Big Finish Main Range
Wow. Just consistently good, Mr. Platt! Loups-Garoux and Spare Parts were his other two, both excellent and Spare Parts is one of the quintessential Big Finish audios! It’s a classic indeed. So just add this one to his body of works. It’s a classic adventure with (**spoiler alert!) the Doctor turning into a big old, 6 foot bug. Wowzers! Go-go gadget body! (spoiler over**) No companion and no real way to manipulate things AND an actual explanation of what led the Doctor to Valhalla in the first place? How very odd. It’s almost a 6th Doctor adventure in the 7th Doctor’s guise. He almost gets another companion but no.
Interesting how people choose not to go with the Doctor these days. From Donna on the TV show to now Jevvan in the audios. I like their reasoning, too—not wanting to be caught up in the Doctor’s world and go from danger point to danger point, really. It must exhaust a person, despite the fun and quiet stuff in between. We just never get to hear about those things. They’re mentioned in passing but they’re not something to capture our attention, ultimately.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot I can say about this one without giving everything away. The Doctor wanders about with his usual flare for getting in trouble as things begin to go amock on this planet. And there you have it. There are no odd inconsistencies that aren’t explained once the “bad guy” is revealed. The reveal is a bit obnoxious at first, with people yelling about the bad guys but they’re freaked and it actually works. Distracting at first as the Doctor’s telling everyone to be quiet but then again, no one ever is when he tells them that. There is almost always a classic Jurassik Park: Lost World moment, the best part of the movie: “Ooooh. Ahhh. That’s how it always starts. Then later there’s the running and screaming.”
Sylvester McCoy
writer: Marc Platt
director: John Ainsworth
Release: June 2007