Last of the Time Lords (30 Jun. 2007)

It's been a year since The Master unleashed the mysterious Toclafane onto Earth. With the human race and The Doctor enslaved under The Master's control, Martha Jones is the only person that can help stop the evil Time Lord.

Director:

Colin Teague

Writer:

Russell T. Davies

Stars:

David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
John Barrowman	...	Captain Jack Harkness
John Simm	...	The Master
Adjoa Andoh	...	Francine Jones
Gugu Mbatha-Raw	...	Tish Jones
Trevor Laird	...	Clive Jones
Reggie Yates	...	Leo Jones
Alexandra Moen	...	Lucy Saxon
Tom Ellis	...	Thomas Milligan
Ellie Haddington	...	Professor Docherty
Tom Golding	...	Lad
Natasha Alexander	...	Woman
Zoe Thorne	...	Sphere Voice (voice)
Gerard Logan	...	Sphere Voice (voice)

Storyline

Martha Jones secretly returns to England. It's been a year since the Master took over the Earth and launched the invasion. Humans are now a captive race and the Toclafane are building a fleet of rockets they will use to attack other worlds. The Master takes great pleasure in humiliating the Doctor and has Martha's family doing menial chores. Martha has a plan however and all she has to do in get in to see the Master. When she learns of the origin of the Toclafane, she realizes the paradox they have created.

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Plot Keywords:

master | all humans thinking same thought | macguffin | flying fortress | funeral pyre | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 2007 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (1 Episode)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the original show's limiting of Time Lord regeneration to only 13 lives, this episode, as well as Doctor Who: Utopia and Doctor Who: The Sound of Drums, presented the Master's 17th life. Also, we learn that it's more an act of will than biology for Time Lords to regenerate. However in regards to past schemes by the Master we learn he has before tried to steal timelords reincarnations and as of the Sara Jane Adventures the 13 max regenerations limit has been lifted.

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Goofs

When the Master is about to execute Martha on the Valiant he remarks that her death will be his "first blood." But just as he captured Martha the night before, Thomas Milligan ran into the street to save her and the Master killed him with his Laser Screwdriver. So even if you don't count the Master's killing of Jack in Doctor Who: The Sound of Drums, Thomas Milligan would be his first blood. The Master has actually killed many people in the past (e.g. the entire cabinet in the The Sound of Drums), but this is not a goof because when the Master says "first blood", he is most likely referring to first blood of the invasion. This is why he wants to kill Martha when the countdown reaches zero - the official start of the invasion.

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Quotes

The Master: Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha? Siding with the Doctor... is a very dangerous thing to do.

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Crazy Credits

Credit at the end of "Last of the Time Lords": "Doctor Who will return at Christmas in Voyage of the Damned"

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Connections

References Countdown (1982)

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Soundtracks

"I Can't Decide"
Written by Babydaddy (as Scott Hoffman) and Jake Shears (as Jason Sellards)
Performed by Scissor Sisters

User Reviews

Not quite as good as "Doomsday" but...

Still well worth watching if you ask me. As a three-part episode (of which, Utopia was by far the best) it was overall a brilliant end to what has been without doubt the best series of the three series since the show was revived. Don't get me wrong, this episode did have faults, but on the whole, it was very well done.

First, the gripes. Captain Jack is criminally underused in this episode. After his brief appearance at the start where he gets killed (again), he doesn't say another word until just before the Master's downfall. For probably the best semi-regular character in the show, this was a great shame. Similarly, the femme fatale that was Lucy barely got a look in. Off the top of my head, the only words I can think of her saying are describing when the Master took her to the end of the universe. Obviously she did have an integral part in the plot, but I think she could have said a bit more, rather than spending the episode essentially as the trophy wife. Also, I found the Doctor's eventual "resurrection" was a little hard to get my head around, and there was no possible way that Martha could've worked out exactly what the spend the next year doing just from the three words that the Doctor whispered in her ear.

Now, the pros. As if everyone didn't already know, John Simm has once again shown himself to be an absolute diamond. His performance as the brilliantly psychotic Master is sheer perfection, no actor on the planet could have pulled it off better than him, and his casting was nothing short of inspired. Freema Agyeman's performance is also heroic as she takes centre stage for once, as it's obvious how hardened she's become by the events of "the year that never was". Also, once he gets back to normal, David Tennant comes right back into it as if he'd never been reduced to a 100 year old man in a wheelchair. The revelation behind the Toclafane and the Tardis/Paradox Machine was brilliantly thought out and flawlessly written. And on a lighter note, the use of the Scissor Sisters' "I Can't Decide" when the Master is dancing around on the deck of the Valiant is a Midas touch when you listen to the lyrics, they fit the situation like salt and pepper.

Overall, a good finale to the series. Here's looking forward to Voyage of the Damned at Christmas, and, of course, the already well-publicised guest appearance of Kylie Minogue...