Doctor Who – Dark Gallifrey

#1.02. Morbius: Part Two ~ 7/10

◆ An Introduction

The Shimmering Man appeared in the kaleidoscope of light and colours known as the vortex, before being brought aboard the Proteus and cared for by the handmaiden.

But now this temporal sailing ship has crashed against the shores of a mysterious rock: the Isle of the Dead…

◆ Publisher’s Summary

When disaster strikes the Proteus, Captain Argento and her crew must fight for their lives and the fate of all Time Lords.

What is out there on the ice? Who hides in the impossible temple?

As loyalties shift and secrets emerge, the cult of Morbius lies in wait to bring about the General's return...

◆ The Third Morbius

Tim Foley once more keeps the eponymous renegade to the background, until the final ten minutes when he gets resurrected in the body of the first mate. While it made sense to have Morbius whispering in the minds of his followers during the first part, I would’ve liked to hear more of him this time round.

The Temple of Morbius features a holographic interface, and it’s given the most camp mannerisms imaginable: basically, imagine asking the tyrannical Time Lord to do his best impression of Norton Folgate. It works surprisingly well, and Samuel West is clearly enjoying himself.

Morbius once had the reach of this entire galaxy, but now he grips the wrists of half the Proteus’s crew. And out there, upon the ice, he will be free! Veritas claims that Morbius wasn’t the monster people made him out to be. He broke bread with his followers, creatures of any status: the leader who gave them shelter and dignity.

◆ A Family of Broken Minds

Part One showed us that the good captain was suffering from a mystery illness, but all has been revealed whilst exploring the impossible Temple of Morbius. A holographic interface welcomed her into a room containing several temporal mirrors, which acted as portholes into the past and future. Argento was shown a face she didn’t recognise, which was revealed to be her grandson from many centuries in the future. Her mystery illness had been passed down through the generations, and it would eventually be known as regenerative dissonance. Her grandson… is none other than the Collective!

BigFinish have spent the past couple of years forcing various incarnations of the Collective – also known as the Multitude – into several different ranges: they were even revealed as the main villain in that God awful 60th anniversary miniseries! That’s why this big reveal about their heritage came as something of an anti-climax… especially since the Eleven is the most overused incarnation of them all. I would’ve been happier if John Heffernan was asked to reprise his role as the Nine.

◆ Sound Design

A mysterious rock has appeared in the kaleidoscope of light and colours known as the vortex: the Isle of the Dead. A frozen isle hanging in the dimensional plane where time and space meet, its very existence should be impossible… as should the Temple of Morbius that sits within the tundra! Howard Carter has done quite a good job here.

Howling winds from the barren tundra beyond. The whispering voice of Morbius echoes in the mind of Veritas. Shrieks echo through the night on the Isle of the Dead, while Argento and Gilda make camp around a crackling fire. Feet crunching through the snow as the Shimmering Man approaches. Sparks fly as Veritas infects another Proteus crew member with the Mark of Morbius. The temporal mirrors within the temple begin fizzing: the Interface shows Argento her future, including her grandchild… the Collective! Hundreds of crows appear in the skies above the Isle, squawking as the cultists begin resurrecting their tyrannical leader. Argento uses the Horn of Rassilon: it sounds like a giant didgeridoo!

◆ Conclusion

“A citadel of dreams… and Morbius will provide.”

Gilda and Argento have ventured out into the tundra, only to discover an impossible temple built to honour Morbius himself. Inside, the good captain will catch a glimpse of her future… and it will rock her world! Meanwhile, Rolko and Veritas start bringing the entire crew of the Proteus under the influence of their tyrannical leader.

I hope you don’t mind a massive exposition dump, because that basically describes the entirety of Part Two. It honestly feels like the events of this episode could’ve been condensed down into a couple of scenes, with the most interesting of them being Argento’s revelation.

Revealing that she is an ancestor of the Collective should’ve been this momentous discovery, but I started rolling my eyes the moment I heard Mark Bonnar’s voice echoing through my headphones. The Eleven is one of the most overused characters in BigFinish history: please stop ramming him into every series like you’re working to a quota!

Part Three hasn’t been released at the time of writing this review – June 5th – but I am really excited to see how Tim Foley is going to wrap things up. Hopefully Morbius himself will actually get to do more than just being a disembodied voice!