single Kotturuh and establishing this individual as a woman was very good as it instantly provided some personality we were familiar with. I enjoyed getting to know this veiled woman quite well and hearing her cast judgement at the nature life on the planet Alexis was terrific. It was chilling with how easily she just decreed how long a species could live. The introduction of the Master into the audio was very good and I thought Jon Culshaw did a stellar job in bringing Anthony Ainley's excellent incarnation to life with his impression. It was magnificent and uncanny. It was impressive for him to also get the laugh in there as that is such a crucial component of the Ainley incarnation in my opinion. Except, the Master didn't have a lot to be laughing about with his circumstances during the events of this story. The idea of him being exiled (I presume) here on Alexis without his TARDIS must have drove him mad, but instead he seems to have become more sombre and at touch with nature which is quite a surprise. The calm nature in which he was presented was chilling because we know the capabilities of this incarnation and after listening, I found it intriguing that Simon Guerrier intended for the placement of this story from the Master's perspective to be between The Trial of a Time Lord and Survival. That certainly makes sense and works well in explaining how we found the Master in the latter serial. The conversations between the Master and the Kotturuh were magnificent and I loved how the latter appreciated the audacity and slyness of the former. That was the Master at his best there and even when he understood what capabilities the Kotturuh had, he was still his old mischievous self. That was admirable to say the least. His fascination and appreciation for the Mogellans was lovely to hear even though it was so uncanny of the Master we know and love as a villain. The way he was almost defending them and putting a case forward for the Kotturuh to judge them favourably was fantastic. I thought the idea of someone trying to persuade the Kotturuh and lean their judgement either way was a fun concept in of itself. The Master trying to get the Kotturuh to almost cast judgement upon themselves was also outstanding. The pace of the audio was good in that it was methodical and calm and that really did suit the Alexis setting with just the right level of background noise. As well as his impression, Jon Culshaw did a marvellous job in the narration and I do hope this isn't the last we hear from him. I don't expect it to be! I thought this one improved on Master Thief in that it felt much more a part of Time Lord Victorious and was just a more interesting story! I was intrigued from the off and I liked how it hooked me regarding the Kotturuh. Overall, a really positive and enjoyable listen!

Rating: 8/10