The Tactics of Defeat

"Enough of these games, I set the rules here."

Writer: Tony Jones

Format: Audio

Released: June 2018

Series: Companion Chronicles: Second Doctor 2.04

Featuring: Zoe, Ruth

Synopsis

In the rain-swept jungle of Belize, Captain Ruth Matheson and Zoe Heriot are both about to discover just what sacrifices they are prepared to make when faced with a seventeenth-century threat that might just spell death for millions of innocent people.

Does the end justify the means? Sometimes winning feels exactly like losing...

Verdict

The Tactics of Defeat was an excellent adventure to conclude the second volume of Companion Chronicles for the Second Doctor! Whilst the Second Doctor barely featured for more than a cameo in this story, this was definitely the best story of the volume! Ruth Matheson is a really strong character that has come into her own across a number of Companion Chronicles such as Tales From the Vault and Mastermind, and having her actually encounter a companion of the Doctor was terrific. The recording from the Vault containing vital information and an account from Zoe of her visit to the Belize jungle was really good and I loved how it all came full circle in the end with the TARDIS actually arriving at the cliffhanger. Deakin was an excellent villain and I really did have feelings of the Jigsaw killer from the Saw franchise with the prospect put to Ruth by him. The vial contained surviving remnants of a super plague from the seventeenth century which was intriguing and I loved that it was part of the Pepys collection. That was a lovely blend of history and sci-fi, and Ruth clearly gave away her hand too early by offering $5m for the vial. Deakin was not interested in money given his predicament and being tied down to the jungle with the alien biotech keeping him alive, so he challenged her to offer something he actually wanted. Their dialogue was superb and he was always pushing her. The pair going back and forth with the silent treatment was terrific as well. It really made the title of the audio apt as there was a lot of tactical manoeuvring. Ruth offering a device to track time machines and then having the TARDIS arrive was good stuff and I loved the cliffhanger once Zoe exited the TARDIS. It was already established fact through the tape recording that Zoe died in this jungle, so Deakin decided that it must be Ruth who did it if she wanted the vial. That was a brilliant setup for the second part and whilst I expected more of a presence for the Doctor and Jamie, they weren't actually missed. The moment where Ruth and Zoe met was tense and I loved the logical application from the latter when she was told of the situation and the threat made by Deakin. She didn't seem at all bothered by the fact she would die if it meant saving populations of countries like Belize and Guatemala. Whilst Ruth didn't essentially push Zoe to her death, she died so the deal was kept up. Zoe knew what she was looking at in the form of a teleport device that put someone a few minutes forward in time, so she took then plunge knowing it would seal the vial's safe passage to UNIT. Zoe recognising UNIT was great too. I loved how Ruth did admit that she could kill someone, if that person was Deakin. The missile being called in was very good and she wasn't bothered at all that he would have his fate sealed. As far as she was concerned, he deserved it and I couldn't really blame her! Ruth getting that glimpse of the TARDIS interior was a wonderful moment and I must admit I was quite surprised that Zoe adhered to her request of leaving quickly. Ruth was left behind which didn't seem right, but as a whole this was an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10