Entertaining enough with the political intrigue and the intro/outro music helped set the mood.

Well, time to tip my toes in Gallifrey for the first time.

**Important: Small Spoilers for the Invasion of Time**

I must say I expected to be more “meh” on it, but no, really enjoyed this. This is such a perfect pilot, it introduces you to the feel of this Series. It introduces, or in this case reintroduces, plenty of the Characters greatly.

Lalla and Louise feel so comfortable with the Medium of Audio, you could fool me that they did 100 Stories before this one, but no just a few before if I recall correctly. While at times the pace was pretty slow, I didn't mind.

And I am really surprised that they acknowledge this AWFUL ending for Leela from IoT, adding more depth to it, actually. And it has many great character Moments here, overall really enjoyed my Time with it. What it sets out to do, it does so well.

...Is it a hot take to say, that Leela aka Louise is the big standout here?

Weapon of Choice - 7/10

I'm not grabbed yet, but I am intrigued.

I'm a big fan of these types of sci-fi or fantasy political dramas, so already got me on that front, and I think that it's done really well here. The idea of a 'rubbish bin' of all unlicensed time travelers is a fun setting, it's a bit of a shame they don't do more with it, but it's not really the focus of the story so it makes sense.

The opening 10 minutes especially is a great hook into the rest of the story, and it's nice that they give that sort of opening that works well regardless of any prior knowledge of characters or setting.

That said, that's the main complaint I have so far, the characters all seem interesting, this is my first real Brax story and he's great here, but it just sort of puts you into the middle of things on this one without you getting as much of a chance to know the characters and I'd hope for. Granted with the inquest into Romana II coming up I'm sure that's something the rest of the stories do, and they likely just wanted something a bit more thrilling to hook people in, which makes sense.

The ending also leaves a few different plot threads open which all intrigue me, and I can't wait to listen to the rest!

📝6/10

Time Lording through time and space, one victory at a time!

TIME LORDS, TERROR, AND TENSION: A PROMISING START

This opening chapter of Gallifrey grabs attention straight away, blending political intrigue with a unique setting and a groovy score. The initial scenes, featuring four assessors inspecting time technology on a barren moon, set an engaging tone. Characters like Torvald, the Time Lord inspector, and the enslaved woman inhabited by another consciousness stand out, giving the story an unexpected Raiders of the Lost Ark vibe.

Intriguing Introductions:

It takes a little time to orient yourself among the cast and plot threads, but the main players—Torvald, Narvin, Romana, K9, Leela, and Braxiatel—are quickly introduced, along with the key themes of the series. The mix of space politics, terror organisations, and the larger question of Time Lord ethics immediately sets the stage for compelling drama.

The characters are effectively established: Romana shines as a sharp and capable leader surrounded by frustrating colleagues, while Leela’s hands-on, action-driven approach creates an intriguing contrast. The tension between Leela and Torvald is especially gripping, and Braxiatel emerges as a quintessentially dry Cardinal, shrouded in mystery.

Atmosphere and Allegory:

The sparse, well-crafted music and sound design complement the superb performances, building an atmosphere that’s both subtle and effective. The Free Time movement’s battle over the regulation of time travel serves as an intriguing political allegory, providing depth to the narrative and a unique angle on Gallifreyan society.

Potential Amid Complexity:

The abundance of characters and new concepts can feel overwhelming at times, but there’s immense potential in the political intrigue and character drama. The interplay between Romana, Narvin, and Braxiatel hints at deeper tensions and alliances to come, keeping you invested despite occasional confusion.

A Slightly Disjointed Finish:

Unfortunately, the episode loses some momentum in the final stretch, with the plot becoming harder to follow. However, Leela’s appointment as Romana’s bodyguard offers an exciting setup for future episodes, hinting at further development in their fascinating dynamic.

Final Thoughts:

This first episode effectively establishes the key players and themes of Gallifrey, laying the groundwork for a series rich in political intrigue and character drama. Though occasionally dense and disorienting, it offers a promising start that balances action, tension, and thought-provoking allegory.

A compelling introduction that hints at great potential despite a few early stumbles.

