Eyes of the Master

"Who dares imprison the Eminence?"

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: February 2014

Series: Dark Eyes 2.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Molly, Liv

Synopsis

The Doctor, Liv and Molly arrive back on Earth in the 1970s to investigate the Ides Institute. The timelines have shifted since the Doctor and Molly first travelled here and all is not as it was. Dr Sally Armstrong is still working for the Ides, but her associate has a devastating plan in mind. 

Soon, Molly's 'dark eyes' prove to be at the centre of a plot to seize control of all life in the universe.

Verdict

Eyes of the Master was a great episode to conclude the second series of Dark Eyes! It didn't really feel much like a finale which is fine as this has clearly set things up for the next boxset to come, whilst also rounding out the story that started back with The Traitor and brought the Doctor full circle. It was good that once the threat of the Master and the Eminence were dealt with on Earth, the Doctor had to decline Liv coming with him because she was already where he was going. His sights were on the Eminence and the future at Nixyce VII after the Master's latest crazed scheme. I thought his guise as De'ath was amusing and I liked that he had Sally Armstrong as his accomplice. She was well and truly under his spell with complete and utter devotion to him. Just how he likes to be obeyed. I thought it was great to have the Alex Macqueen version of the Master back to do battle with the Eighth Doctor this time around, and it's nice for Big Finish to get their own incarnation to play with. Especially with their most chronologically recent Doctor. There aren't many restrictions for either so I was actually a little surprised to find that the Time Lords were responsible for the Master's plan. At least according to the Master himself. The details did make sense though and tied up with what we know of the prediction of the timeline that has the Eminence as the final vestige of consciousness at the end of the universe. So naturally the Master was trying to tap into that and prevent it. His referencing of Genesis of the Daleks and the Doctor's failure to wipe out the Daleks at their creation was brilliant because Liv overheard it. Just when it seemed like she might have been leaning towards gaining a different opinion on the Doctor, she finds out he essentially helped the Daleks on another occasion. That's a fun dynamic, although I am disappointed that the Doctor didn't push more when it came to Liv coming clean to him about her condition and the fact she was dying. It could be at any moment and I liked that Molly was pushing for her to tell the Doctor as if anybody could help, it would be him. David Walker still being in the Doctor's home on Baker Street was fun and his reaction when he found out Molly gave him the keys before she left was good fun. He had gone blind though and that meant she could feign being her own daughter given the time difference. She was really lovely to him though and when his blindness was cured in quick and unconventional means by the Master, he knew it was really her. The same woman. I thought the description of the Master's plan with the retro-genitor particles within Molly being the source, and linking it all back to the Eminence and a means to gain immunity to them and thus change the future fate of the universe, was a little convoluted but the Doctor's reaction at the madness was terrific. He was confident he could stop the Master again and he wasn't afraid to get a little jibe in about the baldness of this incarnation. That felt a little odd, but I did like the Master alluding to their previous selves being out there somewhere in the 1970s doing battle as we saw during the Doctor's exile at UNIT. That was a nice touch and added some more fuel to the UNIT dating controversy which is fun. The prospect of the Master having the Infinite Warriors at his disposal is fun and sets us up nicely for the next boxset to come with the threat of the Eminence casket potentially reaching the future and having the control of the Master's TARDIS. The Doctor using the part of the Eminence within him was neatly done as a means to stave off the Master which he didn't expect, but he was brash and confident. He's going to do well with Sally at his side and his knowledge of Liv and actually orchestrating her events in the futures with the Ides Institute was nicely done. Overall, more of a setup than a finale but a really enjoyable episode! 

Rating: 8/10