On the oppressive planet Zamyatin space hippies Kingpin and Juniper Berry arrive simply to preform and entertain, however after getting arrested they soon get other ideas after being urged on by a sinister voice.
Meanwhile a companionless Seventh Doctor is practicing his juggling when suddenly the TARDIS is invaded by a Junkmail robot (Sound familiar?) which takes control of the TARDIS and takes him on a (reluctant) trip down memory lane.
Tropes:
- Broken Pedestal: Juniper Berry eventually becomes disillusioned with the new state of the Psychic Circus, which she feels has become more commercialised rather than the original message of freedom.
- Call-Forward: As expected for a prequel to The Greatest Show in the Galaxy but at the end of the story the Master ends up trapped in the Gods of Ragnarok’s psychic plane. He pleads with the Doctor free him as the Gods might drain him of his lives, thus providing a possible explanation to why he’s out of regenerations by the time he encounters the Third Doctor.
- The Corrupter: The Master to the Psychic Circus and it’s performers.
- Entertainingly Wrong: When the Doctor sees which incarnation of the Master he’s dealing with he remarks how they're “out of sync” and it’s “early days for you”. The Master assumes he’s talking about understanding his plan.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": It is noted that the Chief Clown hasn't even told the rest of the Circus his original name.
- Origins Episode: While the Doctor has already went through the events of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy the story is mainly about the rise and fall of the Psychic Circus.
