The mini-series follows the adventures of Missy and Master Delgado and was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Master's appearance in the series. And let me tell you, it's a gorgeous tribute to Master Delgado, to Missy, and to all the other regenerations of this Doctor's companion.
It's a shame Jody Houser, who wrote this miniseries, didn't try harder in Empire of the Wolf, which was supposed to be a celebration of the Eighth Doctor's 25th birthday, but instead focused more on Eleven and Rose than the Eighth. But let's get back to the good stuff.
Hauser didn't reinvent the wheel too much and took a cue from the episode World Enough and Time, where Missy played the role of the Doctor with the Twelfth's permission and supervision. And it's the same here. The Twelfth sends Missy, who plays the role of the Doctor, to get the Master out of prison to help save the world. And this move is absolutely gorgeous! As great as Michelle Gomez's performance as the Doctor is, Jodie Goucher and Robert Ingranata have captured and recreated all the vibe of the comic, her character, her boastfulness and her irony. This is exactly the moment when self-irony and pseudo-breaking of the fourth wall by the character and creators works best. It's a pleasure to read all of Missy's tongue-in-cheek comments about being the Doctor, especially the joke about the Master being a companion and nothing more.
The new Missy the Doctor design by Roberta Ingranata and the interaction between the character and her bow adds an extra twist. To be honest, I am delighted with the ducks on the hat, the huge question mark on the skirt (and Missy's joke about it), and the colour scheme of the whole costume (not only because she wears the colours of the Ukrainian flag, it's really just beautiful). And I have to admit that I laughed out loud when the Master cut Missy's headscarf and she was indignant, ‘how can she be Doctor Who without her spectacular accessories’.
On the other hand, in addition to a very good portrayal of Missy, we have a really good portrayal of the Master Delgado. His interactions with the Doctor/Missy are absolutely incredible, that obsession with the Master killing the Brigadier, I laughed out loud at the comments about the back stabbing and was thrilled when the sword duel started, it was soooo good. Although I do not deny that Master Delgado was not perfectly portrayed from all angles, maybe there were some minimal flaws, but it was done at a high level.
In addition to Missy and Master Delgado, their other regenerations were also covered, but they were not the main focus and served more as a background and subject for commentary and analysis of the current two regenerations. However, this does not mean that they were not handled well. I was delighted that Hauser brought the Child Master, who fought alongside the War Doctor in the Last Time War, into the story. It was a very nice touch. I also giggled at how Missy and Master Delgado describe Master Saxon as their emo phase. And another confirmation that Spy Master is after Missy, not before her.
Similarly, Missy has an interesting dynamic with both the Master and the Twelfth Doctor. And it fits very well with the character's arc in the series itself, where Missy is increasingly worried about her relationship with the Doctor and working on the latter's trust in her. And it's very sweet when, in the comic's finale, she doesn't betray him and motivates her decision to the Master through the prism of trust, not kindness. Although, to be fair, she did try to lecture the Master about change, and I'm pretty sure it came from Missy's heart, not from the need to play the Doctor. But there are also comic moments in this story, where Missy asks the Twelfth not to embarrass her in front of the ‘child’ (Master Delgado is about eight regenerations younger than Missy).
The spine of the plot itself, with the retrieval of the fragment of the Time Key, although not a star from the sky, works and clearly plays its role as a skeleton for the discovery of Missy and the Master. The cameo roles of the Brigadier and the Third Doctor are very good, the references in the plot and art to the events of the series and other Titan comics are nice and well woven into the overall plot. The only ‘but’ I can mention is the appearance of River. She appears suddenly and then disappears just as suddenly. In conclusion, it feels as if she was added solely for the sake of fan service. But it would be a sin not to note that her appearance also gives rise to a couple of very funny dialogues. Humour is, in general, a very strong point of this story.
I'd also like to mention Roberta Ingranata's artwork, which is beautiful. The artist has been assigned to almost all Titan's Doctor Who comics since 2019, and her work is not very smooth in the long run. I had some complaints about her drawing in Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Year One, and at the same time, I loved her artwork in the 2020 Doctor Who miniseries. So although her run is not very smooth, she made a very good impression in the Missy miniseries.
In general, Doctor Who: Missy is a very well-crafted miniseries with good characters and humour that I would highly recommend everyone to read. Whether you're a fan of Missy, Master Delgado, the other Lords, or the whole franchise, there's something here for you and I hope you enjoy it.
This review is a translation of my Ukrainian-language text, the original can be found here: https://www.mzut-podcast.com/post/doctor-who-missy-review
