Review: The Deadly Assassin
Yesterday, I posted a review of "The Invasion of Time." Although I don't intend of making a habit of posting classic series reviews, it has since occurred to me that since I wrote a fairly negative review of a fairly average story, maybe I should balance it out by reviewing one of my favourites too. So follow the cut for my review of "The Deadly Assassin."
The Deadly Assassin
Writer: Robert Holmes
Director: David Maloney
Series: Season 14
To Cut a Long Story Short
The Doctor has a vision of the imminent assassination of the Timelord President, but when he tries and fails to prevent the assassination, he finds himself framed for the murder. Delaying his execution by invoking Article 17 and putting himself forward as a candidate for the Timelord Presidency, the Doctor investigates the scene of the crime and finds that the Master is involved. The Doctor is forced to go into a dreamscape world called the Matrix (yes, the Matrix) in order to do battle with the Master's henchman, who turns out to be Timelord presidential candidate Chancellor Goth.
Upon defeating Goth, the Doctor locates the Master only to find him apparently dead. The Master is in fact feigning death. Taking possession of the Sash of Rassilon and the Great Key, the Master attempts to extend his life beyond his expired regeneration cycle and the destruction of Gallifrey is only averted when the Doctor defeats the Master at the very last moment. The Master appears to have fallen to his death, but as the Doctor departs, the Master is seen disappearing into his own TARDIS.
Best Lines
1. Borusa: "If heroes don't exist, it is necessary to invent them."
2. The Doctor: "No answer to a straight question. Typical politician."
Comments
This is one classic Who story that deserves its reputation. For me this is Robert Holmes at his absolute best, with a much better script than either "Talons of Weng Chiang" or "Pyramids of Mars."
The version of Gallifrey presented in "The Deadly Assassin" is fascinating. Holmes re-imagines the Timelords as political animals: scheming, plotting and reconstructing the truth to meet their own ends or occasionally for what is perceived as the greater good. Even the Doctor's mentor Borusa is keen to gloss over the sordid scandal of Goth's alliance with the Master, for the sake of "public morale." The Timelord's political culture is compelling and engrossing - probably because it has so much in common with our own. The "fatuous" local news reporter Runcible is a particularly nice touch.
As well as a good look at Timelord culture, we also get our first glimpse of the myths and origins surrounding Gallifrey and some of it is ingeniously poetic, particularly the Eye of Harmony - a black hole that keeps Gallifrey in a "balanced state" so that the Timelords themselves "neither flux nor wither."
This story is also known for its violent aspects. The entirety of the third episode is set in a dream-like world called The Matrix, a harsh landscape where the Doctor is hunted and attacked by the Master's henchman. If, like me, you've seen a dozen DVD extras discussing the media response to Doctor Who, then you'll probably spend the entirety of this installment waiting for the notorious drowning scene. Even with the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to see why this episode might have been shocking - it certainly features one of the most physically violent scenes in the show's history. Nevertheless, I still tend to feel that Mary Whitehouse et al were over-reacting - surely even in 1976, children watching the show knew that the Doctor wasn't really going to die?
The fight scene on the whole is fascinating, precisely because we don't see the Doctor engage in this kind of thing too often. Whilst he's no stranger to calamity, I can't think of many other scenes where we see the Doctor stripped back - no companions, no gadgets, no plans - fighting purely for his own survival. It's shocking in some senses, but also completely engrossing.
Tom Baker is great here and I really enjoyed seeing his Doctor scrapping about desperately. In other episodes within the story, his subtle contempt for Timelord culture shines through. Although this is the only story of the classic series which doesn't feature a companion, I didn't feel like anything was missing. And although I love the work of Delgado, Ainley, Jacobi and Simm, this is also one of my favourite takes on the Master. With his body literally rotting away, his continued existence is powered solely by pure hate.
