Day of the Master: Part One

"The feast is not yet over."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: October 2019

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures: Ravenous 4.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

The Doctor investigates a mystery in the vortex, Liv follows the trail of their enemy, and Helen searches for a god. Everywhere they go there is a Master or Mistress, but is the Doctor's oldest enemy there to hinder them, or to help? With the TARDIS crew scattered and lost, only a miracle can save the universe. And for that to happen someone is going to have to die.

Verdict

Day of the Master started in fine fashion with this opening part of the double Eighth Doctor Adventures Ravenous finale! This was an enthralling listen and all while seemingly setting things up for quite the explosive part two conclusion! There’s a great deal going on and it’s impressive that things never feel messy or convoluted. The TARDIS trio are split up right from the off which is good and almost necessary with how many different moving elements there are in this episode. The Doctor and Liv initially escape in the Master’s TARDIS which is quite fun and her comments about the interior being black were negative, but what else was the decorating going to be like? She'd just met the decayed version on the brink of death! The toil the Doctor was going through in having to leave his own TARDIS behind was excellent and sold so well by McGann. This was a hugely impressive performance and it really did help sell just how big the stakes were here. They ought to be a finale after four box sets! The Doctor leaving Liv behind to explore the world of Kolstan was a bit of a shock to me but that allowed for the supposed Time Lords he had called upon for support to join her. Of course, that turned out to be the War Master which was delightful. Just how he can show up with several of his other selves around is something I do hope gets addressed given the time locked nature of the Time War, but having him glory in Liv not knowing his identity was great stuff. When the moment came and she thought he was the Twelve was just glorious as he retorted in anger that he was not a number. His identity came as even more of a shock given that she was convinced she'd confirmed in Planet of Dust that he had died, but this incarnation had gotten over that which was quite fun. He really does know how to defy death! Helen being kidnapped by Missy was fun stuff and I was hoping for a little more of her given that she graces the front cover in such a dominant fashion. Anything we get with Michelle Gomez is wonderful though and I suspect she'll shine in the second part. The Master who takes centre stage for me here is the incarnation from The Movie which was such a fun reunion. I associate the Eric Roberts version as the Eighth Doctor's Master so to get a rematch here was long overdue! I hope we do get these two incarnations doing more battle in the future because they work splendidly well and it's fun to continue a rivalry that we actually saw on screen and that's not easy with the Eighth Doctor! Having him go to Kolstan was really intriguing as I loved the idea of him going to pre-Time Lord history. That's something he shouldn't be doing so that was delightful fun. I love exploring that kind of lore and ancient history with the Doctor obstructing all Laws of Time. The continuity from the previous episode in having him meet Artron was strong stuff and I liked how he nearly gave away where he was from in blurting out Gallifrey. He couldn't give away the future, especially at a precious time as this. I thought the reaction of the Doctor when he realised that the Kolstani people were getting hungry was tremendous as things finally seem to be coming full circle regarding the Ravenous. Exploring their potential origins here is really interesting and I can't wait to see that play out further in the second part, whilst they were alongside the Eleven on Gallifrey causing mayhem with their feeding on the Time Lords. The potential of more guards coming to attack them just meaning a buffet was terrific stuff! I thought the cliffhanger finish with the Master shooting Liv and then her seemingly beginning to regenerate was quite incredible and something I certainly didn't see coming. I don't believe she will actually change in the slightest, but it's a very fun thought and I'm looking forward to the resolution. Overall, a very strong first half of what is set to be a great finale. I can't wait for the conclusion.