Big Finish Main Range
<spoilers ahead! spoilers ahead!>
“Fooled by a clever copy. How embarrassing.” –The Doctor
Interesting that a copy can’t tell a copy. It’s a clever conceit that the Doctor is sent to Omega’s last place of experimentation to be Omega while the real Doctor is later called to the same place. It’s a bit confusing overall but it makes for an interesting twist! Not really a cliffhanger, mind you, when the Doctor shows up but definitely an interesting twist as the real Omega and the real Doctor get to go head-to-head, er, toe-to-toe, er, meet at last!
Tarpov is supposed to be Omega’s assistant, Vandikirian. Then there’s the Scintillans that Omega killed by accident, as he created the power source for the Time Lords. The old grannies from the space ship are the comedic relief but it’s not really that amusing, honestly. The intrigue is entertaining and like a bunch of people running around, like Poirot or Columbus, “stumbling” about until the bad guy admits that he did the killing. The actor suspects the professor and vice versa. Comedic? Sort of. The intent works great but the story meanders quite a bit and the twist doesn’t make the story. It just adds a layer of intrigue but everything gets wrapped up right quickly in the end. Doctor shows up and it’s all about Omega and his ego.
Overall, it’s good but not excellent. But once you figure out the twist or it comes up, it’s just not as interesting. Who are you is the theme of the story and honestly, without having watched the other Omega adventures in the immediate past, I can’t relate to the previous adventures. Plus the flashback to Palix, who is Omega and yet isn’t, it’s all tied in. Omega’s his name due to the grade he was given, Palix. Defeats the purpose of the whole evil tyrant history and mythology that’s been built up around him. And since Omega’s just an egomaniac and insane he’s not the most threatening bad guy. The best of the four one-on-one villain audio dramas is definitely The Master. This one is just the weakest of the four, though it’s not the fault of the writer or actors, just that Palix/Omega isn’t a very threatening evil villain.
“You should be on your knees, screaming for the Universe to forgive you. For all my reputation as a warlord, a tyrant, a megalomaniac, I am a fragile flower compared to you. Who is the monster here, Doctor? Tell me that!” – Omega to the Doctor
Though this is something that the Doctor deals with constantly, especially in this incarnation, it’s a good conclusion to this adventure.
Peter Davison
Writer: Nev Fountain
Director: G-Russell
Release: August 2003