A FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES essay! I haven't done one of those in ages. Mainly because I've tackled most of the major problems in canon that the show has presented over the years. Or I've been having fun discussing but not trying to solve plot holes in some of my COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS essays ("A Few of my Favorite Plot Holes" Part One: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/06/complete-and-utter-silliness-few-of-my.html Part Two: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/09/complete-and-utter-silliness-few-of-my.html).
But I have been re-watching a bit of the Tennant era, lately. The John Simm Master has been going on endlessly about those drum beats he hears in his head. So I thought I should take a closer look at this storyline since it doesn't really make much sense in the overall continuity of the character. Instead of just mocking plot inconsistencies like I have been, of late, I thought I should put my imagination to work and try to come up with a bit of headcanon to solve it.
THE RETURN OF THE MASTER!
Like many Old School Hardcore Who Fans, my heart swelled with joy as Utopia aired for the first time way back in 2007. Russell T. Davies had made it sound like no other Time Lords besides the Doctor had survived the Time Wars. Which implied, of course, that the Doctor's beloved arch-nemesis would not be making a return in the New Series. It would appear as if the Master had perished from the Universe along with the all the other Gallifreyans.
And yet, somehow, we were all certain he had survived. He was too great of an enemy to be written out of the show. Like the Daleks and the Cybermen, he had to still be thriving in the Doctor Who Rogue's Gallery. We needed him to be plaguing the Doctor some more now that the show was back on the air. There must be some sort of Plot Loop Hole in the Time War that the Master had taken advantage of that would enable him to engage in battle, once again, with our favorite Time Lord.
Naturally enough, RTD came up with that plot hole. Quite cleverly, he had the Brilliant Paul Cornell (why has this man only written three episodes?! Bring him back!!!) introduce us to the concept of a Chameleon Arch earlier in the season. And then, suddenly, we meet Professor Yana in Utopia. Like Tremas in Keeper of Traken, he is a man whose name means more than we realize.
WHY THE DRUMS DON'T MAKE SENSE
Before Yana uses his own Chameleon Arch to switch back to the Master, he complains of this persistent drumming sound that he constantly hears in his head. I think it's safe to say that most of us assumed this was some sort of weird side effect from having his biology re-written for so long. His true identity was calling to him through the sound of pounding drums. Or something of that nature.
But then, the Master does re-assert himself in Yana. He gets shot by Chang-Tho and regenerates into John Simm. We plunge into the season finale shortly thereafter.
But this weird drumming noise doesn't go away in the new incarnation. In fact, the Master is now claiming that he has heard this strange beat in his head throughout all of his life. This revelation certainly makes the character seem even more insane than we've ever known him (and the Master has been pretty damned nuts for quite a while, now!). But it also doesn't make sense.
If, at some point before Utopia, we had heard the Master complaining of this particular ailment - it would be far easier to accept this new development. But we've never heard the Roger Delgado Master turn to Azal during The Daemons and say something to the nature of: "Excuse me a moment, Oh Mighty One, I'm having the worst headache because of this drumbeat I always hear!". Or the Ainley Master say to the Rani: "I'm indestructible, the whole Universe knows that! But I sure wish I could get these drumbeats to stop!" Or even Eric Roberts proclaim: "Soon, Doctor, I will have all your lives. And, hopefully, in your body - those stupid drums will stop pounding in my head!".
But we never get any of that. Yana is the first to ever mention it. And then the Simm Master can't seem to stop talking about it. Up until Utopia, there hasn't been the slightest hint that the Master suffers from this problem. But now it seems to be plaguing him constantly. This seems to be a massive inconsistency that needs to be addressed.
WERE THERE, AT LEAST, HINTS?
Part One: Megalomania
While we never heard any incarnations previous to Derek Jacobi verbalising that they were hearing drums in their head, it's entirely possible that they just never chose to talk about it. Expressing that imaginary percussion is constantly running through your thoughts is not something you, generally, reveal to your arch rival. So it is quite feasible that the Master did have this problem throughout all of his lives. He's just kept it a secret up until the events of Utopia.
