Big Finish Main Range
This is a good concept story, much like Sandman, the other Simon Forward audio. There’s an area of land in space that separated from Earth before it was going to be destroyed and is on its way to a new home for the inhabitants. And it’s all wrapped up in the mythology of the Aboriginal people of Australia. Bullroarers should not, apparently, be used by women. So the merging of the modern and the ancient forces the dreamtime, the power that drives the migration, to come to the surface to protect itself, return the inhabitants to the dreamtime.
Okay, not a very threatening villain BUT it is impressive as it’s very nebulous, instead. It can’t be reasoned with as there’s no one person or group to reason with. Though the Doctor finds a way by returning everyone to the kinder, gentler reality where they’re not all intermingled. Though wouldn’t that just make the power angry and want to strike back? They’ll sing hymns to appease and quiet it down but why didn’t they think of that before? Unless things got out of control that quickly… I imagine Baiame warned them of the consequences but who listens to the dire warnings until it’s too late? Though they do all him the All Father so why wouldn’t they?
I do like how the Galyari are brought into this adventure as I think as creatures in the Who universe, they are technologically advanced and intelligent and definitely interesting to have around! Though in this particular story, they may well have been other humans who landed on the asteroid. It makes sense to have non-humans, though, as they won’t know the history. So it could be others but Galyari are just, well, fun! And their honoring of birds helps in the ending, to appease Korshal with a Kukkaburra appearing. But it doesn’t come together as an amazing adventure. Just good. So just a 3 jelloid rating.
Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, and Philip Olivier
Writer: Simon Forward
Director: G-Russell
Release: March 2005