After six months, Big Finish Productions’ ongoing celebration of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary, Once and Future, comes to its climactic conclusion. And what a conclusion it is. Along the way, we’ve seen past Doctors team up with companions and villains from across the show’s history. And while the series, as a whole, has been a bit of a mixed bag, a lot of its individual stories are absolutely delightful from start to finish. And that’s very much the case with these final two stories, too – Time Lord Immemorial and The Union. Here, questions are answered; lives are endangered. It’s the end of the road for the Doctor, his degeneration crisis at its absolute worst. Can he unravel the mystery of his fractured self before it’s too late? Or is the Doctor, as we know them, gone forever?
Time Lord Immemorial by Lisa McMullin
As the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) searches for the mysterious Union who caused his degeneration crisis, his TARDIS crashes into another Doctor’s (David Warner) – one from an alternate universe. But how has this Doctor from another universe arrived in ours? And what, exactly, is happening to the sands of time that separate the multiverse? Meanwhile, protectors of the sands of time drag Liv (Nicola Walker) and the Lumiat (Gina McKee), an all-good incarnation of the Master, into the fray. All answers lie in the hall of the Time Lord Immemorial (Robert Powell). But can the Doctors, the Lumiat, and Liv fix whatever’s broken the multiverse before it’s too late? While McMullin’s script feels a bit unfocused at times, and never entirely explores its plot nor Once and Future‘s overarching narrative with any real depth, it manages to deliver a fun romp nonetheless.
Time Lord Immemorial has major fairy tale vibes. The Doctors and their friends arrive in a strange, otherworldly place and have to solve a series of riddles. It’s a simple story, yet it takes some time to fully grasp what’s going on. If you’re looking for major answers to Once and Future‘s overarching mystery, prepare to be disappointed once more. But this is one of the few stories in the series that has genuinely felt vital to the overarching narrative. A story that plays with the idea of combining various characters in surprising ways while also telling a coherent story. Its ideas are a bit all over the place, and its pacing leaves something to be desired. But there’s a sense of experimentation at play that’s been sorely missing in some of the series’ previous entries.
Eccleston and Warner easily steal the show here, and it’s a true delight to hear them acting opposite one another. But McKee and Walker manage to hold their own – even if Walker’s given virtually nothing to do in the story. Still, the quartet makes for a fun pairing that deftly anchors what could’ve easily been a far-too-dense story.
It’s pretty clear that Big Finish is prioritizing fan service and fun character pairings with Once and Future rather than any kind of earth-shattering story. But Time Lord Immemorial manages to thread that line better than almost any other story in the range. It’s not the best story, but it’s among the simpler, more coherent ones. And it makes great use of its cast, setting, and premise. So, perhaps, that’s all an anniversary celebration really needs. (8.5 out of 10)
The Union by Matt Fitton
With his degeneration becoming ever more unstable, the Doctor (Paul McGann, Tom Baker) responds to a distress call from his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford). Susan’s distress call leads him straight to the Diamond Array – and the malevolent Union (Maureen O’Brien), her eyes set on converting yet another planet into a diamond. But who is she and what role has she played in the Doctor’s degeneration crisis? And why, exactly, has River Song (Alex Kingston) teamed up with her? All roads lead to the Union; all answers threaten to be revealed. It’s the end of the road for the Doctor. But can Susan and River save him before it’s too late? What’s most surprising about Matt Fitton’s The Union is how character-driven it is. It finally answers the question of who caused the Doctor’s degeneration and why, and that answer proves surprisingly personal – in the best way possible.
The less said about The Union‘s specifics, the better. But it’s here where Once and Future finally lays all of its cards on the table. And sure, the story ends up feeling a bit exposition-heavy at times. But it’s nice to finally have a proper understanding of what’s actually going on. And to Fitton’s credit, his script manages to cover all of this ground while remaining wholly engaging and giving its entire cast plenty to work with. Susan and River may not play a major role in the episode’s narrative, but they play a vital one nonetheless. There’s a bit of a missed opportunity in playing with the idea of River being Susan’s grandmother, but their interactions remain delightful, and Carole Ann Ford and Alex Kingston play off of each other nicely.
Paul McGann is, once again, at his very best here. It’s always enjoyable when he’s given something other than angst to play with. And the chaos of the Doctor’s degeneration crisis gives him a lot to work with here. Similarly, O’Brien (best known for playing the First Doctor’s companion, Vicki) absolutely relishes her role as the evil Union. O’Brien delivers a performance that’s equal parts over-the-top and surprisingly grounded. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising to longtime Big Finish listeners who the Union ends up being, but it works exceedingly well.
Despite how scatterbrained much of Once and Future felt, The Union somehow manages to tie together all of the series’ disparate elements into some semblance of a cohesive whole. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it works. At its best, it offers a surprisingly touching celebration of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary. (8.5 out of 10)
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, Once and Future tells a story about identity. Who is the Doctor, fundamentally, across their many incarnations? It’s a perfect topic for a series of anniversary specials. And while the individual stories may not have all been spectacular, especially when viewed as a whole, it’s hard to walk away from Once and Future wholly unsatisfied. At its base level, it offers a collection of off-the-wall Doctor Who stories. They’re the kind that could simply never be told under normal circumstances. And there’s a certain base level of enjoyment there.
While the main thrust of the story may be finished, there’s still a Coda to look forward to in November of 2024. So, who knows what’s in store? Until then, these first seven episodes make for a delightful, if frequently uneven, celebration of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary. It’s best to lower your expectations going in. Expect less of a game-changing epic and more of a collection of mostly standalone tales connected by the theme of degeneration and identity. But with the right expectations, Once and Future proves to be a lovely celebration of Doctor Who‘s past, present, and future.
Doctor Who: Once and Future: Time Lord Immemorial and The Union are available now from Big Finish Productions.
Big Finish Productions' ongoing celebration of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, Once and Future, comes to a fittingly satisfying end with its final two episodes. While neither "Time Lord Immemorial" or "The Union" fully buck any of the series' worst tendencies, both stories finally deliver answers to lingering questions and bring the series' overarching narrative to a satisfying and surprisingly character-driven conclusion.
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Our Rating 8.5
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