Michelle Gomez will supposedly be returning as the Mistress, despite her seeming destruction at the end of Death In Heaven. That's welcome news, as she's one of the most dynamic actors to play the part since Roger Delgado. While some people have decried making such a popular villain change genders, it works surprisingly well here: the Mistress is able to be coquettish with the Doctor in a way that none of the other actors could (except, perhaps, Ainley); and while what passes between them during that kiss can't exactly be characterized as sexual tension, it certainly is new. Also, Gomez's portrayal of the character marries the extreme mania of Simm with the cold disdain of Delgado - and in many ways she comes off as more frightening than either one as a result. Her sudden killing of Osgood and the fact that she treats it as a lark makes it far colder than it would feel otherwise. This is not the sort of Master who will be referring to the Doctor's companion as "Miss Oswald" anytime soon. It would also seem that the Master, um, Mistress is back up to her old tricks, making alliances with alien races to conquer the Earth rather than trying to take control of it on her own. Then she offers the Doctor control of her new Cyberarmy - on the grounds that she misses their friendship and knows that the only way she can have it again is if she makes him as willing to abuse power as she is. It's one of the most convincing motivations for something the Master has done, ever. Just bring her back already. No one needs explanations of how or why. After all, when have we ever gotten them before?
Tony Whitt has previously written TV, DVD, and comic reviews for CINESCAPE, NOW PLAYING, and iF MAGAZINE. His weekly COMICSCAPE columns from the early 2000s can still be found archived on Mania.com. He has also written a book of gay-themed short stories titled CRESCENT CITY CONNECTIONS, available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle format. Whitt currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
