POINT OF DEBATE: DO I HAVE A NEW ALL-TIME FAVORITE DOCTOR WHO STORY EVER?!

So I've been thinking about doing this one for a while. You may have even noticed me mentioning it in a previous essay. Somewhere in the middle of my Season-by Season Reviews, I first started postulating about this. But I let it all simmer for a bit and focused on some other things I wanted to rant about.  

Finally, after taking a bit of time for some heavy reflection, I've decided the moment has come to face the issue head-on: 

Do I have a new all-time favorite Doctor Who story? 

Near the end of my first year of writing Doctor Who Blogs, I did a little countdown. Over the course of multiple entries, I listed my Top Ten All-Time Favorite Doctor Who Stories Ever. Lots of folks seemed to enjoy reading the whole thing. People still dig through my Archives and take the time to look at them. 

It was during this series that many first started recognizing me as "The Great Contrarion". Readers expected to see the usual suspects in this line-up. They thought they would read positive reviews of stories like Genesis of the Daleks, Caves of Androzani or even something more modern like Blink. No such stories made it into the line-up. The closest we came to a "stereotypical fan favorite" was Ark in Space (and, perhaps, Robots of Death). My list was comprised mainly of what I felt were extremely intelligently-written adventures like Kinda or Logopolis. Or dramatically-intense stuff like Earthshock. 

Coming in at Number One was, more-than-likely, a story no one was expecting. It's held in fairly high regard by most. But I don't think too many others would give it the status I have. But I am, in fact, quite proud of my choice and will stand behind it til the day of my death.

My All-Time Favorite Doctor Who Story Ever is.....  The Deadly Assassin. 

TIME MAY CHANGE ME

So I just used some pretty strong words, there. "I will stand behind it till the day I die." (love how the quote is only two sentences away and I still paraphrased). 

There is a pretty huge flaw in the statement I just made. Basically, new Doctor Who stories are being made all the time. It stands to reason that something might have come along since Deadly Assassin that I might enjoy more. Especially since it is a pretty damned old story. 

The stubborn old curmudgeonly side of me wants to deny this. "Nothing will ever top Assassin!" he proclaims, "It's the Classic to end all Classics! Shut up with that stupid stuff about something better coming along! That's never going to happen! Ever!" 

"You know what's wrong with kids these days?!" he continues, "They got no tenacity! The minute they run into a problem, they run away and move back into their parents' basement!" 

And then, suddenly, he becomes self-conscious.

"Sorry. I'm digressing. Stubborn old curmudgeonly people tend to do that!" 

As much as I want to fight the idea, the truth of the matter is: something has come along that may have actually beaten my all-time favorite Doctor Who story.      

I may actually like Power of the Doctor better than The Deadly Assassin. 

BUT I CAN"T CHANGE TIME 

It's a big choice to make, deciding you have a new all-time fave Who tale. It's not something you should rush. There needs to be a lot deliberation. The Pros and Cons of both the contender and the current champion should be heavily weighed and counterpointed against each other. You don't make up your mind about this sort of thing in the heat of moment. You need to keep a clear head. 

I've been thinking this over for more than a year. Some might even say that the moment I finished watching Power of the Doctor, this whole mental process began. But, for quite some time, I was reluctant to believe that I'd found something I liked better than Deadly Assassin. There was an extended period of denial before I finally faced the truth. 

To this day, I'm still not sure how I feel on the matter. I've loved Assassin for so long. Can I really just dump her like some cold-hearted bastard who's found something younger and prettier? That's just not me. I don't treat my all-time fave stories that way. 

And yet, I can't ignore my feelings for Power of the Doctor. She's sleek and enticing. She's the Real 60th Anniversary Special. She's got so much going for her: Old companions returning. UNIT. A rogue's gallery of old foes. Multi-Doctor bantering. The Master's absolutely ridiculous Doctor Costume. There's just sooo much going on! She's absolutely gorgeous. 

I just haven't been able to make up my mind. So I decided to bring the debate here to my Blog. To break both stories down to some of their basest components and see which one stands up better under heavy scrutiny. And so, for the rest of the entry, we will examine both of these tales in great detail and see what makes them so wonderful. Hopefully, the process will cause us to see which one is just that little bit better. And then, quite possibly, by the end of this little dissertation - I'll have made a decision. 

I doubt it, though! 

Here's What We're Going To Do:  While both these stories have many magnificent qualities to them, there's a few core traits they share that manage to elevate them above anything else the show has ever given us. I want to start by analyzing those characteristics and comparing them to each other. Under such heavy scrutiny, a winner just might rise to the surface. 

I still doubt it, though!

Trait #1: THE EPICNESS OF IT ALL

The thing that dazzles me the most about both of these adventures is just how epic in scale they feel. Particularly since this is Doctor Who: a TV show that is still made on a pretty limited budget. Making content feel grandiose - particularly in the Classic Series - was very difficult to achieve. I think of something like The Invisible Enemy: A story that was meant to be a big majestic space opera. It failed miserably in its effort to achieve that because a space opera needs some serious cashflow to create its effects. Invisible Enemy did not have this. The best it could do was make you a bit hungry for prawns. 

Around roughly the same time that Attack of the Prawns was made, however, we also got Deadly Assassin. A story that took the shoestring budget that it was handed and still managed to make us something truly awe-inspiring. Lots of stuff still looks cheap, but that doesn't seem to matter. A great big black obelisk, for instance, emerges from an impossible trap door through a clumsy edit and we still find ourselves interjecting: "Wow! That's the Eye of Harmony! The power source at the Heart of the Time Lord Empire!" It's really quite astounding. 

While of Power of the Doctor had a lot more budget put into it, it's still about all the high stakes that are at play within the plot. That's its true appeal. In fact, this all could have been done on Classic Who Money and it still would have worked just fine. The battle on top of the space train could have looked like absolute garbage and the Cyber Planet could have been yet another poorly-disguised quarry and it still would have taken our breath away. The Master's ultimate plan of revenge is what truly fuels the excitement we feel when watching this. Not the flashy visuals. 

Of course, both these stories use "cheats" to increase their sense of epicality (totally a word!). A certain amount of fan-servicing is going on to make these tales that little bit more exciting. 

In the case of Assassin, we even get some legitimate Lore-Building. This is the first story that allows a closer look at the Doctor's people and the society he grew up in. From this point forward, much of what we know about Time Lords gets established here. That definitely makes the whole adventure feel very important. 

Added to that, we get the return of the Master. We haven't seen him for many years. Frontier in Space. was the last time he came onto our screens. This is, perhaps, the most relevant appearance for the villain. Roger Delgado had left an almost indelible stamp on the role. When he tragically died in a car accident, many felt we'd never get the character again. While he's meant to be on the verge of death during the tale, his coming back actually signals a whole new lease on life for the evil Renegade. Which becomes yet another factor that makes Deadly Assassin feel much bigger than the sum of its parts. It's a vital component in a long, ongoing battle between two arch rivals. 

But Deadly Assassin can't even come close to the number of fan-pleasing gestures we get in Power of the Doctor. I've already given the grocery list of gigantic nods to the past that this story makes. But there a few more things going on that give the plot an even heavier weight in the overall continuity of the program.

Power of the Doctor came out the same year the BBC was celebrating its 100th Anniversary. At that point, Doctor Who had been involved with fifty-nine of those one hundred years. So executives asked Chibnall to create a story that would heavily acknowledge the show's history. This is part of the reason why the plot is chocked full of Daleks and Cybermen and the Master and Ace and Tegan and Doctors One, Five, Six, Seven, Eight and the Fugitive and a bunch of other stuff like that. It's not the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the show - that would be next year. But it's still a commemorative event.

It's also the final adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor. Jodie's leaving the role. Mandip Gill is also ending her stint as Yaz. Chris Chibnall is handing the Head Writer job back to RTD. Even Segun Akinola won't be doing the incidental music anymore (Hot Take: I like his stuff better than Murray Gold's). Basically, it's the end of an era. The story needs to be large in scale to give everyone the swansong they deserve. This is another reason why we get Daleks and Cybermen and the Master and Ace and Tegan and.... well, you get the point. 

In some ways, one might say that Power of the Doctor is the clear winner in this category. With everything that's packed into it, it's just going to feel ridiculously more epic than Deadly Assassin could ever hope to be. In this sense, you would be totally right in your opinion. There is just so much more going on in Jodie's final outing. You can't help but feel that it's far more grandiose in scale. 

From another perspective, however, we could be equally impressed by how epic The Deadly Assassin feels without having to resort to so many fan nods. Sure, there's still a few there. I won't deny it. But the fact that there's about 1 000% more of them in Power of the Doctor but the episode comes across as only slightly more epic in scale says something about just how great of a story Assassin is. It doesn't use a bunch of old characters or continuity references to create a massive sense of occasion. Instead, it relies on some really solid writing. 

Which brings us quite neatly to our next point....

Trait #2: REALLY SOLID WRITING (DIDN'T I JUST SAY THAT?!)

I can already envision what the Chib-bashers are thinking as they read this: 

"Come on Rob!" (it's quite funny how I believe that everyone reading this actually remembers my name!), "You're placing Chris Chibnall up against The Great Almighty Robert Holmes. We know, already, who's going to win this!" 

But it should be noted that even the most dedicated haters of the works of Chris Chibnall don't seem to complain about Power of the Doctor. It is an undeniably well-put-together script. 

