Consequences

The Doctor must not save this world!

Tamasan

Synopsis

The War Doctor and Veklin crash on a ravaged planet. On the fringes of the Time War, this world has its own battles raging. Elsewhere, a survivor works out how she came to be here.

But these newcomers are harbingers of something terrible, following in their wake…

Review

After a strong opening box set, Jonathon Carley returns in the role as the young War Doctor in a story revolving around the mythology surrounding this mysterious incarnation of the Doctor. Consequences kicks off a new arc for him to get involved in, with a solid story setting this up effectively.

Is it the fire of war in them [the Doctor’s eyes] or is it just all the burning buildings around them?

Andarta, Incipient Mother

Timothy X Atack’s script has a lot of worldbuilding to do to create a strong world for this boxset, and it is to his credit that this largely feels organic and creates a compelling and interesting world and scenario for the War Doctor to be stuck on. This planet is fundamentally doomed, and there is little to nothing that the Doctor can do to save it. As a first part of an ongoing story, a lot relies on how this story wraps itself up, which is ultimately outside of Atack’s control, but it is a solid and intriguing enough installment. The planet Tharius continues to fight with varying levels of technology, including vehicles from 1940s America and drones from 24th or 25th Century Japan. This may not be the most original idea in Doctor Who – the war on Skaro certainly has similar ideas in Genesis of the Daleks, but it is a good idea to bring back for a Time War. Atack also includes a scene in which Veklin takes orders from Tamasan, who is in the bath, which I took to be a homage to the Captain of the B Ark in The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy.

A lot of the scorn and antipathy is poured at the door of the leaders, Andarta, the Incipient Mother and Belus, who are played by Angela Bruce and John Banks respectively. Both actors are pulling double duty, with Bruce playing Oya and Banks playing the Deadweights. The Incipient Mother and Belus feel like they would not be out of place in The War Games, leading their people to meaningless and senseless destruction. They worship the myth of the Warbringer, commend the beauty of war and Belus applauds the end of the world at the end of the story. Both leaders are friendly towards each other, commending tactics and applauding the use of ancient weaponry. They do not care about the lives that are being wasted by a perpetual war and their worshipping of the destruction and death that this causes.

Whilst Bruce is good as Andarta, I feel as though her second character, Oya feels a little bit broad, played with a thick Southern accent, which does really take you out of the story. It does improve with time, but is initially quite jarring, especially in comparison to the rest of the guest cast, especially when compared to Jessica Temple, who plays Iansa. Temple manages to make this one off character feel very lived in and likeable, unafraid of challenging the Doctor. She is definitely a likeable character and it is a shame when we learn that Case has killed her. Banks is perhaps a bit too broad as the Princeps too, but this may down to how the character is written. Beth Chalmers continues to be great as Veklin, a role that has expanded greatly since the death of Jacqueline Pearce.

You are a warrior. Yeah, my subordinates said you had the look of a warrior.

That’s presumptive of them.

I just think you look like grumpy moose.

Iansa and the War Doctor

Jonathon Carley continues his strong performances of the War Doctor from the first boxset and utterly convinces as a younger John Hurt, which is due to a lot of effort and commitment on the part of both Carley and director Louise Jameson. The War Doctor does not feature in this story very much, however, when he does, he is utterly captivating. The War Doctor is horrified by the prospect of being labelled as the Warbringer, and equally troubled by the way that Belus and Andarta seem to worship him. For an incarnation of the Doctor who is struggling with his identity and how he fits into the Time War, to be cast as a figure so far away from the Time Lord he once was really effectively taps into the Doctor’s identity crisis. Meanwhile, we have the amnesiac Case, who has found herself cybernetically enhanced and with an artificial intelligence installed in her head. Ajjaz Awad manages to make this character feel believable and brings an interesting character to life really effectively.

Verdict: Consequences kicks off The War Doctor Begins‘ second box set in solid if unremarkable fashion. 7/10

Cast: Jonathon Carley (The Doctor), Ajjaz Awad (Case/Auto Case), Beth Chalmers (Commander Veklin), Jessica Temple (Iansa), Angela Bruce (Oya/Andarta, Incipient Mother), John Banks (Belus, Germinal Princeps) & Adele Andersen (Commodore Tamasan).

Writer: Timothy X Atack

Director: Louise Jameson

Producer: David Richardson

Composer: Howard Carter

Release Date: 8th December 2021

Cast Notes

• Ajjaz Awad had previously appeared as Katarina in Companion Piece (Ravenous) and Daughter of the Gods (The Early Adventures).
• Beth Chalmers has appeared in numerous Big Finish plays, most notably playing Seventh Doctor companion Raine Creevy.
• Angela Bruce previously played Brigadier Bambera, a role that she has reprised for Big Finish.
• John Banks has previously appeared in Paper Cuts, Rat Trap and The Doomsday Quatrain, amongst other Big Finish plays.
• Adele Anderson has appeared in other roles in The Carrionite Curse and The Keeper of Light.

Best Quote

I’m of the opinion that there are myths that help us and myths that help the powerful keep all their power. So the question is: which kind am I going to be?

The War Doctor

Previous War Doctor review: The Shadow Squad

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