The Deadly Assassin (1976) Review

"Hey Missy!"

The Deadly Assassin has to be one of the biggest Doctor Who stories ever told. One would expect that the mythology of the Time Lords is revealed bit by bit by a multitude of writers, none of which have any idea what they're actually contributing, but no. Pretty much everything that the Time Lords and even the Master are came from this story. 

PLOT

The Doctor returns to Gallifrey to investigate the upcoming assassination of the Lord President which he saw a precognitive vision of. He happens to be on the scene when it happens and realizes that the vision was sent as bait for him to be ensnared and destroyed at the hands of his own people.
The Master(hell yeah!) has returned at last to wreak revenge and all shall obey him...

ANALYSIS

Although parts of it were drawn out(like the scenes in the Matrix) and I don't think Holmes had to make the Time Lords quite as daft as they are here, The Deadly Assassin holds up incredibly well for such an outlandishly designed story. Moments, which at first seem like the writer's oversights turn out to be epic twists and it all fits together and more importantly - feels organic. 

The lack of a companion doesn't really bother me beyond one or two scenes where Tom Baker just morosely talked to himself, but Spandrell and Engin work well as sidekicks for him. Still, I'd definitely agree that Baker's idea of a companionless show doesn't really work.

At first, I liked the Matrix, but the more it went on, the less consistent it became. It started out as this nightmarish world where everything is trying to kill the Doctor, but by the end, it was just him and Goth brawling in a forest.

One thing I couldn't understand about the plot is how all the Time Lords act like the Doctor is still a felon. I mean, sure, the CIA(wonderful Holmes) and their decisions might not get on with the people we see here, but how come we didn't see a single Time Lord who completely supported the Doctor's side of things. Partially out of, I dunno, old connections and partially because the guy saved the whole planet from Omega. Or was that covered up?

CHARACTERS

The Master! Oh, I am glad to see him again. Peter Pratt's take of him is obviously inspired somewhat by Delgado as he was the only template thus far, but he does portray him in a more unhinged, bitter manner. It's only a shame we couldn't see more of him(literally: his mask was great, but needed just a bit more work so he could move his mouth properly).

We also see here the second introduction to the Master-Doctor rivalry. In the Pertwee era, the Doctor and the Master are both pretty chill each other until they absolutely need to take action. This "frenemies" concept is what the new series would really take advantage of. However, in this version, the Master just hates the Doctor's guts. No Cyber-armies for you, Tom. 

Goth is a very confusing character. I mean, Bernard Horsfall is as awesome as ever, but is he the same Time Lord who put the Second Doctor on trial? If he is, it's very strange that he never refers to it(he's even astonished by the Doctor's TARDIS) and I also can't really see him turning powerthirsty. And if he isn't, why cast the same actor? 

Both Spandrell and Engin are very strange characters for Time Lords, but they're also entertaining and refreshingly direct. A great pair and a great set of minds for the Doctor to bounce off of.

I also loved the pompous Runcible(although his "Time Lord TV" was just too stupid to be taken seriously on any level) and his sort of-familiarity with the Doctor.

Borusa was great, too. The "9 out of 10" scene was brilliant from top to bottom.

NOTES

*Why did they bring back the Tissue Compression Eliminator(the shrinker device used briefly by the Master in Terror Of The Autons)? Who would've guessed that? He only used it once, it's not exactly his calling card. Maybe a Jon Pertwee dartboard? Or the Delgado theme tune(that they used to death during the Pertwee era, I might add)? 

*Also, the return of the Eliminator shows an adherence to continuity I have never seen from the classic series before. Like, wow. We are talking about the same show that introduced the Dalek and UNIT timelines. 

*I hated the reveal that Goth was also in the Matrix. They built up how he controls this place and conjures up all these people to kill the Doctor and then it just turns out to be him in a hunter's outfit. Boo.

*Why is the Master wearing that horrible cloak? Surely disfigurement would mean you'd want more comfort? I'd be rocking silk if I looked like he does.

*Another reason to hate the secondary console room: the nameless multicolored buttons. I could at least live with it if they weren't set up perfectly. Like, imagine your keyboard. Imagine if the whole QWERTY-etc line was all yellow. Then the ASDFG-etc line was red. And then the ZXCV-etc line was blue. 

*So, how exactly do Rassilon and Omega fit in with each other? Omega harnessed the power of black holes and yet here we see that Rassilon constructed the Eye Of Harmony? Did Rassilon inherit his stuff? Were they co-workers? Rassilon was supposedly the First Time Lord, so did he have anything to do with Omega getting stuck in the antimatter universe?

BEST QUOTE

"He'd delay an execution to pull the wings off a fly." - the Doctor describes the Master.

CONCLUSION

An important step in the history of Doctor Who. And a damn good story.