Some might argue that we enjoy it so much because of the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink continuity references that are made all over the place. But most will acknowledge that there's more to the story than just that. 

The narrative does have a gorgeous flow to it. Various plot strands are interwoven and build towards something huge and exciting. I'm not even talking about the story's actual climax. It's more the fact that we can tell the Master is brewing some kind of sinister plan that is meant to crush the Doctor once and for all. With the way the plot is constructed, we know this will be something truly brutal. Our jaws will drop when we finally see what the Master is up to.

There are, of course, any number of Doctor Who tales that have been put together in this manner. Dark Water/Death in Heaven would be a great example of this. Especially since it also uses the Master as the main antagonist. Dark Water definitely creates a vibe that this mysterious woman we've been seeing all season is up to something terrible with this strange foundation that is providing afterlife care to the rich. The very end of the episode is absolutely mind-blowing as we discover in rapid succession that the Cybermen are involved and that the Mary Poppins Wannabe is actually the latest incarnation of the Doctor's greatest enemy.   

But then we get to Death in Heaven. Not a horrible episode. I'd even go so far to say that there's quite a bit of good in it. It comes quite close to living up to the hype that was built up in the first part of the adventure. But it doesn't quite deliver the goods. Dark Water was moving towards something huge. Death in Heaven, however, just wasn't quite big enough. 

This is not an unusual thing for the show. Particularly in the Revived Series. Big plans by evil villains get constructed during the beginning of the plot. But, as those plans get revealed, we feel just a little underwhelmed.  

Power of the Doctor manages to avoid this pitfall. It is, perhaps, one of the greatest triumphs of the whole script. The Master's plot to just completely take over the Doctor's identity through forced regeneration completely satisfies all the tension Chibnall was creating as we moved inexorably towards this moment. It's utterly shocking as the transformation ensues. The ludicrous costume he puts together once he's taken over the TARDIS chills us to the very core. Even him just sitting around playing a recorder is completely disturbing. It's an excellent pay-off to everything that the writer was building towards.

But then we have to actually find a satisfactory way to unravel everything the Master has put together. To, essentially, not repeat the mistake of a story like Death in Heaven. This is an even greater achievement in the writing. Chibnall creates a very clever solution to the conflict. A solution that incorporates one of the coolest scenes in the whole history of the show. A scene that also satisfies a fairly long-standing fan theory: Somewhere, in the backwaters of the Doctor's subconsciousness, previous incarnations still linger. Some of them, of course, don't like to wear robes! 

This is where we have to truly marvel at the writing. In big stories like these, the pay-off to the build-up doesn't always land. But it all looks quite gorgeous, here. 

There are a few other outstanding accomplishments that occur in the authorship of this tale that bear mentioning: 

The insertion of Vinder into the story is quite brilliantly handled. Basically, he's a character who's not afraid to commit violence that needed to be present at a crucial moment of the adventure. He really was expertly-woven into the plot. It's excellent the way Chibnall placed him there. 

Even more impressive, however, was how he created Cyber-Masters a season earlier so that there would be sufficient regeneration energy available to undo the Master's take-over of the Doctor. That's some excellent arcing on Chibnall's behalf. It reminds me vaguely of what RTD did with the Doctor's hand during his first era, But Chibnall did it all in a considerably less "clunky" manner. .  

Altogether, Chibnall created a magnificent script. But how does it stand up against the Great One, Himself?   

Admittedly, I won't analyze Holmes' writing quite so deeply. I did so, already, in the post I made during that original Countdown so many years ago. I'd rather not get too repetitious (What?! I haven't posted a link to that entry yet?! What is wrong with me?! https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-1.html). 

I will say this, though: Political Thrillers are not to everyone's liking. I remember legitimately struggling with people a few years back because they refused to give the show House of Cards a  decent chance (although, I did stop pressuring them after the scandal about Kevin Spacey came out!). They "didn't like stories about politics", they would explain. And I can sympathize with what they're saying. Tales that heavily involve politics can be horrifically tedious. 

So it is truly a testament to Holmes' writing that he's able to make Deadly Assassin so intensely engaging. It's almost like he said to himself: "Hey! Let's prove just how amazing of a writer I am by working in one of the most boring genres in the world but still getting everyone to love it!" This trait, alone, shows the strength of his abilities. 

Along with making a political thriller engaging, Deadly Assassin gives us a whole delightful series of twists and turns that keep us glued to the screen every second. The Master's secret ally is beautifully masked. We don't see him coming. But, upon re-watch, we see that it was obvious the whole time. I love it when a writer hides something in plain sight and we still don't catch it.  

Comparing the two writing styles, however, is like comparing apples to oranges. The stories are very different from each other. Assassin is very dark and atmospheric. Power of the Doctor is a wild thrill ride. Even the core plot structures vary radically. In Chibnall's script, the Master's ultimate plan is revealed halfway through the narrative. The other half of the episode is about undoing what he's accomplished. Holmes takes a much more traditional approach. The Master's intentions are only fully revealed at the climax and are then quickly thwarted. 

Which means, quite naturally, that it's near-impossible to determine who wrote a better script. 

I am like most fans. I do think Robert Holmes was the best writer in the history of the show. But that's not to say that authors can't, sometimes, reach his caliber once in a while and produce a script that is equal in quality to one of his masterpieces.   

Trait #3: "QUITE MASTERFUL" 

The third and final trait that makes me love both these stories so much more than any other is the way they feature the Master. Both handle the character in a fascinating manner.  

Deadly Assassin does this in the most incredible of fashions. We have never seen the Master quite like this. Nor will we, again. It's curious that, even though he's meant to be the same incarnation in Keeper of Traken, he exhibits very different behavior from "the Corpse Master" we see in his first appearance. They're so unlike each other that I even theorize that a weird sort of partial regeneration occurs between the two adventures. (Read more about it here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/10/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of.html). 

In this incarnation, it's like everything the Master ever did to make himself seem presentable has been stripped away. We are witnessing his bare soul. He's now this twisted abomination. Still brilliant. But fueled by the vilest of emotions: He's nothing but bitterness, hatred and complete self-interest. 

Which is, of course, the starkest of contrasts from what we got of the Roger Delgado incarnation. He seemed to be doing his best to hide all of those characteristics. In this new form, however, they're all prominently on display. Nothing is concealed. This is the purest, most undiluted version of the Master. I love this portrayal and wish we'd gotten more of it before handing the baton to Geoffrey Beevers. Who did a magnificent job in his own right. But, boy do I love this version of the Corpse Master!

But an equal amount of praise can be heaped on Sacha Dhawan for the job he did in Power of the Doctor. In all of his episodes, I've greatly enjoyed both what he did with the role and how the character was actually written. I appreciate that New Who has tried to add a lot of extra dimension to the Doctor's arch rival. Missy's redemption arc was particularly impressive. But I do love that the Dhawan incarnation was a much more Classical version of the villain. For the most part, he just wants to take over the Universe and crush the Doctor. There were moments that showed interesting nuances to the character. I was particularly fascinated by the way he'd wished that tissue-compressing the Lone Cyberman would have set off the Death Particle. In general, however, he was much more akin to Delgado, Pratt, Beevers, Ainley and Roberts than he was to Simm and Gomez. And I enjoyed that. It was nice seeing the Master go back-to-basics. I especially loved seeing the return of the tissue compressor! 

The Master wiping out the Doctor's identity and taking over her body was definitely the fulfillment of his Ultimate Goal (he's actually tried it a few times. ie: Keeper of Traken, Doctor Who - The Movie). For him to achieve this makes Power of the Doctor another "Special Master Story". No, he's not another super-unique version of the character like Pratt was, but he does something no other version of himself ever has. For a brief time, he well-and-truly defeats his greatest foe by taking over her life. It's all the more fitting that he is more in keeping with the way the character was crafted in the Classic Series. As this is more of a Classic Master Plot. 

Which means that, in the end, we come to a tie in this category, too. Both stories do something very special and unique with the Master. They just do it in different ways. 

OTHER POSSIBLE FACTORS:

Okay, so we examined those special core traits that make both these stories that little bit better than anything else in the show's long history. Thus far, we're just getting tie after tie. Let's see if there's any other aspects to these adventures that might, somehow, set one ahead of the other. 

Spoiler Alert: There probably won't be. 

Trait #1: ACTUAL FLAWS 

Nothing in life is perfect, of course. This even applies to what could be the two greatest Doctor Who stories ever. Both of these tales have problems. But they are marginal, at best. 

Could it be, however, that one story's flaws take up a bigger margin than the other? If so, might that help us to finally determine which is the better yarn? Let's take a look at that: 

The main problem with Deadly Assassin is highly debatable. In fact, some consider it the best part of the whole story. But then there are others who feel the exact opposite. That the whole adventure is dragged down because of this element.  

I'm referring, of course, to the notoriously divisive Episode Three. To some (such as me), it's a magnificent example of suspense and tension. With some delightful surrealism to boot. It's an excellent direction for the plot to suddenly go in for the duration of one episode, And then, suddenly, we're back into the political intrigue stuff. Because Holmes goes that way for an episode, though, that third part is a welcome break from all the politics and stops that element of the plot from becoming too dry and tedious. A brilliant choice for Rob Holmes to make in the structuring of the narrative. 

For others, though, it's just a Great Big Nothing Burger that you can easily skip and go straight to Part Four. Where the Doctor is back out of the Matrix and the Real Plot ensues. Aside from the revelation of Goth at the very end of the episode, there are no other developments of any significance. You, literally, can pick up where Part Two left off and not be all that particularly confused!

