In his place, a warrior, finally joining the Time War between the Daleks and Gallifrey. But how far will he go to end the conflict? What lines will he cross?
How much of himself will he sacrifice? The War Doctor is beginning to find out who he is...
3.1 The Keeper of Light by Phil Mulryne The Doctor and his faithful companion are on the trail of strange psionic signals...
At a remote costal cottage, holidaymakers David and Dorothy think there’s something strange about the lighthouse. But the Doctor can’t shake the sense of an even bigger mystery to solve...
3.2 Temmosus by Rossa McPhillips Fighting alongside the Time Lords against their common enemy, some Thals have realised that this collaboration is not between equals.
When his new battleship is stolen, the War Doctor must convince his old allies that they are on the same side.
3.3 Rewind by Timothy X Atack Lacuna is on the brink of destruction, attacked by a new breed of Dalek. But every day, it is pulled back from that brink, and everyone prepares to live through the end of their world once again.
One strange man, alone in his castle, holds the key to Lacuna’s ultimate salvation - or its annihilation.
3.1 The Keeper of Light - Uhm … now he’s calling himself the Doctor? What the frell? What happened to “Don’t call me that. That’s not my name.”? Sigh. This is increasingly disappointing. These are becoming just typical Doctor stories, and not particularly good ones … oh wait a tick Nope. It’s not enough. In the end this is still just a “bottle episode” and nothing more than that (2/5).
3.2 Temmosus - This one is a bit better. Not great, but at least there wasn’t more stuff dragging it down than keeping it entertaining 3/5).
3.3 Rewind - Kind of felt like a glorified Companion Chronicles as a lot of this is narrated. I’m not really a fan of audiobooks as opposed to audio-dramas. I definitely prefer them with a full cast and little to no actual narration (2/5).
"THE WAR DOCTOR: BATTLEGROUNDS" FROM BEST TO WORST
✅80% 👍39 👎10 = You should listen to it! _________________________
OFF THE TOP:
The third War Doctor Begins set from Big Finish sees the Doctor engage in active battle, but not before looking back at what could have been and checking up with the Thals. How will the range keep moving forward to maintain its momentum? _________________________
The Keeper of Light: 🙏🏼69% 👍11 👎5
+2 That opening is chillingly effective and unusually intense - it sets the stakes and keeps you curious. Johnathon Carley goes from victory to victory with his uncanny John Hurt impression. He proves to be one of the better recasts Big Finish has dug up. The best thing about the opening story is how, by the end of it, the Doctor realizes that he cannot live in the past and by his old ideals and that he is forced to join the Time Lords in their war against the Daleks. It's a turning point for the character, told throughout a lengthy drug-induced dream sequence. Listening to the interviews after the story made me realize the cleverness in the casting choices. Every voice we hear voices the Doctor has met before - Emma Campbell-Jones previously appeared as Cass in The Night of the Doctor (2013), indirectly causing the regeneration from Eight to War; Adèle Anderson is better known as Tamasan, and Ken Bones has played the Eleventh General during Time War-set stories.
+1 So this story takes a break from the usual Time War stuff attached to this incarnation to offer a more traditional Doctor Who adventure instead - one with the Doctor travelling with a companion and on Earth. It's a fresh take for this range even if it isn't an original idea overall (replace War with Four and you have a remake of Horror of Fang Rock!). There are lovely echoes of Eight and Charley in War and his companion Layla, which, as we found out by the end, is a deliberate characterisation decision. Campbell-Jones as Layla is a nice companion for War, even if she remains a bit anonymous. It's a pity she isn't technically real because it would have been nice to hear more from her.
