Time War: The Devil You Know

"We need a renegade."

Writer: Scott Handcock 

Format: Audio

Released: February 2018

Series: Gallifrey 9.03

Featuring: Leela, War Master

Synopsis

The Time War has begun in earnest, and Romana must think the unthinkable. For a most dangerous mission, she selects the most dangerous warrior – the Master. 

But he will not be alone. Leela accompanies her old enemy as they begin an unusual interrogation. 

What does Finnian Valentine know? And can Leela and the Master ever truly be on the same side?

Verdict

The Devil You Know was an excellent episode to continue the Time War ninth series of Gallifrey! This has been a really great volume so far and we're not done yet, but I'm so glad that we get an adventure with the War Master. I'm excited to continue with this series as I look to return to the War Master's own spinoff range, but having him paired with Leela was such a fun dynamic. Whilst Leela never got to meet the Master on screen, she's encountered the emaciated incarnation a couple of times in the Fourth Doctor Adventures and referencing that history was magnificent. I thought it was fun for Leela to continue to refer to that incarnation as the injured one and she actually preferred that form. Derek Jacobi gave a masterful performance in the role with his devious personality shining through. He initially wasn't interested in the offer from Romana to seek out Finnian Valentine and the knowledge of his weapon, but when the diamond of anywhere and anywhen in space was on offer he was quick to accept. He also seemed thrilled by the prospect of being paired with Leela for the mission which was excellent. Finnian was a fascinating character and the significance of the weapon was established very early on when two iterations of him were present. The Master took no time in stunning them in order to try and get the answers, but he always felt one step ahead which was brilliant. He's the biggest character to appear in this spinoff range and it really did feel impactful. He was also a fresh enemy from the Daleks and I've been impressed with how the Time War saga hasn't actually been dominated by the natives of Skaro. It was a solid backdrop for this adventure and splitting Leela and the Master with a separate version of Valentine was really good. Finnian wasn't the nicest of people as demonstrated with the pretty grotesque moment he spat in Leela's face after getting her to swear that she wouldn't repeat the knowledge he'd tell. That really surprised me and unleashed the inner savage in her which was no surprise! I thought the history of Finnian and his family being killed by the Time Lords was understandable for him to react that way, but she was a woman and that was a step too far. The Master's intricacies of noticing the subtle reactions of each version was excellent. I liked how he used that on Leela too when it came to the mention of Arcking as the location of the power source. The possibility cannon was a fun concept as a woman and I liked how this seemed to lead into Only the Good as far as the War Master was concerned in a fine example of rounding out continuity. The fate of Leela was an unexpected moment as the Master simply ejected her into the Time Vortex! Might this have been the second successive episode in which we've lost a former companion of the Doctor? That would be an incredible way to sell the threat of the Time War, but I have a feeling Leela will end up somewhere else in time and space. But still, it showed the depths this version of the Master would go to and he was still incredibly callous. Regardless, this leaves Gallifrey in a bad way as we setup for the finale. Overall, a brilliant audio! 

Rating: 9/10