after The Harvest & Dreamtime it’s refreshing to have a story that’s actually good, I love the format here it’s the star of the show and it gives the story a very unique edge and all of the main trio gets to shine in their own subplots which was great for character building.

The parallels I saw to today in stuff like Reform, Trump and Israel in how fascists manipulate media to their own benefits were eerily close and better handled than some stories from today (Interstellar Song Contest…). The whole clone thing was a bit weird though and added nothing to the story that I can really see.

mid story but I quite like Hex

Why the hell did I buy cinema tickets for this???

I think this might be it for me, Doctor Who is not for me anymore and I hate to say it but this genuinely made me nostalgic for Empire Of Death of all things I cannot fathom how much of a MESS the finale will be.

This was way better than I expected! I have seen The Three Doctors + Arc Of Infinity but my memory of Omega himself was rusty but this story put the character into perspective for me and I’ve gained a lot of respect for him as a character, I am looking forward to rewatching some of his stories with this.

I would write a longer review but I’m about to head to bed so I can’t be bothered.

Oh my god?????

It’s just twist after twist after twist wow insane how this story just takes a complete 180 and it doesn’t feel jarring at all, I loved the detective vibe of the first two episodes but this final one finally shows why it’s a War Doctor story with maybe the darkest I’ve seen him? And it’s a very unique kind of dark unlike Seven’s manipulations or Ten’s god complex, War has sunken to the lowest depths imaginable in his mind and now he’s willing to do almost anything apart from becoming The Doctor again reminding him of what he was and what he (at the time) will never be again with the UNIT references serving as nostalgia for The Doctor in a bittersweet way which I really like as a retrospective of that era going as far as to say it was a “family” of sorts for him.

A highlight of this story was how it showed The Time Lords in the war without The Daleks, I love those tinpots but there was untapped potential in a story revolving around the extremes The Time Lords would go for the war effort at least to my knowledge until now where they’re downright villainous in condemning a planet to death but with the moral ambiguity that if they don’t destroy it every other time locked world would be in danger and it’s just brilliant drama I love it so much.

It’s no secret that this box set is inspired by Alan Wake as said by Alfie Shaw himself and I thought it was just the murder mystery stuff but nope it takes so much more like reality manipulating fiction, objects of power (which is also similar to Control) and even a time loop which I just find so cool that a Doctor Who story can take from a contemporary piece of media (and a video game at that) and use its ideas in conjunction with the universe of Doctor Who to create something new, I hope Big Finish does this more as I think it’s a great building block for new story ideas that can go beyond what Doctor Who is expected to be which this story also pokes at with this usual alien invasion happening in the background that gets more and more twisted as it goes on it’s just f**king brilliant stuff.

The ending too is bittersweet with both parties accepting that they’re gonna die and it’s the fault of The Time Lords & The Doctor, he goes back to try and save them but they see through him and choose to face death together which I thought was really poignant, I liked War but I think this younger version of him is so much more interesting due to the sad acceptance of himself and the brutal methods needed for The Time War.

I’ll definitely be looking at some of Alfie Shaw’s previous work, if it’s as creative as this I look forward to it!

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 a big fan of Alan Wake 2 + crime dramas in general and it’s so cool to see Doctor Who take so much inspiration from that, I’ve not listened to much War Doctor but Carley is scarily good as Hurt like insane and Daisy Ashford is also great too I love the chemistry “Wyatt” and Louisa have.

Looking forward to where they take this premise!

FUCKING TERRIFYING?????

I thought the body horror I heard about would be the scariest bit but that sound creature was something else I turned down the volume like halfway because of that first “HELP ME” genuinely the most I’ve been scared of Doctor Who in like a decade.

I wasn’t too big on Eight & Charley until about Neverland where their relationship really got interesting and then some in Zagerus and now here they are just electric making me feel for both characters, it especially went into The Doctor into a really interesting way with how he looks at his companions in a bleak but captivating idea as Momento Mori’s, reminders of death and I can see how maybe after a certain point like Adric that’s how he saw them and it’s interesting to think about if The Doctor saw any of their later companions like that especially post-time war.

The way this audio uses sound too is quite creative not just using it in the practical sense but also in the narrative too like with the little tales of the king that throw away music and how the sound creature was used weaving the two together to create something unique (which could also tie into the body fusion and evolution stuff but I might be stretching it a bit).

