top of page
doctorbrick

Doctor Who Series 3, Episodes 12 & 13 Review: The Sound of Drums & The Last of the Time Lords

What did you think of these episodes?

  • Sonic!

  • Good!

  • Bumpy-wumpy!

  • Exterminate!


This finale doesn't get the love it deserves if you ask me. I know the ending might suck for a few people, but for me, that is very much not the case.


This is actually the first memory I have of modern Doctor Who. As I have previously mentioned, the Doctor returned when I was never in on a Saturday night, times were different back then, no iPlayer and the like, it was something I wanted to get round to watching but then didn't as I was too busy pissing my money up the wall. If I had a TARDIS I would be tempted to transport myself back to 2005 and tell myself to stay in 13 weeks each year to watch Doctor Who. I don't have one though so here we are. What I remember though is seeing the trailer for these episodes, seeing the Master was Prime Minister, and I still remember to this day thinking that seemed like a really cool thing to do, have an alien villain in charge of the UK (it beats just having a human (or posh privileged cunt or lettuce) villain in charge of the UK eh?) and I remember thinking I really must watch Doctor Who again. Then, with that in my mind still a year or so later, I nabbed my brothers series 1 and 2 DVD's and the rest is history as they say.


Straight from the off this was a thrill, Martha basically telling the Doctor to fuck off as she tries to help her family and speeding to them in her car as Murray Gold does Murray Gold things. Then the three of them are on the run and Martha has lost everything. All within the opening ten minutes or so.


"This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that what this country really needs, right now, is a doctor."


I actually think it was a bit glossed over the amount of damage that must have been done to the poor old Jones'. I know it is ultimately a family show but wow the Master is a sick fuck here. I mean there are hints at some truly terrible behaviour. He is clearly beating his wife for one. Then we have treating the Doctor as a dog, and enslaving the Jones'. Just because he sings the Scissor Sisters it certainly doesn't make him a good guy. This finale is dark as fuck, and I haven't even mentioned the Toclafane yet!


I would be intrigued to know which version of Simm's Master prefer as each time he has been in the show it has been a different performance. I don't think that is a bad thing by the way, I bloody love them all. These episodes he has more comical moments perhaps? The journalist screaming, gas masks, leaving the wife down the back of the settee, etc.


"Have you seen these things? This planet’s amazing. Television in their stomach. Now that is evolution."


I may have said this before, but Doctor Who does not portray American figures of authority in a good like. Perhaps this is accurate? I mean you only have to look at Trump, Musk, et al to see not everyone is all that great. President Winters is an egotistical twat, actually, he is a dead egotistical twat now!! I will come back to think about this, but I am sure RTD/Doctor Who knocks Americans a fair bit.


One thing I can tell you though is that you can see how much of a huge fan of Doctor Who Russell is, listening to the Doctor explain Gallifrey and the beginnings of himself and the Master in this series it is done with so much fun and detail. He was clearly having the time of his life imagining the early beginnings of the Doctor and Master, Untempered Schism's and the like.


"Well perfect to look at, maybe. And it was. It was beautiful. Used to call it the “Shining World of the Seventh System”. And on the continent of Wild Endeavor, in the mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe. Looking down on the galaxies below. Sworn never to interfere, only to watch. Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families age of eight, to enter the Academy. Some say that’s where it all began… when he was a child. That’s when The Master saw Eternity. As a novice he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the Untempered Schism. It’s a gap in the fabric of reality, through which can be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad."


So turns out the Toclafane were us eh? I actually wouldn't put this past the human race in real life if I am being brutally honest. Yeah, you'd have the odd Doctor Who fan fighting back, but a scary amount of people would probably enjoy going on a killing spree.


Martha is so bad ass in this!! Love her!! I'm coming back!! Go Martha!!


Come back she did, and we got the ending that I think is the reason most people didn't like the finale. Me? I enjoyed it. Maybe the finale didn't hit as hard as Doomsday or Journey's End, but it was still a fun watch. It's Doctor Who, of course we are going to get some deus ex machina. It's to be expected. It feels like this particular ending gets all the stick though, but come on, it isn't the first time and it won't be the last (see Empire of Death for evidence).


"Received and understood, Miss Jones?"


I am glad Martha finally got to tell the Doctor he was a bit of a dick, and this in turn leads the Doctor to Donna and a more nicer version. It also leads Doctor Who into unreal popularity for the coming few years, so Martha Jones, thank you!!


RATING: Sonic!

BEST LINE: "Right then. Bye. Because the thing is, it’s like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke...student housing, five of them all packed in. And this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him. She did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him...‘Cause he never looked at her twice. I mean he liked her. That was it. And she wasted years pining after him. Years of her life. ‘Cause while he was around she never looked at anyone else. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said, “Get out.” So this is me, getting out. Keep that. ‘Cause I’m not having you disappear. If that rings— when that rings, you better come running. You got it? I'll see you again, Mister."


Comments


bottom of page