In Review: Big Finish: Unit – Cyber-Reality

Synopsis: A secret global network known as the Auctioneers are collecting and exploiting technologies for profit. When they threaten Unit. Kate Stewart threatens to take them down, but there is a bigger menace in the Cybermen. Who is lurking in the background waiting to make their move.

Review: The folks at Big Finish hit us with another brilliant adventure featuring fan favorites Kate Stewart and Osgood as they take on two threatening foes and wind up making an unexpected ally along the way.

The first story ‘Game Theory’ by Matt Fitton sees Unite embroiled in a kind of virtual reality type of game in which their colleague and friend Sam is seemingly trapped at sea while running the same virtual simulation over and over again. This episode introduces the Auctioneers and they prove to be a fairly decent menace.

The theme of virtual games is expanded on in the second story ‘Telepresence’ by Guy Adams, which sees Osgood leading an expedition into uncharted territory and separated from Kate.

Gay Adams continues the common thread of technology, software, and games in the third story ‘Code Silver’, which introduces the Cybermen who attempt to overrun Unit with some help from Osgood. This is where this series of adventures gets really interesting as it becomes a mental chess game between Osgood and Kate Stewart. I loved how you were kept guessing as to Osgood’s motives. Whether she was willingly helping the Cybermen to buy time or has genuinely been taken by them. I also liked the list of weapons that Kate reels off as being useful against the threat. Especially the Emotion Gun.

The fourth and final story ‘Master Of Worlds’ by Matt Fitton sees the Master enter the fray. The team is on the back foot against both Auctioneers and Cybermen and The Master winds up being the last resort and very much a desperate measure.

Overall. This is a great set of interconnected adventures and I love the fact that Big Finish chose to use the original backstory of the Cybermen, which becomes apparent in the third story when Kate is listing off the various different ways by which they can be killed.

Ingrid Oliver puts in a fantastic performance throughout but is mostly on her game in the third story where she gets to be very much ambiguous, which regards to Osgood’s true allegiance. Kerry Fox proves to be efficient and snooty as Julia Hartley-Price. And Derek Jacobi gets to chew lots of scenery and put his best evil ninja hat on as The Master.

This is a very satisfying adventure, which will have you wanting more.

• You can buy your own copy of Unit – Cyber-Reality here.