The Last Day Part Two

Wow really hit the ground running with this last half of the 12 part epic I fully was invested from the word go

Over all last day is one of my fav 12 parter it’s a bit fan wanky and takes a while to get going but I was invested god damn it I only wish these releases realised closer together I’d like more 12 part big finish stories but don’t wanna wait 6 months between the two

⭐5.75/10

😶This story is AVERAGE and you should SKIP IT!

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

PRIMARY NOTES:

After a hugely disappointing first half, which was essentially one massive reunion of old Seventh Doctor allies and villains, Part 2 focuses more on the narrative at hand. Still, it largely suffers from the same problems as the first one did: there are too many characters spread out across too many different points in the narrative, so it’s very hard to follow how everyone and everything is supposed to connect.

The story steadily builds up to a battle between the Doctor’s friends and his enemies (such as the Sontarans). The performances are constantly great, there’s plenty of great dialogue, but the narrative is all over the place so I’m rarely invested.

Sylvester McCoy does appear a bit more in this one (especially towards the end), but this still feels like a disappointing celebration of the Seventh Doctor and his era. Mel, Ace and Hex are best among the old companions. Edward Peel is great as Kane again and I’m bummed that we don’t get more with Garundel. Geoffrey Beevers is a delight as usual and Richenda Carey is wonderfully creepy as the Mother.

You do kind of forget that all of this is meant to build up to the Seventh Doctor’s last moments, with the ending of this adventure leading directly to the TV Movie (1996). Eventually, we learn how this story ties to that one.

Sadly, The Last Day 2 is a bit too long, so I found my mind wandering by the final hour of it.

While Part 2 certainly clears up a LOT of the confusion I felt listening to part 1, it also is subject to a lot of the same issues that plague that first part.

Let me address the elephant in the room. Yes, The Last Day Parts 1 and 2 are very hard to follow and almost don’t seem aware of the medium of radio. There are a lot of subtleties that I felt went over my head, and many revelations that are simply not very clear and leave you feeling like you missed something. Beyond the enormous amount of prerequisites that this release requires, the bigger issue is that it’s hard to follow, and I found myself rewinding a lot throughout. This is a problem I have with most Matt Fitton scripts to be honest. I find the man’s writing to be very frustrating but at least we have Guy Adams to reign him in a bit.

However, I have to stress that overall I liked it and I’m glad I bought it. It’s epic in scale in a way I have personally never seen before. It might just be the most intricate crossover in the entire franchise. It brings to a close not just 7’s arc, but Ace’s, Hex’s, Sally’s, and the Crispy Master’s. Not to mention it’s a delight getting to hear characters like Kane and Mother Finsley, both of whom previously only appeared in one story, be used to the fullest. Both characters are highlights in this release.

The way that they pull together continuity from 30 year old novels and comic books is head scratching, but also they did it in the smartest way possible and in a way that feels earned. The final hour of this thing is completely ridiculous and some of the character stuff with 7 and Ace and the Dark Citizens feels like a bit of a cop out, but it’s so grand and fun that I didn’t entirely mind. Plus cop outs are what BF do best. Over half of their releases have cop out endings.

Overall this ride was fun. Its flaws are obvious to any listener. But it achieved what it set out to do. I just wish there was more Dark 7 like we got in Dark Universe and in brief glimpses here.

Also, (SPOILERS) and this just bugs me personally a lot, but what’s the point in the episode 9 cliffhanger if Chris just shot her a second time? I feel like there’s a lot of missed opportunity where a character could be revealed as the 2nd incarnation of President Dee.