rewatched the Timeless Children and istg i forgot how INSANE the Doctor and the Master’s last scene together in that episode is. From like a historical Thoschei perspective. As per a recent post of mine, my body is a machine that turns unsuspecting Thoschei moments into Torvic rock murder references. Bc the Master, right as she is threatening to kill them all with the Death Particle, goads her on and says ‘Become death. Become me.’
Now, any Academy Era Thoschei fan worth their salt can see where I’m going with this. Theta killed Torvic and made the deal with Death so that it was all flipped and that it was Koschei who committed the crime instead, making Koschei Death’s Champion, teeeechnically making him Death in a metaphorical sense. And he!!! He says it!!! He tells Theta to become him!!! Like how he became Theta!!! They’re connected guys!!! Inextricably linked!!! Two halves of the same soul!!! They’re- *is shot before i can carry on*
Anyways also the Master goading her on like that is crazy bc wdym he’s THAT eager to die at her hand if it proves they’re not so different. This theme of them being like ‘we’re the same really!’ is so old and has been done many times, e.g Delgado!Master trying to get Three to rule the universe with him, Missy trying to get Twelve to take her Cyber army and conquer the universe, et cetera, but THIS is such an interesting way to go about it. They touched on it a little with Simm!Master and Ten in the Russian roulette scene where Simm!Master goads the Doctor in a similar kind of way, but not to such a degree as Spy and Thirteen’s scene.
Bc Spy EXPLICITLY tells her to become him by killing them all. With Tensimm it’s kinda implied, but you can tell the Master isn’t really serious because he looks like he’s about to cry the whole time. But SPY? He wants it. He is so ready to prove that fucking point. ‘Kill us all. You’re no better than me.’ BUT THIRTEEN. She TWISTS THAT KNIFE. She says ‘I am so much more than you’ and AGHAHHAGAHHAG THAT’S WHAT HE HATES THAT’S WHAT HE’S HATED FOR THE WHOLE EPISODE HE SAYS THAT’S WHAT HE HATES ABOUT HER AND SHE JUST. CONFIRMS HIS FEARS. ‘We’re not so different!’ BUT MAYBE YOU ARE. YOU’RE NOT KIDS ANYMORE AND YOU ARE SO SO DIFFERENT NOW.
sigh i need to get these two under a microscope immediately. i need to put them in an enclosure together and observe them. i need to watch them play chess or smth. never gonna stop being insane over this dynamic smh bro i gotta lock in
