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Episode Recap: "The Sound of Drums"
"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." — Prime Minister Harold Saxon (aka the Master)
Since this episode is the (almost) culmination of all the clues, hints and cause/effects from many previous episodes of this season and prior (also from Torchwood), I decided to resort to a quick summary of the episode and then launch into my patented stream-of-consciousness observations. So here goes....
The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack all escape the Futurekind from last week’s episode, "Utopia," via Jack’s previously defective Vortex Manipulator (The Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver comes in handy, doesn’t it?) and end up in 21st-century England searching for the Master. The TARDIS was reprogrammed by the Doctor before the Master TARDIS-napped it into only being able to travel between the last two destinations, which were 21st-century England and 100 trillion years in the future. Since they didn’t see the Master’s regeneration, they have no idea what he looks like. Martha claims to have recognized his regenerated voice but just can’t put a face to it. With political banners and election-results videos all around them, the realization smacks them right in the face: The newly elected prime minister, Harold Saxon, is the Master!
Eighteen months prior, the TARDIS returned to Earth with the Master. From that point on, he has worked to get himself elected PM by designing a satellite network that uses a perception filter to hypnotize the population. He has even been strategically laying the groundwork for the Doctor’s eventual capture at the end of the episode.
After being elected, the Master kills the entire cabinet and later a nosey reporter (who turns out to be working for Torchwood). He sets into motion the next phase of his master (heh) plan, in which he stages a fake alien first-contact situation so that he can have the event televised around the globe the next day. During all of this, the Doctor and friends are almost captured by Saxon’s cronies, who are using Martha’s parents as bait.
While on the lam, the Doctor is able to use three keys from the TARDIS to act like the Master’s perception filter, and they go on the offensive. They track down the Master at an airport where the U.S. president has just landed. Much to the Master’s amusement, the president berates Mr. Saxon for not following protocol and then takes over the entire first-contact scenario.
The location of the meeting with the aliens is scheduled to take place on the Valiant, a flying aircraft carrier under the control of UNIT. Overhearing all of this, the Doctor and Co. teleport via Jack’s vortex manipulator to the ship with the intent of stopping the Master by placing one of the TARDIS keys around his neck, thus showing the world who Saxon really is. While in the belly of the Valiant, they discover that the TARDIS is hidden away inside and that the Master has converted the Doctor’s ship into a paradox machine.
The next day the plan goes awry as the aliens kill the president and the Master reveals himself as himself. The TARDIS key perception filters do not work on him as he easily captures the Doctor and Martha and "kills" Capt. Jack with his new Laser Screwdriver. The device also contains a genetic manipulator based on technology funded by Saxon from the episode "The Lazarus Experiment." With this technology and the Doctor’s severed hand (which Capt. Jack lugged along in the previous episode), the Master has the genetic code to prematurely age the Doctor by 100 years. Jack revives himself while Martha is tending him and he gives her his Vortex Manipulator and tells her to teleport off the ship, which she is hesitant to do.
Meanwhile, the Master summons forth the aliens from a space/time rift in the sky from which six billion aliens exit. He orders the aliens to kill one-tenth of the world’s population, which they seem very eager to do. To Martha’s dismay her imprisoned family are brought into the bridge/conference room. Seeing no other way out, she teleports herself off the ship.
Goodness! Like I said, so much happens that not even a summary can do it justice! Time (lord?) for the observations:
• First up, here is the BBC's official Harold Saxon website (as seen in the episode): Harold Saxon.
• Harold Saxon/the Master:John Simm's portrayal as the Master is stunningly evil. Humorously over-the-top when needed and insanely evil — the Doctor’s ultimate nemesis, quite literally the anti-Doctor. I’d give his performance two Master thumbs up, exactly like his response to the near-death cabinet member’s comment: "You’re insane!"
• Lucy Saxon and the Master, Part 2: I wasn’t too sure what to make of the character at first, that is until she is being questioned by the reporter who is really an undercover Torchwood agent. I was thinking that the character was just in the dark about Saxon’s plans as everyone else was (yawn), but when she responded to the reporter’s intel by saying, "I made my choice… for better or for worse.... Isn’t that right, Harry?" Mr. Saxon, who was already in the room, answered her, "My faithful companion." She is in on the whole thing! I wasn’t expecting that at all. Going with this anti-Doctor motif, the Doctor’s companions seem almost sweet and wholesome, with no hanky-panky other than maybe some hand-holding (unless the Doctor "dances" off screen with them), whereas the Master takes a companion whom he calls his wife and kisses her openly.
