Only the Good: Beneath the Viscoid

"The Daleks have already beaten us... there is no hope."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: 14th December 2017
Series: The War Master 1.01

Featuring: War Master

Synopsis

On the ocean planet Gardezza, deep beneath the Viscoid, a mysterious capsule is recovered from the Time War, and an equally mysterious stranger found within.

The Doctor's reputation precedes him, even here... but can he be trusted?

Verdict

Beneath the Viscoid was an excellent start to a brand new spinoff series featuring the War Master! I was very excited when this boxset was announced and the first episode certainly lived up to my expectations. The Master is my favourite villain and I've always wondered what drove him to run away from the Time War and become human, ending up as the human Professor Yana that we saw in the brilliant Utopia. I do hope that this series will tell us but hearing Derek Jacobi reprise the role as the Master was a joy to behold. He brings a new and somewhat elderly slant to the devious role and I like how his performance can obviously draw comparisons from John Hurt's War Doctor. It is clear that the Time War had some sort of effect on both Time Lords and now we get to hear what the Master got up to in this temporal conflict. The Gardezza setting was really good and I quite liked the idea of an ocean planet. The Master getting to know some of the Gardezzans was also good and I rather enjoyed how he was impersonating the Doctor. He was trying his very best to keep up the facade and we know that if there's one thing the Master is good at then it's a disguise! The Daleks didn't feature too greatly in this story which was a bonus I think as the threat that they posed was more than enough. We knew they were looming and that's all that was needed. The flashbacks of the bargain struck between the Master and the Daleks were excellent and I loved how the former was always going to fail to hold his end of the deal whilst the latter knew they couldn't trust the rogue Time Lord. It really was a match made in heaven. I was quite surprised at just how much the Master was helping the Gardezzans but it was clear that he had an alternative motive. His failure to reveal that his TARDIS was what Osen wanted to use to destroy the Daleks was quite humorous. The Master is no Time Lord loyalist and that was clear in this episode and I think that's perfect for the character. We know that he was exiled at some point so his relationship with Gallifrey's superiors must always have been somewhat sketchy. He did actually save Gardezza from destruction here which didn't seem right but it was clear that his goals were for his independent gain. Just when it seemed like he would save someone, a call from Gallifrey intrigued him and the Master was back to his ruthless self by initiating a ruthless death inside his TARDIS, something he seemed to have planned all along. As if the Time War wasn't chaotic enough already, the concept of the Master being on Gallifrey during the conflict excites me very much and I cannot wait to listen to the next instalment of the series. Overall, a brilliant start!

Rating: 9/10