The Threshold

"You will save me."

Writer: Felicia Barker

Format: Audio

Released: February 2022

Series: Short Trips 11.03

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

After a collision in the vortex, the Master is trapped in his TARDIS. Luckily, the Doctor has come to save him. Unluckily, the Doctor's TARDIS has vanished. With the ship collapsing around them, can these arch-enemies put their rivalry aside long enough to survive?

Verdict

The Threshold was an excellent episode to continue my way through the eleventh series of Short Trips! Having a story firmly focused on the first televised incarnation of the Master is a terrific idea and whilst I am sure that Roger Delgado would have revelled in recreating his iconic portrayal, it is a delight to hear Jon Culshaw take on the role. He is a really impressive impressionist actor and he does the lot here which is marvellous. I think it just helps so much when we have a story that takes the form of a performed drama rather than narration. It just flows better and there's no interruption. Honestly, Culshaw's take on the illusion of the Third Doctor was so good that I wasn't entirely sure if Tim Treloar featured until I confirmed on the credits! It was effortlessly strong and just magnificent to hear. I was super impressed and right away that helps with my listening of the story. It feels authentic and just works. The story itself was almost something of an exploration of the Master which was excellent and this just feels like the right incarnation to do that with. He's something of the definitive article and particularly focusing on his inability to accept death was terrific. Having him see a glimpse of his possible future was really good and I loved how he reacted in horror at the decayed form we would see debut in The Deadly Assassin and terrorise the Fourth Doctor. Even then though it's an example of the Master refusing to let go and die. He will prevail, for he is the Master. It's understandable though why such an image would provoke a response like it did in the Master because who would be comfortable seeing that as their potential future? The Threshold itself was very intriguing and the Master actually being the one to give it the face of the Third Doctor was an intriguing move. Is that who he truly fears? Toying with the potential of whether it was real or not was good, but it was actually all an amalgamation of the Master himself. The Master essentially doing internal conflict with himself was magnificent stuff. Culshaw really played that well and I was so impressed with the writing. This is undoubtedly a writer who just gets the Master and everything he stands for. Pushing him into a position where he has to choose between death and dissolution is quite something and he admits that it's the perfect prison for him. It's an impossible choice. Questioning whether the Master could die for everything he stands for was also quite the dilemma and I just love how even in the face of everything, the Master stands up to be counted and doesn't hide. He simply chooses to be the Master. He lets know time ram or crash in the vortex get in his way, for he is the Master and he just is. He prevails. Learning of the mission from the Celestial Intervention Agency and Straxus was an unexpected way to end things and I thought the mention of no body to recover given the nature of a time ram was going to be enough to sell that he would survive, but then he emerges in a position of power to wipe out the Time Lord responsible for confirming the hit! That was superb stuff and just showed the prowess of the Master. He is inevitable! Overall, a really strong episode to continue the series and a fine character piece for the Time Lord villain. 

Rating: 9/10