If this is the case, then we should probably try to find hints that this problem was going on the whole time. That those persistent drumbeats were always there and that they had an influence on the Master's behavior. To the best of our knowledge, no other Time Lord has ever had this mental issue. So if we can find evidence of the Master doing things that sets him apart from the rest of his people, we can attribute that to being a possible effect of the curse Rassilon imposed upon him when he stared into the Untempered Schism. From there, we might actually be able to claim that, even though he never admitted to it at the time, the Master was suffering his entire life(ves) from the sound of drums beating away inside his mind.
Basically, we're trying to say that a unique condition should create a unique response. Which, in turn, creates unusual behavior. If we can see some evidence of this - then we can believe that the Master was plagued by those drums the whole time.
One thing we see in the Master's earlier days that could support this notion would be his desire for universal domination. This is certainly a personality trait that we don't see in most other members of his race. In fact, most Time Lords are the anti-thesis of a lust for power. They are one of the most advanced civilisations in all of Time and Space. Which gives them the ability to do, just-about, anything they could desire. And yet, most Time Lords restrain those abilities and are content to merely observe what goes on around them and never get involved. If that doesn't show a resistance towards abuse of power, I don't know what does!
There are, of course, some Time Lords who have renounced this way of life like the Master has. Many of them, however, do not go out into the Universe and try to take it over. A lot of them, in fact, seem to just leave the Citadel and become Shobogans. Some of them will leave Gallifrey but still live fairly peaceful lives. Like K'anpo Ripoche did on Earth or Azmael did on Joconda (yes, he became the ruler of the planet, but he was clearly a benevolent leader). You even have the Doctor renouncing his Time Lord Lifestyle and just deciding to travel beyond Gallifrey to see some sights and, occasionally, right some wrongs.
The Master, on the other hand, has chosen a particularly different path. Throughout the Roger Delgado incarnation, he is trying to formulate plans that will give him enormous power and control. Could this desire to dominate stem from the way the never-ending drums affect him? Other Time Lords who don't hear drums don't seem to act this way. So this can be legitimate evidence of the drumbeats' influence.
There is, quite naturally, some evidence to negate this. Yes, the Master is somewhat rare in his motives. But he's not, technically, the only renegade Time Lord that we've seen with plans for conquest. The War Chief from The War Games was equally power-hungry. As was the Rani. Particularly in Time and the Rani when she is trying to create a Time Manipulator. We could even say the Monk had a bit of a taste for conquest. He just wasn't as ambitious as some of the other evil renegades we've come across.
So, yes, the Master's megalomania makes him a bit distinct from the rest of his kind. But there are others with similar motives who, to the best of our knowledge, don't suffer at all from his particular affliction. So we can't, necessarily, claim that this particular character trait is a result of it. It's possible that the sound of drums aggravates the problem, but it's not what caused it.
WERE THERE, AT LEAST, HINTS?
Part Two: The Quest for Immortality
Eventually, the Delgado Master will move into his Peter Pratt/Geoffrey Beevers version(s). His motivations change slightly when this happens. He's much more hell-bent on trying to find a way to survive the end of his regeneration cycle. This desire to extend his lifespan becomes a huge obsession for him. He makes, at least, two distinct attempts to destroy entire civilisations (one of them being his own planet of origin) to accomplish this. We will also, eventually, see the Eric Roberts Master go to great lengths to try steal the Doctor's remaining lives so that he can avoid his final fate.
This just might be the evidence we're looking for that shows the drumbeats are affecting him.
We've heard quite a bit about how most Time Lords handle the end of their regeneration cycle. In Deadly Assassin, we learn they willingly attach themselves to the Matrix for one last brain scan to ensure that all their memories are properly stored. In The Magician's Apprentice, we are told that they prepare a Confession Dial when they know their end is imminent. They also undergo deep meditation to prepare themselves for their final passing (the Doctor doesn't quite follow this pattern. He throws a big party, instead - but he is still accepting the situation). We actually watch Azmael will himself to death during Twin Dilemma. He knows he's on his last incarnation but he still tries to induce a regeneration so the he can expel Mestor's evil from the Universe. He chooses to make a noble sacrifice rather than continue clinging to what little life he has left. Even the Doctor during Time of the Doctor knows that he has no more lives left and will pass away on Trenzalore. It is Clara's pleading with the Time Lords that grants him his extra regeneration cycle. The Doctor makes no attempts to prolong his life(ves). He faces his final moments bravely.
