Old Friends: The Forth Generation

"Cold and precise instruments of logic."§

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: February 2022

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 4.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Brigadier

Synopsis

The Forth Generation have emerged. The Doctor, the Brigadier, Sam and Fiona are at their mercy. Is there a way to defeat them? Has UNIT learned from the past? And can the enemy's nature be changed for the future?

Verdict

The Forth Generation was a very strong story to conclude the Old Friends fourth series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! I'm so glad to know that, so far, this is only the halfway point of Big Finish adventures for Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, but I imagine that they didn't know that at the time of writing and having the Brigadier pushing that the Doctor needed a companion and not to be alone was a nice touch as a possible way to imply that the events of this adventure weren't too far removed from Rose. Following on from the outstanding Way of the Burryman was always going to be tough, but this was a fine finale. I liked that the pre-titles took us back to the late-1880s and a time where Kreel was in disguise and after new technology, but we soon shifted back to the twenty-first century and the Forth. I thought the development of the Cyber involvement in the episode was frantic and exciting and we quickly went from just Kreel to a whole Forth army that consisted of more developed and slightly more traditional Cyberman that even the Brigadier had come up against, with the addition of a Cyber Leader and Cyber Planner to go alongside them. I thought Fiona being the one to end up converted and actually in the role of Planner was a huge shock but one I really liked. I was glad that there was no way back and the emotion that invoked in Sam was clear. It's a little surprising that after all he went through here that he was willing to take on the role with UNIT on the Brigadier's recommendation. It was nice to explore the changed relationship between the Doctor and the Brigadier with the latter much more willing to try the former's method of no military. It was nice to know how far they had come. The focus on the bridge continued to be intriguing and I thought the Doctor's use of the memory arch was very clever. It was slightly cheating to realise that it had captured the memories of everyone at South Queensferry, but I loved the idea of giving Cybermen their human memories back. Fiona's reaction was brutal though as she understood the love she had for Sam, but no longer felt it. That must have been a dagger in the heart for him! Fiona's sentiment and familial history with the bridge was tremendous and I liked how the Doctor used it to appeal to her human nature. Despite the rapid pace and Kreel being toppled by the superior Cybermen, this adventure ended up being somewhat simple which is ironic given the setup and all of the complications. I must say that Christopher Eccleston was on top form again and it was brilliant to have him in a full on battle with the Cybermen alongside an old and familiar friend. The Brigadier mentioning that the TARDIS looked a bit more battered than he remembered was fun, and he challenged the Doctor subtly about him just swanning off again once all was done. It was so good to have the Brigadier back for two episodes and his recollection of The Invasion and its aftermath with Cyber parts swimming up the Thames and then him ensuring every UNIT force had a means against them was brilliant. I liked that it was implied there was more to come from the Brigadier and the Doctor, a meeting with the next incarnation perhaps? I sure hope so. But for now, this was a really strong finale to a great boxset! 

Rating: 8/10