My problem with Missy's redemption arc

The explanation for this comes in two parts for me.

Firstly, if you include BF's stories, the Doctor has more than once attempted to redeem The Master, this latest attempts is just that the latest attempt.

Secondly, each incarnation brings something new, or at least allows different aspects of the whole to the fore, in this respect I think it possible that Missy may well have been more open and willing to accept and hear The Doctor.

I don't see that Missy's motivations changed a huge deal, The Master/Missy has always been obsessed with The Doctor, some times less so than others, but it always been there, even when The Master has been doing his own thing, he time and time again comes back to earth, knowing full well that merely being there is likely to get The Doctor's attention.  That this obsession would come out in Missy as a warped love/desire seems no more abnormal to me than Simms Master taking over The Earth and imprisoning The Doctor for no other reason than to enjoy doing it to The Doctor.  The Master/Missy is, and has long been obsessed by The Doctor, to me, this "love" story is par for the course.

I don't see that there is any option here, the story will go on, and people love the The Doctor/Master dynamic in all its forms, so the redemption (from a story telling perspective) was always doomed to failure, The Doctor vs The Master will continue and this redemption arc will just be another part of their shared history and the story of love, desire, envy and one up man ship.

Eh, I think it's a logical progression. And yes, I'm going to have to delve into RTD's take on The Master, because it's canon.  The Jacobi Master fled The Time War, shocked, but still expecting his own people (and The Doctor especially) to win, setting up his ultimate revenge plan on The Doctor who was distracted by the Time War as a way of deflecting from. And despite initial external apperances, the absence of Galifery haunts him and he's in denial about what that means. Finding Utopia - a Time Lord-like people  finding people who had to grit, the nerve, to buckle down and surrive, like him ( and from his twisted perspective), without The Doctor, without his kindness or mercy bringing them down and making them weak, establishing, who didn't die and quit on him. Lost children who needed his help in sphedering them, like himself. Doing what The Doctor couldn't do. And then The Doctor and an unblighted, unmarred, untwisted human, as well as of humanity (and yes, I freakin' hate the resolution, but it's part of it. Breeeeeeeeathe and move on.), shaken and, take it from him. And he's left with nothing. The Master in The End of Time doesn't REALLY have any sort of plan, he's lost, angry and at times on the verge of emphasising The Doctor, feeding off humans, because they don't know what's good for them, that there surrival is pointless, that as they are, they can't really. And he sees himself, a man in love with domination and power but in denial about it (like himselfl) , but unwilling to share it with others, reflecting his own state, leading to The Master to take control of The Eternity Gate and 'save' humanity. He's kind of found a peace with that, returning to the old Doctor/Master dynamic (he's even got The Brigader on his side, 'cause is The Brigader, Doctor!) and then....he discovers evidence of Galifery. That on some level his life of madness, insanity, of death and destruction, that it was all in aid of a greater purpose. That he doesn't have to taint himself with humanity.  That there's a purpose. He's also angry and hurt, the hurt of a child, as well as seeing, trying to impose himself on The High Council. He doesn't know what to feel. And then, despite the Time Lords warping his life, they won't save him and he'll be left with nothing, be nothing.And then The Doctor tries to kill him. He has nothing left.  And then he doesn't, The Doctor perserves, because he's The Doctor. He finds a better way. And The Master is reminded of the strength of his friend and the resilience of his soul. He's also The Master and is in deep denial about this and thinks he's doing this really for him. The Doctor saves his life. He's put himself, before the people who betrayed them both. And in that moment, The Master finds some peace with his old friend, of the people, sacrificing himself, as well as getting revenge.

But that ephiany doesn't last.  Rassilion still holds power, but his plan failed. I think in light of what he'd tried to do, members of the High Council finally developed a backbone and curtailed his power. And while I think The Master expected to be paraded as a misunderstood hero, a champion of Galifery, instead of being shushed away under The Rug of Rassilon. But that was NEVER going to happen, Galifery was still shaken from the war and revealing that the Rassilion had been prepared to wipe out the whole universe - that he viewed the lives of his own people as EXPENDABLE - was NEVER going to happen. (Even Rassilion was shaken up with his guilt) Their needed to be some resurgence of the old status quo. And what was The Master previously? A renegade, a twisted embarrassment, a horrifying reminder of Time Lord secrets in general. Maybe there was some kindness, in curing his condition, but he couldn't stick around and The Master understandably took it badly. He's angry at his treatment, but also on some level, feeling that The Doctor won't accept him now that Galifery has been saved.

