Only the Good: The Good Master

"I never expected to be a doctor..."

Writer: Janine H. Jones
Format: Audio
Released: 14th December 2017
Series: The War Master 1.02

Featuring: War Master

Synopsis

The Time War rages around Arcking - a planet serving as a sanctuary for the sick and injured. But Arcking is protected by a mysterious, powerful force: a force the Master will stop at nothing to harness... even if time itself is against him.

Verdict

The Good Master was another excellent story in the Only the Good boxset of War Master audios. I got so wrapped up in my blogging of Beneath the Viscoid that I failed to mention some general aspects about the series in general. I love the idea so much and one thing I particularly want to mention is how good the theme music is for this spinoff! I really do love it and whilst its familiarity and connection to Doctor Who is obvious, as should be the case, there is a distinctly different feel to it and it fits the Master perfectly. It's about time he had a series all to himself. However, he was acting quite unlike the rogue Time Lord we know so well, as the title might suggest. Arcking was a very good setting and I loved the idea of it being a sanctuary planet that was not involved in the Time War. It was just there as a galactic medical facility for the inevitable casualties but as you might expect, with the Master's presence the War soon found its way there. The continuity from the previous episode's conclusion was a little lacking and I had hoped to hear the Master on Gallifrey but unfortunately that was not to be the case. He had been sent here by the Time Lords though and I liked the idea that they might have been sending him for his own good, rather than that of the war effort. The ambiguity there was excellent. The Master was once again going by the term of 'doctor' but this time he was not impersonating his arch nemesis and had adorned the familiar guise of Dr. Keller. That was a brilliant nod to The Mind of Evil which I fully appreciated. The reference to Genesis of the Daleks was also superb and I do love the idea that it was a story set as far back as the Fourth Doctor era that sparked the Time War - something we mostly associate with the post-2005 era of the series. Cole was a good character in this story but I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of Jonny Green appearing in a major role in the midst of Aliens Among Us being released for Torchwood. When all you are hearing is voices, it's quite difficult to separate them from a character you already know really well. That didn't have any effect on the story though so no real problems there. He seemed to end up becoming a sort of companion for the Master and I imagine he must not be best pleased with how similar to the Doctor he was acting in this story. His intentions of harnessing the Heart of Arcking were good and I liked that he knew all along that the planet's destruction was a fixed point but I was hoping for something similar to his ruthlessness at the end of the previous audio. But without it, I am very intrigued by the developments for Derek Jacobi's incarnation and I do wonder just how good he will become. The Daleks targeting him is fantastic and I love the idea of those two monsters doing battle so I look forward to things concluding. The evil of the Master was evident in how he shrugged off the planet's demise and simply referred to it as a pawn sacrifice. Overall, another terrific story!

Rating: 9/10