Doctor of War: Genesis: Dust Devil

"Finish one monster, and create another."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: April 2022

Series: Unbound 9.01

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The TARDIS crew are on the run, pursued by an unstoppable force. But who is hunting them? And why? Will they find the answers on Aridius? Or just more questions?

Verdict

Dust Devil was an intriguing and really strong start to the Genesis anthology of Doctor of War stories in the Unbound range from Big Finish! I was very excited when this series was announced as I'm a big fan of the idea being the Unbound range so getting a full series here was a brilliant idea, and the concept of Colin Baker playing the Warrior incarnation of the Doctor was so exciting! There really was no other choice of the Classic Doctor actors and it's going to be fun to hear him develop and play that sinister style we saw during his early run on television. I loved where this one started with that infamous scene from Genesis of the Daleks being replayed and with an alternative ending now, and Tom Baker played it so well as the Fourth Doctor and it was lovely to have Sadie Miller repeating the words of Sarah Jane Smith. Except this time her appeal was met and the Doctor was going to destroy the Daleks at their genesis, and that seemed to surprise Harry which I liked. Almost immediately he became a different type of man as he realised that by destroying these monsters, he'd become one himself. I thought that was great. The cameo of Narvin was terrific and I liked the similarities with The Night of the Doctor in the Fourth Doctor's alternate regeneration here as the choice to become a Warrior was taken out of his hands. His final words echoing those of Logopolis was a nice touch too. I wasn't actually expecting Peri to appear alongside the Sixth Doctor but that was part of this episode's beauty in that it blended between realities. The contrast of Nicola Bryant also playing Miss Brown and not having that American accent was terrific. It was so different but worked so well as she got to explain to the Sixth Doctor about the Warrior and what he'd done. I must admit, I'm slightly disappointed that the changed actions of the Doctor touching those wires didn't actually result in the Daleks being destroyed, and he seemed genuinely shocked and appalled by that after he lost Sarah and Harry to extermination. Talarn had joined the Doctor too later on and he was also lost. The Doctor was getting tired of losing people and that's always good to explore. I thought the linear direction of the episode was fascinating in how it wasn't always clear when and where events were actually taking place, but it worked in making me more interested and wanting to know more as the series moves forward. It was the kind of confusion I enjoyed. It was well written. Aridius playing a large part in this episode was an unexpected treat and some wonderful continuity with The Chase and the Doctor's reaction to Miss Brown's actions on the planet was telling. I thought the temporal bullets were really well done as well and they almost seemed inescapable, unless the Doctor could find his own corpse which is a horrific way to escape death! Chooban was a fun character for the Doctor to build a relationship with as well. Ending things back with the Doctor on Gallifrey was good and I'm really looking forward with intrigue to hear where this series will go. Overall, a really strong start! 

Rating: 9/10