After this, The Master has nothing.  In his way, he tried to save their people from themselves, he stood up in their darkest ugliest hour and this how they treat him? After all, The Master has nothing. He has some conquests, but it's all empty. And then he crashes his TARDIS, takes over, partially in an effort to guide them, partially reflecting projecting his own anger - and then The Doctor shows up. And as we see, despite, he's ectastic. He's old friend. The old game. He's deep in denial, but he has no-one left but The Doctor. He has fun putting the pieces in play and looking forward to having another companion to mess with, because who are these people, really? And then he reliases....it's his future self. That's where all this leads. That's why, in addition to, he doesn't REALLY have a plan. Without seeing Missy, I'd imagine he'd have tried to gain control of The Cybermen or some such. He's prepared to kill The Doctor as an outlet, parading Bill in front of The Doctor. Missy get's it, but she's also pissed off at him for making her weak and vulnerable and out of shape. And with The Doctor NOT dead, The Master is forced to reliase that he NEEDS him. That he can't go on as he's been. He's deep in denial, but it's why he sticks around and doesn't try. And there's his future self, tempting him. Showing him the way out. (Letting him to try it on with her, which will never not be funny) And then The Doctor starts off with all that crap again, hitting him hard with his guilt. After everything, he's f**** going to get himself killed, AGAIN? Doesn't he know what he means? How pointless it is to do for these humans he betrayed their friendship for? And Missy reliases that she can't talk him out of it. That she NEEDS to force this change. That she has to fight agasint her own nature, that she can't rely on The Doctor to do it, this is the cost of their friendship. Missy's been on a long journey to get to this point, filled a lot of introspection she'd otherwise never have faced , to learn empathy, (not denying that The Doctor locking Missy up isn't kind of creepy), but her previous self doesn't do introspection. That her killing him sets these events in motion, that they can be better. They can be The Doctor's friend again. That the life they lead can only end in self-destruction in a very, very Missy quip or The Doctor killing them AGAIN and she doesn't want The Doctor to go back into that place for her. She's seen the sadness, the taint on his soul, and she loves his gentleness and kindness, even if she doesn't fully get why he doesn't reserve them exclusivily for her. That his friend Bill, despite everything that's been done to her (including BY her), still stands tall and is the person he wants be his side.  That she's showing herself the way out. But, she doesn't count on her own self-destructiveness, her own denial. Leading The Master to kill her. That all of this, of her struggle, was for naught and she KNEW this the whole time, clinging to a desperate echo of hope. Making Missy's actions this whole time inherently sadly self-destructive, a sad of echo of The Sound of the Drums/The Last of the Time Lords and the whole history of their conflict. 

I do think Moffatt's original plan was to simply have Missy being a woman and more in touch with her emotions, backpeddelled on that because he reliased that was kind of putting women on a pedesteal and gave us this much more nuanced arc.

Doubt there going down that route, though. Outside of a special appearance, the narrative can only go forwards.

Consider what little we know of the Doctor's life on Gallifrey. By all accounts he had a pretty miserable childhood. He was a very lonely child, the Master was his only real friend. That left an impression. Clearly they went their separate ways morally, but that early impression is one the Doctor could never shake off. 

The Doctor has always wanted his friend back. From Colony in Space to The End of Time to The Doctor Falls he's tried appealing to the Master. The Doctor has always been willing to give that chance, he can't help himself. The Master might do one despicable thing after another, but the Doctor can never quite shake off that impression of the Master as his only friend. 

Missy is just the first incarnation of the Master to actually start to listen. Whilst she's in the Vault he convinces her to reflect on her life and that puts her in a position that his speech in The Doctor Falls strikes a chord with her, which it doesn't with her past self. 

The Doctor never outright forgives Missy for any of her previous actions. He makes it very clear she has to face and own up to what she's done, hence the scene in The Lie of the Land.

Here's the thing. Missy isn't redeemed in The Doctor Falls. She hasn't earned forgiveness yet. She finally chooses to take the opportunity to begin to earn that, an opportunity the Doctor has been offering for centuries. It's not a redemption, it's the start of one and just as it starts she is killed by her younger self.

I think it’s more a case of the Doctor proving to himself that redemption is possible - not for the Master’s sake but his own.
He’s gone through the stages of grief over The War and his role and he’s just hit acceptance, he’s accepted his role and thr blood on his hands and now needs to know that he can redeem himself. If the Master, who remember wiped out a good part of a galaxy once, can be redeemed so can he.
Listen to him tslking to Davros, it’s the same thing, he also spells out that he sees “the Doctor” as a shining ideal that he only reaches on his best days. He can’t balance being the Doctor with what he did during The War, so needs to redeem himself to be worthy of calling himself the Doctor all the time.

It’s interesting, telling and perhaps even important, that his last words before regenerating are “Doctor, I release you”, as if he sees himself as redeemed and his next incarnation is free to be the Doctor every day. Her “Ohh brilliant” is her realising she doesn’t feel the burden the previous incarnations did.

I think it makes enough sense to me that The Doctor would soften his views toward a fellow Gallifreyan after going through that difficult period of thinking he was the only one of his kind left, and personally I'm probably very glad that The Doctor does manage to be surprisingly forgiving even after all the horrible things The Master has attempted.