Inner Demons: The Clockwork Swan

"Do you really think I'd be going around trying to solve a murder I'd already committed?"

Writer: Georgia Cook

Format: Audio

Released: February 2025

Series: Call Me Master 1.02

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

Opening night is approaching for the latest presentation at cultural theme park Historica Dramatica: Earth-set whodunnit The Clockwork Swan. But cast and crew are being murdered...

Enter a mysterious stranger. Who better to solve the crime than galaxy-renowned detective LeMaitre? Only, LeMaitre isn't all he seems...

Verdict

The Clockwork Swan was another excellent episode to continue my way through the Inner Demons first series of Call Me Master! After a very strong reintroduction to the character and his post-regeneration story in the opener of Self-Help, this was a terrific usage of the character at his very best. Sacha Dhawan just continues to prove why he is one of my very favourite incarnations of the Master and the adjective of him being the chaotic one is certainly apt. In a rare instance I had actually read the synopsis of this episode prior to listening and seeing LeMaitre as the offered guide of the Master was just glorious. I did get an A in GCSE French and contemplated studying it at A-Level, but that was twelve years ago now! Regardless, it didn’t take much translating to work out that it was French for the Master. And I loved it. Dhawan excelled in the crazy gimmick incarnation and taking on the French accent was just wonderful. It wasn’t brilliantly perfect but that was part of the charm. And when are the Master’s disguises ever fully hidden? It was terrific. His arrival at the Historica Dramatica was marvellous as he came with his card in tow showing that he was a galaxy renowned detective. But when a detective arrives before a murder happens, that’s surely a little suspicious? Taran was quick to point out that the card meant little but the brilliance of the Master saw him quickly assert control over the situation. He was enjoying the murder mystery and the relationship he developed with the guest usher Nyseth was fantastic. I was surprised at the end how he was happy to have a draw but I kind of get it. Sure this series is all about the Master but he can’t just kill everyone! He needs a challenge without the Doctor around and whilst Nyseth wasn’t exactly an antagonist, it’s nice to have her get some sort of victory over the Master. I sense there may be a further meeting between them where the Master enacts revenge, but if not I’m absolutely fine with where things were left. Having the Master get the cast and crew of the performance to just around as different accusations got thrown out was fantastic and I was fascinated by the futuristic element of the holographic nature of the setting. It added an extra dimension to the whole whodunnit mystery that worked well. It explained how a corpse could appear and disappear without trace and just added some depth to what could have happened which was positive. The Clockwork Swan as the episode title makes sense but I was surprised by how little that was actually referenced throughout the story. It was what they were performing yet it barely got spoke more than once! The Master commenting on what it was as a bird or a double meaning was good but he really didn’t seem to care. He wasn’t wholly doing this fun but that was the most part of his objective. Of course, he had an objective with the harvester which was good but to be honest I was much more interested when it seemed he was just out to have a good time! That’s where this Master excels and after something of an identity crisis in the series opener, it was tremendous to hear the Master refer to himself as such. There’s something powerful about the way a Master introduces themselves and Dhawan has perfected it. His mastery over the character shone in this episode. He murdered and when accused showed his true colours and still tried to convince the others it wasn’t him. And he was pretty believable! His shooting in cold blood kind of gave the game up but by that point he didn’t care. I thought it was pretty amusing for him to ask for feedback though on the believability of his LeMaitre disguise! That was a marvellous moment and I think he actually might have been genuine. Might he try and reuse the disguise? I like the idea of him trying them out in different scenarios. Where next for the detective? He’s light years away now and made it clear that if he wanted to he could still Nyseth, but he appreciated the challenge she posed. Her annoyance and disbelief at him getting out of the hologram was excellent too to round things out. 

Rating: 9/10