When the TARDIS arrives in a technologically advanced city, Ian and Barbara assume that they’ve arrived on Earth, but a talk with the locals reveals that they’re actually on the colony planet of Destination, which has been aided for years by gifts of technology from the mysterious ‘Inventor’. However, when Susan first sees one of the Inventor’s broadcasts, she recognises him as none other than an old friend of her grandfather’s…
Tropes:
- Adaptational Early Appearance: This marks the earliest chronological encounter between the Doctor and the Master after they left Gallifrey, taking place around the events of Season 1 or 2 with the First Doctor. The Master himself didn’t debut in the show until Season 8, fighting the Third Doctor.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The Dalmari are willing to listen to the Doctor and Barbara because they are the first two humans who haven’t tried to attack them.
- Broken Pedestal: Reena experiences this for the ‘Inventor’ in particular when she realises just how much technology he’s holding back.
- Call-Back: Ian and Barbara are able to return to Destination by using the Fast Return Switch. But not before recalling how much trouble it caused "last time."
- Calling the Old Man Out: Reena and Susan call out Tanna and the Doctor for their currently planned approach to the situation with the Dalmari, which prompts the Doctor in particular to try something else.
- Continuity Nod: After being tied up and put into storage crate by Ian and Barbara, Master is shown escaping while revealing that he also learned some tricks from Harry Houdini.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The Master had to leave the homeworld at a rapid pace, stealing a far more damaged TARDIS than the Doctor and thus crashing on Destination.
- The Dreaded: The knowledge that the Master is present basically sends Susan into a panic.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The people of Destination refer to the Master as ‘the Inventor’.
- Fantastic Racism: The human colonists treat the Dalmari as animals, although most of this is due to the Master's manipulation.
- Fate Worse than Death: The Doctor is able to trap the Master in his laboratory, having diverted most of its energy to Destination so that the building is now so low on power the Master can’t even open the doors.
- God Guise: The ‘Inventor’ never explicitly claims to be a god, but he does create a scenario where the natives basically worship him.
- It's All About Me: The Master has no problem manipulating two races into going to war with each other if it will allow him to repair his TARDIS.
- Noodle Incident: The Master knew Houdini.
- Retraux:
- As this is supposed to be a retroactive "introduction" to the Master, the words "Time Lord" and "Gallifrey" are never spoken.
- The City is described in terms that Ian and Barbara would find futuristic, but that to the modern audience seems very Zeerust.
- The Slow Path: To help the humans and the Dalmari find peace, the Doctor leaves Susan and Reena in the Inventor’s lab after programming it to take them forward in time a couple of years while he acts as a negotiator during that time frame.
- Stop Worshipping Me: The Doctor insists that he not take up the mantle of ‘the Inventor’, and asks to just be referred to as 'the Doctor' during his time on Destination.
- Take a Third Option: With their options being to either remain in the TARDIS for eternity or risk asking the Master to pilot them somewhere, Ian and Barbara decide to take a chance with the Fast Return Switch even after it glitched the last time it was used.
- Underestimating Badassery: Having dismissed Ian and Barbara as potential threats, the Master is caught off-guard when they manage to overpower him and lock him in a closet in the TARDIS.
