Is The Devil’s Chord music to the ears, or does it hit some bum notes?
Doctor Who goes back to 1963, the rock and roll years, for a ridiculously entertaining musical adventure.
The Devil’s Chord is a camp, frothy Doctor Who adventure about how, without music, the world dies. It’s telling that much of the promotion of the new season focused on this episode, with Ncuti Gatwa popping up on BBC1 and Radio One while trying to get back to the 1960s.
It’s not very surprising that there was so much faith in The Devil’s Chord. Where Space Babies occasionally felt like RTD on autopilot, The Devil’s Chord is emblematic of his bold new vision for Doctor Who, and its wider fictional universe.
As an episode of Doctor Who, The Devil’s Chord is that rare thing – an episode that contains some huge hints about the ongoing arc, but still feels like a singular story that can be enjoyed out of context.
So, with those vocal warm-ups out of the way, it’s time to hit the high notes with The Devil’s Chord’s Ups & Downs.
10. UP – Jinkx Monsoon As Maestro
Jinkx Monsoon turns in one of Doctor Who’s best-ever villain performances in The Devil’s Chord. From the minute Maestro interrupts Timothy Drake’s music lesson to the moment that Lennon and McCartney traps them in the Abbey Road piano, Monsoon is an utter joy to watch.
As RuPaul’s Drag Race’s “Queen of All Queens”, we knew that Monsoon would nail the camp comedy of the Maestro character. However, her performance of Maestro’s palpable rage and malice is a revelation.
The ability to turn on a dime is a vital skill for playing a Doctor Who villain, and Monsoon absolutely nails this. She’s also terrific in the scene where Maestro describes the sound of a nuclear winter as “the purest music of all”. It’s spine-tinglingly evil.
There are so many great Maestro scenes that the rest of this Ups & Downs could be taken up by just selecting each of them. We’ll avoid the temptation, but it needs to be said that Monsoon’s Maestro is the strongest debut by a Doctor Who villain in years. Here’s hoping that they won’t be a one-shot enemy.
The glimpse of H. Arbinger at Abbey Road Studios certainly suggests that a Maestro return may already be on the cards.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
