When the Master says “checkmate,” he really means “terrible disguise and questionable historical meddling.”
Short Synopsis
The Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough land in 13th-century England, just in time for King John to make a suspiciously early royal appearance. Spoiler: it’s the Master, because of course it is. His scheme? Derail Magna Carta and destabilize democracy — the sort of evil plot only a man with a glued-on beard could dream up. Along the way, the TARDIS crew inherits Kamelion, the shape-shifting robot who will vanish from the show almost immediately.
Extended Storyline
We begin with the Doctor piloting the TARDIS straight into medieval England, where King John is throwing a lavish banquet. The king is charming, generous, and suspiciously musical. He’s also supposed to be in London at this very moment, not stuffing his face in a castle miles away. Medieval scheduling conflicts: deadly serious business.
The Doctor quickly suspects something’s off — mainly because the king is a bit too chummy, his lute solos are suspiciously polished, and he’s behaving more like pantomime royalty than a tyrant. Tegan and Turlough aren’t impressed either, though Turlough mostly sulks in corners while Tegan radiates disapproval like it’s her job.
Enter the Master. Yes, it’s him again, hiding behind his favorite hobby: dressing up in silly costumes and twirling nonexistent mustaches. This time, he’s impersonating King John (via a handy robot impersonator), all in a convoluted bid to mess up the signing of Magna Carta. Because obviously if you’re an evil Time Lord bent on universal domination, the best way to do it is by preventing the English barons from getting some decent civil liberties.
The king is revealed to be Kamelion, a shape-shifting android with the personality of a damp sponge. Controlled by psychic influence, he can transform into anyone, which makes him an excellent tool for the Master’s mischief. Unfortunately, he’s also prone to crashing, freezing, or simply standing very still until the scene ends.
The Doctor wrestles psychic control of Kamelion away from the Master, thus ending the villain’s scheme and saving history (and democracy, presumably). The Master escapes in his TARDIS, grumbling as usual about the Doctor ruining everything.
The real twist, though, comes at the end: Kamelion decides to join the TARDIS crew. The Doctor, ever the optimist, welcomes him aboard despite the fact that Kamelion has the acting range of an abandoned mannequin. Tegan and Turlough… well, let’s just say neither of them looks thrilled.