Big Finish: Time Lord Victorious - Master Thief/Lesser Evils Short Trips Review
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| The cover for "Master Thief/Lesser Evils", designed by Anthony Lamb. |
Performed by Jon Culshaw.
Written by Sophie Iles & Simon Guerrier.
Directed by Lisa Bowerman.
The Time Lord Victorious project has thrown up all kind of interesting tidbits beyond what one would describe as the 'main event stories'. Things like the "A Dalek Awakens", the Escape Room launched in March; the Daleks animation launching in November; even the recently announced Tom Baker audio adventure "Genetics of the Daleks", there's lots of extra stuff that adds to the Time Lord Victorious experience, while not being absolutely central to the main story being told. And Big Finish's first released foray into Time Lord Victorious probably falls into that category: Two Short Trips featuring the Doctor's arch enemy the Master. Since the Master wasn't part of the initial announcement of Time Lord Victorious, it seemed that this would probably be the only appearance of the renegade Time Lord in Time Lord Victorious, and, together with the format, made these stories slightly quirky and unusual. However, while I have a couple of reservations about the way they fit into Time Lord Victorious overall, I did really enjoy this slight diversion into a somewhat overlooked corner of the Doctor Who universe, especially since it featured two versions of the Master who, due to the passing of their actors, are somewhat overlooked by spin-off media more generally.
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| The Master, as played by the late Roger Delgado, on the set of "The Sea Devils". |
The first story, "Master Thief", is written by new scribe Sophie Iles, and features the original Master, as played on screen by the late, great Roger Delgado. As my personal favourite version of the Master, this was a story I was very much looking forward to hearing, and Sophie did not disappoint, with a wonderful story that does some really exciting new things with this version of the character. The story sees the Master attempt to gain access to the Repository, a secret store of ancient treasures and information. He has a new weapon with him, one he delights in trying out in his efforts to gain access to the vaults. However, to this Master's shock and disgust, he is about to unleash something that could utterly destroy him... Iles' story is very much one of two half's: the first sees the Master gain access to the vault, using his charm and demure attitude in order to get what he wants, while the second sees him very much on the back foot, his plan having gone awry, and the Master is pushed to the edge in order to survive. What makes this story so special is that we've never really seen this Master placed in any situation like this before. Sure, he's worked with allies that had stabbed him in the back, but apart from a few moments in "The Daemons", and maybe the end of "The Time Monster", we've never really seen him scared and desperate before. "Master Thief", however, really pushes this version of the Master to the edge, forcing him to use his wits and his will to survive in order to escape. Sometimes, stories that try to pull a switch change half way through often fall through because the ideas in the first half are so much stronger than those in the second. However, not only are we set up for the change right from the beginning here, but, while a story about the Master infiltrating a vault would make a perfectly good story in its own right, the second half takes the story in some incredibly interesting and unexpected directions that take this beyond potentially standard fare. I shan't spoil where this story goes, as it is one you will want to listen to without too much foreknowledge, but it makes for compelling listening. There is a section towards the end that gets a little bogged down with exposition, but that's no real slight against the story, which is incredibly well written, especially for a newcomer like Sophie Iles. Having been a fan of her artwork for quite some time, I was very much looking forward to this story, and her prose and pace are wonderful. The story absolutely flies by, never outstaying its welcome, and the descriptions and characters are wonderfully sketched out, especially this version of the Master. It's clear that Iles has a lot of love for this version of the Master, something we both share, and she pays homage and tribute to Roger Delgado in the most fitting and heartfelt way. Out of the two stories, I would have to say that "Master Thief" was probably my favourite. It's a lovely story that does some interesting things with my favourite version of the Master, while still keeping within the bounds of the character we know and love to hate. This is a lovely Short Trip, and I hope we get plenty more from Sophie in the future, on the basis of this installment.
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| The Master, as played by the late Anthony Ainley, on the set of "Logopolis". |
"Lesser Evils", on the other hand, is written by Who veteran Simon Guerrier, and features Anthony Ainley's version of the Master. When one of the Kotturuh arrive to judge the people of the planet Alexis, she finds that this world has a most unlikely champion: a velvet-suited figure called the Master... While not quite as strong as the first story, "Lesser Evils" still plays around with a lot of interesting material, and offers up some tantalising hints about an area of this Master's timeline that has been very underexplored. One thing I really like about this story is the use of the Kotturuh. Whereas the previous story featuring the characters that I reviewed, "The Knight, the Fool and the Dead", featured multitudes of the creatures, and presented them as this almost unknowable, Lovecraftian horror, this story features just one of the creatures, and we really get under her skin. What's lovely as well is that these two presentations are allowed to stand together: they don't contradict each other, or present differing moralities for the same race of creatures. Both versions of the race are allowed to exist in the same space, and this just shows how much thought has gone into the Time Lord Victorious project. Like Iles before him, writer Simon Guerrier writes wonderfully for Ainley's version of the Master, tapping into the more trickester-esque elements of his character. This story does also fill in a small gap in the Master's timeline, being placed between the end of "The Trial of a Time Lord" and "Survival", as it sees the Master cast out by the Time Lords, with his body starting to decay. Guerrier uses the character of the single Kotturuh to examine the Master, and to look at him in a very different light to what you would expect. Whereas "Master Thief" places the Master front and centre in the story, "Lesser Evils" frames the character through another, and uses them to explore the Master. While the Master's plan does feel a little ill-defined, the ending is captivating, and uses the Kotturuh in an interesting way that makes for a marked contrast with "The Knight, the Fool and the Dead". While "Lesser Evils" isn't quite as strong as "Master Thief", it is still a story with some fantastic ideas, a wonderful tone and pace, and an excellent interplay between the Kotturuh and the Master. And you can't really ask for more than that.
In terms of the two stories together, however, I do have a couple of reservations: mainly related to their place in the ongoing Time Lord Victorious event. Now, I don't want to give anything away, so this might sound incredibly vague, but my problem lies with how disconnected these stories are from the main event. Due to their short nature, I feel like the pair of them leave a lot more things hanging than your standard standalone story, and, as such, I worry that these elements might end up being forgotten about, and left hanging. However, the production of these stories is nothing short of fantastic, and just shows how committed Big Finish is to every release, regardless of how big or small it is. Jon Culshaw does a great job at narrating these tales, bringing all his versatile skills as a reader to bring these stories to life. His recreations of the two Masters are wonderful as well: while not dead ringers (if you'll pardon the pun) for them, he gets enough of their spirit across that you can clearly tell which version of the character this is supposed to be, and his creation of the other characters is wonderfully vivid. Director Lisa Bowerman and sound designer Richard Fox bring a vivid soundscape to life, without over cluttering the narration, and taking away from Culshaw. The Short Trips range has, I feel, one of the most vivid soundscapes, possibly due to the range's minimalist feel, and that absolutely carries across to these two special releases.
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| A number of past Masters all together, including both the Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley versions of the character. |
Overall, "Master Thief" and "Lesser Evils" are a pair of very strong short stories that, while tied into the ongoing Time Lord Victorious event, stand well as their own entities. While I have some reservations about how they are tied into the ongoing story, I will say that I very much enjoyed them on their own terms. Both present the Master in new, interesting ways, and, if you are a fan of the character, these are an essential purchase. I would say that it was worth it just for the second half of "Master Thief", but there's plenty to like throughout the stories, and the pair make for two of the most interesting Short Trips in recent times.
You can get "Master Thief/Lesser Evils" from Big Finish Productions' website here:
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