Top Five Magnificent Bastard Moments: The Simm Master (Doctor Who)

*Spoilers.*

I have my ups and downs with the John Simm version of the Master, but he does manage to be quite impressively evil during his tenure. Here are my picks for this Master at his bastard best.

 

Stranding the Doctor and His Companions (Series 3, Episode 11 – “Utopia”)

This scene remains one of my favorite cliffhangers in new Who. The newly regenerated Master starts off with quite a bang: he steals the TARDIS, stranding the Doctor, Jack, and Martha at the end of the universe. I love feeling the tension of this scene ramp up, with the Master taunting the Doctor from inside the TARDIS before gleefully peacing out.

 

Killing His Cabinet (Series 3, Episode 12 – “The Sound of Drums”)

The whole “funny”/“not funny” bit in this scene is absurdly overdone, but regardless of his shtick, the Master’s actions here are 100% cold-blooded. Newly elected prime minister thanks to low-level hypnosis performed on the entire country, the Master’s first act as the most powerful man in Britain is to gas his entire cabinet to death. After calling them traitors for jumping ship from their own parties as soon as they realized he was going to win, he nonchalantly dons a gas mask and activates dispersal units built into the conference table. As one of his dying advisors calls him insane, he gives his victim a double thumbs-up and a maniacal grin.

 

Creating the Paradox Machine (Series 3, Episode 12 – “The Sound of Drums”)

After twisting the last humans at the end of the universe into the murderous Toclafane, who obey his every whim, the Master wants to take them back to 21^st century Earth to wreak havoc on their ancestors. In order to bring his perverted scheme to light, he cannibalizes the Doctor’s TARDIS, turning it into a Paradox Machine. The TARDIS, which has aided the Doctor in saving the Earth countless times, is turned into something against its nature and forced to be complicit in its destruction. What a gross thing to do.

 

Unleashing the Toclafane (Series 3, Episode 12 – “The Sound of Drums”)

Arguably, the Master has done eviler things than this, but I feel like this is a strong contender for the most Magnificent Bastard thing they’ve ever done. He rips open the fabric of time over the skies of Earth, opening the floodgates for billions of Toclafane to rush in as he orders them to decimate the human population. The capper, though, is actually the music. The whole time he’s gloating to the Doctor and watching the bloodshed down below, he’s grooving to Rogue Traders’ “Voodoo Child.” I just…he picked out a soundtrack for the end of the world. Can you get more Magnificent Bastard than that?

 

Trapping Bill (Series 10, Episode 9 – “World Enough and Time”)

Talk about a long game! When Bill is gravely injured and separated from the Doctor, they’re on opposite ends of a ship that’s too close to the event horizon of a black hole. As proximity to the black hole slows down time on only one end of the ship, minutes go by for the Doctor while Bill waits years to be reunited with him. And while she’s stuck on the “fast end,” the Master (in disguise) is her only companion. He spends years pretending to be her friend, while she’s fitted with a Cyber chest unit to cope with her injury. In an absolute peak bastard move, the Master waits until the Doctor is on the lift heading down towards Bill before he betrays her, pretending to help her but instead trapping her in the operating theater for full Cyber conversion. By the time the Doctor arrives, Bill has already been turned into a Cyberman, and the Master taunts that he “missed her by ten minutes.” Just evil.

Top (Two) Magnificent Bastard Moments: The Jacobi Master (Doctor Who)

 *Spoilers.*

I managed to find a full Top Five for the Roberts Master, despite him only appearing in the TV movie. The Jacobi Master, meanwhile, only appears in a single episode, and what’s more, he’s not actually himself for most of it. As a result, we only have a few minutes with this Master before he regenerates. In light of that, it’s a testimony to his villainy that he manages two Magnificent Bastard moments in that timeframe.

 

Letting In the Futurekind (Series 3, Episode 11 – “Utopia”)

In his amnesiac human form, Professor Yana was all about preserving life, dedicating his life to building an escape for the rest of humanity and preparing to sacrifice himself to do it. But once the Master regains his memories, his very first act is one of violence, lowering the base’s defenses to let the ferocious Futurekind swarm in. He’s cavalier as he does this, responding to Chantho’s protests with an airy and ironic, “Where one door closes, another opens.” Stone cold—it’s as if, after spending so long as a human doing good, he has to immediately do some dastardly to wash the altruism off him.

 

Killing Chantho (Series 3, Episode 11 – “Utopia”)

It’s not enough that the Master kills Chantho, the faithful assistant who served Professor Yana for years and silently loved him. It’s that he has to mock her before he does it, berating her for never asking about the fob watch that had concealed his true memories and making fun of her cultural manner of speech. Since I started watching Doctor Who with the new series, this was my first real glimpse of the Master, and it was unnerving to see how instantly cruel and chilling he was.

