Susan's War Volume #2: Family Ties

Hm... kinda curious about the length/pricing here. A year or two ago Big Finish went from the 4-stories-per-set model to three, and now a two-story set? Is this the first time that's happened? Seems kind of odd to me -- at that point, why not simply release the stories individually?

Still, it is kinda cool seeing something back at the same price point as the old, individual MRs.

Released Wednesday 28th August


x.com/bigfinish/status/1824453560559411401

Regards

mark687

Always nice to have Carol Ann back.

Lovely character work among bare faced cheek story concepts



4/5

Regards

mark687

Downloading it now and putting it on my old iPod (since the website will be down later and the app most likely won't be working for the next couple of days because everyone will try to finally make it work).
I am also curious about this.

Got this as soon as it came out and glad I did! Carole Ann Ford is 84 but is still a powerhouse of an actor. I sincerely hope she is with us for many years to come.

"The Lost Son"

Quite enjoyed this one. I thought it was a somewhat "routine" Time War story involving dealings with another potential ally, but perhaps that's what we need to reintroduce Susan.

I like Veklin, but I feel like she's always a side character in someone else's story. I think there's still a huge amount we don't know about her and I hope Beth Chalmers gets to take centre stage one day.

More Sonny McGann is always welcome, though the twist was somewhat obvious. It was clear from the beginning that this wasn't the alternate Alex from the Cass boxset.

The guest cast was somewhat forgettable but that's pretty typical of Time War stories.

6/10

"The Golden Child"

A much stronger guest cast this time around. Weary and cynical Jadsis, smug, smarmy Maxor and hopeful Andolar.

The resolution to the story was... interesting. I know Time Lords can choose their faces but I imagine there might have to be some paperwork filled out if they're going to casually wear someone else's.

Carole Ann Ford and Jonathon Carley are clearly having tremendous fun working together. I've wanted Susan to meet the War Doctor for quite some time and it did not disappoint. I like that the story places him in an antagonistic or even villainous role, albeit one that is ultimately working towards a greater good. I love their banter towards the end. Even though this is the young War Doctor, he really does seem like an exasperated grandfather having to give his granddaughter a lift home. If only it were that simple. And their little moment of affection at the end was incredibly beautiful. Will the next boxset be set around Susan helping him get back to his own time, I wonder? Meaning we've yet to meet the version of Susan from War's "present".

Andy Hardwick is no Howard Carter, but his work here was fairly solid. He was particularly effective in the final moments of the story, when Susan admits she doesn't fully trust the War Doctor. Carter would probably have ended the episode with the closing notes of his War Doctor leitmotif to emphasise him as a tragic hero whose duty is alienating his granddaughter. Hardwick goes to the opposite extreme, and closes the story on a rather unsettling sting, positioning the War Doctor as a sinister and untrustworthy presence in Susan's life.

8/10

I love the idea that to the more traditionally heroic characters, War comes across as a villain/villain coded.
In fact I wrote a submission for Seasons of War which had all the traditional trappings of a “base under siege” (by Varga plants!), tight knit team of soldiers, mysterious outsider (guess Who) deaths in confined spaces and allegations that the outsider was responsible. In a traditional Who story, it’d turn out that one of the soldiers had flipped but this time … nope. The Man in the Bandolier was responsible.