Big Finish Review Round-Up: 2019 – Part 2
Feature by Gustaff Behr.
Torchwood Main Range, Series 5
As mentioned before in this round-up, Torchwood on audio is very often hit-and-miss. Series Five saw a few powerful players in The Hope and Night of the Fendahl, both of which are very dark and grisly, while The Green Life drew fans in with nostalgia when it was announced that Katy Manning’s Jo Jones would be teaming up with Jack Harkness. The Vigil is a strong contender with Toshiko, but the story suffers from ‘tell, don’t show’ by constantly reminding listeners to care about the death of a character we never got to know. Smashed is basically a drunken Gwen taking on aliens which alone is good as gold.
Unfortunately the return of Billis Manger in Dead Man’s Switch, my most anticipated Torchwood title after his last appearance, was an utter disappointment, with a story that featured too little Billis. While the character always feels present, he is given way too little focus which hurts the overall enjoyment of the episode. The season is set to conclude next year in February with Dissected, featuring Martha Jones and Gwen Cooper.
- Sync – 6.0
- Vigil – 8.0
- The Hope – 8.0
- Serenity – 7.0
- Smashed – 8.0
- Night of the Fendahl – 5.0
- The Green Life – 6.0
- Sargasso – 7.0
- Dead Man’s Switch – 6.0
- Expectant – 7.0
The Diary of River Song, Series 5
Part of the magic (and gimmick) of this series is hearing River Song interacting with a classic Doctor once a box set, but the internet lost its collective you-know-what (in a good way) when it was announced that the fifth season would feature encounters with multiple versions of the Master instead. Eric Roberts finally made his return as the Deathworm Master, last seen in 1996’s TV Movie, Michelle Gomez brought back Missy, while Sir Derek Jacobi guest starred as the War Master. Geoffrey Beevers also returned as the Decayed Master.
Each story in this series has a different look and feel and plays to the strengths of each version of the Master it features. There is no meeting of the Masters, unfortunately (not yet), but much like how River meets the Doctor out of order, River’s encounters with the Master are likewise wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, and this comes back to bite her in a big way in the final story Concealed Weapons. This series also does a fantastic job of not making the Masters look incompetent compared to River Song. Not every Master gets to best her, but at the same time, River doesn’t always come out on top either.
Status: Super recommended
- The Bekdel Test – 8.0
- Animal Instinct – 8.0
- The Lifeboat and the Deathboat – 6.0
- Concealed Weapon – 8.0
Missy
Of all the box sets released this year, this one did the biggest number on me as someone who has always been on the fence when it comes to Missy. Michelle Gomez has completely won me over with this series, which is filled to the brim with Missy trolling just about everyone that has a pulse. The stories themselves are wild and unpredictable, much like Missy’s character.
John Dorney’s Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated is easily the biggest draw of this set, pitting Missy against Rufus Hound’s deliciously hammy incarnation of the Meddling Monk. Nev Fountain’s The Broken Clock likewise feels like a very different kind of episode of Doctor Who, but it is welcomed given the amount of twists and turns it takes before reaching the climax. The entire thing plays out like an old police documentary intercut with scenes of characters being interviewed in an old-case police documentary fashion. All of this gets turned on its head when the actress who portrays Missy is shot by Missy for bad acting. Missy decides to blur the lines between past and present and documentary and real life and dragging everyone along with her for the ride.
Status: Super recommended
- A Spoonful of Mayhem – 8.0
- Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated – 9.0
- The Broken Clock – 10.0
- The Belly of the Beast – 7.0
The Comic Strip Adaptations
On paper, this idea sounds like a sure-thing, but the actual execution left a lot to be desired. While the performances are great and the pacing surprisingly tight, both titles just felt really underwhelming. I’m not sure why after a few more listens, but maybe Big Finish should try picking more fan-favoritey comic strips next. Something with a shapeshifting penguin perhaps?