• Jack and Torchwood: Most TV shows probably would not deal with these effects on a spin-off series, but Russell T. Davies isn’t a slacker, so he effectively addresses this via an aside from Saxon, who states that he has sent them off on a "wild goose chase" in the Himalayas. We are given an explanation (finally) about how Torchwood could still be in operation after the events from Season 2 finale episodes, "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday." Jack has rebuilt Torchwood into a different organization than the one the Doctor dealt with. In fact, Jack calls the new Torchwood a tribute he made in honor of the Doctor.
Spoiler alert: Torchwood Season 1 finale
This explains much about Jack (does he have a crush on the Doctor as well?) and also brilliantly ties into his last comment from the season finale of Torchwood, "End of Days" where he states that he would have opened the rift for "the right kind of doctor." This mirrors Saxon’s election speech quoted at the top of this page. What’s interesting and strangely parallel here (or is anti-Doctor a better term?) is that Jack would open the Cardiff rift for the Doctor and the Master’s rift and the ensuing events are a result of… well... I’ll just save that for next week’s blog.
End spoiler
This episode is the second time that the Doctor has to chastise Jack for his potential actions. Last week Jack wanted to shoot the Futurekind, and this week he mentions that he would break the neck of the Master. As the Doctor points out, "That sounds like Torchwood." Odd that this is the same Torchwood that was built in honor of the Doctor.
• Although it sounded savagely brutal, I found it extremely black-comedic the manner in which Saxon and his wife kept opening the door to the room where the reporter was being killed. Who could have thought that screaming for one's life would be funny?
• Continuity and references: I love them when they occur within TV shows as this sort of makes it more real to me in the sense that the characters are growing, learning and remembering the past. I believe that they are a reward of sorts for steady viewership; maybe reward isn’t the correct term. It’s almost like the DVD Easter Eggs from the episode "Blink," and it’s very cool to spot them in repeated viewings of episodes of Doctor Who. It’s also interesting to see how far into the future Russell T. Davies has planned out the episodes and how everything ties in together. Here’s a brief list that I jotted down while watching this episode: Downing Street is rebuilt; references to the events in the episodes; "The Christmas Invasion" (Harriet Jones) and "The Runaway Bride"; the Archangel Network; Professor Lazarus, UNIT (also referenced in one episode in Season 1); all the "news footage" from those previous episodes; not to mention all the Saxon references in this season (and I believe in the finale of Season 2). There are one or two Saxon references in Torchwood so keep an eye out for those. Finally… Jelly Babies and Gallifrey, need I say more?
• Martha: Let’s just say that I wouldn’t want to get on Martha’s bad side. Did you see how she angrily responded to the Doctor after her apartment exploded? Probably still some pent-up Rose jealousy bursting out there (heh) on top of her concern for her family’s safety. What she might have forgotten was that the Doctor wasn’t the cause of all of this, but rather she was, as she kept going on and on about the pocket watch in the previous episode and that triggered the Master’s rebirth! Essentially, this is all her fault!
• Music: For the most part, I have been impressed by the music for this revival series and this episode’s score is like none other (except maybe next week’s episode). Almost every theme can be heard here with the exception of Rose’s theme. Martha’s music seems to stand out to me as it's more subtle than say the Master’s drum theme. There is even a bit of the Torchwood score thrown into the mix. Not sure about the rest of you, but I had goose bumps during the scene when the Doctor and the Master had their first true conversation as the music swells, then goes silent.
• Time War and the Master, Part 3: The Master tells us how he was resurrected (from the Eye of Harmony from the events in the Fox Doctor Who TV-movie, I assume) to help fight in the Time War but ran away and hid himself where no one would find him. Makes perfect sense and it was foolish of the Time Lords to think they could trust him. Curious how the Doctor didn’t know about this though.
• Best dialogue sequence about the Master:
Martha: "... and what is he to you? A colleague or…"
The Doctor: "A friend at first."
