Big Finish Main Range
Within the context of a living planet, this works but why is this planet alive and others aren’t? I like the concept of a living planet that strikes back when bad things are happening to its own natives, something along the lines of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe trilogy. Similar yet different. This adventure does leave explanation by the wayside—why does Flood get the powers he has? Tapped into the planetary power, sure. But how and why? And how does the saraphin (sp?) infect the planet? Something that happens on a couple miles of the planet’s surface affects the entire planet that much? Seems a bit over the top…
Will Shindler also wrote The Twilight Kingdom, which is about a creature underground that feeds on the people who get trapped there on the “rebel base.” Both adventures have intriguing concepts but they don’t have the emotional punch or danger quotient that the more successful adventures have in them. This adventure just doesn’t grab me. Charley and C’rizz do their investigating thing and worrying about the Doctor. The Doctor investigates in other ways and finds out the big picture. And we pull it all together in the end and naturally, the bad guy loses. I felt that was assumed more than in any other adventure. I never had a doubt that the planet would stop his since he was hijacking its power for his own uses anyway.
Paul McGann, India Fisher, and Conrad Westmaas
Writer: Will Shindler
Director: Nigel Fairs
Release: October 2005