In Review: Big Finish: Call Me Master: Monsters

Synopsis: He is the master of disguise, disarray and disorder. Let loose on the universe, the Master is doing what he will to serve his own ends.

Encountering allies and enemies, he seals their fate with his whims. Some of those he meets are monsters, but is the Master still the greatest monster of them all?

Review: Call Me Master: Monsters worked so well, because listeners knew the Master would always prevail in the end. The entertainment lay in how he would go about it.

Story

The writers succeeded by keeping things simple. They each built a story around a single trope, which supported performance riffs and character beats.

“The Craft of Corruption” by Alison Winter relied upon the tried but true ship under siege narrative. Winter’s world building very effectively established that the ship was trapped long before the hostile force arrived.

Along the way, I really appreciated Winter’s commentaries on history, mythology, and language. I also liked how the Master both became and used the system for his own ends.

“The Ideal Quarry” by Jody Houser was the latest twist on “The Most Dangerous Game.” By the end, Houser gave listeners fresh takes on hunter and hunted.

We also got pointed commentary on the unintended consequences of the animal welfare movement. However, the excellent thematic work would’ve meant nothing without the well-drawn supporting characters.

Vegg had one of the best Sontaran character arcs yet. Additionally, Sir Florencia Fang viscerally embodied the inherent stakes.

“Reformation” by Lisa McMullin was a prison break tale. The twist lay in the warden’s identity.

Indeed, I appreciated the bait and switch aspect of Renata’s character. I enjoyed being wrong about who she was, as the answer was more interesting.

Acting

The entire cast was wonderful. That said, several performances stand out.

Jacqueline King got to delightfully stretch her acting muscles as Sir Florencia Fang. For his part, Dan Starkey gamely added Vegg to his long list of layered Sontarans.

For her part, Daisy Head kept up with the leading man beat for beat aa Renata. However, the box set belonged to that leading man.

Sacha Dhawan gave a gleefully unhinged performance. He’s clearly relishing the scope Big Finish offers him.

Overall

Call Me Master: Monsters was an immensely satisfying entry in this range. I can’t wait for the next box set.

You can purchase Call Me Master: Monsters here.