The Sound of Drums was a brilliant episode to continue what is an epic Series 3 triple finale! The run of episodes in this final half of the series is honestly incredible and I don’t think it will ever be matched in terms of consistent quality. This is probably the best series of the modern era and as we near the end, it goes out with a bang! The return of the Master and having him newly regenerated is so exciting and coupling that with him being Prime Minister of the UK is just extraordinary. It’s wonderful here to learn more of their past together and the little nods to the Classic era with the Doctor describing how he was always hypnotic was delightful. Through the Master’s return, we get a rare glimpse of Gallifrey and the Time Lords in the Russell T Davies era with the initiation and the young Master looking into the untempered schism just fantastic. The description and depiction of Gallifrey is beautiful and it’s delightful to see some Time Lords! The moment the Master and the Doctor talk on the phone is so powerful and I love how eager the Doctor is to save his old friend and enemy because he’s all that’s left of the Time Lords. The Master not seeming too bothered about Gallifrey and the Time Lords being lost was fun and he just wanted to know how it all felt for the Doctor to see two civilisations fall in an instant. The evil nature of the Master was established early on with the cabinet meeting and gassing his own party members, and John Simm really does shine. His interaction with the US President when it came to the first contact meeting was hilarious. I love the use of the Archangel Network and how it brought a modern technological spin to the Master’s hypnotic nature, and using the drumming in his head as the signal to ensure everyone voted Saxon was superb. Lucy Saxon is a magnificent character too and she’s clearly disturbed but revels in the murdering of her husband. The introduction of the Toclafane and their killing of the journalist was quite something, especially with the reopening of the door to hear her screams. Having the Doctor, Martha and Jack on the run was excellent and I liked how the latter’s vortex manipulator was rejigged by the Doctor to escape the far future and the end of the universe. The Master being in on the Jones family presented a deep struggle for Martha and that only continued as the story developed. Jack trying to check in with Torchwood was good and I liked how they had been shoved off on a dummy mission to the Himalayas to ensure they’d be no help. The Toclafane look very cool and their displeasure with being greeted by the President instead of their Master was marvellous. Him ordering the assassination on live television ensured a tense finale! The TARDIS being cannibalised into a paradox machine was sad to see and the desperation of the Doctor was so well played by Tennant. The perception filters used by the TARDIS keys was good and I liked how the aim was to get one around the Master’s neck to break the perception he’d gripped on the planet. However, he was quickly caught and the Master revelled in the use of his laser screwdriver to kill Jack. And he knew he’d get to do it all over again shortly which was really fun! The connection back to The Lazarus Experiment was great and I liked how that technology was all sourced into the screwdriver to age the Doctor 150 years. I recalled the Doctor Who Confidential episode based around that scene with Tennant having to film the ageing sequence in real time which was fun to relay to Gemma, and she ensued in her own reenactment which was hilarious! The paradox machine being primed and the Toclafane descending was excellent and the Master instructing the removal of one tenth of the world’s population made for quite the cliffhanger as the Doctor watched on helplessly! Overall, a superb episode!
No comments:
Post a Comment