Another Robert Shearman banger as always, that man is cursed to always write an absolutely amazing Doctor Who story I don’t know if the series deserved him.

absolutely insane and maybe one of the best anniversary specials we’ve ever gotten for the show, I think I’ve finally “clicked” with Eight & Charley I understand them more and their dynamic and the fan service is plentiful with so many little niche references oh it’s wonderful.

Garbage.

The characters are all cardboard and flat and our main cast is barely 2 dimensional with some of the worst politics we’ve seen while probably well intentioned a Eurovision song saving the day and making all well is incredibly tone deaf when the Hellions are presumably an allegory for Palestine.

The torture scene sticks out as completely out of character for The Doctor even in their darker incarnations let alone Fifteen, I don’t think what Kid did should get that reaction when it was made clear they were all still alive for the time and especially when this is the same man that saved Davros of all people like it just felt unnecessarily cruel like it doesn’t even serve much of a narrative purpose with Belinda who has completely lost any semblance of her character from The Robot Revolution and now exists to be a companion stereotype.

Susan and The Rani are here too I guess in a very jarring way with Susan getting these random flashback things and then that stupid reveal that felt like a dime store YANA reveal especially after all that build up ughh awful stuff.

I already thought Six & Evelyn were a great TARDIS team but this story has proved to me completely that they might be one of the best we’ll ever get, an absolute beautiful and tragic story that made me understand Six so much more and Evelyn gets a lot of great character work here especially with the addition of Rochester (played by the godly Gabriel Woolf) where she opens up so much more about her condition in a touching scene.

I’m really sad to see Six & Evelyn go too as this is my last story before I move to the Seven Hex arc, I know there’s more stories with them but to me this felt like the narrative conclusion of it all for them.

If I had to highlight one scene it’s the end with Colin giving this mammoth of a performance sick of the deaths, sick of the killing and it just hit me deep in the gut to hear him like that genuinely one of the best performances I’ve ever seen a Doctor give.

Absolutely marvellous character work when it comes to Davros here, as of late he had a bit of a craving for Davros stories and this one did not disappoint.

I find his character here so interesting as a man totally obsessed with ultimate power to satisfy his need to be the supreme being but at the same time he has guilt for what he has done to get here and god forbid maybe even love? Even if he does not know it, the way he behaved with Shan doesn’t have any better explanation although speaking of her I love the addition to the lore that another person was the one that essentially came up with The Daleks, it really fits with Davros’s character to highjack the idea and turn what The Daleks could’ve been into a perverse reflection of Davros’s mind.

TAI was a fun location and I liked Ms. Baines especially (played by the great Wendy Padbury) as an apologist for The Daleks & Davros I wish this concept was expanded upon more in other stories as it feels very relevant to current times.

Sixie as ever was great and I think he might have my favourite dynamic with Davros out of what I’ve seen/heard so far with him not being as “nice” as Five but not full on god complex mode like Seven just on the right enough level imo, I’ll always be more fascinated by Davros’s & The Doctor’s relationship more than The Master or anything simply because of how fun it is to watch these two completely different beings who could’ve been so close as friends but are doomed to be as bitter as enemies endlessly intertwined with each other due to what Davros’s creations have done.

Great story all in all and I’ll definitely be listening to I, Davros after I finish the 6/Evelyn arc.

A lovely short story giving a glimpse into the mind of Davros and his relationship with his children (as he puts it), it’s a side of Davros we don’t get to see much as he’s portrayed as a lonely old dad whose kids only call him up when they need him to do something in an absurdly funny way.

His conversations with Eleven about the meaning of Christmas and Family over the course of several meetings and different planets are the meat to this story and there’s so many little insights into how he thinks about The Doctor that makes their relationship so much more interesting I adore the dialogue between these two.

Another Shearman banger I swear I think he might be my favourite writer for Doctor Who right now he’s just so bold and darkly funny I can’t enough of it.

I love the commentary here with The Daleks being used as this marketable franchise dulling them down leading to the rise of fascist mindsets among Britain oh it’s brilliant and it’s made even better by how Shearman writes these people in the most bizarre & absurd way possible it’s just so interesting to me.