Although it's obviously a fan favourite and a classic by any measures, I would particularly recommend this story to fans who are unfamiliar with the classic series and want to see what the Timelords are really all about. It's also a great starting point if you want to understand why there's so much fuss over Robert Holmes.
The Deadly Assassin
Writer: Robert Holmes
Director: David Maloney
Series: Season 14
To Cut a Long Story Short
The Doctor has a vision of the imminent assassination of the Timelord President, but when he tries and fails to prevent the assassination, he finds himself framed for the murder. Delaying his execution by invoking Article 17 and putting himself forward as a candidate for the Timelord Presidency, the Doctor investigates the scene of the crime and finds that the Master is involved. The Doctor is forced to go into a dreamscape world called the Matrix (yes, the Matrix) in order to do battle with the Master's henchman, who turns out to be Timelord presidential candidate Chancellor Goth.
Upon defeating Goth, the Doctor locates the Master only to find him apparently dead. The Master is in fact feigning death. Taking possession of the Sash of Rassilon and the Great Key, the Master attempts to extend his life beyond his expired regeneration cycle and the destruction of Gallifrey is only averted when the Doctor defeats the Master at the very last moment. The Master appears to have fallen to his death, but as the Doctor departs, the Master is seen disappearing into his own TARDIS.
Best Lines
1. Borusa: "If heroes don't exist, it is necessary to invent them."
2. The Doctor: "No answer to a straight question. Typical politician."
Comments
This is one classic Who story that deserves its reputation. For me this is Robert Holmes at his absolute best, with a much better script than either "Talons of Weng Chiang" or "Pyramids of Mars."
The version of Gallifrey presented in "The Deadly Assassin" is fascinating. Holmes re-imagines the Timelords as political animals: scheming, plotting and reconstructing the truth to meet their own ends or occasionally for what is perceived as the greater good. Even the Doctor's mentor Borusa is keen to gloss over the sordid scandal of Goth's alliance with the Master, for the sake of "public morale." The Timelord's political culture is compelling and engrossing - probably because it has so much in common with our own. The "fatuous" local news reporter Runcible is a particularly nice touch.
As well as a good look at Timelord culture, we also get our first glimpse of the myths and origins surrounding Gallifrey and some of it is ingeniously poetic, particularly the Eye of Harmony - a black hole that keeps Gallifrey in a "balanced state" so that the Timelords themselves "neither flux nor wither."
This story is also known for its violent aspects. The entirety of the third episode is set in a dream-like world called The Matrix, a harsh landscape where the Doctor is hunted and attacked by the Master's henchman. If, like me, you've seen a dozen DVD extras discussing the media response to Doctor Who, then you'll probably spend the entirety of this installment waiting for the notorious drowning scene. Even with the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to see why this episode might have been shocking - it certainly features one of the most physically violent scenes in the show's history. Nevertheless, I still tend to feel that Mary Whitehouse et al were over-reacting - surely even in 1976, children watching the show knew that the Doctor wasn't really going to die?
The fight scene on the whole is fascinating, precisely because we don't see the Doctor engage in this kind of thing too often. Whilst he's no stranger to calamity, I can't think of many other scenes where we see the Doctor stripped back - no companions, no gadgets, no plans - fighting purely for his own survival. It's shocking in some senses, but also completely engrossing.
Tom Baker is great here and I really enjoyed seeing his Doctor scrapping about desperately. In other episodes within the story, his subtle contempt for Timelord culture shines through. Although this is the only story of the classic series which doesn't feature a companion, I didn't feel like anything was missing. And although I love the work of Delgado, Ainley, Jacobi and Simm, this is also one of my favourite takes on the Master. With his body literally rotting away, his continued existence is powered solely by pure hate.
Although it's obviously a fan favourite and a classic by any measures, I would particularly recommend this story to fans who are unfamiliar with the classic series and want to see what the Timelords are really all about. It's also a great starting point if you want to understand why there's so much fuss over Robert Holmes.