Gallifrey; Chapter I  - “Weapon of Choice" by Alan Barnes

The Worlds of Doctor Who is the name given to every Big Finish property starring a character besides the Doctor. These stem from The Diary of River Song, to Jago & Litefoot and even The Churchill Years, if you ever wanted to listen to that for some bizarre reason. And out of all of these ranges, all of these stories, praised, revered and reviled in equal measure, there is one series that stands out, one series I hear nothing but praise for, one series that is held above the rest: Gallifrey. And, having just completed its backdoor pilot in the form of Zagreus, seeing it up next in Audio Club and finally caving in to all the requests, I’ve decided to begin this much adored series, beginning with a high octane spy thriller.

When a CIA mission goes wrong and a terrorist cell called Free Time gains access to a devastating weapon, President Romanadvoratrelundar of Gallifrey sends a K9 model, a CIA agent and savage ex-companion of the Doctor, Leela, in search of it.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

When I say Gallifrey, many people will think of mystical super beings, outside of time and space, conducting themselves in a way incomprehensible to us, keeping time and acting noble. But then again, you may have seen the classic series and know that in actuality it's a glorified system of bureaucrats with access to time machines. Rather than explore ancient mythology and mysticism, Gallifrey seems to be a series centering on political thrillers: espionage, duplicitous characters, power struggles, threats of war, terrorist cells, that sort of thing. I myself could not be happier, this is a style of story that I can never get enough of and always seem to be entertained by. The plot of Weapon of Choice is a clear indicator of this; Leela and CIA agent Torvald are tasked with finding a stolen doomsday device undercover, meaning we have a good old fashioned spy caper on our hands. It’s a really intriguing story and I found it to be like a mini Doctor Who James Bond (or some other, less extravagant spy film, I guess). Our cast, too, is great, as I had previously heard. I love a series with a returning main group (a lá Torchwood) so seeing we have a set cast of characters, I’m very excited for future stories. Romana and Leela are, unsurprisingly, great and bounce off each other really well. Two of my favourite companions both leading these sets pretty much sell them to me off the bat. As for the others, Braxiatel seems fun - I’ve heard a lot about him and whilst I haven’t yet got a full read on him, Miles Richardson plays him well. And then there’s Narvin, who I assume must have one hell of a character arc because I hear nothing but love for him and currently he seems to be the snake-like foil to the others, which is not the impression I got when I heard about him. Eventually, the plot ends up on the planet Gryben, a sort of temporal checkpoint where illegal time travellers are sent. The worldbuilding here is great and seeing Leela fight with a bunch of market salesmen or K9 stir up trouble at an alien bar is wonderful little bits of knowledge. Not to mention the insight we get to see on Gallifrey. I’m sure we’ll get bigger and better set pieces on the legendary planet but even now, it’s fun to see it so clearly. And in the final act, we a suitably tense ending for a story like this. Fast and fun, with a couple great twists and a lot of good tension. Romana proves herself, a traitor is amongst the cast and the world is on the brink of war. Good stuff.

However, Weapon of Choice has got one big glaring problem for me: it’s a pilot. This is something I’ve observed for quite a while, especially with ranges such as Torchwood: The Story Continues, in which the pilot ends up so preoccupied setting things up it forgets to focus on its own story. And I’d say something similar happened here; the story is fine, nothing much to write home about mostly because it’s used as a taster for what’s to come. It’s certainly one of the better pilots I’ve come across but I can’t help but feel it’s only half a story. The only other thing that I think I disliked was the antagonist - Nepenthe - who I think was bland. I wasn’t once threatened by her and every time she cartoonishly yelled “free time!” a little bit of me died inside.

So, I am very excited for Gallifrey. Weapon of Choice makes it clear to me that Big Finish took a really unique direction with this series. The cast is great, the stories seem fun, and I really can not wait to get into it. Don’t let me down, Gallifrey.

8/10

Pros:

+ Great cast, cannot wait to hear more of them

+ Really intriguing plot that felt oddly Bondesque

+ Fascinating worldbuilding

+ Tense third act

Cons:

- Suffers from pilot syndrome and feels like a lot of setup

- Nepenthe was a dull antagonist