On a planet called Heaven, all hell is breaking loose.
Heaven is a cemetery for both humans and Draconians – a final place of rest for those lost during wartime. The Doctor arrives on a trivial mission – to find a book, or so he says – and Ace, wandering around Joycetown, becomes involved with a charismatic Traveller called Jan.
But the Doctor is strenuously opposed to the romance. What is he trying to prevent? Is he planning some more deadly game connected with the coffins revered by the mysterious Church of Vacuum and the unusual Arch that marks the location of a secret building below ground?
Archaeologist Bernice Summerfield thinks so. Her destiny is inextricably linked with that of the Doctor, but even she may not be able to save Ace from the Time Lord’s plans.
This time, has the Doctor gone too far?
LOVE AND WAR
Not long after Doctor Who went off the air in late 1989, Virgin Publishing picked up the reins of the series, printing the ongoing adventures of the seventh Doctor in novel form, the New Adventures. Nine books into the series, Paul Cornell’s “Love and War” introduced Professor Bernice Summerfield, who would go on to become one of the Doctor’s longest-running and most-beloved companions. Indeed, when Big Finish Productions first started up, their flagship series was not Doctor Who – they didn’t have the license – but rather the continuing adventures of Bernice herself. And so, to commemorate the character’s 20th anniversary, Big Finish commissioned Jacqueline Rayner to script an audio adaptation of Cornell’s seminal novel.
I’ll admit from the start that there’s no way I can be objective about this review. The New Adventures were and still remain my favorite era of Doctor Who, and the NA Doctor remains my favorite as well. To have “Love and War,” a story I consider among the greatest in Doctor Who history, adapted to audio is something of a dream come true. And right from the prelude, surprisingly adapted from Doctor Who Magazine, the unique style of the NAs comes to the fore. We’ve seen many of these elements on their own in Big Finish plays, but this has everything: the dark, manipulative Doctor; companions feeling caught up in his web; intense, melodramatic sex and romance; even personified concepts like Death. The story is self-consciously epic, but not in a way that feels intrusive, and the production design acknowledges this, giving the proceedings a lyrical feel.
There’s not much of a plot here, something which has been used a stick to beat the story but something that I think is perfectly effective. The Doctor comes to Heaven, knowing the Hoothi are involved, knowing the general outline of their plan, knowing what he needs to do to defeat them. And when he puts his plan into action, it works perfectly – this is a prime example of the Doctor as master manipulator, cleverly impacting events from behind the scenes. But “Love and War” isn’t about how the Doctor defeats the Hoothi; it’s about how everyone involved is affected by the fallout.
Despite being her introductory appearance, Benny is very much a peripheral figure in this story. We’re given her basic character traits, and her scenes with the Doctor demonstrate just why she’ll go on to make such an effective companion, but here she’s mostly on the sidelines. Lisa Bowerman reflects in the extras that she instantly recognized Benny’s characteristics, even in material from twenty years ago, and her immediate likability indicates why. But “Love and War” is ultimately Ace’s story, specifically about her love and loss of Jan (James Redmond). The most common criticism of the story is a legitimate one: their relationship develops far too quickly, and even more so on audio. While it would almost be believable as teenage infatuation, the story doesn’t pitch it as such. But once you look past the hasty beginning and accept the relationship, the story becomes incredibly effective. The Doctor knows from the beginning that Jan is doomed, and tries – not hard enough – to warn Ace away from him, but just triggers her rebellious side instead. And while Sophie Aldred does occasionally go over the top at the conclusion, her performance of the developing romance is surprisingly effective. When the characters are torn apart, it’s made more poignant by its inevitability – the story makes no secret of Jan’s eventual demise but proceeds inexorably toward that result all the same.
With respect to “The Shadow of the Scourge” and “The Dark Flame,” I’ve always wanted to hear Sylvester McCoy perform the NA Doctor, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. He’s brilliant here, his questionable actions as Time’s Champion offset beautifully by the haunting melancholy McCoy puts into his line readings. When he growls “I fight the monsters. I win.” to Benny, it’s a mission statement, yes, but McCoy’s voice is dripping with regret. Perhaps the NA Doctor was less apologetic on the page, but that’s why I’m happy to finally hear McCoy’s interpretation of the part.
Sure, there are anachronistic parts. The “puterspace” stuff demonstrates just how very ‘90s the NAs could be, especially their obsession with cyberspace and virtual realities. The material between Ace and the Doctor won’t seem revolutionary at all, not with the new series back on TV for seven years and BF approaching similar material in its recent McCoy trilogies. But then there’s Christopher (Ela Gaworzewska), one of the most progressive portrayals of a genderqueer character in Doctor Who’s long history – and that shouldn’t be true of a 20-year-old story. Think back to 1992 and imagine how groundbreaking a story like this was, how it demonstrated that Doctor Who needn’t just be about science fiction concepts or good and evil plot, how the series could also be primarily about its characters and their relationship. Director Gary Russell and sound designer Steve Foxon seem to understand the unique relationship of this story to the history of Doctor Who, and give the production a special feeling, beyond the normal Doctor Who trappings the company is known for. Are there flaws? Sure. Could a few things have been improved? Naturally. If you weren’t an NA fan, might your opinion differ? Obviously. But I was and am, and if you are as well, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
Wonderful. Brilliant. Buy it.
10/10