The Time War 4.

Audio Is this the final end for The Time War?  When these were originally announced, nominally as a prequel to The War Doctor series, it was with an indication that it would be four and out.  But this ends on what feels like a cliffhanger so the chances are we'll all be back here in September 2021 which is fine.  The regular releases continue in the background and unlike those, The Time Wars have been pretty self contained.  But still I dream of a return to the monthly four episode releases with the Doctor and a plus one becoming involved in self contained stories without massive implications for the Whoniverse.

Palindrome

Much like the previous box, this feels like a way of telling the story of a recurring character without trying to sell something within their own series but on this occasion it feels as though that's what Big Finish should have done.  For two whole episodes of this boxed set, Davros is the protagonist and although the story is sound and Terry Malloy's performance incredibly compelling, I paid my twenty-odd pounds for the Eighth Doctor to be front and centre rather than an incidental figure.  There are half a dozen other boxed sets which offer that.  Not to mention that there's an inevitability to the conclusion when a lighter, more forgiving touch might have been in order.

Dreadshade

The Eighth Doctor has amnesia.  Again.  Fortunately on this occasion he's not the only one so we get to enjoy an amnesia episode as the Time Lords forget who they've been fighting and make huge assumptions about who that might be.  Perhaps of most interest is Bliss, a creation of the war with a shaky fix on her individual reality who now remembers her alternative version's participation in the Companion Piece episode of Ravenous 3.  Due to the release schedule, it's been difficult to warm to Bliss, but she's fresh, resourceful and incredibly funny in place and stands as a contrast to the rather sullen and "realistic" Liv and Helen.  

Restoration of the Daleks

Of course.  As you know I'm less enamored of the jargon soup adventures in which various Daleks and Time Lord factions have incomprehensible battles, with  various "gods" shouting at each other, Nick Briggs destroying his lower vocal range through his ring modulator.  But in the midst of the multi-dimensional Dalek nonsense, there's some incredibly squeesome moments of foreshadowing setting up the revival period not to mention looking backwards towards the golden era of "The Eighth Doctor Adventures" ("The Seventh Dimension!" Dingy-dingy-dong).  If there is another chunk of these Time War stories, can we have some more reportage from the fringes of the war, about how it effects other peoples in the galaxy?