Logopolis marks the first time that the Fourth Doctor gets to deal with a Master who is not crumbling to bits, and as much as those other appearances the Master makes during Baker's run are fantastic, this one makes you wish there'd been more of this. Unlike the grudging bonhomie that characterised Pertwee's encounters with his former friend, the Fourth Doctor treats him like the rattlesnake he is, despite the alliance they have to make to save the universe - and he still gets bitten, fatally, in the end. This also marks the first occasion that the Master is responsible for the deaths of the loved ones of two-thirds of the TARDIS crew. Although in typical '80s fashion these deaths are never made mention of again, the Master is directly responsible for killing Nyssa's father (and continuing to walk about in his dead body) and indirectly responsible for destroying her entire planet. Meanwhile, Tegan can blame him for the death of her Aunt Vanessa. It's a nasty death, too, filmed in horrifying Master-vision. As with any Doctor Who story, there are flaws - the Master's ransom broadcast to the universe is a particular howler; and with the addition of two new characters that are much more interesting than himself, Adric seems particularly useless. But the Master still manages to shine. Pity that couldn't have carried over into the installment that followed this one...
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.