Top Five Magnificent Bastard Moments: The Roberts Master (Doctor Who)

*Spoilers.*

The Eric Roberts incarnation of the Master isn’t my favorite, but he certainly has the whole “evil” thing down pat. Despite only appearing in the 1996 TV movie, I was still able to fill an entire Top Five for him. Though I have to say, his list is less Magnificent Bastard Moments and more just straight-up Bastard Moments.

 

Taking Over Bruce’s Body (Doctor Who)

Like the Anthony Ainley Master before him, this Master has a very particular M.O.: cheat death by any means necessary, no matter who he has to kill to do so. After being executed by the Daleks, the Master is able to survive as a translucent, semi-corporeal snake thing (it’s the TV movie, don’t ask for logic.) He escapes the TARDIS and hitches a ride on a passing ambulance, then follows Bruce, one of the EMTs, home. This is this incarnation of the Master in a nutshell: he attacks poor Bruce in his snake form, wriggling down the guy’s throat, suffocating him and then taking over his body when he dies. To add insult to injury, he knows Bruce’s body won’t withstand this takeover for very long, so he immediately starts plotting to take the Doctor’s body instead. The Master murders this man, essentially, to serve as his temporary transport. Cold. Blooded.

 

Possessing Grace (Doctor Who)

As a byproduct of his previous snake form interacting with Bruce’s body, the Master now has snake eyes and can secrete this weird substance that can immobilize people. We also learn, unfortunately, that he can use it to possess people. Grace gets hit by a stray splash of the substance in the ambulance, and that’s enough for him to later take her over during a crucial moment, getting her to knock the Doctor out before he can thwart the Master’s plans.

 

 

Killing Chang Lee (Doctor Who)

While the Master possesses Grace, he uses old-fashioned lying and manipulation on Chang Lee, convincing him that the Doctor stole his body and promising Lee all manner of fabulous wealth in exchange for his help. When the Doctor tricks the Master into revealing the truth, he discards Lee at the first sign of anything less than complete loyalty and obedience. Just to be super gross about it, moments before snapping his neck, he purrs, “Lee, I would never lie to you. I would only protect you.” :shudder:

 

Opening the Eye of Harmony (Doctor Who)

The Master needs a human eye to open the Eye of Harmony, a security measure the Doctor had put in place. Now, first of all, the Master is doing this to steal the Doctor’s remaining regenerations, knowing that the Earth will be destroyed in the process. Second, he’s just killed one human lackey, and his other, Grace, has blackened eyes while he’s possessing her. The Master handles this obstacle in the grossest way possible, macking on Grace to suck the possession out of her(?), then forcing her in front of the Eye to open it. Talk about a creep!

 

Killing Grace (Doctor Who)

Once Grace has recovered from her possession, she struggles to thwart the Master’s plan, remembering the Doctor’s earlier instructions on jumpstarting the TARDIS. When she tries to help the Doctor, the Master flies into a rage, killing her by pushing her over the railing. Fortunately, the TARDIS is in a temporal orbit at the time, which allows recent events to be rewritten, but even if it gets quickly reversed, killing a companion will always be an absolute villain move.

Top Five Magnificent Bastard Moments: The Ainley Master (Doctor Who)

*Spoilers.*

After the brief tenure of the Peter Pratt/Geoffrey Beevers Master, who’s mainly focused on restoring his ravaged body, we’re back in full swing with the Anthony Ainley incarnation. Of the classic Masters, Roger Delgado is still my favorite, but I enjoy how extra Ainley’s is, and he gets in plenty of strong Magnificent Bastard Moments.

 

Controlling Nyssa (Series 18, Episode 27 – “Logopolis: Episode 3”)

This isn’t the worst thing the Master does in “Logopolis”—given that he, you know, attempts to hold the entire universe hostage—but it’s the most knife-twisting thing he does. At this point, he’s done a DIY regeneration by killing Nyssa’s father and stealing his body, but Nyssa doesn’t know that yet. When he appears, he enjoys pretending to be her murdered father, easily securing her trust and then “gifting” her a bracelet that allows him to control her. Just pure cruelty all the way through.

 

Setting a Trap for the TARDIS (Series 19, Episode 1 – “Castrovalva: Episode 1”)

Okay, so first the Master creates a block transfer decoy of Adric, controlled by him and sustained by Adric’s own mental power. He sends the decoy into the TARDIS, where, in the upheaval of the Doctor’s regeneration, the fake Adric sets the TARDIS on a collision course. Now, the Master could’ve sent the TARDIS into a sun or a black hole, or any number of perfectly serviceable annihilation options. But he’s nothing if not extra as hell, so he has the decoy send the TARDIS to “Event One: Hydrogen Inrush.” In other words? The Big Bang! Why do things by halves when you can do them by 1000%?

