In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty

Synopsis: In Morbius the Mighty, The War Doctor has been forced out of the fight and the battle has moved on in his absence. There are new powers, new anomalies, and new excuses from him to keep his distance.

He only has Cora, his nurse, to keep him company on the forest planet of Lull. The War Doctor is content to leave his old life behind.

But something is stirring in the depths of a twisted planet. An old, embittered foe harbors a terrible grudge against the Doctor. 

When a chance encounter gives this enemy the chance to escape, nobody is safe in his quest for vengeance. From the depths of the stormy Valley, Morbius will rise.

Review: Writer Tim Foley continued Morbius’ story where he left off. As a result, Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty  played like Dark Gallifrey: Morbius Part 4.

Story

That’s not a bad thing. Indeed, allowing Morbius to intersect with the Time War justified all of Foley’s previous story choices.

Furthermore, I absolutely adored how he carried through the world-building, character-building, and gothic tonal shift.

In an extremely well-crafted outing, three plot strands stood out. First, the relationship between the War Doctor and Cora was pitch perfect.

Second, the world-building underpinning The Third Power represented scarily coherent internal logic. Third, the ironclad bond between the Doctor and his Tardis will always be the best love story in Doctor Who.

Acting

The entire cast was brilliant. That said, the story required the next level performances of Jonathon Carley and Samuel West.

Each man had an intrinsic grasp of his role. That allowed them to both unapologetically commit. 

Overall

Bravo, Big Finish! Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty was an old school treat from beginning to end. I can’t wait for the next chapter of Dark Gallifrey.

You can purchase Doctor Who: The War Doctor Rises: Morbius the Mighty here.