In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit

Synopsis: The Doctor and his great-grandson Alex have been driven apart. In an uncharted universe, the Time War is on a very different path. 

A new force rules Gallifrey and will stop at nothing to gain the military advantage. As Alex and Cass career through the cosmos in a stolen TARDIS, the Doctor is in hot pursuit with a duplicitous Friend by his side.

Review: Doctor Who: Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit continued an arc built upon alternates, parallels, in betweens, and ongoings. The Doctor’s quest to reform his fractured Tardis Team culminated in thought provoking ballads and myths.

Story

“Spoil of War” by Mark Wright relied on the spooky old house trope. Along the way, listeners got all the goth trimmings and an unexpected nod to the Fourth Doctor’s era.

However, my favorite part was learning more about Hieronyma Friend’s organization. Frankly, the allegory underpinning her was more interesting to me than Alex’s in the long term.

“The Tale of Alex” by Katharine Armitage offered meta commentary of storytelling in general and titular characters in particular. And yes, villains do get the best songs.

I admired Armitage’s twists and turns. I found her underlying conclusions about the Doctor’s efficacy unsettling, though.

“See-Saw” by James Moran provided interesting twists on collective memory and broken communication. The parallels with ghost ship stories were also right up my alley.

All that said, “The First Forest” by Tim Foley was my favorite story in the set. Foley gave listeners more world-building with Time Lord mythology.

I absolutely loved meeting Abidus and learning the mechanics of the forest. I need a prequel with him as soon as Foley can write one.

Acting

The entire cast was excellent. However, I must give kudos to three performers.

First, John Ramm brought a wonderful mix of grounded gravitas and otherworldly surreality to Abidus. For his part, Dan Starkey was marvelous as ever as all the Sontarans.

For her part, Emma Campbell-Jones continued to shine as Cass. Her nuanced performance propelled the story forward in surprising ways.

Overall

Doctor Who: Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit built toward a riveting, if frustrating, transition in this arc. I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for the next box set.

You can purchase Doctor Who: Time War Uncharted 2: Pursuit here. 

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