Doctor Who Thread III: Reverse the Polarity of the Neutron Flow

[Dienekes]

"Snot-nosed" is a colloquialism that means someone is young and stupid while nonetheless managing to be arrogant. That fits the Johns Simms version of the Master to a t. ("Fit to a t" is a colloquialism for "fits perfectly.") There's nothing boring about a three-dimensional, refined villain. There is something profoundly boring about yet another snarky, immature villain. Television if full of them.

As for my wanting a carbon copy of the original Master, if you have any familiarity with Derek Jacoby, you know better. Jacoby's would have been refined and sophisticated, three-dimensional, but different from Delgado's just as David Warner's Ra's al Ghul was different than Liam Neeson's, even though both portrayed Ra's as refined and three-dimensional.

The Master is not a homicidal maniac, and that's exactly the point. Ra's al Ghul isn't the Joker nor should he act like the Joker; The Master isn't the Joker nor should he act like the Joker either. Delgado's Master was evil but not insane; Simm's Idiot Son of the Master was evil and insane. In fact they made him so insane that it's questionable whether he even had the mental competence to distinguish good from evil.

Yet Ra's and the Joker do not have a set mechanic that can reset their personality. The Master does. Which is part of the fun of watching Doctor Who is that we get to see how the Doctor develops and how each iteration is different, sometimes drastically, from the one before him. The same can be done with the Master just fine, and I'd say Simms version portrays this rather well.

As to him being insane, I'd argue that one. He's manic, but he has shown no actual signs of insanity (other than disregard for life, which the Master has always had). Also I would argue that the Master as presented by Simms was definitely a three dimensional character. His interaction with the Doctor throughout the second and third episodes should prove that rather easily. There's more to him than just being a fun guy villain, he actually has weight behind him and while the scene sucked his reaction to Tinkerbell!Doctor showed unseen caveats of the character that were further explored in the end of time specials and the conversations between him and the Doctor, as well as him and Rassalon. In any case three dimensional characters are great, but being serious or manic about it doesn't matter as one is not inherently better than the other outside of personal preference. Personally, I like the manic villains a bit more, and found Simms portrayal engaging, but that is a personal preference and in saying that I do not denounce Delgado as a boring stuck up highbrow or whatever infantile insults on his portrayal I could think up with enough time.

As to him being an idiot, well, that's kind of completely negated in the episodes. Since he beats the Doctor two episodes in a row and runs the entire planet for a year, successfully manipulating just about everyone subconsciously, and planning for his own death.