-1 It's strange how the script seems reluctant to return to the atmosphere of pre-credits tease and opts for mostly unnecessary character fodder until well into the story. Once the action starts, it quickly goes into that overly messy and bombastic territory Big Finish likes to occasionally do. Not sure what to think of this story, to be honest. The point of a War Doctor story is to tell a bit more Time War-related stories, but this one feels almost disappointingly generic until the twist at the end. The guest actors are okay, but nothing special. They do tend to put in some hammy performances here and there though, and I'm not sure whether that's intentional or not. There is a twist, of course, and it's perhaps a bit underwhelming, making most of this adventure feel completely redundant (while also making it make more sense in terms of the bigger picture). _________________________
Temmosus: ✅89% 👍16 👎2
+2 Rossa McPhillips effectively grabs your attention by dropping the Doctor directly into a dire situation, working as a way to get him where he needs to be, while slowly setting the scene and introducing the characters in the process. There is some good dialogue here, mostly between the Thals opposing the Doctor's attempts at justifying the Time Lords' involvement in the war. McPhillips keeps up interest by hinting toward the unique capabilities of the spaceship Temmosus and why the Daleks mustn't get their plungers on it - this is also used as a way to bring tension among the ranks of the Thals, instigated by the Doctor. There are a couple of great turns, all of which change the game completely, as different players in the war try to be the ones in control of the Temmosus and its fate. It feels as complex as these kinds of war operations tend to be. The speed and tension are brought up quite a bit once the Daleks and Thals face off each other, with the Doctor characteristically stuck in between. The Daleks here are as cold and effective as always, which is lovely to hear. Jonathon Carley seems to have a lot of fun, and he manages to feel like a youthful John Hurt while channelling some of the Doctor's typical eagerness and reluctance to follow authorities very well. Giving him an active but pacifist, role to play here is a good choice as well.
+1 I like how this story is used to further elaborate on how the Thals and the Dalek home planet of Skaro were involved in the Time War as well as how the Time Lords are perceived by others amid this war. We also follow an unusually engaging political power play among the Daleks, featuring the Dalek Emperor and some high-ranking Daleks, preparing for the Temmosus' eventual arrival. The plot leaves room to explain how differently the various characters interpret the possibilities and risks of the ongoing situation - Dylon technically isn't pictured as a villain, he just has a different strategy on how to cause an upheaval in the Dalek society during their war. David Warwick makes for a great Thal. He has a voice that makes him fight right in with other important Thal characters (such as the titular Temmosus from The Daleks (1963-1964)).
-1 I didn't get much of a feel for the other Thal characters, so they could just have well been replaced with regular humanoids. The climax is perhaps disappointingly short-lived and not as tense considering the build-up preceding it. _________________________
Rewind: ✅80% 👍12 👎3
+2 Jonathon Carley has great chemistry with Sarah Moss, with the two of them believably at each other's throats, united by a dire situation. Carley is a bit tenser and stressed out, but doesn't lose his impressive take on John Hurt's voice. Moss brings in good energy and provides the best guest performance of this set. I love how the Doctor reflects on his previous life compared to his current one and admits that he might have doomed Lacuna. It fits right along with this darker incarnation of the Time Lord. Julian Forsyth provides a great take on the typical gruff and selfish military leader type that Doctor Who likes to place into its stories. That ending is genuinely jaw-dropping. It's one of the more surprising endings I've heard in a long time, so applause for that!
+1 So, the format of this story allows the writers to put words to the horrors of the Time War that couldn't be captured through regular full-cast audio dramas - so there's certainly a deeper symbolic quality to the narrative. This story builds largely upon the idea of a new breed of Dalek - the Berserker Dalek. Their only defining feature seems to be that they can rebuild themselves, but the story doesn't try to distinguish them in any other way, so they feel more like a gimmick than anything. I quite enjoy how the Lacunans discuss the Time Lords and how they shouldn't be interested in a fringe world like theirs, only to realize that the Doctor is quite different from the rest. The rewind of the title refers to the method with which the Doctor controls time to give himself bigger wiggle room with the Dalek attack on Lacuna. It's luckily not used in a way that needlessly overcomplicates things, as is sometimes the case with these time-wimey stories.
-1 Unfortunately, Rewind takes an approach closer to the Companion Chronicles range, with Ignis narrating most of the action as well as having the occasional conversation with the other cast members. It does take a good while for the Doctor to appear, so I almost lost interest before he finally popped up. The Daleks can be heard here and there, but they don't have much of a presence in the story, so they are a waste. _________________________
BOTTOM LINE:
For those of you who still cannot accept the fact that John Hurt is no longer with us! _________________________
The War Doctor Begins I feel like has gone very unnoticed by Big Finish fans mainly because it's more like what The Doctor Chronicles have become where The Doctor is voiced by an impressionist as opposed to their original actors, here it makes a lot more sense since the beloved John Hurt passed away a few years ago, which still breaks my heart to this day. I've heard mixed things about this set but knew I was willing to give it a go still.
