Sympathy for the Devil
David Warner, the Doctor who never was. Of all the Unbound
stories I have heard, his is the incarnation that is most recognisable, so
believable. Some would argue that his timeline is closest to the TV series
compared to the others but no matter what, he is the one that sticks in my
head. Presented with a universe vastly different from the one we are used to,
with familiar characters twisted by their altered past, this is the only man
who is recognisable, despite the change. This universe, so damaged by the
absence of our hero, presents a spookily similar world to our own, but with its
own devastating problems.
‘What if the Doctor had never worked for UNIT?’ is the question posed by this tale. Here, the Doctor turns up in 1997 after his first trial by the Time Lords, rather than the late 60s (70s?) seen on TV. The host of invasions and tragedies then still happened, but without the Third Doctor, it’s left the world a mess. UNIT is in ruins, laughed at by the world. The UK is devastated, gaping craters where much of the world should be, and the plastic purges have ravaged the world’s resources. And the Brigadier is a broken man, years of watching friends sacrifice themselves and politicians who blamed him for the disasters have sent him away, retiring in Hong Kong, and he isn’t the only man who has broken. Hearing these characters that we are so used to in such a horrible way, these once loved men and women who have had to do anything to survive is difficult, yet compelling. I find it just as fun trying to work out exactly where and when they changed and what events changed in order to disrupt them so much. By involving UNIT, Jonathan Clements was inspired. Brimmicombe-Wood, another example of a damaged man, is actually frightening; he is so unhinged that it wouldn’t surprise me if he could do anything. The soviet plane crash and the fear of the handover shows the real world fears of the time, yet with the twist here of a dangerous world. We have absolutely no idea how events will play out, and that makes it even more frightening.
Sympathy for the Devil even manages to celebrate the original TV series that spawned it. Borrowing plot elements from Pertwee’s era to construct the new story was an inspired idea. Even those who haven’t watched every story won’t lose information, it still being perfectly enjoyable. And, the inclusion of an old enemy made the story even more surprising, the impact of this new world made all the more devastating by the changes it has on him.
And what a great incarnation of the Master Mark Gatiss makes. It’s easy to see the previous incarnations in his portrayal, yet the danger and intelligence and shown simply through his tone of voice. That voice contains so much menace and gravitas that very few other incarnations have had. I would even go so far as to say that he is one of, in not the best incarnation of the Master to have been played, up there with Alex Maqueen and John Simm. It is my sincere hope that one day he is brought back to face David Warner’s Doctor again, that would definitely be something to look forward to.
And so, Sympathy for the Devil comes with a hearty recommendation. For me, it is the epitome of the unbound stories, showing something which is so near to what we know, yet so disturbed. In fact, this has become a firm favourite of mine, one which has become traditional for me to hear on a certain day of every year. It is traditional now, and something I hear every year without fail. I look forward to it each time, and that is a testament to how good it is. After four years of listening to it, I will still look forward to it each time.
‘What if the Doctor had never worked for UNIT?’ is the question posed by this tale. Here, the Doctor turns up in 1997 after his first trial by the Time Lords, rather than the late 60s (70s?) seen on TV. The host of invasions and tragedies then still happened, but without the Third Doctor, it’s left the world a mess. UNIT is in ruins, laughed at by the world. The UK is devastated, gaping craters where much of the world should be, and the plastic purges have ravaged the world’s resources. And the Brigadier is a broken man, years of watching friends sacrifice themselves and politicians who blamed him for the disasters have sent him away, retiring in Hong Kong, and he isn’t the only man who has broken. Hearing these characters that we are so used to in such a horrible way, these once loved men and women who have had to do anything to survive is difficult, yet compelling. I find it just as fun trying to work out exactly where and when they changed and what events changed in order to disrupt them so much. By involving UNIT, Jonathan Clements was inspired. Brimmicombe-Wood, another example of a damaged man, is actually frightening; he is so unhinged that it wouldn’t surprise me if he could do anything. The soviet plane crash and the fear of the handover shows the real world fears of the time, yet with the twist here of a dangerous world. We have absolutely no idea how events will play out, and that makes it even more frightening.
Sympathy for the Devil even manages to celebrate the original TV series that spawned it. Borrowing plot elements from Pertwee’s era to construct the new story was an inspired idea. Even those who haven’t watched every story won’t lose information, it still being perfectly enjoyable. And, the inclusion of an old enemy made the story even more surprising, the impact of this new world made all the more devastating by the changes it has on him.
And what a great incarnation of the Master Mark Gatiss makes. It’s easy to see the previous incarnations in his portrayal, yet the danger and intelligence and shown simply through his tone of voice. That voice contains so much menace and gravitas that very few other incarnations have had. I would even go so far as to say that he is one of, in not the best incarnation of the Master to have been played, up there with Alex Maqueen and John Simm. It is my sincere hope that one day he is brought back to face David Warner’s Doctor again, that would definitely be something to look forward to.
And so, Sympathy for the Devil comes with a hearty recommendation. For me, it is the epitome of the unbound stories, showing something which is so near to what we know, yet so disturbed. In fact, this has become a firm favourite of mine, one which has become traditional for me to hear on a certain day of every year. It is traditional now, and something I hear every year without fail. I look forward to it each time, and that is a testament to how good it is. After four years of listening to it, I will still look forward to it each time.