Doctor Who: Every Master Story In The New Series Ranked Worst To Best
4. The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar
Yes, the star of the villain show here is Davros and his Dalek creations but Missy’s role here is one that expertly plays on her duplicitous nature.
From the moment she arrives in the episode, manipulating the planes in the sky so that they freeze all over the world, nobody is sure whether she can be trusted. It also showcases a more playful dynamic between the Twelfth Doctor and his arch nemesis. Him encouraging an entire medieval crowd to boo the “wicked witch” is a highlight of the first episode.
Her capacity for cruelty is also on full display here, as she gleefully seals Clara Oswald inside a Dalek casing under the guise of sneaking back into the metal menaces’ base on Skaro. It’s not long before she attempts to goad the Doctor into killing his own companion, as Clara is briefly unable to say her own name while inside the casing.
She exits the plot the way she entered it, with a smile and with total chaos erupting around her. And if there’s a better way to sum up the Master’s presence on the show, we haven’t seen it.