Martha: "Thought you were going to say it (he?) was your secret brother or something."
The Doctor: "You’ve been watching too much TV."
• Best line about the Master:
Harold Saxon: "So America is completely in charge?"
President Winters: "Since Britain elected an 'ass,' yes!"
• The young Master: Remind anyone else of Damien from The Omen?
• Perception filter and Martha: The Doctor explains to Martha the TARDIS key perception filter thusly, "It’s like when you fancy someone but they don’t even know you exist." Sadly, Martha knows this feeling all too well.
• "Here come the drums" and visual effects at the end: How almost Nero-like of the Master to be looking down at the destruction of one-tenth of the population, especially when he plays the music as the rift opens and the aliens surge forth. One word to sum up the visual effects at the end: Wow!
• Final thought: How much would it have sucked if this episode was the season finale? We would have to wait an entire year literally to see the conclusion!
Until next time! Expelliarmus!
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Sep 29, 2007 1:26 AM
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Robert -
Thank you for this brilliant write-up of the episode and for posting it so quickly.
I agree with everything you have said. The Master is deliciously wicked, and he does make The Doctor, Captain Jack and Martha seem like the Scooby Gang in comparison.
The special effects they used to make The Doctor age 100 years I think are extremely impressive, as was The Master acting like he was a Vegas showman at the end with rock music and launching madness on earth.
The only misstep I have seen in this series so far is the casting of Martha. I have never seen such an emotionless actress in such a great part. She is just one long stare and screech after the other and I will not miss her when she is replaced with the Runaway Bride.
I agree the tie-ins between Torchwood and Doctor Who episodes are referred to quite well in each episode. I just wish they ran in alternating sequential order like Angel and Buffy did.
That quibble aside, I cannot wait for next week's episode to see what happens.
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Sep 29, 2007 2:03 AM
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Damien? When I saw the young Master I immedaitely thought Anakin.
One of the best parts - so subtle - was Martha absent-mindedly drumming her fingers as she talked about Saxon. Plus the whole "I like Saxon because... uh ..." thing.
Wow - Martha, you got guts girl, going down there to the surface with all that decimation going on (and for once the word was actually used correctly) - and we got to see that she got that courage from her Daddy.
I love long arcs in stories and this is right up there with J Michael Strasinski (never could spell his name) Everything has been planted out there from the beginning, it all had a purpose. At this rate i wouldn't be surprised if Mickey shows up to save the day.
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Sep 29, 2007 2:09 AM
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tvdiva wrote:
The only misstep I have seen in this series so far is the casting of Martha. I have never seen such an emotionless actress in such a great part. She is just one long stare and screech after the other and I will not miss her when she is replaced with the Runaway Bride.
Thanks for the spoiler, dope. Next time think before you type.
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Sep 29, 2007 2:35 AM
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I thought it was a great ep, and I love the continuity of planning that goes in to this show and Torchwood.
I also appreciate the rapid posting of the blog, and after reading it, I plan to watch the episode again so I can pay more attention to the music. I didn't really catch it the first time through because I was concentrating on the dialog.
I've been a fan of John Simm since watching "Life on Mars" on BBCA last year. (I'm anxiously waiting to watch the second season of that series!) He was an excellent choice for this role. Love that playfully evil grin!
Personally I think Freema Agyeman does a great job in her portrayal of Martha. I think the character sees herself as the "rebound relationship" after Rose, and I thought the look she directed to Jack after The Doctor's comment “It’s like when you fancy someone but they don’t even know you exist,” may have been an indication that she suspects Jack is another hopeless love of The Doctor's (and that Jack realizes the same about her).
I think her character's really grown over the season, and I love how fierce she got, both in standing up to The Doctor as well as her vow to return at the end of the episode.
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Sep 29, 2007 7:09 AM
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I took that look to mean that she realized that the Doctor didn't realize that that he treated her like he didn't realize she existed.
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Sep 29, 2007 9:17 AM
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Giving away nothing...but thank heavens the CBC showed the final two season eps. back to back because the suspense was killing me. David Tennant simply gets more amazing; what a wonderful 10th Doctor he makes. Thought John Simm's 'Master' was terrific since I don't remember the previous incarnations being so gleefully evil; I was appalled and laughing at the same time. At least there'll be a Christmas episode to tide fans over until whenever the 4th season previews.
