Tag Archives: John Dorney

The Legacy of Time – The Split Infinitive

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Written by John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley.

The Legacy of Time episode 2.

Spoiler-free verdict: A solidly acceptable nostalgic thriller elevated by high-concept storytelling.

Recommended pre-listening: The Sirens of Time, Lies in Ruins

***

The Legacy of Time is an unusual aniversary special. Unlike most Doctor Who celebrations, this isn’t a tribute to the show, but rather a tribute to what Big Finish has done with it. That was clear in what the previous episode did with Bernice and River, but it’s even more clear here. The Seventh Doctor and Ace teaming up with the Counter-Measures team isn’t really something one would typically propose as a tribute to the Seventh Doctor era, but it is something that pays tribute to a major Big Finish spinoff.

This ethos greatly governs the story. There’s not really any revelations to be had about any of the characters, and the Doctor and Ace take their time to even turn up in their plot. In terms of style and structure, this is an episode of Counter-Measures, with grounded sci-fi thriller trappings and Cold War claustrophobia. The choice of villain widens the net a bit, with the Rocket Men, originating from some rightly beloved Companion Chronicles, turning up in a surprise fanservice twist. But that’s about all this story has in terms of meat on its bones: loving homage to other things Big Finish has done. Themes beyond nostalgic gaze at action stories and thrillers are in fairly short supply, and the story doesn’t really flex any emotional manipulation muscles.

It’s fortunate, then, that it’s told by someone as talented as John Dorney. The unfolding of the plot in two time periods, with Ace and the Doctor in each with a different period Counter-Measures team, keeps the familiar thrills bubbling into more exciting material. The set-pieces are pleasantly bonkers and largely well-judged; it’s hard to go wrong with throwing characters out of an airplane. And overall, the script oozes love for what it’s getting to do. It’s fun hearing the characters compete with pop culture references from different periods of what thriller the plot reminds them of (Bond references aplenty!), it’s fun hearing the distinctive Counter-Measures incidental music offering up oodles of stye, it’s fun hearing hints of Ian and Rachel going out together, and it’s fun having the whole story come down to a shaggy dog joke about UNIT dating.

But, I have to confess, this just isn’t the sort of fanservice that I live for. I enjoy the Counter-Measures range, but it’s not something that occupies a very large space in my heart (aside maybe from Lady Clare, who is wonderful and needs to be in everything and I got very excited by hearing referenced here). The Seventh Doctor era, including and especially at Big Finish, is something that means a lot to me, but more for the long-running arc with Hex, who is sadly absent from this set, or the stuff with Benny, who’s already been covered by the previous story. And aesthetically, it doesn’t hit the political or emotional depth I associate with the Seventh Doctor era (which, it must be said, featured nicely in The Assassination Games, the Seventh Doctor’s last run-in with this team), or even the splash of camp I controversially love from season 24. This is fairly white, traditional action romping. So while The Split Infinitive is a clever story that it’s hard to muster much critique for, I equally find it hard to muster much investment.

It’s a perfectly welcome addition to the box set. But it’s not something I’d buy a set for.

6/10

Missy – Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated

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Written by John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley.

Spoiler-free verdict: Michelle Gomez vs. Rufus Hound is an inherently good idea. There’s nothing more here, but let’s be real, we don’t need it.

Recommended pre-listening: A Spoonful of Mayhem

***

Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated is a difficult story for me to review. I tend to like to talk things like character arcs, themes, pacing, structure, and most of those things are entirely irrelevant to a story like this. This story barely bothers with anything so prosaic as a plot, because it doesn’t need to. It’s a delivery mechanism for two great comedic presences to cut loose at each other, and on those terms, it certainly succeeds.

That’s not to say this script doesn’t do good things to elevate that. For a starter, it is genuinely funny, something which you kind of need to sell a comedy. There are endlessly quotable lines here, and wonderfully constructed scenes escalating the absurdity. In general, the premise is solid, giving the Monk and Missy both secrets to hide from each other and a historical backdrop to heighten the tension and add specificity and color. The story may not have anything to say about King Henry VIII or his reign, but it does get a lot of humor out of his legacy, from the infamous song to beheading gags and, quite pleasantly, a sincere presence from Catherine Parr. It also allows the most audacious conceit of all, that of Missy and the Monk playing chicken with getting married to each other. That alone is worth the price of admission.

The pacing of these various comedic beats is very solid, too. Going from a riot of a hook, the story steadily builds toward the delightful wedding setpiece, only to escalate itself from there to the song, and then call it a day at its peak. That’s all quite efficient, and makes for an engaging listen. The humor keeps the pace up in general, too. Though not every gag lands (Missy’s hypnosis trigger word left me scratching my head at the reference), they keep coming thick and fast enough for listeners to not mind, and Gomez and Hound are more than capable of elevating every joke to sublime.

There is a plot, of course, organized around disturbances to the web of time and creatures that like to vacuum-preserve historically important figures (which, in another story, could be a fascinating starting point: how do you decide who’s significant?), but that’s not what any listener is going to come away from in their memory. They’re going to remember Michelle Gomez and Rufus Hound delivering jokes. The jokes are good. The story, then, is a success.

7/10