Masters of Earth

Main Range #193

Released: 11 November 2014

Listened: 8/20/20

Immediately after reuniting, the Doctor and Peri end up on Earth, in Scotland. However, it’s 2163, which means it’s several years after the Daleks invaded Earth, and still at least a year before the First Doctor will show up to stop them, which means that the Sixth Doctor can’t do much to affect the course of events. Or so it seems, anyway. The Doctor is perfectly willing to bend the rules when one of his friends is in danger, and while he seems a bit aloof at the start of the story, to Peri’s annoyance, once she’s in trouble, he’ll stop at nothing to save her, Web of Time or no Web of Time. For her part, although Peri is under the influence for a fair chunk of the story, her characterization is more mature, less panicky, and a bit more world-weary. There’s also a vein of caution, as though she’s not entirely sure she trusts this Doctor, which is appropriate. Oddly, although the Doctor is quite strident while he’s trying to save Peri, when he’s verbally sparring with the Daleks, he’s casual, even flippant. It seems that 1964-era Daleks just aren’t very scary to him. As for the plot, it has some satisfying twists, and it’ll keep you guessing regarding who the secondary protagonists are, and who’s cannon fodder. It’s not a bad Dalek story, especially for one where the end is predestined.