Ultimately, The Deadly Assassin's flaw can be viewed as a somewhat large one. After all, it seems to take up an entire episode! However, it's really a matter of taste that determines whether it really even is a problem. There are a lot of fans out there that adore Part Three. But there are some that grumble about it. 

Power of the Doctor's biggest problem is considerably more tangible. But not as big in size. And there is still a certain degree of subjectivity to it. But, when we get right down to it, we have to be honest about one important thing:     

The Daleks are really not all that necessary to the plot. 

It is, of course, the Daleks that lure the Doctor into the Master's Ultimate Trap. Which does make them a fairly important cog in the story's machinery. But, really, there are a thousand equally-effective ways to have captured the Doctor that don't require the Skarosian Conquerors. 

The only other role the Daleks really play in the whole tale is their plan to activate all the volcanoes on Earth. Why, exactly, they've chosen to do this isn't all that clearly explained. Perhaps they want to do like the Slitheen and change the Earth into a cheap energy source. Or something else like that. Because we're not told why they've created their Volcano Masterplan, however, it comes across more as the writer just saying: "Well! I have to give the Daleks something to do!" 

The issue does become somewhat subjective, though, for one simple reason: This is a story that is clearly celebrating some of the greatest elements of the show's past. Clearly, the Daleks needed to be in there, somewhere. And, even though they are somewhat superfluous, we still welcome them with open arms and are willing to let go of the fact that they don't really need to be here. Because, ultimately, they really do need to be here. 

If that makes any sense! 

Once more, there seems to be a tie going on. While the flaws that both these stories contain are very different, neither seems all that bigger than the other. 

Trait #2: ANY "SPECIAL BONUSES"? 

Now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Let's try to find any little detail that either of these stories might possess that the other doesn't that might somehow put it ahead in the competition. Even if it's by only the slightest of margins, a winner is a winner! 

Power of the Doctor has a certain emotional resonance to it that its competition doesn't quite possess. It's achieved, mainly, in the "holographic reunion scenes" with Ace and Tegan and their respective Doctors. I find Tegan and Five to be especially heartwarming since we actually saw them parting on such bad terms. It really was touching to see old wounds healed. And it was just great to see former Doctors getting back together ever-so-briefly with their companions (I know we've been getting that a bit in the Memory TARDIS in Tales of the TARDIS - but it's not the same!) 

On the other side of things, however, Deadly Assassin is dripping with atmosphere. .There's barely a shot in the whole thing that doesn't look moody. In studio, this isn't so difficult. Those big gloomy sets make it much easier to achieve this effect. What's super-impressive, though, is when the story takes us into the Matrix. Which actually gets us to a bunch of outdoor locations. All these scene have a great filmic quality to them that adds tremendously to the vibe the story has created. 

Power of the Doctor is visually stunning in its own right. The battle on the roof of the space train looks especially stunning and is a great way to open up the whole adventure. The story does, in many ways, look spectacular. But it doesn't have the same sort of gravitas that the shooting in Deadly Assassin possesses. So, in this instance, Assassin gets the bonus point. 

Which means, of course, that we've got another tie. One adventure scores extra for its emotional resonance. The other wins a bonus point for atmosphere. 

As expected, there's still no clear winner to be found. 

SPECIAL NOTE: One should also mention the super-cool multi-incarnation stuff that occurs in Power of the Doctor and site it as another bonus point. But it is matched by the equally super-cool "Opening Scroll that was used even before Star Wars came out" that we se see in Deadly Assassin. So, no matter what Bonus Point you manage to find in one story, the other will still be able to tie it. 

FINAL ULTIMATE CONCLUSION

So, this debate ends exactly the way I expected it would. There's no clear decision on the matter. Mind you, it's easy to predict this sort of thing when you're the one creating the content that will lead to the ultimate conclusion! 

But the problem still remains: How do I get this all to fit into my Top Ten All-Time Favorite Doctor Who Story Countdown? It's a serious matter! 

I was rather hoping I would make up my mind by the end of this. That one story would rank as First and the other would become Second. And poor 'ole Logopolis would just get bumped out from Tenth Place. No doubt, as the story left, it would proclaim something to the nature of: "It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for...."!    

Am I hilarious or what?!   

Of course, there is one other alternative. I could rank both in First Place. Let myself have two All-Time Favorite Doctor Who Stories Ever. That way, Logopolis can still stay in the mix. I could even say that my Fave Who Story Ever bi-generated! 

And yet, it just doesn't feel right. To me, there should  be an ultimate victor. A single King that rules over them all. Or, as the Kurgan once said in The Highlander: "There can be Only One!". 

And so, I will continue to deliberate. I will contemplate deeply the merits of both those tales and try to reach an ultimate conclusion. Sadly, the writing of this post has done nothing to assist me in this whole process. This entire Blog is completely useless. 

But then, I could have told you that before I wrote this entry.

Which do you think is the best? Deadly Assassin or Power of the Doctor? Or are you one of those walking cliches that thinks Genesis of the Daleks is the greatest Who Story ever?!  

      

  

. 

 

REVIEW OVERVIEW: BAD FIRST IMPRESSIONS - RATING THE FIRST APPEARANCES OF RECURRING FOES: THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR ERA

After many moons, we are finally reaching the end. The REVIEW OVERVIEW of the First Appearances of Recurring Foes Series is complete. 

One last time, here are the "The Rules" 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html

THIRTEEN: THE FINAL DOCTOR (IN THIS SERIES, AT LEAST!)

The Thirteenth Doctor: So much divisiveness! So much yule and cry! It was bound to happen, of course. There were going to be fans that just couldn't handle the Doctor being a woman. It didn't matter how strong the attempts were to make gender-crossing Time Lords an acceptable part of the Lore. People were going to have problems with this. 

Strip away all the debate, however, and I do feel that we got a brilliant Doctor with a fantastic era (yes, even the writing was very good). She is, up until this point, my favorite incarnation from New Who.  And her era does introduce us to quite a few new Recurring Foes.

Ironically, her first season is doing its damnedest to not rely on the past. To create entirely new stories that will be completely free-standing rather than a part of a larger continuity. While doing all of this, however, the season also creates several new returning villains that will haunt the Doctor over and over throughout this period. As we move into Thirteen's other seasons, the trend continues... 

SPECIAL NOTE: Yes, there have been two incarnations since Jodie. Fourteen wasn't around for long and does not appear to have started any new returning villains and/or monsters. 

At the time of writing this, Ncuti has only had one season. Mrs. Flood first appears in it, of course. She might even be the most evil woman in the Universe. But we're just not sure, yet. Series Two should tell us more...

THE WOMAN WHO FELL TO EARTH 

Recurring Foe: Tim Shaw 

I love that his name is a result of not being able to fully understand what he's saying! But, aside from his silly title, how well does he do as the first returning baddie from the Thirteenth Doctor Era? 

Writing:          ........................................          9

It seems to me that quite a bit of thought was put into Tim Shaw and the whole Stenza race, in general. In creating another race of intergalactic conquerors, Chibnall wanted to make sure they weren't as one-note as the Daleks or the Cybermen. 

Because he's given them a Warrior's Code, it's difficult not to compare them to the Sontarans. The Stenza, however, feel much more cold and ruthless. Particularly with the way they embed the teeth of those they defeated into their face. Whereas the Potato Heads tend to veer more into military buffoonery. It gets even more interesting, of course, when we learn that they really just want to turn the whole universe into a giant trophy. We really do see that the Stenza have their own unique way of trying to overcome the cosmos. I quite like them for that. 

Performance:    .....................................           9

I actually think Samuel Oatley does a magnificent job, here. Some very good immersion into the character that I would even dare to say rivals the commitment Kevin Lindsay gave to Linx way back in The Time Warrior. While Tim Shaw is positively wretched, Oatley still gives him some nuances so he doesn't feel two dimensional. Which is a tricky thing to accomplish with this sort of role. 

The Actual Story: ..................................           8

Woman Who Fell to Earth is a fairly simple story. But, in many ways, it has to be. It's got to introduce a new Doctor and three new companions. What I do like about it is that it doesn't do like so many of those First-Era RTD episodes do. The B-Plot doesn't get treated as if it were the A-Plot. The focus still remains on stopping Tim Shaw from capturing a crane operator and bringing him back to his homeworld as a trophy. Yes, it's all a bit threadbare. But, overall, it's an above-average tale. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them: ..         10

How Thirteen interacts with this baddie is going to establish how she handles villains, in general. She does some great telling off in both scenes that she has with him. Along with some decent mocking, too (love it when she calls him "a Big Blue Cheat"!). The second confrontation is especially enjoyable as she finally recalls who she is and properly defines her character. This is all very great stuff. Jodie is off to an excellent start with how she squares off with villains. 

Long Term Impact:  ..................................         8

Even though she's barely started, the Thirteenth Doctor has already garnered a ton of Negative Nancies Who Just Might Be Misogynists. They are just deciding that everything in this era is going to be completely awful and don't think Tim Shaw was a good villain at all. 

Personally, I quite like him. To the point where I'd love to either see him get released from stasis for a third appearance or just see more of the Stenza. They more-than-merit a third appearance. 

FINAL SCORE: 44

While he's not popular with everyone, I'm quite fond of him. And, even though I've created a scoring system to make "everything feel more scientific", it's still me giving the scores. So he's bound to do well in this analysis! 

