HOT TAKE: Every single Master/Missy is a performative entity, a donned moniker of ultimate autonomy and domination, but nowhere is this MORE evident than with Dhawan!Master, simply for the facts that:
1) the narrative and writing allow us to see him BOTH in scenes with people and then entirely alone, allowing a sharp contrast between how he acts and how he really feels,
and
2) never is his neurodivergency and his need to “pass” (as do, painfully, so many of us IRL) as “functioning and normal” and “in control” in front of his adversaries, more vividly explored than it is in Sacha Dhawan’s performance,
and
3) never is it clearer that he is severely mentally ill–that is, suicidally depressed, making those sharp contrasts between performative and authentic self more jarringly blatant.
Tagging: @mastershearts @modernwizard @natalunasans @brokenbluedoors and all others interested in the discourse on neurodiversity and the Master.
I agree with almost all of this, although I dispute the distinction that’s being made between “performative” and “authentic.” The Master is a performative person, but all the roles that they play are true. I’m not saying that they’re just performances all the way down, only that the roles that they play are never just performances. They’re also ways in which the Master accentuates and expresses aspects of themself.
Look at a few of the roles that Dhawan Master plays, and you can see this clearly.
The role of O at home allows him to express his admiration for, interest in, and love for the Doctor.
The role of O at the party shows his charm as he befriends Yaz and easily wins her confidence.
The role of explosive guy on explosive plane gives him an outlet for all the excitement, playfulness, and rage that he’s been bottling up as O.
The role of inventor of the Incredible Shrinking Device plays up his theatricality, his resort to violence, and his need for an audience.
The role of Nazi is actually kind of interesting in terms of “passing,” but that’s probably another separate entry. He’s playing a Nazi because he’s a fucking Space Nazi, from the murderous sense of superiority to the creation of a supposedly superior race.
The role of Ozymandias [”Look on my works, Doctor, and despair!”] channels both his love of power plays and also his dim awareness that he’s probably eventually doomed.
The role of guide to the Matrix accentuates his obsessive pursuit of knowledge, his focus on details, and his literal need to control the narrative.
The role of Cyberium host reminds us that this is a character with a long history of impulsive, ill-advised collaborations with entities that end up turning on him.
The role of creator of the CyberMasters highlights how much his life, like that of the CyberMasters, has been shaped by being under someone else’s control, unwillingly altered, and forced to fight.
I haven’t listed all highlights of every role. I’m just trying to point out that Dhawan Master, like all other Masters, draws from himselves with everyone he plays. You see different facets of him in every role. All the performances are true. All the roles are selves. All the selves are performative. All of him is authentic.
@sclfmastery @brokenbluedoors @mastershearts @natalunasans