Doctor Who‘s sixtieth anniversary extravaganza from Big Finish continues with A Genius for War, the third instalment in the Once and Future series. This time, it’s Sylvester McCoy‘s turn to take the spotlight as the ever-degenerating Doctor settles in his seventh incarnation… and faces off against the diabolical Davros (Terry Molloy)!
The story begins with the Doctor being summoned to Space Station Zenobia by the General (Ken Bones) and Veklin (Beth Chalmers), who have received a message from Davros asking to be rescued from the Dalek prison moon of Falkus. In exchange, he offers the means of ending the Time War, an offer the Time Lords cannot refuse.
Like the opening instalment in the series, Past Lives (review here), this is quite the action-packed story, with lots of exciting set pieces throughout, though Jonathan Morris‘s script provides the big ideas and more contemplative moments the earlier story was sorely lacking. Davros’s plan here is a pleasingly unique one- and even ties into TV story The Witch’s Familiar, which makes this story really feel like a proper celebration of the show- while other concepts like the living moon of Falkus, the links with the ongoing degeneration arc and the Doctor and Veklin’s means of egress from Dalek captivity are truly inspired.
As you might expect, bringing McCoy and Molloy together here leads to some really strong interactions, with Morris giving the two excellent material to chew over as the age-old enemies reunite. Bones and Chalmers are as reliable ever too, the former having some great scenes with Davros and the latter sharing a predictably tempestuous rapport with the Doctor.
Overall, while it might not be as thematically rich as The Artist at the End of Time, this story is definitely an improvement on the slightly shallow opener to the series, giving us a tight plot packed with great ideas and lots of excitement and action. Sylvester McCoy puts on a fine performance, and Terry Molloy once again proves himself as the definitive Davros. Strong stuff.
A Genius for War is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com
Once and Future continues in July with Two’s Company
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