ARACHNIDS IN THE UK

Recurring Foe: Jack Robertson 

I suppose we can't truly call him a villain. More of just an antagonist. He's a bit like Doctor Stahlman in Inferno. So consumed with his own agenda that it creates gigantic problems for others. 

And that's what Jack Robertson's doing most of the time. While there's a major conflict going on, he's on the sidelines. Throwing gas on the fire. 

It actually makes for a fun character, 

Writing:          ..............................................          8

I quite like the way Jack Robertson is structured. He's more of an added problem than a central threat. Admittedly, that comes through more clearly in his second story. In this one, he's a bit more central to the conflict since it's his bad business decisions that have created the giant spiders. 

But the basic essence of Jack Robertson is poignant. He's a Trumpesque character who is there just to complicate things rather than be the real issue that's causing trouble. Overall, I really enjoy the way he's been crafted. 

Performance:  ............................................           9

In the wrong hands, Robertson would have been just an annoying caricature. Chris Noth makes some very good choices with just how far he should go with the whole sense of parody that's going on within the character. There's very little that we should actually be taking seriously about him and that can make the performance of such a role very tricky. The temptation is to go completely OTT with it. But Noth resists that lure and gives us someone who still maintains believability. Even though he does ridiculous things like take scheduled bathroom breaks! 

The Actual Story: ....................................             7

Arachnids is regarded by a certain segment of fandom as being the first of the truly "awful" stories Chibnall gave us. Which I think is a fairly big exaggeration. Mind you, I remember people already saying they weren't going to like the episode just from what they saw in the trailer after Rosa. 

In some ways, the tale never had a hope in Hell! 

Arachnids in the UK is not terrible. It's not all that great, either. It just, sort of, sits in the middle and feels a bit mediocre. Its biggest problem lies in the fact that the end feels a bit muddled. But I still wouldn't consider it the "stinker" some people make it out to be. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them: .....          9

Thirteen is very fun when she first starts interacting with him. How can we not think it's hilarious when she thinks he's Ed Sheeran?! It's a slightly similar vibe to how she ridicules Tim Shaw when she first meets him but it seems a bit more sincere, this time. She really thinks he's Ed!

Slowly but surely, of course, she takes him more and more seriously and sees how much of a genuine menace he is. As she does, the confrontations take on a more dramatic tone. The way that transition gradually happens makes for a very enjoyable watch. 

Long-Term Impact:  ...................................           8

A great little arc really was coming along with Jack Robertson. Everything seemed to be moving towards a trilogy that finishes with him becoming President of the US. 

Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see the completion of that storyline. Noth has done some irreparable damage to his reputation and seems to be deserving of the cancellation he's received (quite a few women have come forward, now, with accusations. Usually, when it's this many, the claims are valid). Unless it's suddenly revealed that Robertson is a Time Lord and regenerates into someone new, this character ain't coming back! 

What we did get of him was more-than-enjoyable. Particularly in his second story. It was quite cool the way Robertson seeks opportunities wherever he can and shows no real allegiance to anyone but himself. I would have loved a third story with him to really fill things out. But I'm still quite happy with what we ended up getting. 

FINAL SCORE: 41

It's a bit ironic that the season that refused to bring back any old villains from the past, instead, crafted two new Recurring Foes that would come back to pester the Doctor in her future. Still, I felt both of them were quite well-crafted. And I especially like how Jack Robertson gets used in the plots he's written into. 

THE HAUNTING OF VILLA DIODATI/ASCENSION OF THE CYBERMEN/THE TIMELESS CHILDREN

Recurring Foe: The Lone Cyberman (aka: Ashad) 

Dear God do I love this guy! He might even beat the Mara...

Writing:        ....................................................        10

What a wonderful concept the Lone Cyberman is. Chibnall asked himself a simple question: "What if there were people out there that actually wanted to be Cybermen?" Which is a perfectly sensible question. The Cybermen are the sort of beings that would inspire a cult-like following.

But then Chibnall asked himself one more simple question: "What if there were people out there that wanted to be Cybermen but the conversion process didn't work properly on them?!" And thus, the Lone Cybeman is born...

Ashad does fulfill a bit of a Davros function. When a New Who Cybermen needs to be a bit more verbose, Ashad can deliver that flowery speech rather than let it drone on monotonously through the mouth of a normal Cyberman..

But he fulfills another plot device quite nicely. When the logic of the Cybermen would actually ruin the success of the Good Guys, the Lone Cybermen can step in and be illogical. Thus enabling certain plans against his people to flourish. We saw a great example of this in Timeless Children when Graham and Yaz and Company are hiding in the Cyber-suits. Had a regular Cybermen investigated them, they would have been poked and prodded until they gave themselves away. Instead, Ashad comes along and has a staring contest with them. His lack of thoroughness allows them to escape. 

With the Lone Cyberman as leader of the Cyber-army, you can do a whole lot more interesting things with this particular enemy.

Performance:   ........................................          10

Patrick O'Kane is, quite simply, flawless in the part. He completely commits to the character. Basically, he lives and breathes the Lone Cyberman. 

He is also quite terrifying. Even when he first appears in Haunting of Villa Diodati and is only operating at lower power, his wildly aggressive behavior makes him appear very menacing. Cybermen are not meant to have such high tempers. His almost dysphoric mannerisms are very off-putting. We know, immediately, that this is a strange and unique member of the species. And this is due to O'Kane's incredible performance. 

Once he properly restores himself with a bolt of lightning, he becomes even scarier. Throughout the rest of the three episodes, he is intensely engaging to watch. To the point where I'm legitimately upset when the Master takes him out with his tissue compressor. 

Even the way the damned Lone Cybermen walks is sheer perfection. He absolutely needed to come back. So glad the Master cloned him! 

The Actual Story: ................................            9

I know a part of fandom froths at the mouth because this three-parter leads to the revelation that the Doctor is the Timeless Child. But I have absolutely no problem with this latest addition to the show's Lore. In fact, I enjoy it. 

So with that not being a factor in my enjoyment, I really do love most of what this story puts down. Probably the best Three-Parter in New Who, in fact. So often, when the show tries to create an adventure this long, at least one episode let's us down considerably. Not the case, here. 

Ascension of the Cybermen is probably the best of the three. It moves at an absolutely brilliant pace that draws us in so deeply that we practically forget to breathe. The other two episodes are also ridiculously strong. But they do "sag" ever-so-slightly in places. Certain sequences could have been tightened up just a little bit. 

Which is why it doesn't score a Perfect Ten. But, overall, it's all still magnificent. A great villain in an awesome story.

How the Doctor Interacts With Them:.....    10 

I honestly think Thirteen does one of the best jobs of confronting baddies. She weaves this great balance between sarcasm and righteous indignation. 

She makes some great choices when she deals with the Lone Cybermen. Various fun little moments stand out for me. I love how she's just casually sitting around when she first meets him. Or how she jokingly contemplates billing him for therapy. Their face-offs are chocked full of these kind of things. It's fantastic to watch. 

Long-Term Impact:   .............................         8

After nearly crying when he gets tissue compressed in Timeless Children, I was so happy to hear that Ashad was back for Power of the Doctor. Even with the huge cast of baddies that were involved in the plot, he has a substantial presence in the whole proceedings. 

But, really, we need more of him. He should be leading the Cybermen in the bulk of their forthcoming stories. And the Spotlight should be on him when he does. 

FINAL SCORE: 47

I never thought I would ever like a Cyberman more than I did David Banks' Cyberleader during the 80s. Lightning, however, managed to strike twice. 

ONCE, UPON TIME 

Recurring Foe: The Grand Serpent 

Admittedly, a bit of a cheat, here. Flux is one long story. So bringing the Grand Serpent in during Episode Three and having him come back in Five and Six doesn't truly make him a Recurring Villain. He's a baddie who came back later in the same plot. 

But each part of the Flux does feel very self-contained in its own way. So this could be a foe that did return in a new story. Particularly when you consider that the Grand Serpent is in a totally different context from the first time we met him. So we can "fudge the rules" just a little bit and let him be a Returning Bad Guy. 

Also, I wanted to fill this entry up just a little better! 

Writing:        ............................................       8

The first time we meet hm, the Grand Serpent is a minor character in a subplot. We should barely give a rat's ass about this guy. But he is such a well-crafted villain that we are more-than-happy to see him when he comes back in Survivors of the Flux. This speaks volumes, right there, of how he's written.  

Ultimately, his presence in Once, Upon Time could be defined as weak. But the little run-time that he does have is used so well that his return feels merited. 

Performance: .......................................          9

A well-written but underused villain won't be appreciated if the performance isn't also strong. Craig Parkinson takes what could have been a very cliched evil tyrant character and makes him into something special. We can see he's evil and sinister. Something that usually leads to some serious scenery-chewing. But Parkinson reigns it in to just the right level. Even though we never see "the snake trick" until his return appearance, we still sense that he's a ruthless man who needs to be feared. And he drinks in his villainy without ever over-indulging.  

The Actual Story:     .........................           10

Once, Upon Time is an absolute Classic. I'm quite happy with all the episodes in this season but this one is the shining jewel in the crown. Great stuff! Which means, of course, that even a minor subplot that gives us a bit more background on Vinder is still an utter delight to watch. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them: ...     1

Oops! They don't actually meet, here. So I can't give them a grade.

Okay, the Doctor is probably, somehow, watching all this as she tries to hide Vinder in his timeline. So she's vaguely present in the scene. We'll give one point for that! 

