Killing Time: Unfinished Business

"The pain is exquisite."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: August 2021

Series: War Master 6.04

Featuring: War Master

Synopsis

For centuries, the Stagnant Protocol has been forgotten by the universe: an empire populated by a race that can never advance... a race the Master seeks to seize control of. 

Unfortunately for him, he has a rival – Calantha – and she understands how to manipulate the system better than he could ever hope. His only chance of defeating her lies in the hands of some old acquaintances, whether they realise it or not. 

One thing, however, is certain. Whichever of them may win, the Stagnant Protocol is destined to lose...

Verdict

Unfinished Business was a great episode to conclude what has been a very strong Killing Time sixth series of adventures with the War Master! I really liked how things came full circle here with the Master back to tackle Calantha after everything that happened in The Sincerest Form of Flattery opener. He was out revenge and crikey did he play the long game! He was more than prepared to take her on and the charade both parties played in feigning friendship with each other was tremendous. I was a big fan of that as we really were waiting for the first one to blink. Both were strong characters though and always believed they had the upper hand. Calantha first appointing the Master to a political position was quite intriguing and a little unexpected so quickly, but he was soon forced into retirement which was where things got rather shocking. We don't often see or hear the Master in a vulnerable position but having him at the mercy of Calantha was a bit of a surprise, even if he did show a supreme amount of confidence for the predicament he was in. Calantha's evil really came out here as if it was needed after setting a plague out on her own people, but when she was taunting the Master with a sandwich and not even eating it all I couldn't help but feel sorry for the Time Lord. He was putting on a brave face but you could clearly hear the anguish and hunger in his voice. The timeframe of how long he was locked up behind the forcefield barrier was unknown, but it was clearly considerable. The fascination with the wallpaper was magnificent and how that came full circle at the end when he got the upper hand was just marvellous. The political nature of the episode was strong and whilst the pace was a little slower than the previous two episodes and admittedly not as interesting with no familiar past characters, it really did grow as the Master came into his own. I liked exploring the society of the Stagnant Protocol a little more and Calantha being questioned on the whereabouts of her parents in an apparently immortal population was very good. There was a real subtle evil to her which I don't think was wholly explored. The inclusion of the Time War element to the story was welcomed and whilst we didn't actually hear the Daleks featured, we did get their ambassador which was more than sufficient. Calantha striking a deal with them regarding the gate to the time lock was good and I loved how that just played right into the Master's hands. And at his own retirement no less! His reemergence was terrific and he didn't hesitate in showing his control over the lock. The Daleks were clearly wiped out before even emerging and there did seem to be some sort of loose Time Lord loyalty there for the Master which was a nice touch. The fear and shock Calantha displayed when the Master did emerge was good and the first time we've really heard her show some form of weakness. It certainly wasn't a strength this time around but she did try to spin it as a miracle. But the Master was quick to reveal the truth about the plague. He had the cure and was fully in control of it, after waiting all the while and going hungry. That kind of determination and failure to give in was admirable. There aren't too many others who could have carried that out! Overall, a really strong finale to what was a fantastic boxset overall. 

Rating: 8/10