Status: Not recommended
- The Iron Legion – 5.0
- The Star Beast – 5.0
The Eighth of March
Billed as a tribute to the women of Doctor Who, written by an all female crew and featuring the fan favourites of the show each headlining their own episode. On paper this is a good idea, but somewhere along the lines, something fell through the cracks. While Emancipation with River and Leela is a fun romp in the style of an old buddy cop movie, as the series progresses you start to realize something you can never unrealize, which had a very negative effect on me: That all four episodes are basically the SAME story! No seriously they all share the same plot points, almost beat for beat in the same order which makes this entire box set feel like it only had one working idea so the writers simply redecorated that plot and multiplied it by four. By Inside Every Warrior I could predict what was going to happen next, and by Narcissus I was ready to move on with my life.
It doesn’t help that this box set also featured the debut of The Paternoster Gang, which would’ve done them a lot more justice had their story been the first in the line-up.
Status: Not recommended
- Emancipation – 7.0
- The Big Blue Book – 6.0
- Inside Every Warrior – 6.0
- Narcissus – 5.0
Gallifrey, Series 10: Time War – Volume 2
I’ve always found the Gallifrey series to be the blandest of the lot, but the series has really stepped up its game in the last couple of years. Dipping its toes into the Time War has also elevated the stakes. It has given fans the chance to take a step directly inside the Time War, into the minds of the Time Lords as they struggle to defeat the Daleks. Volume Two continues the struggle in typical action Westwing fashion. Romana II and Narvin are still reeling after the lost of Ace McShane and Leela. With no K-9 to assist them and a new War Council slowly amassing strength and support, the two stand on their own as the Time Lords begin to embrace the dark side.
This volume pits the Celestial Intervention Agency against the War Council and helps explain how the powers shifted in the latter’s favour. The series also starts to set up the chessboard to make everything fit in with the TV continuity, resurrecting Rassilon to lead his people to victory.
- Havoc – 8.0
- Partisans – 8.0
- Collateral – 8.0
- Assassins – 9.0
Ravenous, Volume 3
This is really where the plot for Ravenous kicks into high gear. The Eleven has joined the Doctor and his friends in the TARDIS and together they race to learn more about the regeneration-eating predators of the Time Lords. Deeptime Frontier is a basic filler episode with some character beats thrown in for good measure, but Companion Piece is the one fans will flock to. The ultimate in Doctor-lite episodes, the story pits the Nine (one of the Eleven’s previous incarnations) against nearly all the Eighth Doctor’s companions. These include current companions Helen and Liv, his future companions Bliss and River Song, and former companion Charley Pollard. The episode itself is a much better interpretation of ‘girl power’ than The Eighth of March with a wonderfully clever story line, good twists and great character beats. It really is a love letter to fans of the Eighth Doctor era that is sure to resonate with you even if you don’t like all the companions featured.
L.E.G.E.N.D is a good enough set-up for the finale that revolves around fairy tales. Think Brothers Grimm meets Doctor Who. The Odds Against is an extremely spoilery episode that I cannot even go into without fear of letting something slip. Suffice to say that much like every other box set finale so far, this one is spectacular and moves all the story threads on the board forward. It also features a reunion that fans of the Eighth Doctor didn’t know they wanted, but are tremendously grateful they got.
Status: Highly Recommended
- Deeptime Frontier – 6,5
- Companion Piece – 9.0
- L.E.G.E.N.D – 7.0
- The Odds Against – 9.0
UNIT: Series 8: Incursions
After eight seasons, UNIT still manages to come out swinging and that is a testament to what strong writing can do. This Sleep of Death is a sequel to the Sixth Doctor story Static, however, you don’t need to have any prior knowledge of that to understand this. The monsters are sentient static noise that somehow helps bring people back from the dead. The Static also joins the long list of bizarre, but fascinatingly entertaining aliens that exist in the Doctor Who universe.
Tempest is an okay, but forgettable Doctor Who story about aliens with fragile bodies, but powerful psychic abilities.
The Power of River Song pits UNIT against the Doctor’s wife. There is a lot to unpack in this episode, most notably why River Song is the antagonist to Kate Stewart and her team, what River’s plans are for a new power system, and what is really going on behind the scenes. Positives from this episode include hearing River Song and UNIT interacting together and pitting two strong female leading ladies against one another in a battle of wits. Unfortunately it is fairly easy to spot River’s motivations before the first episode is even halfway.
Status: Recommended
- This Sleep of Death – 8.0
- Tempest – 7.0
- The Power of River Song – Part 1 – 8.0
- The Power of River Song – Part 2 – 8.0
Join us tomorrow for round three…
