UNIT: Assembled Review

Gustaff Behr gives his verdict on Kate & Osgood’s fourth audio adventure.

It’s still strange to think that not more than two years ago I absolutely loathed the modern UNIT for being incompetent, lacklustre and a shadow of its former self. Kate Stewart was constantly living in her father’s shadow and nobody could go five minutes without reminding her AND us of it. Osgood was nothing more than a cardboard fangirl, seen in some Doctor Who circles as an insult to what it means to enjoy SCI-FI culture today. But then Big Finish came along and everything changed…

I’ll start this review by admitting that this box set does not pass the incredibly high bar set by its immediate predecessor. It doesn’t. That was never going to happen and wisely, this instalment acknowledges this and instead takes a completely different approach which differentiates itself as much as it can from UNIT: Silenced. Instead, Assembled gambles on nostalgia to cap off this four-set box special and the audience’s desire to see the New UNIT team have adventures with the old one. It’s an inspiring idea which I can’t fault as this alone makes Assembled a completely different beast from Silenced.

I’ve never been the biggest Mike Yates fan, but I have dreamt of hearing John Benton again and it’s always good fun to “see” Jo Grant Jones back in action. Perhaps this box set’s biggest strength is the fact that these characters are not treated as set pieces or window dressing. There is a good and valid reason for them to be here and they contribute a lot, though I will admit their initial appearances can border on contrived convenience. Not only that, but UNIT: Assembled doesn’t fall into the trap of making the box set all about the returning veterans. It’s a well balanced mix for the most part, with John and Mike paired with Kate and Osgood; Osgood and Jo paired up (such a lovely couple and so funny) just to name a few. However, the drawback to adding three more characters to the main roster is that some characters need to receive less screen time. Sam and Josh unfortunately fill this role, playing soldier in the background until it’s time for the final episode. This is a swallow nitpick since I am a huge Josh Carter fan, but the idea of Carter and Yates sharing Auton war stories sounds like sequel-fuel… or a really cheeky end-credits scene that we unfortunately don’t get.

As with previous volumes, Assembled flows like a mini-series and each story is well paced and serve a greater purpose come the finale. The locations and story types are also diverse with “base-under-siege” in a bar, a classic Doctor Who romp on a submarine, an island adventure and… spoilers.

I do have a few issues with this box set though. Episode three for one features a grossly poor subplot with Osgood that is so badly written and thought out that not even Ingrid Oliver’s superb acting can save it. Actually, her acting during this is cringe worthy even on her best day. Worse this subplot lasts nearly 1/3 of the story. Not only that, but it’s clear that almost no research went into this idea as it works on the ridiculous premise that there were human/ape life as far back as the Silurian era of Earth History…!

Another involves a subplot with Jo Jones in episode two. It harkens back to a plot point in The Sea Devils, a story I haven’t seen yet, but not really necessary here. It does become something of an obsession of Jo’s and while 1) it’s lovely to see Big Finish continue to incorporate elements from Classic Who and 2) it speaks volumes about her as a person who has dedicated her life to fighting injustices on the eco-front, it does make her come across as wildly reckless and if she were still employed by UNIT, grossly insubordinate. And while not nearly as plain to see as the above, this unique plot element does show up again in the finale, but here it just makes her come across as naïve and unreasonable.

Now let’s take a moment to talk about the villains for this box set: The Silurians.

The Silurians are no strangers to Big Finish, appearing in a number of adventures across their range. It’s also especially nice to hear Neve McIntosh play an evil Silurian again. I was not expecting this …even though I probably should’ve considering these are the New Who Silurians. Neve puts in a powerful performance which just radiates sinister and it’s a joy to listen to her blatant racism and unsupported claims of superiority over the human race.

This box set doesn’t do much diving into the motivations of the Silurians or explain why they consider mankind so inferior, but somehow it still works because of all the nostalgia softening the blows. Its good ol’ good guys vs bad guys with lots of nods to the past thrown in for good kicks.

Some things to take away from this box set include: 1) Osgood has a really dirty subconscious, 2) the “Brigadier” mentions are more profound again, but given what the box set is about, this feels earned 3) don’t ever let Osgood meet the Doctor’s former companions, for their own good, 5) former Seventh Doctor companion Elizabeth Klein still works for UNIT in 2017 and 4) thanks to the success of these stories, we’re in for at least four MORE box sets with these wonderful characters. Think of the possibilities.

I can highly recommend this box set!