Now, now, just hear us out. Believe it or not, there are some fans out there who regard The Daemons as being a woefully overrated story. It's sold mostly on the grounds of UNIT-based nostalgia since it's hard for even the most cynical fan to watch the final scene with the Brigadier and Yates and not crack a smile. And yes, the "Five rounds rapid" line is great, as silly as it may be. As a Master story, though, it's lacking something. The Master is in disguise again, though not in the sort of disguise that wouldn't get him picked up by the first competent UNIT soldier to pass by. He's also allied with yet another alien force, or rather he's trying to become allied with one, though at times he finds himself in almost as much danger as the Doctor and company. He even gets a cliffhanger, for heaven's sake, though it's hard to imagine anyone in 1971 thinking, "Oh, no, how will the Master get out of this one?" In short, the Master himself is far, far less menacing than Azal, or even Azal's annoying little chap with the wings. And then, to add insult to injury, he gets captured in the most simple and humiliating way imaginable. If you're a fan of the Master, it's hard to imagine how you could be a fan of the Daemons as well. The man really gets the short end of the stick this time.
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.