Long-Term Impact: ............................           8

He does an excellent job of filling out the Tail End of Flux and has a really cool way of killing people! Personally, I'd love it if someone rescued him off that asteroid and we saw him come back to wreak vengeance on the Doctor and/or Vinder. 

FINAL SCORE: 36

The Grand Serpent takes a bit of a hit because we never see him actually interact with the Doctor in his first adventure, but that's not his fault! His strong scores in the other four categories, at least, help make up for that. 

SOME FINAL OBSERVATIONS: 

So I went through all the entries concerning this particular REVIEW OVERVIEW (Even re-read "The Rules" a little bit) and made a few observations that I found interesting. It should be noted that, during this analysis of all the posts, I mainly stuck to looking at scores. All the long-winded nonsense I wrote to justify my numerical ratings was glanced at, but I didn't concentrate on it too hard. 

A few things I noticed: 

1) If this were a legitimate competition, our "winner" would be the Mara. The evil psychic serpent actually busted the scoring system with a final tally of 51 (I, sometimes, give bonus points!). He's a very abstract villain who is brought to life magnificently. Sorry Davros or the Daleks or other Recurring Foes that many fans will think should be in the top position, but this really is the very best first appearance of a returning baddie.  Does he have the legacy of some of the other villains I just mentioned? No. But he still has the very best premiere. 

2) On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Macra coming in with a score of 21 (weird how the victor and biggest loser are so similar in name!). I won't deny: bringing back the Macra for Gridlock was a delightful little fan nod. Seeing an obscure 60s Who monster in the New Series was quite cool. But there were so many other one-time-only creatures from that period that would have had a way more triumphant return than these boring old farts! While the proper episodes of The Macra Terror no longer exist, the reconstructions are coherent enough to show us that this is a singularly uninteresting species that is even duller when it's brought back in 2007! 

3) There are, in my view, Five Supreme Major Recurring Foes. All five members of this pantheon return over and over and will continue to do so for as long as the show runs. And adventures involving them will occur in great abundance. They are, in order of appearance, Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, The Master and the Sontarans. We have a few other species that come very close to making it into this Club. Homo- Reptilia and the Weeping Angels both come immediately to mind. But they don't quite have the presence that these Five possess. Four members of this team actually rate quite well in this whole study. Even several "subsets" that sprang from these monsters (Davros, the Cyber Controller, Ashad) fare excellently when they are analyzed. 

There is, however, one exception to the rule. The Ice Warriors do not make the best of first impressions. Their Final Score is only 34. Not an absolutely terrible grade. But nothing too spectacular, either. 

There are a lot of problems with their first story. Not just in the way the aliens are presented, but also in the actual structure of the plot, itself. Fortunately, there is just something about the Martians that makes us want to see them again. Seeds of Death is not exactly a spellbinding Classic, either. But it takes things in a more positive direction. Each time this monster returns, it tends to receive better and better treatment. Which, eventually, cements the Ice Warriors into the position they now hold in the Lore of Doctor Who. 

4) With a few notable exceptions (some of which, I've already discussed), most of these stories score quite well. A lot of them are in the 40s or, at the very worst, Upper 30s. This makes sense. For a baddie to earn multiple appearances, they need to make a good first impression. Not only should they be well-represented in their first appearance, but the story, itself, needs to be strong. Various elements must come together in just the right way for it all to work. Only then does the production team say to themselves: "Maybe we should bring these guys back."

At long last, the series is complete. I'm amazed I finally got around to it! If you bother to look back, there have been other occasions where I have started a theme that was meant to run through several posts but then gave up the fight because I was distracted by something else. So I am just a bit proud of myself for actually being the anal-retentive completist I claim to be! 

Here are all the other parts of the REVIEW OVERVIEW: 

Part One: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions_18.html 

Part Two: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions_22.html

Part Three: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/09/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html

Part Four: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/09/review-overview-bad-first-impressions_18.html

Part Five: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/09/review-overview-bad-first-impressions_30.html

Part Six: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/10/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html

POINT OF DEBATE: DID WE FIRST SEE THE MASTER IN 60s WHO?

So I actually had the idea for this essay quite a while back. It was going to center more around the Monk - as I thought he was the most likely candidate to fit the bill. But there has been a recent development that has created quite a bit of debate among fans who are well-versed in Classic Who. So, once more, I'm skirting around the REVIEW OVERVIEW I'm meant to be finishing (I may never get it done!) in order tackle this issue while it's still somewhat relevant. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST: 

Okay, let's get this out of the way: a bit of background music being used in the re-imagining of an old 60s story does not confirm an age-old fan theory regarding the true identity of the the War Chief from The War Games. Just because we hear the same soundtrack for the John Simm Master playing during scenes involving the War Chief does not prove that this character is an earlier incarnation of the Master. The people that made this new version of the story are just having a bit of fun with fan speculation. That's it. The War Chief being the Master still remains unproven. 

"All right then, Rob." those-of-you-who-want-this-to-be-true might be saying, "What would you constitute as being valid proof that the War Chief is the Master?"

"Something actually happening within the context of the proper show that clearly claims that the War Chief is the Master." I reply with simple precision. 

Not sure what I mean? Here's an example: 

Let's say we get a new story next season called Spyrise. It's a two-parter. At the end of Part One, the Doctor sneaks onto a boat and discovers that someone he thought was a friend is actually the latest incarnation of the Master. During Part Two, the Doctor and the Master meet on the Leaning Tower of Pisa during the Vietnam War. They're reminiscing about old times. The Master says something to the nature of: "I'm still mad at you for ruining my plans to conquer the Galaxy with the War Lords. You could have, at least, leant me your TARDIS when my SIDRATS were starting to run down! Is it just me, by the way, or does the Security Chief remind you a bit of the Keeper of the Matrix?! God, I hated that guy! I was soooo glad when I shot him..." 

Dialogue like that is definitely making a direct reference to The War Games and is obviously identifying the Master as being the War Chief. If we get something of this nature then I will admit that the fan theory has been validly confirmed. But the Master could even be a bit less specific and it will make things grey. If he just said: "I'm still mad at you for ruining my plans to conquer the Galaxy with the War Lords." then I would say the theory has not yet been proven. Quite simply, the Master could have had a plan of his own with the War Lords that happened prior to the events of War Games. That experience may have even made the War Lords more open to the idea of working with the War Chief when he does come along at a later time. 

Which means, of course, that the "evidence" we're getting in the re-edit of The War Games is subjective, at best. Especially since many fans consider only the original ten-part version of the story to be true canon. And the narrative of that ten episode epic does nothing to truly indicate that the Master was once the War Chief. 

FUN WITH SPECULATION 

Having said all that, this doesn't mean we can't play about with some theories. Even before the recent re-imagining of War Games, there are aspects of the story that hinted towards the idea that the War Chief and the Master are one and the same. Quite naturally, it's never directly stated that we're seeing an earlier version of the Master in this adventure. But certain elements of the plot could be construed as implications. 

Making these sort of leaps, of course, is what a good POINT OF DEBATE essay is all about. But if we're going to do that with the War Chief, then we should also acknowledge a few other characters that emerged during 60s Who that could also, potentially, be an earlier incarnation of the Master. There are, at least, two other individuals during this period that are suitable candidates. 

Which means that, back in the 60s, we could have seen as many as three different incarnations that existed prior to the Roger Delgado Master. On the other end of the spectrum, we could claim that none of these "potential previous Masters" are actually the notorious Renegade Time Lord. Between these two polarizations, of course, lies the concept that one or two of these characters from this period could be him. 

In the end, it all depends on what you want to believe. All three of these people have traits that can support the various fan theories. 

THAT ALL-IMPORTANT SCENE IN TERROR OF THE AUTONS

Before we take too big of a dive into the subject matter, there is something that occurs in 70s Who that needs to be brought into the argument. 

During the first few minutes of Terror of the Autons, the Doctor receives a visit from a Time Lord to warn him that the Master is on Earth so he needs to be careful. The Doctor gives a rather derisive snort as he receives the information. It's a fun little scene. But it also establishes two important things regarding his relationship with his rival: 

1) The Doctor and the Master have met before 

We might be encountering the Master for the first time in this story but the two Time Lords seem to be well-known to each other. And we're not talking about how they both studied at the Academy together. By the way the Doctor speaks of his foe, he appears to have clashed with him since leaving Gallifrey. . 

This, of course, lends massive credence to the idea that we have seen the Master during 60s Who. It's firmly established in this scene that these two Renegades battled each other in the past. So we can reasonably assume that we may have actually witnessed that fight in a previous televised adventure.   

2) The Master wasn't as competent as he is now. 

Admittedly, this can be a subjective concept. The Doctor hates the Master. He's going to talk some crap about him to this Time Lord that's come to warn him. So he claims that this enemy is no one special and that he can run rings around him. It's the sort of thing the Doctor might do when discussing a foe. Even if they are actually a legitimate threat. 

The visiting Time Lord, however, does affirm the Doctor's critique of his rival. But then he adds: "The Master has gotten better at doing evil stuff since the last time you met him." (or words to that effect). Which means that the Doctor wasn't, necessarily, exaggerating when he calls his enemy a "jackanapes" and an "unimaginative plodder".  

Like the first point, alluding to the idea that the Master was much more inept at one time helps to re-enforce the concept that he may have been a character we first saw when Doctor Who was still in black-and-white. All three potential previous incarnations do seem considerably less competent than the Roger Delgado version.  

