Bad Influence: The Baron Robbers

"It's not revenge, it's justice."

Writer: Lou Morgan

Format: Audio

Released: May 2024

Series: Missy 4.03

Featuring: Missy

Synopsis

Bored and stranded in the 14th Century, Missy is looking for a way out. Any way at all. Luckily the spectacular ruby owned by Edward, the famed Black Prince, might be just what she needs to get her broken vortex manipulator working again. But someone else is after the ruby too – and the question is, who want its more... and how low are they prepared to go to get it?

Verdict

The Baron Robbers was a great little episode to conclude the Bad Influence fourth series of Missy! I absolutely adore this spinoff and much of that is down to the sheer brilliance of Michelle Gomez as I have mentioned in the previous blog entries for this series. She just steals every scene she's in and this was no different. Once again she had a feeling of superiority which was wonderful and I enjoyed her reaction to being in the fourteenth century. That's quite a place to have Missy stranded with her vortex manipulator once again playing up. The lack of technology means she needs to be innovative, but when she spotted a fascinating ruby in the possession of the Black Prince, she knew it was more than that. It was a means out as a spital and that was really intriguing. I enjoyed the continuity with Bad Apple Brigade quite a lot in having Solaire encounter Missy for the first time here. I was surprised that came so soon and whilst I wasn't sure if we would get it at all, I was half expecting it in a future series of which I'm sure there will be. We have to get Missy back to the Master TARDIS at some point! Missy reacting in a way which showed she knew him but not how or why was good. She was quite shocked to be fair and that's understandable considering she's just come from meeting him for the first time. I wonder if we'll ever reach a point on audio where we will get to hear Missy and Solaire actually in their relationship, but I must admit I do question the legitimacy of this from the Time Lady's perspective. I thought the format of this episode was fun as Missy was thrown into making a plan with Anne and Richard on how to steal the ruby. They were disgruntled people who felt they were just getting justice for being wronged by the Black Prince and not getting what they felt they deserved. Their youth always made Missy seem much superior and the comedy that came from her gag of slipping that she planned to jump off into another century once the ruby was in her possession was great stuff. Hearing the prospective plans of Missy and Anne & Richard in action was entertaining and it was good to get a glimpse of what might happen. Distractions, scheming and snooping. It was the Missy series at its best. One thing that brought the rating down of this episode down slightly for me was the fact that Missy just happened to have an exact replica of the ruby in her possession. Even addressing the coincidental nature of that in the story didn't do much to help things in my opinion. I know the Missy series is whacky and full of fun but it still felt too much of a stretch. You definitely wouldn't get away with it in a typical Doctor Who story so I don't see how it would work here. It was a little disappointing. Everything else was good fun and I thought Missy posing as a doctor (but absolutely not liking the word!) was fun stuff and the whole thing with the leeches when she goaded Solaire into taking what she claimed was the ruby was tremendous. It was good fun to label him a demon when he confronted her in front of the baron! I thought Missy being aided along by Sir Kay was great and the insinuation at the end of the court of King Arthur was intriguing. Might we be getting Missy in Camelot in the next series? I'll buy anything regardless though as I just adore Michelle Gomez. She's tremendous and Missy looks set to have a lot of fun with where she is heading next. And that can only bode well for what is (hopefully) to come. Overall, a great episode to conclude a thoroughly entertaining series! 

Rating: 8/10