"I always dress for the occasion..." The Master is always a bit hammy no matter who plays him, but it must be said that Eric Roberts really did manage to find a whole new level for the character. In under 60 minutes of screen time, he took all the menace that Roger Delgado brought to the role and tossed it aside, turning the Master into some creepy fellow who made comments about "the Asian child" and flamed more than a forest fire in August. From pretty much the moment he sashays onto our screens, cackling with glee about how deliciously EVIL he is, to the moment McGann (hamming it himself in his best Christ-mode), pitches him into the Eye of Harmony, Roberts really does set a standard that no other Master actor has quite managed to reach just yet. Well, maybe Jonathan Pryce. Maybe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws-HwDZ4TIA
Chris Swanson is a freelance writer and blogger based in Phoenix, Arizona, where winter happens to other people. His blog is at wilybadger.wordpress.com
