Ever wonder why fans have never been told in the classic series how the Master returns from the dead so many times? It may be because the ways he gets resurrected are downright silly and painful to watch, such as his resurrection by his loving cult(!) in this episode and subsequent transformation into one of the X-Men. Cannibulis, perhaps, or Skeleter (because "Skeletor" has already been taken). There are so many reasons why The End Of Time is a terrible send-off for any Doctor, let alone David Tennant, but having this grinning bleach-blonde baboon leaping around and throwing out lightning bolts from his fingertips makes it ten times worse. And while fans got something of an explanation for that weird drumming the Master suddenly has always had in his head, it's simply not satisfying as character motivation, nor does it adequately explain all those years of weird disguises, even weirder plots to rule the universe, and moustache twirling. To quote one of Chris Rock's routines, "Whatever happened to 'crazy'?" The only thing keeping this story from being a complete waste of time Master-wise is that it gives the character some little bits of redemption at the end, as well as paving the way for Michelle Gomez to come along later and make the part her own. Sorry, but that's still awesome.
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.
