In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: Once and Future: Two’s Company

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.

Back on Earth, the Doctor finds a clue in the search for the origins of the degeneration weapon. In his Sixth body, he meets Jackie Tyler and Lady Christina de Souza. They are in pursuit of a powerful item of jewelry.

Meanwhile, a Time Lord renegade has duped Harry Sullivan into helping him stop the Doctor’s travels before they begin.

Review: For Doctor Who fans of a certain age, suspense is no longer central to enjoyment. Big Finish appreciates this — crafting a character-driven 60th anniversary storyline.

Story

Indeed, Big Finish didn’t ask writer Lisa McMullin to flesh out an outline. Instead, she got a list of characters and built Doctor Who: Once and Future: Two’s Company around their interactions.

McMullin relied on the tropes each character facilitated, and Lady Christina de Souza facilitated one of my all-time favorite tropes. The fact that McMullin connected this latest piece of jewelry to Jackie Tyler led to some fun and heartwarming bits. Just listening to the two of them laugh together was worth the price alone.

As for Harry Sullivan, I just wanted to hug him during all of his interactions with The Renegade. He was so adorably out of his depth.

Last, but not least, I want to thank McMullin for getting some inevitable exposition out of the way. As a Doctor Who fan of a certain age, I no longer need that exposition. However, I appreciate it when the structural niceties are observed.

Acting

As ever, Colin Baker was superb. For their parts, Camille Coduri, Michelle Ryan, and Christopher Naylor returned to their roles with gusto.

That said, Michael Maloney really stood out as The Renegade. Maloney has demonstrated a real flair for antagonists over the years, and this latest turn allowed him a gleeful run of the soundscape.

Overall

Thank you, Big Finish! Doctor Who: Once and Future: Two’s Company and this arc as a whole have been absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait for next month’s installment.

• You can purchase Doctor Who: Once and Future: Two’s Company here.
• You can check out more of our Big Finish reviews here.