Only the Good: The Sky Man

"I came to save this world..."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: 14th December 2017
Series: The War Master 1.03

Featuring: War Master, Cole

Synopsis

When his new companion decides to save a planet, the Master indulges the most futile of requests. Materialising on a primitive, agrarian world, both the strangers quickly find their place in it... until fallout from the war invades their happy paradise.

Verdict

The Sky Man was an interesting continuation of Only the Good but I think it was in need of some vats improvements. I really can't comprehend why in a boxset that is entirely devoted to the War Master he barely features in this episode. I had hoped that the series would explore how the Master dealt with the horrors of the Time War and how that would effect his deviousness and wish to conquer the universe but here he's just laying back and developing wine? I didn't like it. It seems that thus far the development of the Master for Derek Jacobi's incarnation has been very uncharacteristic of the norm and whilst the argument could be made that the Time War is making him this way, there is no evidence of that. The Master was willing to let Cole, who he had already saved, save a planet and whilst I liked that he would only allow one doomed planet to be saved with the rest perishing, the Master would not go out of his way to help others. I thought Cole was a pretty good character in The Good Master but I'm hardly sure that warranted a story of his own so soon. I do enjoy the idea of the Master having a companion and someone like Lucy Saxon worked well in his personal future of The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords but here Cole wasn't evil and wanted to save people from the Time War. I struggle to believe that the Master would be willing to do that. I was expecting the Time War to send the Master even more insane but instead it seems to have given him the urge to help and I don't recognise that in my favourite villain which is a great shame. The story itself wasn't disastrous by any means and whilst it may have been a little slow, the relationship between Cole and Elidh was wonderful. He had fallen in love and the Master didn't seem surprised in the slightest which was odd. I wonder if he has ever loved anyone. Cole wanting to save a planet from the ravages of the Time War was good but he soon realised that he was helpless. The Master knew that all along but I couldn't quite see him as the patient kind of Time Lord. Cole being referred to as the 'sky man' was quite good and his efforts to help were excellent as he seemed to create a suit that made its wearer almost something of a Cyberman. There were many resemblances and I had hoped for a subtle reference but that wasn't to be the case. Elidh being shocked at what Cole did and realising that the kiss before she entered the suit was their last was an emotional moment, as was when she discovered that her father had died. Cole was helpless and with his own hateful creations hunting him down, the Master came to save him. I'm still not sure I like it and I do hope that the concluding story offers some sort of explanation as to why he's been good but for now, this was an average story sadly. I do like the theme of paradoxes and what it means for a paradox being created by a paradox is yet to be seen but I remain hopeful of an explosive finale.

Rating: 6/10