Time Lords don't seem to have this insistent desire to keep on living past the final incarnation. Instead, they appear to be ready to accept the end when it comes. It's a significant part of their culture to let themselves pass when the moment is upon them. So could the fact that the Master keeps struggling to live on be a result of the madness the sound of drums inspires?
Once more, this evidence isn't completely consistent. Other Time Lords have sought immortality in the same obsessive manner that the Master has. Borussa re-constructed the entire Game of Rassilon just so he could take Rassilon's Ring and go on living forever and ever. And we're aware of, at least, three other Time Lords who have attempted the same. This indicates that there are Time Lords out there besides the Master who will not meekly allow their ending to happen.
So the Master seeking immortality the way he has does not, necessarily, qualify as a symptom of mental imbalance caused by his affliction. Other Time Lords, from time-to-time, will also behave in a such a counter-cultural manner.
WERE THERE, AT LEAST, HINTS?
Part Three: General Madness
As we move on to the Anthony Ainley Master, the evil Time Lord undergoes a serious personality change. Before stealing the body of Tremas, the Master had always showed signs of being a bit unhinged. But now, he definitely seems off his rocker!
The most evident change is his core motivation. In the Delgado Days, it was all about trying to overthrow the Universe. Clearly, ambitions have to alter a bit as he reaches the final incarnation(s) of Pratt/Beevers. He needs to find a way to artificially extend his life. But, after accomplishing that, the Master seems to be all over the place.
On some occasions, the evil Time Lord seems to be consumed with a horrible desire for revenge on his greatest foe. Entire stories like Catrovalva or Mark of the Rani are built principally around the idea of luring the Doctor into a trap (the Master does have some discussions with the Rani about using the Earth as a sort of power base in his schemes for Universal domination, but that only comes later in the plot). During other adventures like The King's Demons or Logopolis, he does go back to his older ways of just wanting to dominate the Universe. But that's something that only happens from time-to-time. As if his desire for conquest is now something more fleeting or impulsive. Most interestingly, however, is how "sloppy" the Master is becoming. There are adventures like Timeflight, Planet of Fire and Survival where he is displaying a very different motivation from anything we've ever seen before. He is really just trying to clean up a mess he's accidentally created for himself.
The Ainley incarnation is definitely very erratic. We see all kinds of examples in various stories where he behaves most unreasonably. He was much colder and calculating in his earlier versions, now he's downright unstable.
A great example of this occurs near the end of the first episode of Mark of the Rani. The Doctor is strapped to a gurney in the Rani's lab and wants to escape. He relies on the Master's madness to accomplish this. His arch nemesis is showing him an image on a scanner of his beloved TARDIS being dropped into a pit. The Doctor pretends to not believe what he's seeing, knowing this latest version of the Master will become infuriated by his disbelief. This compels the dark renegade to behave in the most insensible of manners. He takes the Doctor outside for a better view. Which enables the Doctor to make his getaway. I really can't see an earlier incarnation going to such great lengths to torment the Doctor. These actions, to me, are the result of a man who is truly beginning to lose his grip.
This kind of madness intensifies with Eric Roberts in the role. The Master taking time out for a costume change before destroying the world and stealing the rest of the Doctor's lives seems even crazier than anything Ainley's portrayal got up to.
We don't see much of Derek Jacobi's interpretation since, most of the time, he is Professor Yana. But Simm seems even nuttier. His final moments during End of Time - Part Two really exemplify this. Never before could we envision the Master suddenly deciding to sacrifice himself by taking on Rassilon and flinging the both of them back into the Time Wars. His unstable personality is suddenly seized by a deep desire for revenge against the Lord President and he commits himself to the most uncharacteristic of actions. He appears to be genuinely throwing his life away. This is the Master losing all sensibility.
So could that endless drumbeat inside his head be slowly driving him crazy? The fact that his sanity seems to slip more and more as he grows older definitely seems to support this. I know if I suffered from the same ailment, I might be able to still function rationally when I'm younger. But it would eventually get the best of me and I would become more and more insane as I aged. It stands to reason that the Master might go through a similar process.
