Eis aqui uma nítida tentativa com tamanho esforço da BIG FINISH em apresentar sua primeira peça antológica, épica e pesada entregando um enredo de perigo em alto escala. Infelizmente Stephen Cole não conseguiu transmitir toda a proposta se escorando em vários clichês vistos em inúmeras histórias Daleks com direito a doses exageradas de ação que na maioria dos casos prejudicam bastante a experiencia do ouvinte, as repetições de cenas de batalha unidas a uma poluição sonora caótica dos efeitos especiais se tornam um fator desgastante durante toda uma jornada de 2 horas. Sua narrativa dinâmica falha trazendo confusão e uma falsa sensação de inconsistência que no fim acaba caindo em outras repetições que não adicionam nada de interessante ou que incline sua história para outros caminhos, fica evidente a tentativa do escritor em enriquecer mais seus minutos e trazer toda uma atmosfera de “Esse vai ser o fim do Universo” “O céu está caindo”, tudo parece agir de forma frenética, bagunçada com pouco senso de organização por parte da escrita, lembrando até mesmo alguns casos vistos em episódio do New Who. Mesmo diante de muitos deslizes, The Apocalypse Element ainda é um pouco sustentado por alguns de seus detalhes, ganchos e conceitos importantes de continuidade que merecem ser destacados como pontos positivos – Temos a primeira invasão dos Daleks em Gallifrey um sonho antigo Whovian de Time Lords Vs Daleks se realizando servindo até mesmo como protótipo da Guerra do Tempo, a Colisão dos planetas serve como um belo gancho para a série o spin-off “Gallifrey”, e claro a ponte feita para Romana II em “Nerveland” (áudio do 8° Doctor) que além de ter sido escrava dos Daleks por longos e árduos 20 anos, esse é o evento que revela seu novo posto como Presidente de Gallifrey. Embora careça de profundidade em seus detalhes, The Apocalypse Element consegue entregar um enredo regular ficando um pouco longe de uma avaliação negativa seu maior erro foi repetir mal uma velha receita de enredo Dalek manjada que só serviu para tirar brilho de sua história e ofuscou seus detalhes importantes.

It’s been a while since I listen to that one, but from what I can recall, I really dig this one. Having Romana here is lovely, she and six have such an interesting dynamic, Evelyn is as lovely as ever.
This one was one that had a much bigger scale, some may say a bit too ambitious, but I appreciate that BF early on this did this already. That said, it can get messy very quickly. That also being said: It has Romana, which makes it go higher if it didn’t have her.
Overall a flawed Story, that I still enjoy.

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

“The Apocalypse Element: A Chaotic but Ambitious Dalek Epic”

Stephen Cole's The Apocalypse Element ambitiously expands the Dalek Empire arc, plunging the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn into a sprawling tale of Gallifreyan politics, Dalek schemes, and interstellar peril. With high stakes, explosive action, and the return of a fan-favourite character, this audio drama has all the makings of a major event.

The opening is strong, immediately throwing listeners into the chaos of missing planets, strange spatial phenomena, and Gallifreyan intrigue. The tension builds effectively in the first installment, aided by Evelyn's relatable, comedic perspective as she struggles to comprehend the futuristic world around her. Her wandering off into trouble feels consistent with her character, though it sidelines her somewhat compared to previous stories.

The story’s scope is undeniably ambitious, with Dalek attacks, gravity wells, and galaxy-spanning danger. The concept of gravity wells is particularly imaginative and works surprisingly well in the audio format. However, the sheer amount of action and rapid pacing can make the story difficult to follow at times. Action sequences, while dramatic, occasionally lack clarity, and the dense plot risks overwhelming the listener.

Colin Baker delivers a more subdued performance as the Doctor, playing his role with a careful intensity that fits the story’s high stakes. Maggie Stables as Evelyn takes a bit of a backseat in this outing, partly to make room for the return of Lalla Ward as Romana II.

Romana’s return is a highlight, with Ward effortlessly stepping back into the role and commanding attention in every scene. This story gives her a strong and powerful presence, reminding listeners why she remains one of the most beloved companions in Doctor Who history. Unfortunately, other characters, including Vansell and the Lord President, fail to leave much of an impression, blending too much into the background.

The cliffhanger at the end of Part 1, with Dalek mutants attacking the Doctor and Trinket, stands out as one of the more effective and memorable moments of early Big Finish. However, the story's overall length—each part running over 30 minutes—does lead to some pacing issues, particularly in the middle sections.

While The Apocalypse Element lays the groundwork for future storylines, including the Gallifrey series and the larger Dalek Empire arc, it struggles to fully capitalise on its potential in the audio format. The scale and spectacle of the story might have been better served in a visual medium, as the dense narrative sometimes feels overlong and cumbersome.

📝Verdict: 7/10

For fans of the Daleks, Romana, and high-stakes Gallifreyan drama, this story offers much to enjoy. However, its sprawling ambition and chaotic execution may leave some listeners feeling overwhelmed. Despite its flaws, The Apocalypse Element remains an important and memorable chapter in the early Big Finish catalogue.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor

Middle of the road Dalek slop. The only redeeming factor in this story is that it has the return of Lalla Ward as Romana II. Even then she doesn't reunite with the Doctor until a good deal into the story. Maggie Stables is doing fantastically as Evelyn and I found the bit where she did the Dalek impression funny. Colin Baker is trying his best to salvage this story and it says a lot about him that even in as boring a snooze-fest as this he's putting in a really strong performance.

Aside from the excellent lead cast, this story has nothing going for it. The Daleks are as simple and one-dimensional as ever. Their grating voices are not suited to the audio medium whatsoever and for some reason Stephen Cole thinks we need a 20 second action sequence that we can't even see that consists of nothing but Dalek lasers firing and exploding things. That kind of action simply doesn't work, especially without any dialogue throughout the entire thing to atleast tell you what's going on.

It's a shame 6 and Evelyn have had a dud only 3 stories into their run. I really hope this story ends up being an exception.

Next Story: Bloodtide

28.02.2022

Noise. It's just noise. It had so much potential - interplanetary space conference, president Romana, Gallifrey bureaucracy. Instead it's running around, shooting around and genuinely just solving routine tasks until the time runs out. Speaking of which, it's 2h17m long. It's tedious to listen through. It's repetitive and pointless. It wastes Evelyn, it wastes Romana, it wastes Gallifrey. 1/5