The Master and the Doctor spoke to each other through a telepathic mind link in the most recent episode of Doctor Who - an ability that harkens back to the show’s classic era. This season of Doctor Who started off with a bang, thanks to the action-packed two-part opener, “Spyfall”. Parts one and two were filled to the brim with high-speed chases, teched-out gadgets, and jaw-dropping reveals that set a high bar for the rest of the season.
By far the most talked-about moment, however, was the revelation that Sacha Dhawan’s newly introduced MI6 character “O” was actually the Doctor’s long-time enemy the Master in disguise. “Spyfall - Part 2” picked up in the wake of the massive bombshell that sent The Doctor (and her companions) reeling. While Yaz, Graham, and Ryan struggled to escape the clutches of Daniel Barton and avoid becoming international fugitives, the Doctor jumped through time in a journey to stop The Master before he and his associates could end humanity.
However, while the Doctor and the Master made use of plenty of sci-fi gadgets and tricks, the pair also used one ancient Time Lord ability that’s most well-recognized from classic Doctor Who: telepathic contact. After hopping between multiple time periods, the Doctor found herself in 1930s Paris, accompanied by Noor Khan and Ada Lovelace (her interim “fam”), where the Master has taken the disguise of a member of the Nazi party. In order to lure the Master into a trap and save the day, she sends the rhythm of two Time Lord heartbeats (four beats in rapid succession - a throwback to John Simm’s Master) to draw his attention. Once the Master hears the signal, though, he uses a telepathic Time Lord connection with the Doctor, speaking the word “contact”, to have an entire conversation with her and arrange a meeting point, all while being miles away from each other.
Although regeneration is the Time Lord ability most well-known and frequently highlighted, telepathic powers are also an aspect of the species that have been explored in varying degrees by multiple series (and Doctors) over the course of the show’s run. The first appearance of Time Lord telepathy dates all the way back to 1972 when the Third Doctor used the ability to communicate with the other versions of himself. The ability was also used in a similar manner in 1983’s The Five Doctors, when the different regenerations communicated with each other via telepathy.
Additionally, as illustrated in “Spyfall - Part 2”, telepathy isn’t limited just between regenerations of the same Time Lord. There were multiple instances in the Tenth Doctor’s run during which he used telepathy, such as mind-reading in “The Girl in the Fireplace” or tragically erasing Donna Noble’s memory in “Journey’s End”. The Eleventh Doctor also used his telepathic abilities in a variety of ways - ranging from headbutting Craig in “The Lodger” to conduct a high-speed information transfer, to planting a subconscious thought in Amy’s mind for her journey in the Pandorica.
All of that being said, the Doctor and the Master are the two beings who have used telepathic communication the most together over Doctor Who’s run. It’s possible that due to all of their time shared together in childhood, the Doctor and the Master have a stronger psychic connection than most, but whatever the reason, they communicate telepathically several times over the course of a series of audio stories ranging across multiple Doctors. Prior to “Spyfall”, the most well-known instance of The Doctor and The Master’s telepathic connection was in “The End of Time”, during which the Doctor uses it to both listen for and subdue the Master.
The Thirteenth Doctor and the Dhawan incarnation of the Master, though, held the most prolonged telepathic conversation featured in new Doctor Who - which could point towards the ability being showcased or utilized more in future episodes. While he seems to have been dealt with for now, the Master is notoriously difficult to get rid of, so it would be a surprise to nobody if he escaped his imprisonment and made a few more appearances before season 12 draws to a close.
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