SPECIAL NOTE: 

My memory appears to have cheated me regarding this scene. I was convinced that, during his stream of insults, the Doctor had referred to the Master as some sort of "bumbler" (more than likely, a ham-fisted one). During a recent re-watch, I realized the term was never used. 

THE MOST OBVIOUS ELIMINATION

One of our three candidates will be fairly easy to disqualify. In fact, he's barely worth mentioning. Nonetheless, he's the only one of the trio that was actually referred to as "The Master" during a story from 60s Who. So we should, at least, give him some attention. 

Fandom, in all its wisdom, chose to re-christen him: "The Master of the Land of Fiction" just to clarify things a bit during discussions regarding The Mind Robber. But none of the actual dialogue in the story  gives him that title. He really is just called "The Master". 

The nature of his identity does get expanded upon when the Doctor and his companions actually meet him. We discover that he is merely a human from 1926. That he was writing a popular adventure story for Ensign Magazine when he was abducted by the Master Brain and forced to be in charge of the Land of Fiction. 

While he never actually gives his real name, he also doesn't claim to be a Renegade Time Lord who, like the Doctor, has chosen to leave Gallifrey and explore Time and Space. So we have to assume he is who he says he is: A simple human from Earth who writes fiction. 

If we really wanted to stretch credulity, we could claim the Master was employing some sort of elaborate disguise during the adventure. Which is why he's claiming to be a British author rather than a Renegade Time Lord. He might have even been using a Chameleon Arch to transform into this individual from early Twentieth Century Earth. 

It would be silly, however, to go to such lengths but still call himself "the Master"! Why pretend to be someone else but still use your real name (or, more appropriately, title)? But then, the Master did also once pose as Kalid in Time Flight during scenes when there was no real need for him to conceal his true identity. So we can't totally rule out such irrational behavior!

Still, if we're being frank, it's highly unlikely that this is an earlier version of the Master. 

A MORE LIKELY CANDIDATE

Up until I realized my memory had cheated me, I felt the Monk (aka the Meddling Monk) has the strongest chance of being a previous incarnation of the Master. This was because I was sure that the Doctor had referred to the Master as being a "bumbler" during the scene he has with the other Time Lord during Terror of the Autons. 

There is, perhaps, no one in the entire Doctor Who Universe that bumbles more than the Monk. In both stories that he's featured in, he bumbles up a storm. He bumbles to the left. He bumbles to the right. He bumbles all the day and he bumbles all the night. 

But then, I did a re-watch of that crucial scene and discovered the term was never actually used to describe him. Which creates a massive shift in my perception. I mean, yeah, "jackanapes" and "unimaginative plodder" could still be used when discussing him. But they're terms that are fairly applicable to other Potential Past Incarnations. Whereas, if the Doctor had actually referred to him as a "bumbler", then the Monk fits the description waaaayyyyy better than anyone else. 

I do still think the Monk is probably a bit more of an unimaginative plodder than the other candidates. Particularly during The Time Meddler. His plans for altering history are so massively over-contrived that they move at a snail's pace. Which, pretty much, exemplifies 'plodderishness" at its best. So that does give the Monk just a little bit of an edge in this competition.

He also exhibits quite a bit of behavior that could be described as the sort of thing a "jackanapes" might do. While I was pretty sure I knew what the term meant, I still bothered to look it up. Its main definition is: "someone impertinent". Trying to change human history while playing a bunch of pranks in the process definitely fits that description. 

POSSIBLE MONK DETRACTORS  

There is some nice evidence that supports the idea that the Monk is the Master. But there are also some factors that work against him. 

While it's not explicitly stated, the whole discussion between the Doctor and the visiting Time Lord does seem to ever-so-slightly imply that he's only ever had one fight with the Master prior to Terror of Autons. It is feasible, though, to read into that dialogue differently and say that it could just as easily hint at multiple encounters. Or one could even claim that the whole history between the two rivals is fairly nebulous. It might be only one prior meeting between the two of them. Or it could be several. There's no way to be truly sure of it. 

But it is still possible to infer from the conversation between the two Time Lords that the foes have only clashed once before Terror. Which means that, if this is the case, the Monk would be completely disqualified. We have seen him fight the Doctor twice during 60s Who. 

Some might also argue that there is just too great of a personality difference between the Monk and the Master. But the second point I make about the meeting between the Doctor and the Time Lord is the declaration that the Master was a lot more incompetent in his earlier days. This description certainly suits the Monk! 

We should also bring up the fact that it is possible to see drastic differences in personality after a Time Lord regenerates. Compare the Second Doctor to the Third. Or Five to Six. It's almost difficult to believe that they are meant to be the same character. 

The Master could have gone through a similar process. Essentially, a lot can change when regeneration occurs. So it is more-than-feasible that the Monk and the Master are one and the same. The variance in their demeanor holds no real validity in an argument against this notion. 

In the end, we definitely can't rule out the Monk as being an earlier version of the Master. There is a substantial amount of evidence that supports the idea. And the things that negate the concept are not particularly substantial. But I will admit: Because I remembered that scene in Terror of the Autons incorrectly, my argument for him is substantially weaker than I'd originally believed it to be. 

"BUT LISTEN TO THE MUSIC, ROB!" 

And then, finally, we get to the one everyone's talking about. That guy with the background music.  Apparently, his soundtrack convinces a ton of people that he will someday transform into Roger Delgado.  

Okay, so even if we considered this new version of The War Games "legitimate canon", a bit of incidental music still can't really be construed as absolute proof that the War Chief is the Doctor. 

"But it's the Master's Theme Song!" the Believers point out, "Why would they use it if they weren't trying to say that the War Chief is the Master?!" 

If we really want to follow that sort of logic to its ultimate conclusion, then we can still dismiss this "crucial evidence" with relative ease. They use the Master's theme because he's an evil Renegade Time Lord. And so is the War Chief. So the theme suits him. 

"But it's still the Master's Theme, Rob!" the Believers persist. 

To which I respond: "Sometimes, just sometimes, the show has been known to use a specific musical theme for one thing and then designate it to something else. It's not unheard of." 

"Prove it to us, Rob!" 

"Sure." I reply:

One of the few things that irritates me about Web of Fear (aside from that jerk that worked at the TV station where it was found stealing Part Three) is the way they used the theme music that had been reserved for the Cybermen during a battle between UNIT and the Yeti. I had loved the way that music played as we would watch the Cybermen come lumbering along on the surface of the Moon or in the Tombs of Telos. And now, suddenly, that same tune was ringing out as the Yeti stomped through the streets of London and ruthlessly killed UNIT soldiers. 

Does this mean that the Yeti were actually fur-covered Cybermen trying to conceal their identity? Of course not! Both the Yeti and the Cybermen are tall, deadly giants that have no reservations about causing harm to unfortunate humans. So the the theme music works for both of them. I'm still ever-so-slightly bothered that the Yeti stole the Cybermen's music. But it does suit the scene.  

Which means, of course, that if the Master's Theme Song is playing while we see the War Chief - that doesn't mean they're the same individual. Just as the Yeti can steal the Cybermen's music but still be the Yeti. It's a simple case of using a soundtrack for two things that are vaguely similar to each other. 

OTHER THINGS THAT NEGATE THE WAR CHIEF THEORY

Point #1 

Some fans will speak of a second sound cue in The War Games - Remixed that they feel proves the War Chief is the Master. But, once again, the evidence is far from being strong enough. 

In the original ten-part epic, the War Chief is executed and his corpse is hauled off by extras. To all intents and purposes, this looks like one of those occasions where a Time Lord's body was too badly damaged and he wasn't able to regenerate. But, in this new version, we hear a regeneration sound effect as the guards drag his body away. 

"He's turning into Roger Delgado!" the Believers proclaim. 

And I suppose he could be. But he could, just as easily, be turning into anyone. It's entirely possible that we're watching a Time Lord who isn't the Master regenerating. 

I will also re-emphasize: I don't count this re-imagining of War Games as being any kind of real continuity. But, even if it was, I'd need more than a regeneration sound effect to convince me the War Chief was the Master. I'd need to see a proper visual effect of the War Chief turning into Roger Delgado. Otherwise, this is could just be any old Time Lord regenerating. 

So there is nothing in this scene that genuinely proves this character is the Master. 

Point #2: 

The conversation on the radio telescope between Doctor Three and the Time Lord works just a little bit against the War Chief. I wouldn't really consider the War Chief to be much of a jackanapes. At least, he doesn't really behave that way in front of the Doctor. He's a bit impertinent when dealing with the Security Chief, but the Doctor doesn't really see much of their interaction. 

Nor would I call him an unimaginative plodder. His plans for conquering the Galaxy seem to be moving at a fairly brisk pace. His sense of strategy actually shows a pretty good breadth of vision, too. "Unimaginative" is hardly an adjective that I think applies to him. 

Still, this is just the Doctor talkin' crap. He wanted to make some disparaging remarks. They didn't need to be entirely accurate. They just needed to be insulting. 

POINTS THAT SUPPORT THE WAR CHIEF THEORY

Okay, I've taken a lot of time and effort to point out ideas that work against the War Chief being the Master. I did this, of course, because there's a pretty strong opinion running through Fandom, at the moment, that believes the opposite. I felt I needed to fight that idea a bit harder than normal in order to truly get my points across. 

But now I'll be a little nicer. There are a few things that do support the idea that the War Chief could be the Master.  