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Sep 29, 2007 12:41 PM
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Giving away nothing...but thank heavens the CBC showed the final two season eps. back to back because the suspense was killing me. David Tennant simply gets more amazing; what a wonderful 10th Doctor he makes. Thought John Simm's 'Master' was terrific since I don't remember the previous incarnations being so gleefully evil; I was appalled and laughing at the same time. At least there'll be a Christmas episode to tide fans over until whenever the 4th season previews.
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Sep 29, 2007 12:43 PM
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tvdiva: thank you for the compliment, although I believe its not deserved. I really wish I had more time to organize my thoughts but deadlines and such loom over my head much like the Toclafane overhead.
I didn't like Martha at first, but she has grown on me immensely. If I had to nick-pick, it would be over her (almost) constant jealously towards Rose and/or her pining over The Doctor. However, these help explain her motivation in the next episode.
I was actually going to call The Doctor and crew, 'The Scooby Gang,' but wasn't sure how many would get the reference (also, its tiring trying to come up with different ways of describing them).
re Torchwood: I really wish Torchwood would had been broadcast in the US before the start of DW s3. I actually liked the alternating order of Buffy and Angel (for Angel's first season; but it didn't really matter for Angel s2 and beyond) when it was originally broadcast but dislike it on DVD b/c it means I have to swap out DVDs -heh.
Charliy: Ha and I agree about Anakin! At least in this episode, the young Master did not have any lines of dialogue 
She got her courage from her father and I hope the character didn't get anything from her mother as that character constantly angers me.
I just finished watching all the seasons of B5 (just picked up the entire series on DVD). I recalled that I wasn't happy with the way the series ended, but that was because I missed the entire 5th season -hehe.
alphabetsoup: thanks again!
Music: listen for the subtitle use of Martha's theme in the scene outside her now-destroyed apartment and a few scenes after (I believe The Shakespeare Code is the episode where I first realized she had a theme). I do believe there is a smattering of it in the warehouse where they hole up at. I believe you should hear the Torchwood theme whenever Jack is talking about it. If a CD soundtrack was released for this episode, I'd be the first one in line to purchase it.
I'm hoping to see "Life on mars" very soon. Can't wait!
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Sep 29, 2007 8:57 PM
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hawkeye_wx
Next time get some manners before you write. Nobody likes mean spirited or obnoxious posts.
It was announced months ago and is posted all over the internet.
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Sep 30, 2007 1:27 AM
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Tvdiva, not everyone reads that stuff -- in fact, some actively avoid it to keep from being spoiled and enjoy each plot surprise as just that. Most posters to internet fan sites acknowledge this and out of courtesy use spoiler warnings. While hawkeye_wx may have been able to word things differently, he/she is perfectly justified in being annoyed. I've been in that same position on a message board for a different show. Think about it for a minute. How would you feel if your positions were reversed? It's not fair to expect someone to stay in a bubble till all the new episodes have aired. Those who don't read spoilers are just as entitled to enjoy chatting and commenting online throughout the season with fellow fans as spoiler-holics.
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Sep 30, 2007 6:31 PM
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The look between Martha and Jack after the Doctor's "It's like when you fancy someone" line is actually followed by Jack saying "You too, huh?", which answers a lot of questions (except why it was cut in the US).
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Oct 1, 2007 1:28 AM
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Is it true that Dr Who is going off the air for one year becaause David had already signed to do a play? Since he wants to continue being the Dr. they decided to just skip one year until he can return. So the next run will have to hold us for a whole year.
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Oct 1, 2007 6:24 PM
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Well, I finally had to register to tell you how much I've been enjoying the episode recaps for this season. These last three episodes have been spectacular and you've really done them justice. Can't wait for friday!
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Oct 1, 2007 7:12 PM
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Minion - I've come across a few differences in editing. I recently saws the WWII 2-parter on BBC America and one of my favorite lines was missing. When they'er in the hospital and the Doctor tells the little boy "Go to your room!" After the boy and the others leave the Doctor says "I'm glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words." On BBCA, that second sentence is missing.
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Oct 2, 2007 12:21 AM
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