I know normally I'm quite thoughtful and stuff in this blog, but that is a fact that I felt I needed to share.
The Master is a pain in the ass. I adore the character, but trying to write him talking to himself is infuriating. Normally I would have taken the easy way out and skipped this part, but it needed to be in there: we needed to see how the relationship between the Master and the Doctor has changed in the five months we've missed. Verbally this is colder than we've ever seen them, even on the show; even when they're fighting. The 'conversation' (or INFURIATING monologue) is pure mockery, there's no warmth in it. There are, however, body language moments (and the very fact that the Master is even there) that let us know that all is not lost.
That wordless moment when the Master bends down next to him? After that last Interlude, I can be a little more open about his motivations: he's checking to make sure the Doctor hasn't gone insane.
The Master also needed to do me a favour and do some exposition: things are falling into place for the events of Launch Day now: the psychic network, Mount Rushmore... we're in the second half of the year, and things are picking up pace - quite literally, very shortly.
This is the last we're going to see of that beautifully insane man for some chapters. Enjoy him while you can.
This language Doctor...
If I'm honest, I have no idea why they talk to each other in English rather than... Gallifreyan? Gallifreyian? Except for the fact that perhaps if they spoke in their own language none of the viewers would understand a blind word they were saying. In any case, let's just put it down to this: Timelords are weird. Still, it's nice to acknowledge that they have their own language, even if we never hear it.
Christmas Day... the Doctor has a thing about Christmas - something always happens to him. I wanted to place this set of memories there sort of in honour of that tradition. It also goes some way to explaining what Lucy is about to do, and why today.
There are lots of technical and stylistic reasons I started this section where I did, so I wont bore you with the details, but taking us down to the surface for a moment puts the Valiant into context. The thing with the Master is that he's THE most complicated Doctor Who character to write: he's vulnerable but dangerous, insane but intelligent, occasionally hilarious but sinister. If you show one side of him (which we did in the interlude - indirectly) you have to balance it with a reminder of his other side. John Simm always had this lovely ability to show both sides at once, but unfortunately writing characters rather than showing them on screen has its drawbacks (but also its perks). Alas John and David have aged and moved on in their careers, so I'm stuck with my own attempt to do it, and that means I'm doomed to get frustrated and call the Master a pain in the ass.
Not that I would say that to his face.
Chapter is HERE
Music for this chapter...
As always, this isn't the only music that would suit this chapter (though imagining the Valiant drifting over the Earth suits this greatly). Even though the Doctor isn't speaking, and the Master is being... himself... hopefully I'm getting across the fact that there is more at work here than that. This scene is a bit of everything, really.
I do struggle to explain sometimes. The thing with writing these two is that most of it just isn't explainable in words - it has to be shown and sort of... felt, rather than told . That means that everything around both of them - the thought processes, the setting, the pace of the scenes etc. has to be written in a certain way, or the feel of it is lost. Weird, I know, but Timelords are complicated creatures, even when they're not insane.
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