 

Controlling the Passengers (Series 19, Episode 23 – “Time-Flight: Episode 1”)

It’s a day that ends in ‘Y’, so the Master is doing the most. He’s trapped on Earth in the Jurassic period, and he needs to break into the Citadel of an ancient alien race to power his TARDIS and escape. So how does he reach the center of the Citadel? Why, he creates a time corridor to the 20^th century, of course, ensnaring an airplane full of people that he then psychically manipulates to act as his slave force. The dude kidnapped a bunch of people from across 140 million years to do his legwork for him. Top-shelf bastard, all the way.

 

Plotting Against King John (Series 20, Episode 22 – “The King’s Demons: Episode 2”)

Part of what makes the Ainley Master such a magnificent bastard is how petty his schemes can be. Here, he uses a shapeshifting robot that he controls with his mind to impersonate King John, with the aim of making the “King” behave so erratically that he provokes a rebellion, ultimately preventing the creation of the Magna Carta. Just out here wrecking history because he can. It makes me think of the Sacha Dhawan Master talking to Thirteen: “How else would I get your attention?”

 

Passing Kamelion Off as the Outsider (Series 21, Episode 14 – “Planet of Fire: Episode 2”)

The Master is using Kamelion for his dirty work again, but it’s only because he accidentally shrunk himself with his own Tissue Compression Eliminator and needs help to regain his full size (I love it.) This time, Kamelion takes the form of the Master himself, and when Sarn’s chief elder mistakes him for the Outsider, the prophesied emissary of their god Logar, he runs with it. This comes in handy when he needs to force the Doctor’s hand and applies some external pressure by demanding that the “unbelievers” be sacrificed to the volcano. Yep, masquerading as someone else’s god—the Master is that kind of A-hole.

Top Five Magnificent Bastard Moments: The Pratt/Beevers Master (Doctor Who)

 *Spoilers.*

I was remiss to refer to this Master in his Character Highlight post as the Geoffrey Beevers Master. I’d forgotten that Beevers only played him in “The Keeper of Traken.” Prior to that, when the Master had appeared as even more of a husk in “The Deadly Assassin,” he was voiced by Peter Pratt, so both of them have some ownership over this regeneration. Impressively, despite only appearing in two serials, I still found enough Magnificent Bastard moments for a full Top Five—this Master did not come to play.

 

Framing the Doctor (Series 14, Episode 10 – “The Deadly Assassin: Episode 2”)

The desiccated Master has a plot to revive himself, one that involves assassinating the Lord President of Gallifrey. Now, he already has an assassin who can get this done for him. There’s no need for him to tinker with the Matrix to lure the Doctor back to Gallifrey and bait him into position so he’s in the single most incriminating spot when the president is killed. His assassin even points this out to him—they can use any old patsy, so why go through all the trouble of getting the Doctor there and blaming it on him? Well, anyone who knows the Master already knows the answer to that one! As he explains, his hate is the only thing that’s keeping him going in his decayed state. It’s not enough for him to restore himself: he also has to destroy the Doctor in the process.

 

Using the Rod of Rassilon (Series 14, Episode 12 – “The Deadly Assassin: Episode 4”)

The Master steals the Rod of Rassilon in order to unlock the Eye of Harmony, the black hole that powers the Time Lords’ navigation through the Time Vortex. Doing so will restart his regeneration cycle—and, you know, give him enough power to become the supreme ruler of all the universe (after all, Master gonna Master.) However, exposing the Eye of Harmony has catastrophic effects on Gallifrey, and his quest to save his own life threatens to rip the entire planet apart. Before the Doctor is able to stop him, he causes a great deal of seismic destruction.

 

Taking Over Kassia (Series 18, Episode 22 – “The Keeper of Traken: Episode 2”)

Hidden in his TARDIS, which is disguised as a Melkur statue, the Master gains the sympathy and the affection of the goodhearted Kassia, who visits and tends to the Melkur. This gives him ample opportunity to manipulate her into helping him. When it’s finally time to execute his plan, he gives her a “gift” that turns out to be a control band—when she wears it, she becomes his eyes and ears, allowing him to witness what’s happening all over Traken. It also enables him to use the Melkur’s deadly powers through her, and he uses her to kill Seron. Total bastard move.

 

Killing Kassia (Series 18, Episode 23 – “The Keeper of Traken: Episode 3:”)

The Master’s latest plan to restore himself is to gain access to the Source, an immense power that can only be wielded by the Keeper of Traken. After using Kassia and positioning her to be named Keeper herself, he swaps places with her at the exact moment of transformation, materializing his TARDIS in her place to seize the Source for himself. Yet another instance of the Master killing someone the second they outlive their usefulness to him.

 

Stealing Tremas’s Body (Series 18, Episode 24 – “The Keeper of Traken: Episode 4”)

When the Master fails to harness the power to regenerate his own body, his obsession pushes him to an even worse act: taking someone else’s. He’s already killed Kassia, and now he traps her widow and merges his decayed body with Tremas’s, taking him over. A despicable act by a desperate Master.