Day 451: The Talons of Weng-Chiang Part 4

The main crux of this episode takes place in a music hall. It's a variety night of sorts, with singing and magic all held together by the impresario Henry Gordon Jago. Jago is another wonderful character, being incredibly theatrical and willing to engage in anything, however under all of this is a man who is a bit of a fool. Jago also works well against other characters, as he is able to slip into various roles like the performer that he is when the situation requires it. When with Casey, his stagehand, for instance, he is the boss, a man of wisdom who is perfectly in control. Compare this to when he is with the Doctor, for instance, and you see a very different character. He acknowledges the Doctor as his superior and fawns over him, revealing his inner fool in the process as he tries to help the Doctor but inevitably messes up in the process, such as the scene in this episode where he attempts to stealthily contact the Doctor by unconvincingly crouching down behind his seat, with the Doctor taking this very nonchalantly, himself preferring the method of hiding in plain sight. It's yet another example of the fantastic character work in this serial and shows why this story is so well regarded by some fans.