In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Hooklight 2

Synopsis: In Hooklight 2, the TARDIS team is scattered throughout Morning. The Doctor is trapped in the past, Tegan is lost on the edge of the system, and Nyssa wrestles with the most terrible of forces. 

Only Adric remains to finish this quest. Yet, the young Alzarian will find himself sorely challenged. 

Can they all reach the Dark Forge in time? Who will be lost along the way?

For there is another who works in the shadows. Someone who once made a terrible mistake and will stop at nothing to put things right. 

The Doctor is following the plan of the Oracle—this mysterious being knows him all too well and may try to oppose him.

Review: Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Hooklight 2 was a lyrical close for Tim Foley’s The Lord of the Rings homage. He paid off everything he set up with awareness and care.

Story

I particularly appreciated how Foley built intimate chamber pieces within the epic narrative. Indeed, he allowed Tegan to shine in a still spotlight.

Moreover, Foley crafted a tale that allowed Adric to show maturity and the depth of his bond with Nyssa. However, my favorite arc belonged to the Oracle.

Listeners have tracked him through many crises, triumphs, and conundrums. The strength of Foley’s storytelling lay in how the Hooklight quest crystalized everything he was or would be.

As for Dr Kessica Myles, the end of her story was obvious. Foley understood the need to forego suspense in favor of realization

Acting 

The entire cast was in top form. That said, I must give kudos to several performers.

For her part, Celia Imrie embraced Kessica’s end as a journey. This allowed her to use her full range as an actress.

Likewise, Janet Fielding found scope in a smaller story. Knowing Tegan’s end point, she made the most of the interlude in that journey.

For his part, though, Paul McGann had the most delicate space to inhabit in the soundscape. He had to embrace the weariness of the end without tipping his performance over the line into nihilism.

Overall

Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Hooklight 2 was unapologetic story telling. I can’t wait for Big Finish’s next grand epic.

You can purchase Doctor Who: The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Hooklight 2 here.