The Only Reason I Watch Old Who is for the Doctor/Master Subtext
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How much do I love that people are doing “Why I Love Ten” picspams? >:)
* “Why I Love Ten” from fid_gin
* “Why I Love Ten” from chloris67
* ETA: “Why I Love Ten” from the_tenzo
An update on my incredibly slow progress catching up with old Doctor/Master episodes:
* I finished "Colony in Space." Pretty cliched story, though I liked the one conflicted guy, Caldwell. Unfortunately a lot of the acting in this was so bad it caused near-physical pain.
In terms of Doctor/Master content, I'm amused that the Master doesn't even bother pretending that his goal is to kill the Doctor. Apparently their almost-running-away-together thing last time really got to him; he spends most of this one trying to convince the Doctor to do it for real. "You can have half the galaxy! You can rule benevolenty! Pleeeease!!!" This ship is so canon; why else would the Master want so desperately to share half his power with the Doctor? Unfortunately he keeps picking the worst possible methods to impress him: "Look at this amazing machine of destruction! Isn't it awesome?" Poor guy. It's like trying to impress a vegan with the really incredible steak you just cooked.
(Too bad he didn't try the same tactic with Ten, but I suppose he was too fed up and insane by then. Given that Ten was tempted by the Krillitanes and he's incredibly desperate to get back together with the Master, I could see things going a bit differently. I still think he'd ultimately run from that kind of power, but he'd be a lot more likely to humor the Master and maybe try to temper him by working together instead of rejecting him outright the way Three does.)
I also love the moment where they meet; the Doctor sounds so resignedly exasperated when he asks "Why are you impersonating the Adjudicator?" And I love them exploring the city together; it's so apparent that they're old friends, the way they just seem to unconsciously fall into patterns of working together and bantering. I like how cranky and sarcastic Three is, but mostly I'm enjoying Roger Delgado, who gives the Master so much personality, sense of humor, and even a level of vulnerability. I'm glad they got someone as awesome as John Simm to take on the role when they brought him back in the new series.
Oh, also awesome in this is the fact that it's all set up by the Time Lords. Presumably they choose the Doctor to stop the Master because they know he's the only one with any potential to reign in his evil ex? It's canon!
* jaydk came over yesterday, and since she doesn't like Three, we tried watching the first Five serial, Castrovalva. This was my first look at Anthony Ainley and man, that guy is no Roger Delgado. He's all cackling Dr. Evil style villainy without a hint of nuance, at least in this one. And not much in the way of ho!yay either, alas. Does it get better?
The serial itself didn't grab me. Five is okay, but I don't think he'll be one of my favorites. (I must be getting too used to Three; I like his prickliness.) It was nice that it passed the Bechdel test, but the companions were pretty bland. And my god, that kid who plays Adric is one of the worst actors I've ever seen.
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