Geronimo!: The End

"I've missed having a cause worth fighting for."

Writer: Rochana Patel

Format: Audio

Released: October 2022

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 3.03

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis

Valarie/The Doctor is dying. Only the Doctor/Valarie can save Valarie/the Doctor, but for her/him to survive, the Doctor/Valarie will have to die in her/his place. 

For the Doctor/Valarie, this is journey's' end.

Verdict

The End was another brilliant episode to conclude this sublime Geronimo! third series of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles! It goes without saying that this is the best set from the Chronicles range so far and I really hope this approach is taken forward in the future as it works so much better than the traditional Companion Chronicle style of adventure with just one or two actors. This feels genuine and part of that is down to the excellence of Jacob Dudman as the Eleventh Doctor who really brings this incarnation to life for Big Finish. It really is tremendous and it's so good that we get to expand on this era whilst Matt Smith is hitting the big time on the incredible House of the Dragon. I've been really impressed with Valarie as the new companion between Amy/Rory and Clara, and she has settled into the role so quickly. Starting this story with the Doctor having a cardiac arrest and being pronounced deceased before the opening titles had even hit showed that the episode meant business! I loved the atmosphere of unease when events started repeating and shifting, with Valarie then seemingly being the one to die with the Doctor intact. It was timey-wimey confusion and I love that. The Doctor being brought back to life thanks to the medibot was a little like cheating, but it was fun for the computer to be ignored. Of course the Doctor wasn't dead! I liked the isolated setting and with it being twenty-three light years into deep space. So the arrival of the Doctor and Valarie was quite the surprise! I thought the use of an infection in space was really well done, especially with the culprit not actually existing in this dimension. They just dropped in for a bite. The concept of the Time Spiders was terrific and I loved the idea of them actually being the ones to wove the Web of Time. Legend had it that they scuttled up and down its webs and now with the Time Lords being no more as their form of pest control, the time was ripe for a new opportunity to feast. They were a little late given that it was the War Doctor, not the Eleventh, who ended the Time War but better late than never! I was impressed with how well the Doctor sold the threat of the Spiders and just as he warned of the impact the egg sack breaching would have on the universe, it only went and split! Luna was a really good character on the ship and I liked her relationship with Vega. Delphine rounded out the cast nicely as we had a really strong set of characters. Valarie actually dying from the infection was a big surprise and with us not knowing her fate and the name of the episode, I could easily have bought that this would be her demise. She would die unless she was put into cryo-freeze and give the Doctor time to find a cure, and I loved her trust in the Time Lord as she didn't even hesitate. Vega not wanting to leave his ship despite the only course of action being to blow it up was admirable, and the Doctor would be staying too as he felt guilty for their presence as he suspected the Spiders hitched a ride on the TARDIS. The mother of the Time Spiders was very weary of the Doctor which was fun and hearing him and the crew whisper and sneak past a collection of the arachnids was eery stuff. I loved the idea of the Time Spiders protecting their eggs with a time loop as that explained the multiple timelines nicely, and the plan to use Valarie as bait was very good. The loop could be broken but she might die and that was something she accepted, but the Doctor took her place after the timeline in which she did die. He accepted death with no more regenerations left and that was a startling moment, it was worth it to save the universe from the Time Spiders. The miracle of the anti-venom arriving in a container was delightful and the Doctor had been playing the long game and using the time loop to his advantage to have been running analysis to find a cure since their arrival! I thought that was great stuff. The phone call at the end leaning into the overall story arc was really intriguing and it appears that the Doctor will soon meet another Time Lord, that is if he and Valarie can survive then TARDIS blowing up in a sensational cliffhanger! Overall, a marvellous episode to conclude a brilliant series. 

Rating: 9/10