Main Range 45: Project: Lazarus (spoilers)

Loved it, dark, gritty, tense, emotional & at times bl..dy terrifying, my type of Doctor Who adventure, 9/10.

Hello everyone!

Check out my review on 'Project: Lazarus' on 'Bradley's Basement' - bradleybasement.wordpress.com/doctor-who-reviews/project-lazarus-audio/

Enjoy!

Tim.

I wondered if this 'double sequel' could possibly live up to Project:Twilight - in a word, yes.
From a light start in the TARDIS into another dark, dramatic and intense science fiction horror and it ends with one hades of an explosion and then an epilogue to show the villain will rise again!
After all, Nimrod is a vampire and that's what the best vampires always do, isn't it?!

Having two connected 2-parters was unusual and worked really well imo, the first to conclude (horribly but in great style) the tragic story of Cassie and to introduce a very human physical vulnerability for Evelyn (as well as the savage emotional toll events take on her.)
And the second half to be a gripping sequel to the first. Switching Doctors at half-time was an excellent 'twist' and best of all, the cloned 'mayfly' "Doctors" was a skin-crawling idea, properly loathsome and perfect for Nimrod.

Sylvester McCoy is excellent (late in Seven's incarnation??), travelling alone and very much the 'dark Doctor' you do not want to mess with, even if you've got all the resources of the Forge. But if you have an open mind and are willing to think again and make the right choice (as Sergeant Frith does), he's ready to help you do the right thing and save yourself - at least in the moral sense. Getting out alive might be even more difficult...

The highlight for me was Colin Baker, with a terrific, wide-ranging and emotionally intense role-and-a-half to play, which he does brilliantly.
As the 'other' "Doctor" he's on an amazing emotional journey from semi-comic fearfulness to self-discovery and determination in the lab of cloned horrors, the creation who brings his creator's world (at least this edition of it) crashing down in flames.

And as the true Sixth... my goodness, I don't think I've ever heard any Doctor let rip quite like he does at Cassie's murder - 'Damn you, Nimrod!'
And he meant it, in the most classical and literal sense. I now wait for our Hex listen-through to see how Seven will bring it about, in Time...

5*

The first disc is where Evelyn reaches her breaking point, and a key moment in her relationship with the Sixth Doctor that directly influences the next story, Arrangements for War. Looking back at the previous stories, it's been about exploration and/or Evelyn being able to be maternal with someone, with the latter usually ending tragically. Here there's no sense of exploration as the Doctor is on a mission, and two faces from the past come back to haunt him and Evelyn. With nowhere to turn but what could have been, Evelyn breaks down once it sinks in that once again, because of her and the Doctor, someone she's gotten close to has died. Were it not for her and the Doctor, Cassie might not have become a vampire and been able to raise little Tommy. Jem might have survived (it's difficult to tell if Red Jasper was as the Doctor and Evelyn painted him).

I've just realised, that this is the first story for Evelyn that ends on a complete downer. At least in Project: Twilight and Doctor Who and the Pirates there was some hope at the end (the chance for the Doctor to develop a cure and stopping Sally from killing herself), whereas here she and the Doctor only achieved any small victory only in getting away. If anything Nimrod won, as he gets the Doctor's genetic material which comes into play in the second disc. Had the Sixth Doctor not landed the TARDIS where he did, Cassie would still be alive (albeit a conditioned Forge operative, not sure if that's worse than dying), the professor would still be alive, the Huuldra would have been survived and it's ship not scavenged by the Forge, and the Forge base wouldn't have been destroyed by the Hades protocol, which comes back to bite the Seventh Doctor hard. From the moment the Forge shows up, there's no way the Doctor and Evelyn can win, their best possible outcome is to escape with their lives.

And for the Doctor, the consequences will be felt for years to come, both in his own timeline and with releases. It's no understatement to say that these two discs represent critical events in the Doctor's lives.

I bought this, along with a host of other stories, in the recent 99p download sale. For some reason, I put off listening to this. I think, as has already been hinted at, I was concerned about whether this would live up to the excellent Project: Twilight or would end up being another flat sequel that would be better off avoided. Thankfully, this one was worth the wait. A truly excellent release that hits all the right notes.

The style of the story is unique. Yes, it is a single 'release' but is essentially two stories. It also cleverly uses the multi-Doctor approach but in a way that doesn't end up becoming silly or having the lead actors fighting for the best lines/looking for things to do. The small cast also works well here and helps to make the story far more atmospheric - the Doctor, Evelyn, the Professor and Cassie in Part 1 is particularly good and it is easy to visualise them in the Norwegian Woods sitting around a campfire looking for a creature. Similarly, the scenes inside the Forge play a similar trick - yep it is a large organisation but it is only really the Doctor(s), Evelyn/Cassie, Nimrod and Crumpton that are shown. This allows the listener to invest time in the different characters and watch their development - Cassie going from Nimrod's puppet to strong woman, Evelyn and the Doctor's relationship falling apart, Crumpton regaining her moral compass, Nimrod winning (in both halves of the story).

