The Asteroid – notorious hideaway of the piratical Rocket Men. Hewn out of rock, surrounded by force-fields and hidden in the depths of the Fairhead Cluster, their base is undetectable, unescapable and impregnable.
In need of allies, the Master has arranged to meet with Shandar, King of the Rocket Men. But the mercenaries have captured themselves a very special prisoner – his oldest enemy, the Doctor.
What cunning scheme is the Doctor planning? How does it connect with Shandar’s new robotic pet? And just what has happened to Leela? The Master will have to work the answers out if he wants to leave the asteroid… alive…
REQUIEM FOR THE ROCKET MEN
For the third story in the fourth series of Fourth Doctor Adventures, Big Finish turned to John Dorney for “Requiem for the Rocket Men,” something of a sequel to two Companion Chronicles. While I hadn’t heard either of those stories at the time of listening, “Requiem” was entirely accessible and an entertaining story to boot.
I’ve been asking for years for these Fourth Doctor Adventures to try something different, and with rare exceptions they have not done so. Even the better releases have been almost aggressively traditional, so imagine my surprise to hear “Requiem,” a story that completely ignores 1970s Doctor Who tradition and goes its own way. The Fourth Doctor was arguably the most reckless of all his incarnations, so it’s quite refreshing to hear a story in which he organizes and carries out a master plan that would make the Seventh proud. He’s in control throughout, with only a couple of minor incidents compromising his scheme – and if it wasn’t for some characteristic Tom Baker laughter, I would never have guessed the Doctor was in disguise. Dorney also plays with time in this story, starting the story in one place but not resolving that conflict until later, in flashback. It’s hardly the most complex story ever told, but to even see this level of innovation in a Fourth Doctor Adventure is fantastic.
I’m also a huge fan of how the story uses the Master. Rather than being the shadowy figure in charge of an evil scheme, he’s actually an unwitting part of the Doctor’s plan. We also get to see what he does when he’s not taking over the universe – in this case, meeting with the Rocket Men to evaluate their potential as henchmen, and finding them sorely lacking. This is also the first meeting between the Master and K-9, and Dorney uses that to the script’s advantage, concealing K-9 with the Rocket Men and allowing the loyal robot to exploit the Master’s ignorance. Geoffrey Beevers plays the role perfectly – he’s irritated, exasperated, and when he thinks he’s finally killed the Doctor, surprisingly emotional. “What will I do tomorrow?” is one of the best Big Finish lines in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the story struggles to reach the finish line. Dorney bookends the script with two reflective passages from Leela about knowing when it is time to stop – unfortunately, this leads to a clunky scene at the conclusion in which Leela abruptly decides to abandon the Doctor and travel with Marshall (Damian Lynch), a former Rocket Man who reminds Leela of herself. Is she in love with him? Does she want to teach him? Both? Neither? It’s impossible to tell, because this twist comes out of nowhere – although it’s easy to say it’s in character, because this is exactly how she ends up marrying Andred. And since we’ve already seen Leela’s departure story, it’s hard to make this seem concerning – we know she’ll be back, and, knowing this series, probably in the next episode.
Nicholas Briggs directs, and he approaches the unusually dynamic material with his usual skill. Jamie Robertson’s sound design is effective, and the score continues this series’ pattern of paying tribute to Dudley Simpson. Overall, “Requiem for the Rocket Men” is one of the strongest Fourth Doctor Adventures we’ve ever seen. It’s not perfect, and it ends abruptly even before the cliffhanger, but this is the sort of ambition this series deserves. And it still hits the requisite marketing beats – if you really want to, you can sell this as “K9 meets the Master!” What I wouldn’t give for more stories like this one.
Highly recommended.
8/10