Point #1:

The War Chief is using an "M.O." that we've frequently seen the Master employ. 

During The War Games, the War Chief allies himself with someone in order to exploit their resources. At the first available opportunity, he will betray those allies and try to wipe them out. 

We've seen the Master do this any number of times, too. Like the War Chief, these alliances are frequently made with an entire race rather than just an individual. He's done this sort of thing with Sea Devils, Daleks, Kasaavins and so on. He's even formed an alliance with all of humanity. He concealed their identity for a bit by referring to them as:"Toclofane". 

Since both of these characters are using similar tactics, it's entirely possible that this is the same Time Lord in different incarnations. Mind you, it's not like there aren't other baddies in the Whoniverse that work to that pattern too. The Sontarans, for instance, quite ruthlessly exploited the Vardans in an attempt to invade Gallifrey. Should we start assuming that, because Sontarans employ a similar strategy, they are the result of some weird cloning experiment that the Master performed on himself? Or should we just accept that forming alliances that will, eventually, lead to betrayal is just an effective way for a villain to get what they want? Which means, of course, that a lot of them will do it. Even ones that aren't the Master.     

Point #2: 

It's almost irrelevant, but it is still quite hard to refute. 

Basically, the War Chief looks a lot like the Master. 

Choosing a similar aesthetic throughout multiple incarnations is not an uncommon thing for the Master to do. Just about any incarnation capable of growing facial hair ends up experimenting with it, at least, a little bit. Even the John Simm Master was sporting a goatee for a while. 

The War Chief isn't wearing a traditional goatee, of course. But it is "goateeish". He's also swept his hair back and is maintaining a general "classical melodrama villain vibe". This is a look we've seen Roger Delgado, Anthony Ainley and even Gordon Tipple use during their portrayals (it's difficult to see Tipple in the actual story but there's some publicity stills that show him off quite nicely).

Amusingly enough, this is probably the strongest piece of evidence that supports the concept that the War Chief is the Master. He really does look like he could be an incarnation of the evil Renegade. 

Does this mean, for sure, that he's the Master? Of course not! Professor Stahlman from the story Inferno had quite the magnificent goatee going on (the one from our reality, at least). Should we assume he is another version of the Master? Or should we just agree that goatees look really awesome so really cool guys like to wear them? 

SPECIAL NOTE: If you're suspecting that I'm giving goatees such high praise because I, occasionally, sculpt my own incredible beard into one - then you've guessed correctly!  

FINAL ANALYSIS 

Once more, I've done what I always try to do with any POINT OF DEBATE essay. I've examined a "grey area" in the Lore and considered it from every possible angle. I've looked at everything that supports or negates a certain Popular Fan Theory and strived to remain neutral on the matter so that you can form your own opinion. 

I will, however, finish this entry off a bit differently from most. If we really look over the evidence, the Monk does seem more likely to be a previous incarnation of the Master than anyone else. Even with the mistake I made regarding how he was described in Terror of the Autons, there are just more things that point to him being an earlier version of the Master than there are for anyone else. It even helps a bit that we do see the Master trying to meddle with history in stories like The King's Demons or Mark of the Rani. It's almost like he enjoys getting up to his old tricks every once in a while.     

Since I'm already ending this post in an unusual way, I'll also venture my own opinion on the issue. Even with all the evidence that supports the idea that the Monk is the Master, it is still only circumstantial. There is no positive proof that any of our three candidates from 60s Who were earlier incarnations. I'm a big enough jerk to even claim that if The New War Games had dropped in an effect showing the War Chief turning into Roger Delgado, I just wouldn't consider it canon. Only what we witness in the original version of the story counts. 

As far as I'm concerned, we never saw a previous incarnation of the Master during 60s Who. That is my final verdict. 

Of course, an observant reader might say something to the nature of: "Okay then, Rob. If you don't think any of these guys were the Master, then how does that scene in Terror of the Autons actually work?! The Doctor had to have met his arch-nemesis sometime before this particular story. When did it occur?! Huh?! When, Rob?! When?!" 

The answer is simple: Like most fans, I subscribe to the idea of a Season 6b. Sometime between visiting the Brigadier at the UNIT reunion and bawling out Dastari for his unstable time travel experiments, the Second Doctor had a run-in or two with the Master. I would even hazard a guess that it was the Roger Delgado version since the Third Doctor has no trouble recognizing him. Nor does he make any comments, in general, about him regenerating. Which is something Time Lords often do when they encounter each other and one of them is in a new incarnation. 

So, there you have it. In my complex World View, none of the guys that we looked at in this essay were the Master. Instead, he popped up at some point during the many unseen adventures of Season 6b. 

All that Point of Debating for nothing! What a fool I am to indulge in such a flight of fancy but then claim that none of it amounts to anything. Just the sort of thing that I would do!

If you'd like me to expand a bit on this whole "meeting the Master during Season 6b" nonsense, I do it here:    

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/10/chronologies-and-timelines-master-part-1.html

 

ANALYTICAL: SECRET INCARNATIONS - PARTS OF THE DOCTOR'S LIFE HE DOESN'T TALK ABOUT: EPISODE TWO

Oh look! I'm actually continuing a series I started rather than getting distracted like a magpie!   

Just in case you missed it, here's Episode One: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/12/analytical-hidden-incarnations-parts-of.html

After a great debate over the nature of the mysterious faces in the mind-bending battle during Brain of Morbius, we can finally move on to the other Hidden Doctors that have come to light in New Who. Ultimately, we will even solve the mystery of who those eight incarnations in Morbius were....

THAT CRAZY WAR DOCTOR 

While I suppose we could make a brief pitstop to discuss the nature of the Valeyard, (I've actually already done that it in great detail here: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/preview/4155651475182736486/7408633233701201961), it would be better to just jump over to the War Doctor. The Valeyard seems to be more of a special being created from the Doctor rather than a "proper" incarnation of him. Whereas the War Doctor definitely qualifies as a Secret Incarnation. 

From a behind-the-scenes perspective, the War Doctor was created purely out of pragmatism. For the Fiftieth Anniversary Special, Steven Moffat had wanted to bring back Christopher Eccleston and have him be the Doctor who fought in the Time Wars. Eccleston, however, declined the invitation. So Moff came up with the idea of a specific incarnation that battled the Daleks and the Nightmare Child and all those other weird evil beings that were trying to take over all of Time and Space. 

And thus, the War Doctor was born. 

According to the narrative Moff created, the Doctor was so ashamed of all the atrocities he committed during that time that he chose to hide this particular version of himself as well as he could. He never spoke to anyone about him once combat was over. Which meant that only other participants in the Time Wars knew of this version of him. They were all sealed inside a Time Lock. So it wouldn't be hard to keep him concealed. 

This, essentially, is how the War Doctor became a Secret Incarnation. He remains buried in the Doctor's past until he is, at last, unveiled during Name of the Doctor.

I have written extensively on how, from a narrative standpoint, the War Doctor makes a lot of sense. How it was much smarter to bring him into existence rather than actually use Eccleston in Day of the Doctor. I mean, Nine still could have been participating in the adventure. But I don't think he should have been the Doctor that fought in the Time Wars.  

Because I've dealt with all this in another entry, I won't go over it again too much in this one. If you want to read more about it, go here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/01/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-why-we.html ("Two links in one section?! Makes you a rather self-referential middle-aged male, doesn't it?!")

One of the biggest reasons why we needed a War Doctor was that I think it works better that our hero compartmentalizes what he did in the Time Wars. It was an event he used a specific incarnation to participate in. Eight "dies" just before he starts fighting and Nine emerges just after the battle truly finishes. That has a better symmetry to it. 

My second major reason for why we needed a War Doctor is super-nitpicky. During Rose, Nine sees himself in the mirror for the first time. This alludes to the idea that he's freshly-regenerated. The Time Wars seem to have just recently ended. So him being a different incarnation up until their conclusion fits well with what we see in the first episode of the New Series. From what we will gather later, those wars lasted for quite some time. It would be difficult to believe that Nine never once checked himself in a  mirror throughout that entire period. So either Eight fought in the wars (which, as Moff points out, seems very out-of-character), or a very specific incarnation existed during that era of his life. 

HITTING THE BEATS

Just before wrapping up the previous entry, I mentioned the two important "beats" that every good Hidden Incarnation Reveal needs. The War Doctor does a substantially-good job of accomplishing these two tasks. 

The shock value of this Reveal is quite excellent. Especially with all the excitement of seeing previous incarnations running around all over the place. That already had us highly-agitated. Dropping that huge bomb at the very end of the episode was quite spectacular. And it was done in an intensely dramatic way. Because of how it was all orchestrated, it could just be the most shocking Reveal of them all. 

Teasing things out didn't, necessarily, go on as long as the Brain of Morbius faces (but then, has anything?!). We started getting answers to our questions about the identity of this enigmatic incarnation in the very next episode. In fact, there was even a mini-sode that came out prior to Day of the Doctor that solved most of the mystery 

Admittedly, there were still a few long, painful months to wait before we got Night or Day of the Doctor. So the tease was still there. And it was suitably tormenting. But this is still definitely a weaker beat. I get that we couldn't be kept waiting long. Who the War Doctor was needed to be answered within the fiftieth anniversary year. But there may have been a way to construct that tease just a little bit better...