The Keeper of Light: A mysterious light emanating from an abandoned lighthouse raises suspicion amongst the locals. A married couple has arrived on vacation, but their marriage is collapsing. Meanwhile, The Doctor and Layla have come to save the day from a powerful being. But it turns out a far more sinister force is at work and it's going to break The Doctor's hearts.
I wasn't too sure what to think of this one at first but as the story slowly unfolded what was going on and especially after the shocking reveal at the end, this is a very sad little story for The War Doctor, considering the situation he's in, and makes you realize just how much he wishes his life could be the same as it was before the Time War. The story you could argue is a generic one but there is a genuine reason for it. 8.5/10
Temmosus: The Timelords have given The Thals a powerful ship known as The Temmosus that could end The Time War in a single blow, as a gift. Now a Thal war hero intends to give it to The Daleks, The Doctor must stop him at all costs. But things aren't as simple as they seem.
This was a really action-packed episode that details a little about how The Thals contribute to the universal conflict of The Time War. It's an intense episode where hope seems impossible. 8/10
Rewind: The people of Lacuna are being forced to live out the final day of their lives over and over again. They seek comfort in poetry that the final repeat may come and they can finally rest in peace. Grei is about to find out what's going on and who's behind it. The Doctor's about to find out he can't always win.
Timothy X Atack has written a brilliant script that's incredibly bleak and depressing. It's such a grim and intense story where we get to see how the little people suffer in the Time War and how The Doctor trying to save them all is possibly torturing them instead. It's such a brilliant concept and one with a shocking conclusion. 10/10
I suppose the setting is decent and the mystery is detailed, but the amount of clues this story gives you very soon into the story completely ruins any notion of it's events mattering. The voice acting in this was very dodgy, especially the villain. Other than that the only thing I was thinking was about when we would get to the inevitable twist. Maybe you'll like this if you don't see it coming.
Temmosus: 5/10 Verdict: Optional
It's fine, some ok conflict but a lot of meandering. I've seen all the threads done better before. Nicholas Briggs barely brings this story up with the daleks but even then I wasn't sure if his performance was meant to be comedic or not. Can't really recommend this but it's up to you.
Rewind: 5/10 Verdict: Optional
Above the average for this boxset but still just a fine story. The main character is pretty likable and the conflicts as well as the main concept behind the story had me captivated, unfortunately the ending sort of ruined a lot of the story given that it leaves the fates of the characters up to imagination, which feels more lazy than creative. Can't really recommend this one either, which is a shame because I enjoyed a good portion of it.
A "Doctor-Light" set. Honestly, the worst I've experienced in a while. Don't bother. Not only is the Doctor not a main character, the stories are unsatisfactory and the last one was beyond frustrating. It didn't even end properly.
Not as good as the previous ones. It just feels like filler material. The cliff-hanger at the last episode was interesting, though. I wonder of they pick up from it again or leave it hanging, as one of the few times the Doctor could not save everyone.
Terzo boxset per le avventure del War Doctor appena rigenerato. Come sempre, in missione per conto del Consiglio, si trova a combattere più con se stesso e contro gli schemi contort dei Time Lord, che non contro i Dalek
3.1 The Keeper of Light by Phil Mulryne Il War Doctor si ritrova a seguire uno strano segnale psionico mentre, in un solitario cottage, due vacanzieri trovano che il faro abbia qualcosa di strano... ovviamente il Dottre pensa che ci sia qualcosa di più misterioso sotto.
3.2 Temmosus by Rossa McPhillips I Thals combattono al fianco dei Time Lord contro i Dalek, ma i progetti del Consiglio non sono a favore dei loro alleati. Come sempre toccherà al Dottore rimettere in equilibrio le diverse fazioni e fare in modo che i Thals possano difendersi.
3.3 Rewind by Timothy X Atack Il pianeta Lacuna e sull'orlo della distruzione ma, ogni giorno, la situazione riparte da capo, in un loop senza fine.
Lo ammetto, anche rileggendo le trame non ricordo praticamente nulla di questo boxset. Sarà che le storie della Guerra del Tempo iniziano a sembrarmi tutte uguali e che, se non fosse per le tre stelle dateper errore al momento dell'ascolto non sarei stata in grado di valutarlo. Probabilmente la regia di Louise LeelaJameson ha aiutato il gradimento, ma non riesco a ricordare nient'altro. Dovrò decidermi ad avere pazienza e fare una full immersion ogni volta che una serie finisce.