In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50

Synopsis: During The Time War, the Doctor has been injured and brought to a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form. Instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations.

Staggering to his TARDIS, the Doctor sets out to solve the mystery of his ‘degeneration’. From the Earth to the stars, he follows clues to retrace his steps. He encounters old friends and enemies along the way. Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely.

The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. However, he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears.

Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation – the Tenth. Fortunately, he’s not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. 

The Paternoster Gang are also here to assist. Can they also offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?

Review: Doctor Who: Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 was my favorite installment of this series so far. I’m an extremely happy period lit geek.

Story

Writer Jonathan Barnes brought unabashed joy to the script. Additionally, he deftly balanced the plot and character beats.

Along the way, listeners got marvelous comic relief to lighten an intrinsically dark scenario. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Strax and Jessamy. Of course, they were hilariously eclipsed by the dynamics between Missy and everyone else.

I also appreciated how Barnes tied the stand-alone and arc plot strands together. I’m now even more invested in how this story line plays out.

Acting

As ever, the cast is brilliant. David Tennant clearly had a blast playing the not-entirely Tenth Doctor. His entire performance was a lovely foreshadowing for the upcoming Fourteenth incarnation.

For their parts, Neve McIntosh, Dan Starkey, and Catrin Stewart continued to shine as the most wonderfully off-kilter Victorian family in the Doctor Who universe.

That said, Michelle Gomez was the woman of the hour. She went on a delightfully full-tilt tear through the script.

Overall

Thank you, Big Finish. Doctor Who: Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 was a great way to start my day. I can’t wait to hear the rest of this anniversary tale.

You can purchase Doctor Who: Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 here.

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