The Good Life is a solid end to Inner Demons. An atmospheric listen with a nicely built world, Dhawans Master is somewhat more in the background here with the focus on Elta but it still does some nice stuff with his character and follows on nicely from Self-Help, particularly his comment in that story about him being the chaotic incarnation.

Definitely the weakest of the 3 however I was still hooked and invested in the story and love the decent into madness the master slowly goes on this set

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“CALL ME MASTER: THE GOOD LIFE – A SLOW-BURN MEDITATION ON BALANCE THAT STRUGGLES TO FIND ITS OWN”

The Good Life transports us to a remote island inhabited by holy men and women who maintain a mysterious force called the Balance. A young woman, Elta, arrives to learn from them and finds an unlikely mentor among their ranks—the Master. Living a peaceful life of growing crops and playing the flute, the Master initially seems like a wise, contemplative figure. But as Elta begins questioning him, cracks start to show.

DHAWAN’S LATEST TRANSFORMATION

Sacha Dhawan once again flexes his range, offering yet another distinct take on the Spy Master. Unlike the manic energy of previous stories, here he is restrained and almost likeable—until his mask starts slipping. It’s fascinating to watch him attempt self-control, only to be undone by his own nature. However, the story gives him surprisingly little to do, with the focus mostly on Elta observing the world slowly falling apart around her.

A DRAMATIC CONCEPT THAT DOESN’T QUITE LAND

The core idea—of the Master seeking balance only to realise he’s an agent of destruction—is intriguing, but the execution is frustratingly slow. The story spends a lot of time telling us about the growing imbalance rather than showing it, which drains the tension. There’s an underlying sense of unease, but it never fully grabs hold, making large portions feel meandering.

A FINAL ACT THAT COMES TOO LATE

As expected, the third act reveals the Master’s true nature, with Elta uncovering his deception. The revelation should feel like a powerful gut punch, but by the time it arrives, the slow pace has dulled the impact. That said, Dhawan once again shines in the final stretch, unleashing his more sinister side in a chilling climax. The decision to tell a more dramatic, non-comedic Spy Master story is welcome, even if the execution is uneven.

📝VERDICT: 6/10

The Good Life attempts something different, with a meditative and atmospheric approach that suits Dhawan’s Master well. However, the sluggish pacing, lack of tension, and over-reliance on exposition weaken the impact of its central idea. It’s worth a listen for the final act and Dhawan’s ever-compelling performance, but it’s a story that, ironically, struggles to find its own balance.

So, I enjoyed this ep a lot more than episode 2 (not that it would take much), but not as much as the first episode. This felt, in a way, very War Master coded. I do think the story dragged a bit, it had a very lengthy run-time. The character of Elta was good, and I actually at the start thought this was going in a whole other direction. I wondered if, maybe, they'd have made the Master corrupt her and have her become his companion! I think it would be a really cool concept if they had him travel with a companion for even just one boxset, something very different for the character and it could work really well with this incarnation. So I did feel a little disappointed when that didn't happen. Nonetheless I enjoyed how brutal the Master was in this one, again he reminded me of the War Master in many ways but with obviously way more Spy Master mannerisms.

Overall, I enjoyed this box set and it was a good opener to this new range, I'm excited for what comes next!!