Doctor Who season 12 has introduced Sacha Dhawan as the new Master. Showrunner Chris Chibnall has found his stride with Doctor Who. The new season launched with a two-part episode, "Spyfall," kicking off with a dramatic tale in which the Doctor and her friends are recruited to help the world's intelligence agencies
Episode 1 is a dramatic opening, a spiritual successor to James Bond. Oddly enough, it's a little more realistic than traditional 007 fare, accurately portraying Britain's top-secret MI6 - led by an agent who's simply identified as "C", rather than "M". Over the course of the episode, the Doctor finds herself confronted by a mysterious alien menace that appear to originate from another dimension. And then, in the final five minutes, the story takes an unexpected twist.
Showrunner Chris Chibnall had promised that classic Doctor Who foes would return in season 12. It turns out he wasn't kidding - and the first of these returning enemies is none other than the Master.
Actor Sacha Dhawan (In The Club, Iron Fist, Dracula) was introduced as an agent referred to as "O". Apparently he was an MI6 agent who had been fascinated by the unexplained, and who had become the British intelligence service's only analyst to concern himself with potential extraterrestrial affairs. He'd been viewed as an eccentric by MI6, who considered aliens to be the province of organizations like UNIT and Torchwood. C and O had something of a falling out in the end, with C refusing to turn to O even when aliens began taking down the world's spies. The Doctor, however, had briefly crossed paths with O once before, and figured he'd be a useful ally.
In reality, though, O had been killed years ago, replaced by the Master, who had happily used this identity to infiltrate MI6. No doubt he'd found it particularly amusing to collect records of his own past activities, and had even spread disinformation about the Doctor on occasion. But he made a single slip-up when talking to the Doctor, mentioning that he'd never liked sprinting. The Doctor remembered O's file, and knew he was supposed to be a champion sprinter. Her puzzled query led the Master to admit his true identity, and he was absolutely delighted at the Doctor's astonished reaction. It seems his "O" identity had been chosen in anticipation of the moment she realized the truth, and he was not disappointed.
This isn't the first time Sacha Dhawan has been tied to Doctor Who. He's appeared in several Big Finish audio dramas, and in fact back in 2017 he was reportedly on the short-list to play the Doctor. A fan himself, Dhawan loved the idea, but felt the next Doctor should be a woman instead. His hopes were fulfilled when Chibnall cast Jodie Whittaker - but it turns out Dhawan gets to play a totally different Time Lord. Doctor Who's greatest foe is back with a vengeance.
But just how is the Master back? The Master was last seen in the Peter Capaldi era, in which a female incarnation was played by Michelle Gomez, referred to as "Missy". Season 10 had a surprising redemption arc for Missy, who actually wound up helping the Doctor and Bill on occasion. The Doctor had attempted to test Missy's reformation in "World Enough and Time" and "The Doctor Falls," by sending her, Bill and Nardole on a rescue mission to a spacecraft experiencing time dilation as it plummeted into a black hole. Unfortunately he'd miscalculated, because Missy crossed paths with her own past self, played by John Simm. Missy found her loyalties torn between the Doctor and her past. In the end, Simm's Master and Missy lashed out at one another; Missy was believed dead, cut down with a laser screwdriver that was supposed to have disabled her ability to regenerate.
But, of course, the Master is back - and he's most certainly a villain again. The return is currently explained, but the logical assumption is that the laser screwdriver didn't disable the Time Lord's regenerative power after all. If that's the case, then the regeneration led the Master to revert to type - although it's notable that this new incarnation seems to have a degree of patience other versions have lacked. He's played the long game, spending years of his life living as a human, enduring the mockery of people he'd consider his inferiors all because he anticipated the Doctor's reaction. But it's best to approach the Master's return with caution. His final words to the Doctor are to tell her that "everything that you think you know is a lie." That suggests there are other revelations to come, ones that the Master will delight in drip-feeding to the Doctor (and, indeed, to viewers).
What is the Master's plan in Doctor Who season 10? As noted, this time round he's been playing the long game. He appears to be allied with an alien invasion that originates from another universe, with mysterious beings infiltrating a number of different Earths. These creatures seem to be an energy-based life-form, because in one scene they suggest they are only taking on human form to mock Yaz. No doubt the Master believes that he's the one in charge, but it's too soon to say whether or not that's truly the case; his ego has often seen him believe to be the one calling the shots when in reality his allies have their own agenda.
Meanwhile, the Master is also working closely with Daniel Barton, a multi-billionaire who runs the VOR search engine. In this brave new world, technology firms like VOR are the ones who provide governments and espionage agencies with the technology they need, meaning Barton is effectively one of the most powerful people in the planet. What's concerning is that he's also only 93 percent human, which suggests that either the Master or his allies have conducted some sort of genetic experimentation upon him. The goal is currently a mystery, but the Master has kept the Doctor alive, no doubt rather liking the idea of demonstrating his intellectual superiority by revealing his plans.
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