In terms of the first half, there is little fault. Baker, as always, is on excellent form. I always say this (and won't get tired of it), this is the 6th Doctor we *should* have seen on the TV. In the opening, he shows compassion and care by revealing that he's been working on the Twilight virus (it might have been nice to see this hinted at in earlier episodes to make it more believable - I've not listened to The Pirates but the other earlier stories don't mention it). Similarly, his banter with Evelyn in the TARDIS is excellent and shows friendship and respect - something that was never seen in the TV adventures. Whilst the story is bleak, these light hearted moments prevent the whole thing from becoming a nihilistic mess (as was the case with JNT/Saward). The Doctor exploring the forest with Evelyn is great and the interactions between the Doctor and the Professor, whilst sparky, are still humorous and don't completely show the Doctor as an a**e as was the case on TV. The Doctor's reaction to Cassie killing the Professor at the end of Part 1 is genuine and still shows that the Doctor has kept his moral compass.

The second episode moves into an entirely different league - interestingly, Baker isn't centre stage in this one - Evelyn takes the lead. Her interactions with Cassie are warm and believable. The horror at what Cassie has become (and her guilt at the role she and the Doctor played in this) makes this a great scene, packing some emotional punch. Whilst most of us would love to travel with the Doctor, Evelyn's encounter with Cassie shows the darker side of their adventures (as hinted at in earlier stories) - it isn't always fun and their are human consequences. Nevertheless, Evelyn's determination to convince Cassie of who 'she is' is powerful (even if Evelyn risks her own life) and the fact that Evelyn is willing to invest this time shows how much she 'cares' for Cassie. The revelation about Evelyn's own health issue is well done and brings her arc full circle - we know why she was so keen to escape with the Doctor in the Marian Conspiracy - and her fears that the Doctor might 'reject' her for being too old/ill are something we can all relate to. It is interesting that Evelyn is the one who actually 'wins' - she manages to break through to Cassie by using love and hope (rather than fear) - and ends up saving the Doctor. Ironically, this ends up resulting in Cassie's death - which makes the final scenes in the TARDIS so powerful and heartbreaking. The torture of the Doctor is not pleasant - the idea of trying to trigger a regeneration to measure the effect is something that has not been looked at before and it is fascinating, whilst awful.

The end of the second episode is very powerful. Unlike the new series (especially under Davies), we don't see the Doctor here as the 'Messiah' or a 'God'. Baker's line 'I don't always win', is probably the first time that the Doctor admits that he is not infallible. The alienness of the character is also shown - Evelyn clearly wants the Doctor to go 'back' and fix things (a human response), whilst the Doctor knows this isn't possible. At this stage, it all seems bleak. Nimrod wins, Cassie dies and the Doctor appears desperate to escape in the TARDIS. Evelyn refusing to even speak to the Doctor at the end is probably the most powerful response to the Sixth Doctor - unlike the 'rows' with Peri on the TV show, this is the first time that someone has actively snubbed the Doctor. This is a Doctor who likes being with people and has a personal attachment to Evelyn in a way that hasn't happened for a long time. Ominously, the Seventh Doctor makes a quip about how Evelyn never forgave him - which perhaps reinforces the level of hurt (and why the Seventh is so keen to be a lonely wanderer).

I had my doubts about the second half. I always find the McCoy audios to be lacking. This time, McCoy gets it right. The opening of episode 3 with the Doctor playing Moonlight Sonata continues the gloomy theme of the story and sets the sombre tone. The Doctor himself appears tired and worn out (hence the hint at the end about going home). McCoy seems surprised to be back at the Forge, but is quickly able to deduce what is going on. His encounters with the 'Sixth Doctor' are interesting and his darker, quieter Doctor provides a good foil for the more bombastic Sixth. Once again, the Seventh Doctor becomes a mastery of events and is able to twist things to his own advantage. He doesn't need to use weapons - he speaks to the Huuldra and stops them from killing everyone and is able to convince Frith to help him. Again, like in the first half, it is the 'cloned' Doctor that actually 'wins' by activating the Hades Protocol (though in the end this is meaningless). The fact that McCoy doesn't *remember* working for the Forge is also an interesting plot twist (as does the final reveal at the end about the identity of the Sixth Doctor).

A great release that works on so many levels. It is great to see how sometimes the Doctor doesn't always win. The story is pivotal in developing a new story arc (with Hex) and leading the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn into a new direction (Arrangements for War).