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

“UNIT 26 – MEMORY GAMES AND TIME TWISTS”

Unit 26, the second chapter in The War Doctor Rises: Fallen Heroes, doubles down on the murky intrigue of its predecessor, pulling War and Louisa Tickson deeper into the time-warped mystery of Oakview – a town haunted by distorted timelines, shady organisations, and ghostly Doctors. This is an episode brimming with atmospheric tension, where every answer only unravels more questions.

With references to UNIT and a Brigadier leading the organisation, things take a sharp turn into classic Doctor Who territory, adding a nostalgic undercurrent to the procedural format. But rather than just name-dropping, the story cleverly uses these familiar elements to stoke confusion and paranoia: who exactly is the “Doctor” that the townsfolk keep talking about? And is he the same man as War? Or his twin? Or a memory?

AN IDENTITY CRISIS FOR THE AGES

The heart of Unit 26 is its slippery sense of identity. Louisa is convinced that the mysterious Doctor is a dead ringer for her colleague Agent Smith, and War begins to suspect that he himself might be this other Doctor – one he simply cannot remember. The story dances tantalisingly close to themes of amnesia, alternate selves, and fractured memory, giving it a paranoid, dreamlike quality.

This keeps the listener hooked even as the murder mystery plot fades slightly into the background. The ongoing investigation into whether Joe – Beatrice’s supposedly murdered son – might still be alive adds further uncertainty, turning every line of dialogue into a potential misdirection.

MORE INTERVIEWS, MORE QUESTIONS, MORE TIMELY CONFUSION

Structurally, Unit 26 closely mirrors The Dead Sea: War and Louisa investigate townspeople, chase leads, uncover secrets, and slowly expose the deeper rot within Oakview. There’s an escalating sense of déjà vu, not just in the plot mechanics, but in the unsettling time distortion that seems to infect the town itself. The story cleverly uses this repetition to blur the boundaries of reality and memory, suggesting something more profound is occurring beneath the surface.

However, this also results in some narrative drag. With so much time spent in conversation and exposition, the pace occasionally falters, and the sheer density of plot twists and red herrings may leave listeners struggling to keep track.

A SHOCKING REVEAL: TIME LORDS AMONG US

Everything changes with the story’s final twist – Louisa is shot… and begins to regenerate. It’s a bold, attention-grabbing cliffhanger that recontextualises much of what came before. Is she a Time Lord in hiding? Was she ever human? Or is this yet another trick of the Time War’s twisted logic? It’s an excellent rug-pull moment that leaves the listener desperate for the final chapter.

STRONG CAST, STRONG FOUNDATION

Once again, the performances carry the story even through its murkier moments. Jonathan Carley continues to impress as the War Doctor, his performance nuanced with equal parts weariness and fire. Daisy Ashford cements Louisa as one of Big Finish’s most compelling new characters, seamlessly blending bureaucratic competence with deeply buried vulnerability. Their dynamic grows increasingly compelling as suspicion and trust jostle for dominance.

Maria Teresa Creasey and Christopher Naylor remain strong in supporting roles, grounding the story in lived-in humanity even as reality itself begins to wobble.

📝 VERDICT: 73/100

Unit 26 builds confidently on the mystery set up in The Dead Sea, deepening the enigma around Oakview, the Doctor’s identity, and Louisa’s true nature. Though the plot becomes more abstract and occasionally hard to follow, its ambition and atmosphere are hard to deny. The final twist is a knockout, and the performances continue to shine. This is a cerebral middle chapter that keeps its cards close to its chest while inviting the audience to try and guess the shape of the hand – all before blowing it apart in the final seconds.

WYATT NOOOOOOO AND MAYBE LOUISA????

This story has gone off the rails and I have so many questions about what the hell is going on and I love it!!! Can’t wait for the final episode.

I’m highly invested in this storyline Louise is an amazing companion esc character to the doctor and I’m loving little hint at what could be happening and what could happen next

The plot thickens, as Louisa and Wyatt find out there may be an interloper in their future and in the past.

Again, lots of things happen, and I have the feeling I have seen an end before I have seen the beginning. This play really plays with everything that I want to see played with in a Time War, and manages to maintain the appropriate atmosphere through it all.

And now, the endgame...