LLL3 - The Sea Devils 3

Thankfully, we're treated to a splendidly arranged sword fight sequence twice in this story - once at the end of Episode Two, and again in the reprise to Episode Three. Watching it with the benefit of hindsight, it seems a complete insult to have put a sword in the hands of Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and David Tennant and hope that they could possibly come off looking better than Jon Pertwee in this scene. Fair do's to his three swashbuckling successors, but nobody has buckled swash in Doctor Who quite like Dr. Cool himself, Jon Pertwee. Pertwee acquits himself well in one of his last unaided fight sequences of his tenure in Doctor Who.

I spoke of how intriguing the Doctor-Master relationship is, but what is even more interesting as the story goes along is the connection between The Master and Trenchard, as well as that of Trenchard's staff. Some scenes indicate that The Master has a completely hold over everyone in the prison (asking a guard for a second colour television in his cell, for instance). However, it does become clear that The Master can't use his skills of hypnosis on the guards. Even though Trenchard shows The Doctor an example of this in Episode One, judging by how The Master treats Trenchard, it seems quite plausible that the whole scene was staged for The Doctor's benefit.

It's not. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that The Master has been able to hypnotize Trenchard either. After Trenchard and a guard walk into (and break up) the fight between The Doctor and The Master, The Master has to plead for his innocence to Trenchard. Trenchard seems far too unimaginative to have a mind worth hypnotizing, but, as is revealed later, The Master has promised Trenchard the glory of exposing and defeating traitors to the Crown. The Master may have had a mental hold over Trenchard at one time, but he's now depending solely on the web of lies he has created around Trenchard to get what he needs before Trenchard meets his inevitable end.