The Master is back in Doctor Who. Actually, he came back in the season 12 opener, but he’s double back for the two-part finale which began on Sunday night. The character has a long history of surprise (and not-so surprise) reveals in the show, and it appears the BBC dropped yet another hint of his return that nobody noticed. Mostly nobody, at least.
Auntie Beeb published a cast list for the final episode, titled “The Timeless Children,” featuring all the usual names, but also including a “Barack Stemis” playing the role of “Fakout.” Yeah, duh, fakout is fake-out, get it? More pertinently, Barack Stemis has no previous casting credits, and rearranged his name spells “Master is back.” Whhhaaaaaaaaaaat?
Teases hidden in plain sight are fun, but this one was rendered entirely redundant by the fact The Master’s return was already heavily, heavily promoted by the BBC themselves. The show’s official Facebook feed has been converted into a non-stop spoiler rush, and if I still cared about its contents I would be very miffed at their marketing approach (yes, I’m doing it too. Sorry). As it is, Chris Chibnall’s hopeless inability to show anything resembling talent and Jodie Whittaker’s one-dimensional portrayal of a science fiction great have long since killed my enthusiasm for the program (previous eras still hold a firm place in my heart, though).
Still, if you’re going to brave the series 12 finale, it airs March 1st on BBC One and BBC America. I’m saying that as a fact, not as a recommendation to watch it. If you do want to watch some Doctor Who this Sunday, do yourself a favour and stick on “Rose.” The leap in quality will make you want to cry. Honest.