The Jubilee Dalek is the star of the show here providing a really fascinating view on Daleks and their character as The Dalek has lost everything about itself for 100 years questioning Dalek society and even possibly developing a twisted kind of empathy (or the closest it can get to that) for Evelyn

One big gripe I have is the 1903 stuff, I didn’t really care about that plotline much and I think it would’ve been much better off without it.

mediocre but the music was cool

Really interesting story that perfectly introduces The Forge which is a group I’ve been looking forward to meeting  for a good long while from the little I knew of the EU they really interested me, this story is also definitely dark in places and I understand how that may not be for everyone but I didn’t mind personally compared to even just some of the stuff from S22 I’d argue it’s at least a little more tasteful if a little edgy and surface level maybe…  Six & Evelyn’s dynamic here is also just top tier stuff I love the tension they have in this particular story but at the end they still care for each other it’s just good stuff and I’m going to be sad when I move onto the 7/Ace/Hex arc soon.

“All hail Frobisher! All hail the big talking bird!”

Robert Shearman might have to go down as one of my all time favourite Doctor Who writers after this story, this is equally hilarious and unexpectedly devastating with some really dark themes and twists I didn’t see coming.

Colin Baker is great as Sixie while I thought he was good on TV lately after listening to more of his Big Finish work I feel like I’m starting to understand this incarnation a bit more and of course Frobisher my shapeshifter penguin GOAT is absolutely brilliant here I’m really saddened that he only has one more Big Finish appearance after this because Robert Jezek delivers a really great performance here.

The side cast are all amazing too I especially have a soft spot for the evil brother guy he had a lovely voice for a villain but his sibling and mother are also brilliant as is the high priest.

It’s hard for me to completely wrap my head around all the ideas The Holy Terror presents but I think while there’s something to be said about Faith the real meat is tradition and generational trauma, as I read it the fiction represented Eugene’s story or at least parts of it spread throughout the different characters and even though he did an heinous thing there’s nuance there in the end with The Doctor begging him to not kill himself, trying to save him and he just… can’t. Not because of any powerful threat or heroic sacrifice but just because Eugene couldn’t live with himself anymore and to me it hit hard especially to hear a character like The Doctor go through that and to hear Eugene break down it’s a lot more than I was expecting.

I feel like I’ve woken up into an alternate universe because I genuinely don’t see the hype with this one, all of the characters including 15 & Belinda were 2 dimensional at best and it tried to be a sequel to Midnight a story that works so well partly because of the mystery and while it isn’t given away as such I think we’re still told too much about it.

The horror is also non-existent after a the first couple of moments at-least for me I thought the logic behind the “If you go behind her you will die” stuff was really stupid and it was made worse when the deaths look like.. *that* I was on the brink of laughing it looked so bad and it’s not that they had to be super gory because Midnight only had two deaths right at the end that were built up to and were impactful instead of random army grunt getting tossed like a ragdoll.

If this is this era’s “peak” I don’t think the show is for me anymore.

This is one of the most harrowing experiences I’ve had listening to a DW story I swear this boxset was made by a masochist because the depths it goes to are so low I think it rivals CoE so far, I feel so bad for Martine as she’s driven to the brink by the swenyo (not sure how to spell it) as you’ve gotten to know her throughout the past two episodes and especially her relationship with “Mr Orman” it makes the impact of this story hit so much more like a knife that just keeps on twisting.

Although as harrowing as it is I’d be remiss not to mention how trippy and weird the story gets with Martine getting stuck in a vending machine with a Mr Orman lookalike trying to eat her or how she sees her mother in the form of a giant talking tree that grows Ood fruit that tries to kill her, it’s all delightfully deranged in a sort of black comedy way which The War Master series so far is really good at.

I can’t wait to listen to the finale of this boxset which to be honest I wasn’t feeling the first parts at first but retrospectively I’m seeing now what it was building up towards and I’m grateful we got something like this.

This story went places I had no idea Doctor Who could even venture, I am not too experienced with the EU apart from Scratchman which I still need to finish and the previous 8/Charley stories (minus Minuet In Hell) so I am going into most of these blind and what seemed to be a mere spooky house story turned into something more and more twisted with a delightfully dark plot and great sound design, The Chimes Of Midnight lived up to the hype.