What if the Doctor and the Brigadier had travelled together?
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 9:03 PM
DOCTOR WHO UNBOUND: MASTERS OF WAR
Back in 2003, Big Finish released what was by far its most interesting miniseries: Doctor Who Unbound, a series of “what if”-type stories that, at their best, explored the very nature of the series itself and allowed the company to cast a series of famous actors in the title role. The first of these, Marc Platt’s “Auld Mortality,” was sequelized in early 2005 in “A Storm of Angels,” but rumors of a sequel to Jonathan Clements’s “Sympathy for the Devil,” arguably the most popular of the series, persisted for years. Finally, in late 2008, popular author Eddie Robson wrote this long-awaited sequel, and “Masters of War,” an alternate third Doctor story with David Warner, Nicholas Courtney, and the Daleks, was released. Billed as the last Unbound release, it provides a fine conclusion to the series.
As I mentioned in my review of “Sympathy for the Devil,” the David Warner Doctor is arguably the least interesting of the various Unbound Doctors. He carries a quiet desperation absent from his “real-world” counterpart: he doesn’t have time to wait around upon seeing a problem. As a result, he’s not [i]quite[/i] as morally-bound as the third Doctor, but he’s still recognizably an aspect of the Doctor we see on television. Fortunately, David Warner’s performance is excellent: his natural authority as an actor makes his Doctor a thrilling listen, even if there’s really nothing here to be said about the character.
Fortunately, the script provides an interesting take on Dalek history, asking what would have happened had Davros succeeded in instructing the Daleks in the concept of pity, thus saving his own life. This leads to a fascinating opening episode, where the Doctor and the Brigadier land on Skaro and find the Thals enslaved by the Daleks — but being treated surprisingly well. The Thals are allowed to stay in their homes, with their families, and are rationed a sufficient amount of food, and punishment starts with a reduction of rations rather than extermination. Nicholas Briggs’s voice acting here is underrated, as he makes these more sympathetic Daleks sound utterly believable while retaining their inherent ruthless character. Robson’s idea of the Daleks taking daily “religious” instruction from a CG Davros is sublime, and the Doctor’s plan to confuse a Dalek into thinking it is Davros in Dalek form is equally entertaining.
The second episode features the idea that the Thal/Dalek war involved an offworld third party, the Qwatch (sp?), who were responsible for, among other things, the attack that crippled Davros. The cliffhanger is predictable, yes, but effective all the same: Davros (Terry Molloy), working for the enemy, hoping to redesign his Daleks to fit his original vision. Molloy, much like the Daleks, is more sympathetic in this Unbound universe than he is in the main range, but this is still recognizably much the same Davros we knew before, and the same brilliant performance we’ve come to expect. “Masters of War” has been announced as Terry Molloy’s final performance as Davros, which in many ways is a shame: his performances for Big Finish are the best Davros performances ever seen in Doctor Who, and his expert take on the character will be missed.
“Masters of War” has two primary flaws: first, it’s far, far too long. There isn’t nearly enough incident or atmosphere in this script to justify a running time of over two hours, and I confess to checking my watch on more than one occasion. Secondly, the voices of the Qwatch are sadly unconvincing: much like the Cryons in “Attack of the Cybermen,” their high, lilting voices fail to convey the impression that this species can threaten even the Thals, much less the Daleks. I can’t say whose decision it was, but other voices should have been employed, as these are unintentionally comical.
The production front, however, is excellent. The sound design provides incredibly convincing Daleks, and the setting is conveyed efficiently and effectively. Most signficant, though, is the score by Martin Johnson, which proves both epic and distinctive: a fine departure from the similar-sounding main range scores of the time. With strong acting across the board — and I’ve barely even mentioned Nicholas Courtney, whose world-weary, guilty Brigadier is one of the best performances of his career — and fine direction from Jason Haigh-Ellery, Big Finish should feel proud of this release.
Overall, as the final entry into the Unbound series, “Masters of War” is a strong success. Despite some flaws, it recaptures the spirit of the series: to ask questions about Doctor Who and answer them in dramatic form. And as it’s a conclusion in many ways, both to the series and to Terry Molloy’s Davros, among other things, I can’t help but think that Robson wrote Davros’s final lines with this knowledge in mind: “Although it is not quite the end I envisaged, I feel it strikes the appropriate note!”