The problem with this idea, of course, is that we do discover that the Time Lords appear to remove the drumbeat from the Master's consciousness sometime after the events of The End of Time (we would assume in The Doctor Falls that when the Master says "they cured me of my little condition" that this included the sound of drums problem - since it is never mentioned again after End of Time). This doesn't seem to improve the Time Lord's mental health, however. Both the Michelle Gomez and the Sacha Dhawan Master show all kinds of instability. Missy building a huge, unbeatable Cyber Army and then handing it over to the Doctor is a great example of this in her incarnation. Dhawan's behavior, in general, seems certifiable. Even little details like imitating the marching sound of his Cyber-Masters leave us thinking there is just no sanity left in this man.
To me, if he was cured of the eternal drumbeat, the Master should have settled back down after End of Time. Gomez and Dhawan's portrayals should have been more in keeping with how Delgado played the role. But this is definitely not the direction the character went in. This leads me to believe, then, that the sound of drums had little to do with the degenerating sanity that we see in Ainley, Roberts or Simm. I'm more inclined to believe that it's all the bad choices the character continues to make that has led him down this dark path that is eroding his entire sense of reason.
SINCE THE HINTS SEEM INCONCLUSIVE, HOW DO WE RECONCILE THIS?
It seems there's nothing that truly re-enforces the idea that the Master, in his earlier days, was hearing those drums. His unusual behavior in his youth is subjective evidence, at best. And yet, Simm's Master claims he has been hearing those four beats all his life. Rassilon, himself, backs up the idea in End of Time when he orders the sound of drums to be implanted into the Master's consciousness when he's but a mere boy.
So how do we get this to work? New Who is saying one thing about the Master but Classic Who seems to negate the fact. Is there some way for all of this to gel?
As usual, a certain amount of straw-clutching is going to be required. There is a snippet of dialogue in The End of Time where the Master claims to be hearing the drums louder than he ever has before. This statement could have any number of implications. But I'd like to think that the Time Lords intentionally made the sound intensify as the Day of The Return came closer. When the Master was younger, the drumbeat was very faint. Barely perceptible. But it was still there. Always haunting him, but having little bearing on his behavior.
But the High Council wanted something powerful to latch onto as they neared the final days of the Time War. So they designed the sound of drums to become louder inside the Master's mind as they reached the point where the breach through the Time Lock would occur.
This is a sound strategy for multiple reasons. The biggest one being that if the drumbeat was always so loud in the Master's head - he probably would have completely lost his mind before the events of End of Time. He might have even just killed himself in a fit of pique. At the very best, he would have been too big of a mess to execute any sort of constructive plan that would have created the circumstances that occurred on Earth when Gallifrey briefly hung in its sky.
The Master is about the same age as the Doctor. Which means that, by Tennant's final two episodes, he would have heard those drums for, at least, 900 years (more than likely, a lot longer than that. I believe the Doctor is far older than he is saying during the RTD era. Read about my theories here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/03/fixing-continuity-glitches-doctors-age_9.html). If those drums were pounding away at full volume that whole time, would anyone have been able to withstand it?
I think the Time Lords played things smart. The link needed to be established in the Master at an early age. The sound of drums did have some effect on all the unusual behavior I described in previous sections of this essay. But the drumbeat was very subtle at the beginning. Becoming a bit more intense as he grew older but never getting too loud until sometime after he fled the Time Wars. This would enable the Master to be, more or less, functional up until he was ultimately needed to restore Gallifrey to the heavens.
This, I feel, gets the glitch in continuity to work. For the most part, the sound of drums were barely audible throughout most of the Master's existence. Only as we approach the Jacobi Master does the volume intensify.
So that's my theory on how RTD's little bit of retro-active canon about the Master might actually work. There are, of course, other elements of Classic Who continuity that he re-writes that I don't think I'll ever be able to retcon. Sarah Jane Smith, somehow, being in love with the Third and Fourth Doctor, for instance, is an unsolvable mystery. There really is nothing to indicates this in Old Who. And yet, this seems to be what Sarah Jane is claiming during School Reunion.
I'll never work that one out!
Still, at least it feels as though I got the Sound of Drums to make a bit of sense!!!
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