Sontarans VS Rutans4 In Name Only Out Now Spoilers Ok

The Time War and War Doctor, not the best way for this range to end for me but enjoyed it so far.

I know these special release stories tend not to get bogged down with continuity from the main ranges, but I wonder if this will be the War Doctor not long after losing Case, and probably not in the best mood to be dealing with Sontaran/Rutan antics?

Heeeeey, Big Finish? Who do I need to bribe for this one to be released on my birthday (the 19th)?

Due out Wednesday 17th April



Regards

mark687

Out now.

I was very excited for this one. War is my favourite Big Finish Doctor, and John Dorney one of their best writers, so needless to say my expectations were high.

But did it deliver?

First off, Jonathan Carley was giving it his absolute all for this. I've always liked his portrayal, but from Light the Flame all the way to this story, it's been thoroughly impressive seeing him grow from doing an impression of John Hurt playing the War Doctor, to playing his own interpretation of the character in his own right.

The Sontarans were very well-realised, though I felt the Rutans were a tad under-exposed. Although Sontarans acting like Rutans made up for that I suppose. The way this was all tied into the previous stories with the Time Loops was almost Moffat-esque.

The score: This is the first audio with the War Doctor to not be scored by Howard Carter. As I've said elsewhere, Carter's leitmotif for the War Doctor defines his character just as much as Hurt and Carley's performances do, so much so that rewatching the War Doctor under Murray Gold in The Day of the Doctor feels like there's something missing, and that episode has the distinct advantage of being the first story to ever feature the character. As a result, the absence of that theme means this never really felt like a "War Doctor Story" but rather a story that has the War Doctor in it. However, Kraemer's score for this episode manages to be very good in its own right, with the medieval Sontaran leitmotif from the previous story returning. Some of the battle scenes towards the end of the story feature scores that are reminiscent of John Williams' Star Wars soundtrack. Very cinematic and bombastic. My only real criticism is that at times the score is a bit too upbeat and "fun" which I don't think suits the Time War setting.

My only real criticism isn't a criticism of this story in particular. The last time we saw the War Doctor in Enemy Mine, he lost a companion in pretty heartbreaking circumstances. While these special releases could be set anywhere in his timeline, I must say I found it rather tonally/thematically jarring to have the character not in any way affected by that loss in his very next appearance. I wasn't expecting him to mope about it for a whole episode like Tennant with Rose, but it would've been nice to acknowledge that this is a Doctor who is hurting and isn't in a good place. This could've functioned as a coda of sorts to the Begins saga, setting a clean slate for The War Doctor Rises. After all, Children of the Future referenced the Silurians, Born to Die incorporated the Charley Pollard storyline. Would it have been too much trouble to even hint at how the War Doctor feels after losing Case?

But beyond that, this was a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Great effort from all involved.

9/10

Our review:
who-review.com/2024/04/17/review-sontarans-vs-rutans-in-name-only/

An enjoyable finale, I’m not interested in the War Doctor/Time War era but didn’t feel I was missing anything with this one set during that era. Jonathon Carley is quite good in the role, & lot better in the louder angrier moments but at times feels like he’s strained, would not be able to sustain it for a long time. Overall though the character doesn’t feel different enough from the other Doctors for me to want to delve into his range. Sadly some of the music cues are awful, sounding like something from an episode of Bugs or similar old BBC show. But this final episode does tie things together in a satisfying, exciting way & Dorney captures the voice of the War Doctor in his writing. One of the better BF releases this year.

The one thing I will add is this is another one of those stories that BF had tried to say works on its own when it clearly does not. I wish BF would stop doing this, I'm sorry but this description is nonsense - Writer John Dorney added: “This is effectively the story that ties everything in the mini-series together, but at the same time it will work as a standalone adventure if it’s the first one you’ve listened to"

I did not expect this 4th one to essentially tie the other 3 together. It was a pleasant surprise and Jonathon Carley was great was The War Doctor. I am not up to date in his range and I did not think I missed anything. Overall quite a nice series.