DOCTOR WHO UNBOUND: MASTERS OF WAR
Back in 2003, Big Finish released what was by far its most interesting miniseries: Doctor Who Unbound, a series of “what if”-type stories that, at their best, explored the very nature of the series itself and allowed the company to cast a series of famous actors in the title role. The first of these, Marc Platt’s “Auld Mortality,” was sequelized in early 2005 in “A Storm of Angels,” but rumors of a sequel to Jonathan Clements’s “Sympathy for the Devil,” arguably the most popular of the series, persisted for years. Finally, in late 2008, popular author Eddie Robson wrote this long-awaited sequel, and “Masters of War,” an alternate third Doctor story with David Warner, Nicholas Courtney, and the Daleks, was released. Billed as the last Unbound release, it provides a fine conclusion to the series.
As I mentioned in my review of “Sympathy for the Devil,” the David Warner Doctor is arguably the least interesting of the various Unbound Doctors. He carries a quiet desperation absent from his “real-world” counterpart: he doesn’t have time to wait around upon seeing a problem. As a result, he’s not [i]quite[/i] as morally-bound as the third Doctor, but he’s still recognizably an aspect of the Doctor we see on television. Fortunately, David Warner’s performance is excellent: his natural authority as an actor makes his Doctor a thrilling listen, even if there’s really nothing here to be said about the character.
Fortunately, the script provides an interesting take on Dalek history, asking what would have happened had Davros succeeded in instructing the Daleks in the concept of pity, thus saving his own life. This leads to a fascinating opening episode, where the Doctor and the Brigadier land on Skaro and find the Thals enslaved by the Daleks — but being treated surprisingly well. The Thals are allowed to stay in their homes, with their families, and are rationed a sufficient amount of food, and punishment starts with a reduction of rations rather than extermination. Nicholas Briggs’s voice acting here is underrated, as he makes these more sympathetic Daleks sound utterly believable while retaining their inherent ruthless character. Robson’s idea of the Daleks taking daily “religious” instruction from a CG Davros is sublime, and the Doctor’s plan to confuse a Dalek into thinking it is Davros in Dalek form is equally entertaining.
The second episode features the idea that the Thal/Dalek war involved an offworld third party, the Qwatch (sp?), who were responsible for, among other things, the attack that crippled Davros. The cliffhanger is predictable, yes, but effective all the same: Davros (Terry Molloy), working for the enemy, hoping to redesign his Daleks to fit his original vision. Molloy, much like the Daleks, is more sympathetic in this Unbound universe than he is in the main range, but this is still recognizably much the same Davros we knew before, and the same brilliant performance we’ve come to expect. “Masters of War” has been announced as Terry Molloy’s final performance as Davros, which in many ways is a shame: his performances for Big Finish are the best Davros performances ever seen in Doctor Who, and his expert take on the character will be missed.
“Masters of War” has two primary flaws: first, it’s far, far too long. There isn’t nearly enough incident or atmosphere in this script to justify a running time of over two hours, and I confess to checking my watch on more than one occasion. Secondly, the voices of the Qwatch are sadly unconvincing: much like the Cryons in “Attack of the Cybermen,” their high, lilting voices fail to convey the impression that this species can threaten even the Thals, much less the Daleks. I can’t say whose decision it was, but other voices should have been employed, as these are unintentionally comical.
The production front, however, is excellent. The sound design provides incredibly convincing Daleks, and the setting is conveyed efficiently and effectively. Most signficant, though, is the score by Martin Johnson, which proves both epic and distinctive: a fine departure from the similar-sounding main range scores of the time. With strong acting across the board — and I’ve barely even mentioned Nicholas Courtney, whose world-weary, guilty Brigadier is one of the best performances of his career — and fine direction from Jason Haigh-Ellery, Big Finish should feel proud of this release.
Overall, as the final entry into the Unbound series, “Masters of War” is a strong success. Despite some flaws, it recaptures the spirit of the series: to ask questions about Doctor Who and answer them in dramatic form. And as it’s a conclusion in many ways, both to the series and to Terry Molloy’s Davros, among other things, I can’t help but think that Robson wrote Davros’s final lines with this knowledge in mind: “Although it is not quite the end I envisaged, I feel it strikes the appropriate note!”
Highly recommended.
8/10
Average Unbound score: 6.6/10