After picking up where we left off with *Lazarus*, this one just gets right into the juicy Character Drama, where the Doctor and Evelyn quickly find themselves on Opposite Side. This Decision is just great, and really the Heart of this Story is the Character Drama between Evelyn and the Doctor. Both played yet again superb by both Colin and Maggie. Especially, Evelyn gets a lot of great Material here.
As for the Story outside the Character Drama between our TARDIS Team, I do think it works. What starts out to seem like a political driven Story turns out to be mainly a love story, that while written very well, doesn't sadly get me as much as I would hope. Don't get me wrong, everybody here plays their Part with the most Confidence and doesn't disappoint, yet I do find myself sadly not connecting as much as I would like to. But then again, I can be quite hard to be pleased with a romantic Story in any kind of Media, so this isn't totally surprising.
Still, the writing certainly doesn't disappoint and offers some great World Building on top of that. And that ending is just *chef's kiss* good!
Really had a good Time with this Story!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAR: LOVE, LOSS, AND POLITICS COLLIDE”

Arrangements for War picks up immediately after the harrowing events of Project: Lazarus, exploring the emotional aftermath of the Doctor’s choices. Evelyn, furious and disillusioned, demands to be left on a world where she can avoid getting involved, needing time to process what she perceives as the Doctor’s moral failings.

Doctor Who rarely delves into the emotional consequences of the Doctor’s actions on their companions, but this story places that dynamic front and centre. Evelyn’s core beliefs clash with the Doctor’s decisions, and she needs space to reflect. From the outset, the mood is set with sombre music and Evelyn’s exasperation as she forces the Doctor to listen to her grievances.

A WORLD ON THE BRINK OF PEACE… OR WAR

The Doctor takes Evelyn to Világ (Hungarian for “world”), a planet embroiled in a bitter conflict between two ruling families. A political marriage is being arranged to unite them and prevent an impending invasion, and the Doctor believes this is the perfect place for Evelyn to observe without interfering. However, as soon as they arrive, it becomes clear that their presence is disrupting events rather than simply witnessing them.

Much of the story is dedicated to building this world—its intense political climate, the emotional turmoil of Princess Krisztina, and the sense that the peace efforts may be in vain. The setting itself is vividly realised, with its tropical heat, singing flora, and distinct culture giving it a unique identity.

A SLOW-BURNING POLITICAL DRAMA

The pacing is deliberately slow and contemplative, with an emphasis on politics and war strategy. At times, it’s difficult to keep track of the shifting allegiances, and the story’s tone remains oddly low-key despite the stakes. The Doctor and Evelyn find themselves forming personal bonds with the locals, engaging in leisurely activities and deep conversations, almost as if they are on a rare, peaceful holiday. The underlying tension of the plot—a forbidden romance, political scheming, and the looming invasion—remains somewhat muted, lacking the dramatic urgency one might expect.

However, the narrative cleverly positions the Doctor and Evelyn on opposing sides, with Evelyn advising one family while the Doctor aligns with the other. This reflects their own fractured relationship, as the Doctor tries to reach out to Evelyn, only to be repeatedly ignored. Evelyn, in turn, wrestles with her understanding of the Doctor’s nature, contemplating the man he truly is beneath the surface.

WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APART

As the story progresses, tensions rise, particularly with Governor Rossitor pressuring Evelyn to leave the Doctor and marry him. Meanwhile, Evelyn pushes her side towards war while the Doctor fights for a ceasefire, knowing that time is running out before the inevitable invasion begins.

It’s in Part 4 that the story finally erupts into chaos. The invasion is depicted with an impressive sense of scale and urgency, bringing with it tragedy and destruction. A particularly gut-wrenching death shakes the Doctor to his core, leading to a rare moment of vulnerability as he snaps, desperate to undo the loss. This moment, however, also marks the turning point in his relationship with Evelyn, drawing them back together. The emotional weight of the climax is significant, even if it doesn’t quite achieve the full impact it strives for. What stands out is how both characters grow from the experience, emerging stronger than before.

A SOFTER SIDE TO SIXIE

If anyone still doubts that the Sixth Doctor can be mellow, compassionate, and deeply affected by loss, Arrangements for War should put that to rest. Colin Baker delivers one of his most likeable performances as Sixie, portraying a Doctor who is more introspective and emotionally available than usual. Maggie Stables, as always, is phenomenal as Evelyn, torn between her knowledge of the future and her conflicted feelings about the Doctor. Her discussions about her heart condition and her deeply emotional scenes with Rossitor in the final moments are particularly moving.

The guest cast is solid, even if the characters themselves don’t leave a lasting impression. The standout is the legendary Gabriel Woolf, returning to Doctor Who as Governor Rossitor with a commanding presence. Philip Brotherton as Suskind and Katarina Olsson as Princess Krisztina (named after writer Paul Sutton’s Hungarian wife) also deliver strong performances.

📝VERDICT: 6/10

Arrangements for War is an introspective, slow-burning character piece that focuses on the fractured relationship between the Doctor and Evelyn. While the political intrigue sometimes lacks urgency, the emotional beats—particularly in the final act—hit hard. Colin Baker and Maggie Stables shine, and the story offers a rare exploration of the Doctor’s softer side. It may not be the most gripping tale, but it’s a fascinating study of character, consequence, and the cost of war.