THAT EVEN CRAZIER TIMELESS CHILD 

And so, at last, the Riddle of the Eight Faces in Brain of Morbius is solved. According to Chris Chibnall, they're incarnations of the Timeless Child. Just to make sure we've definitely clued into this, he has a few images of the mind-bending battle from Morbius thrown into a flashback sequence during The Timeless Children. Which was actually helpful. It had been several decades since the story was first broadcast!     

What's even more interesting about the Timeless Child, however, is how many other continuity issues she helps to resolve. Things like: Why does the Doctor only have one heart during his first two incarnations? Or: What are these strange links the Doctor seems to have to Ancient Gallifrey that Season Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six allude to? Or even: Is the Doctor actually half-human?! Using this new Lore that Chibnall has given us can actually get a lot of these conundrums to make a sort of sense. I take the trouble to do all that in this particular entry: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-silliness.html

Of course, the Timeless Child is controversial. There are fans who seem to utterly despise her (or, perhaps, are just bothered by certain politics that were going on during this period and are looking for any little thing to bitch about). For me, however, there is no controversy. I love the Timeless Child. I think she's an absolutely brilliant idea that takes the whole show in some interesting new directions. And I especially like her because she does fix a up a bunch of inconsistencies the show has created within itself. Doctor Who, literally, makes more sense if you accept the Timeless Child!  

OTHER VERSIONS BEYOND THE FUGITIVE

When it comes to the Timeless Child, she is chiefly represented as the Fugitive Doctor played by Jo Martin. She first appears in Fugitive of Judoon (and that Reveal Scene will have its Beats discussed shortly), but makes three more cameos in The Timeless Children, Once, Upon Time and Power of the Doctor. A cameo is not an unusual thing for a Hidden Incarnation to get. But the Fugitive Doctor seems to be enjoying a Lion's Share. 

But she is not the only manifestation of the Timeless Child. As the Master unveils the Doctor's past to her within the Matrix, we see several young-looking versions of the character. There's the incarnation Tecteun first meets underneath the dimensional rift (what we assume to be her original form). Then there's the second incarnation that comes along after she falls from the cliff. Then we get something that has just a bit of a Brain of Morbius mind-bending vibe to it: Another rapid succession of images showing off various incarnations in a matter of seconds. This time we only see five more of them. But one almost expects to hear the Master ask: "How far back do you go, Doctor?!" as the sequence plays out. 

This is the only Reveal that doesn't really play by the standard rules. We were in the middle of a sizeable info-dump as it was all playing out. There really wasn't the time to toy with shock value or teasing things out. Just a quick allusion to the idea that there is a whole host of other bodies that the Doctor has had that we weren't the slightest bit aware of till that moment. It still has a very interesting effect on us as we watch it. It's just not the usual way of handling this sort of thing. 

And then there's the Secret Incarnation that kinda sits in a grey area. Brendan is a "proper" human. He seems to be some sort of special transitional state that was used to change the Timeless Child into a regular Time Lord. Admittedly, it does almost feel like we can't call him an incarnation. It would be like taking the occasions where the Doctor used the Chameleon Arch to transform into Ruth or John Smith and claim they constitute as incarnations too. 

And yet, he does get handled in a similar fashion to a Secret Incarnation. There is a mystery to his character that gets ever-so-slightly teased out. He's introduced in Ascension of the Cybermen but it's not explained at all why we're even watching the edited highlights of his life. Only in the next episode do we learn the reason why he's been included in the story. And the way in which we find out who Brendan really is definitely has some shock value to it. 

So it does feel as though we can call Brendan another Hidden Incarnation. Even if he is just a mere human and not some super-sophisticated alien being. 

BEATS OF THE FUGITIVE 

And now, let's go back to the "main" incarnation of the Timeless Child: the Fugitive Doctor. She's the one who really gets the ball rolling with this whole story arc. Up until her first appearance, the only other mention we'd gotten of her was from a group highly-telepathic carnivorous sentient rags. 

In the last section, we see that even Brendan manages to hit those two crucial beats a bit. But how well does the Fugitive Doctor accomplish this feat? 

Quite well, I'd say. 

The shock factor of her Reveal is brutal. Quite possibly, the best one of them all. Thirteen realizing she's dug up her own TARDIS and then looking up to see the Fugitive Doctor introducing herself could not have been more brilliantly-executed. Fugitive of the Judoon was already a very enjoyable little episode before this bomb dropped. After the Reveal, the whole story kicks into overdrive. What remains of the tale is absolutely marvelous. I have no clue what's truly going on with this strange new version of the Doctor that I've never seen before - but I love it! 

Teasing things out is done a bit more effectively than what was created for the War Doctor. Yes, ultimately, we get most of our answers before the years is over. Just like we did with 'Ole Warry. But arranging the Reveal in the middle of the season and then going back to regular episodes for a while certainly makes the waiting more painful. 

Of all the Reveals, I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite.     

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES:

As we wrap up the entry, there's just a few stray ideas regarding this subject matter that we should probably try to tackle:

 

1) Some might like to argue that the Curator qualifies as another Secret Incarnation. There's certainly an air of mystery to him as we don't know where he comes from or how exactly he fits into the Doctor's whole timeline. He alludes to the idea that he hails from Eleven's future. That he's wearing a previous face because he likes to "re-visit old favorites" every once in a while. 

That's the most we get out of him on the matter. This certainly feels like things might be getting teased out a bit before we get a proper answer about him (if we ever will). There's also a certain bit of shock value to the way his whole cameo was set up.    

Of course, now that we've had the Sixtieth anniversary we can do a bit of extrapolation and work out where the Curator might hail from. He's, more than likely, the next incarnation of the "Tennant half" of the bi-generation that happened at the end of The Giggle. The very fact that the Doctor re-dons his tenth form for the anniversary year shows him already re-visiting one "old favorite". So it's pretty safe to assume that he'll continue a bit with this trend of wearing previous bodies. Sometime in his future, he'll regenerate again and turn into Old Tom Baker. Still in the mood to enjoy a quiet life, he'll jump into Earth's past a bit and take up a job as the Curator of the Under-Gallery of Britain. Whereupon, of course, he'll run into his eleventh incarnation and offer him a bit of advice. 

But does this make him a Secret Incarnation? 

Hidden Incarnations, for me, feel like they should come from somewhere in the Doctor's past rather than the future. As a rule, a secret stems from something that's happened rather than something that will someday occur. So I'm inclined to feel as though the Curator is not a Hidden Incarnation. Not sure exactly what his label might be - but he's not that!

2) This Hidden Incarnation stuff has started becoming very popular in New Who. It seems like every Head Writer now wants to create one. RTD didn't do it on his first time round. But, after seeing all the fun Moff and Chibbers had with it, decided to jump on the bandwagon when he came back. 

His Reveal is another one that bears the vaguest of resemblances to the mind-bending battle in Brain of Morbius. This sequence does seem to have become the point of reference the writers use most when creating this sort of thing. We don't, necessarily, have a lot of Secret Incarnation Reveals throughout the history of the show. But, when we do, they do like to imitate this scene. 

Like in Brain of Morbius, the incarnation is revealed as a sort of ghostly still image created through technology. In this instance, it's one of several faces viewed in a series of holograms that appear after the Doctor gets Rogue to do a full scan of him. We see the usual suspects of the Doctor's past selves. William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, etc.... We even get the latest updates with Jodie Whitaker and Jo Martin being included in the gallery (a Rogue's Gallery, if you will. God, I'm so punny!). But then we get something that was totally thrown in to get a rise out of us. In among the many familiar faces is one that only, sort of, belongs there. From out of nowhere, Richard E. Grant suddenly appears! 

It doesn't help that the faces of the past incarnations are shown out of order. Which means, of course, that we can have no way of truly knowing where Grant fits within the timeline. But the impact of such a small gesture was huge. Fans postulated like crazy about how he has suddenly become part of the Doctor's lineage. Even I did: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/06/point-of-debate-where-does-richard-e.html

THAT COVERS EVERYTHING (I THINK)

Well, that seems to be about it.  My attempt at the most thorough of discussions regarding what has become a fairly prolific topic seems to be complete. I'm pretty sure I've covered everyone that fits the description of a Hidden Incarnation. And I've managed to disqualify the few that resemble the concept but don't quite make the cut. 

Clearly, introducing us to Secret Incarnations has been a way of building up the whole mystery of the Doctor. It's meant to show that there are all sorts elements to his past that we're not fully aware of. That there are still plenty of things to discover about him.

It seems to be a common misconception among fans that this sort of trend didn't really start until New Who. Which is part of what compelled me to cover the subject. It was first done during the early days of Tom Baker. A second attempt was starting to be made near the end of the original run. It was never completed because the show went off the air before the arc could reach its full trajectory. But, had there been a few more seasons, we would have seen the Doctor also being represented as the Other. Who would have come with a few incarnations of his own. 

Ultimately, of course, Chibnall just re-jigged the concept of the Other slightly and gave us the Timeless Child. I'm not sure which "hidden life" storyline I like better. It's difficult to judge since we only saw the slightest hints of the Other. But I do think that discovering that the Doctor had a whole existence prior to his current identity was inevitable. Not just to get the mind-binding battle in Morbius to finally make sense. But it's just a great way to re-emphasize the "Who" in the show's title. 

Of course, these other Hidden Incarnations we've gotten have been great fun, too. Even though I highly doubt we'll ever get a proper explanation of Richard E. Grant!    

Maybe, just maybe, I'll finally wrap up my REVIEW OVERVIEW in my next entry. We'll see....