The Deadly Assassin

The Doctor has a powerful premonition about an assassination back home on Gallifrey. His attempts to stop the killing only result in him becoming the crime's primary suspect. To clear his name, the Doctor must navigate the political machinations of the High Council and thwart the plans of his own arch-enemy, the Master. The Deadly Assassin, the first Doctor Who story without a companion, is a fan favorite from the show's classic era. It's not without its detractors though, with some feeling that the story's depiction of the Time Lords was not in line with what had previously been shown. The depiction of the Master was also a bit of a departure. Because of Roger Delgado's untimely death, the Master had been dropped from the show's narrative after Frontier in Space. When he returned in The Deadly Assassin, played by Peter Pratt, the Master was essentially a rotting corpse at the end of his regeneration cycle scheming to prolong his existence. His grisly appearance (imagine a slimy Skeletor) along with a few violent action sequences raised the ire of moral watchdogs at the time. Particularly because of the climax of the third episode when, after a prolonged fistfight in a swamp, the Doctor's adversary attempts to drown him.

Rating: Typical politician%