We have Arrangements for War and the first story I've reviewed to feature my favourite Sixth Doctor companion, Dr Evelyn Smythe (voiced by the late Maggie Stables). A history lecturer at a university who joins the Sixth Doctor to see history in the making. Big Finish’s first original companion and a key element towards the Sixth Doctor’s redemption and change in character as Evelyn acted as a perfect counterweight to Six’s arrogant nature and is one of the few companions to call the Doctor out on his nonsense. In-universe this had the effect of evolving the Sixth Doctor into a kinder and more outwardly caring individual, whole still carrying some of his original arrogance but without coming off as a mean a-hole.

Evelyn is a far cry from almost every other companion, being elderly, an expert on history, not someone to have a war of words with and suffered from a heart condition that was slowly killing her but kept secret from the Doctor. Arrangements for War marks a major chapter in Six’s life and his travels with Evelyn as it follows a personal story arc carried over from all the way back in 2001. In an audio called Project Twilight, the Doctor and Evelyn come across a casino in London that’s apparently being run by vampires (or people experimented to become vampires) and are being hunted by their half-vampire creator Nimrod, the leader of the Forge. A secret British military organisation that hunts down and imprisons/kills aliens “for king and country”. Basically Russel T. Davies looked at the Forge and said “I wanna do that!”. During this adventure, Evelyn made close friends with one of the casino workers named Cassie (Cassandra Schofield), a young woman who unknowingly took a job at the casino so she could earn enough money to go home and raise her little Tommy, but unfortunately she gets infected and becomes a vampire herself. At the end of the story the Doctor drops her off in Norway promising to come back with a cure.
A couple years later in 2003 we got the sequel Project Lazarus, where the Doctor has finally finished making the cure and the two go to find Cassie, only to discover she’s been recruited by the Forge and brainwashed into being a hardened killer. While the Doctor is captured by Nimrod and almost tortured to death in an effort to force a regeneration for the Forge to harness the energies, Evelyn brakes through Cassie’s brainwashing and she rescues the Doctor in the nick of time. But unfortunately, Nimrod kills Cassie before she can escape with the Doctor, the Doctor’s alien reaction to Cassie’s death causes a fallout between him and Evelyn who’s become tired of his alien and almost unfeeling manner.

This leads into Arrangements for War where the two agree to go somewhere that Evelyn can take a break from him, somewhere with no imminent danger where they don’t have to get involved. The place being the planet Vilag on the cusp of a golden age where two of the three major countries are about to end their long and bloody war in a union of an arranged marriage. In a few months time a race called the Killorans will invade but on this occasion the Doctor’s help will not be necessary as the united planet will kick the invading force back into space. That is of course until the Doctor accidentally convinces a young guard named Marcus to pursue his love interest, who just so happens to be the princess set to be married, who also loves him in return. And if they’re love affair is discovered, the arranged marriage will be called off, the war will recommence and the Killorans will tear the planet apart. Meanwhile Evelyn becomes close with the governor of the third mediating country, Rossiter, and feels that this may be the end of her travels with the Doctor.

Yes, that was quite a lot to unpack, it’s one of those stories that’s stronger going in with the prior context of the Doctor and Evelyn’s relationship and everything that’s led them to this moment. It’s very heavy on drama than action with most of the story taken up by the Doctor and Evelyn separately integrating themselves into the planet’s political system so they can keep things on track before the Killorans invade. All the while, the two of them become attached to the people they work alongside.

Which leads into the ending and oh what an ending this is, without going into spoilers, though you can probably guess anyway, the two people the Doctor becomes attached to over the course of the story are both killed and after all the death the Doctor’s experienced throughout his lives he finally reaches his emotional breaking point, and so goes back to the TARDIS to try and change history. What follows is hands down my favourite Sixth Doctor scene where he’s at his most emotionally vulnerable and Evelyn has to bring him back to reality. It really showcases just how important Evelyn is to the Doctor and what separates her from almost every other companion. It’s basically the ending of Waters of Mars but better (and I love the ending of Waters of Mars).

Uma montanha-russa de forte emoções, essa é a definição perfeita para "Arrangements For War". Vemos o 6° Doutor e a Evelyn em seus momentos mais vulneráveis em meio a uma guerra política que envolve um casamento arranjado e um amor proibido que pode mudar todo o curso da história do planeta "Világ". Já logo aviso, não espere muito de seu plot...ele está longe de ser algo diferenciado do que já vimos anteriormente em Doctor Who. Mesmo com isso a experiência não é comprometida, principalmente quando notamos que seu verdadeiro foco está nas relações dos personagens e em suas mensagens sentimentais. Cada um deles tem uma personalidade distinta, até mesmo aqueles que não estão nos holofotes - Indiscutivelmente o relacionamento mais comovente é o da Evelyn com Rossiter, aqui Gabriel Woolf deixa completamente de lado suas performances anteriores sinistras e amedrontadoras de Sutekh permitindo ser um governador sensível e amável. Seu plot segue com conspirações que se resultam a uma invasão alienígena que acaba ficando em segundo plano, sendo relatada de forma bem genérica com barulhos de multidões e explosões (novamente digo, esse não é o foco). Seu final nos pega de surpresa sendo extremamente lindo e comovente, recebemos um banho sentimental que envolve reflexões sobre tomadas de decisões, sobre a morte, sobre mudar o curso da história e amor verdadeiro. Se você for uma pessoal sensível certamente vai derrubar lágrimas.

One of the more cerebral and slow paced story. No bad thing, you don't want every story to go a million miles a second. I did expect to feel a bit more of a connection with them covering such monumental themes (I.e. Evelyn's health). I usually am in love with the 6th Doctor and Evelyn but here, whilst being enjoyable, the story bordered on melodrama.

I enjoyed the beginning, with the forbidden love and politics of two nations. But as it got into the nitty gritty of the particular politics of the nations it was a tad boring.