Alit in Underland

"Why are you so chipper?"

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2018
Printed in: The Missy Chronicles

Featuring: Missy, The Master

Synopsis

While the Doctor recovers on floor 507 of the Mondas Colony Ship, Missy and the Master hunt for their own way out - with a stowaway in tow.

Verdict

Alit in Underland was a very good conclusion to The Missy Chronicles! It really has been a fantastic collection of stories and I've really loved the range of stories with the entirety of Missy's timeline being incorporated into the collection which was a huge bonus. Here, we were taken right at the end with a story inserted right between World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls and I thought it was delightful to see that Missy was making a conscious effort to actually try and impress the Doctor with her actions. The Master's reaction to the revelation that she had watched Frozen with her arch nemesis was superb but Missy's response of 'let it go' was pure genius. The pairing of Missy and John Simm's incarnation of the Master was a dream and I liked that this short story gave us more as I was never happy with the amount of airtime we got of the pairing on television following an incredible cliffhanger. There was some intriguing tension and animosity between each incarnation and I loved some of the names that got mentioned by Missy as she remembered some of the women that the Master had used for his schemes in the past. The mentions of Kassia and Chantho in particular made me very happy. Alit made for a great stowaway and the contrast in reactions and thoughts towards her by each incarnation of the Master/Missy was terrific. The Master wanted her to be used as a distraction for the Cybermen towards the story's end whilst Missy was a little more humane and helped her hide. Her thoughts of the Cybermen, before they became recognisable as we know them, being scarecrows was excellent. I also really enjoyed that the Cybermen in this adventure were reminiscent of those we saw in the 1980s - especially when a Cyber Leader appeared and the Cyber-Planner was mentioned. Missy, too, was quite interested in that being present but she was more concerned with the Cybermats. Her description of them was more than decent. The Mondas Colony Ship setting was utilised pretty well and I loved Alit's reaction to seeing what was beneath her world. The little mention of Nardole was lovely and I thought she was just a very good character, especially when she let on that she was duller than she actually was. Missy and the Master reminiscing on children's programmes was lovely and I really enjoyed their relationship throughout. Say something nice... this was a delightful end to Missy's own collection of stories!

Rating: 8/10