Big Finish Main Range
This story begins with a mystery immediately. The 6th Doctor has a new companion, Matthew Sharpe. But wait, they’ve been on multiple adventures together and this is the first we are hearing of him? Hmmm. What’s up with that? It’s a bit mystifying but hopefully all be revealed in the storyline (spoiler: it is!).
So the Doctor and Matthew wander about a derelict ship that seems to be eons old and they find different issues as they’re separated pretty quickly. It appears that there’s a team onboard the derelict that is there to salvage the ship and the servitors there to help, called Makara, who have many tentacles and live in exoskeletons, are killing everyone. At least their exoskeletons are. Though I have to admit, why would you have such delicate creatures as the main work force? And Willoway is a gaseous being who is their chief scientist, who is one of the death toll. Truth be told, most of the people on the ship die except for the annoying ones you want to die. But then he turns out to be a brave and good person, helping the Doctor to destroy the Myriad.
The Doctor, Matthew, Drazen, and Brak all go into a time bubble to escape the murderous intent of the Makara and when they return, things have significantly changed. And that is when the Myriad make their move. A hive mind that requires all of its parts in order to take over the universe. When our universe is destroyed, the next one begins. And the Myriad want to speed that final destruction along as they are of the next universe. How can they know that? And why not just go help the Daleks to get it over with? They’re doing a great job destroying things and people. Or Cybermen. Or any number of races that are trying to rule the galaxy! Or heck, the Master even! It seems odd how they go about the destruction of the universe, honestly.
That said, they’re the only real problematic part of this story. Why they’re there doesn’t ultimately matter. They are there for the Doctor to defeat. And of course he does because he’s the Doctor! And the ending is fantastic, too. It’s all of the sensitivity and brazen character of the Doctor rolled into one in the last moments of the story. Amazingly done!
Colin Baker (The Doctor), George Sear (Mathew Sharpe), Matthew Holness (Eric Drazen), Susie Riddell (Esther Brak), Ruth Sillers (Willoway), Jonathan Christie (Captain Schumer), Anna Barry (Juniper Hartigan), Dan March (Varian). Other parts played by members of the cast.
Writer: Matthew J Elliott
Director: John Ainsworth
Release: May 2018