You Only Die Twice: Sunstrike

"Am I seriously not worth murdering?"

Writer: Georgia Cook

Format: Audio

Released: March 2024

Series: Twelfth Doctor Chronicles 3.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

His clients have conquered millions of worlds. His weapons have ended billions of lives. But his private resort has the sort of security system that only trillions of credits can buy. Not even the Time Agency can bring the Quartermaster to justice. 

Which is why Keira's enlisted a new recruit. The Doctor has faced many villains, but this time, he'll have to become one...

Verdict

Sunstrike was an excellent start to the You Only Die Twice third series of Twelfth Doctor Chronicles! I am a big fan of providing ongoing adventures for every incarnation regardless of if the original actor is unavailable to reprise the role, and with a talent like Jacob Dudman it almost feels like Peter Capaldi isn't missing. His take on the Eleventh Doctor is undoubtedly his biggest talent in the Big Finish world, but his impersonation of the Twelfth Doctor isn't far behind. It's really good. I love how different their eras feel considering there is only one regeneration between them and that's something that's certainly felt in these Chronicles as well. It's really nice to get some continuity and ongoing arcs within them now as we see a quick return to action for Kiera Sanstrom of the Time Agency after a strong outing in her debt in the Timejacked! previous series. There really was no messing around when it came to incorporating the Doctor into the episode as Kiera decided she wanted him as their time agent and basically gave him no choice. There was no return journey possible and the destination of Sunstrike was terrific. I liked the concept of the Quartermaster very much and bidding for weapons of mass destruction on an insane monetary scale meant the invited guest list were very entertaining indeed. Carmella in particular was a standout character and the relationship she built with Kiera was really lovely. I thought her take on crime and money laundering in particular was terrific and the concept behind her lack of understanding for compassion and just generally being nice was fun. Considering the nature of the episode, this had a bit of a lighthearted and comical feel which was great stuff. I thought the Time Marshall was a good head figure for the Time Agency and the way he bookended the episode was strong. I enjoyed the way that Kiera was hiding things from the Doctor, particularly the truth about the keystone with it not being a device in his possession by right but rather as something lost by the Agency itself. It had been lost by Kiera herself and she was in need of getting it retuned to the Paradox Armoury, so the Doctor was the perfect recruit. I quite liked the selfishness of her mission and her experience with the Doctor told her that he was the perfect man for the job. It turned out to be true. I loved the idea of the Time Agency having an armoury of devastating weaponry and devices, with their ability to change and wipe out planets and alter time being pretty monumental! The scale it was enacted here by the Time Marshall was incredible. The importance of the keystone was intriguing and I liked the simplicity in which the Doctor obtained whilst the Quartermaster was being dealt with amidst the action. It was nicely done and quite typical of the sneaky nature of this incarnation. I thought the scheme of the Quartermaster was actually brilliant in orchestrating the entire event that had his would-be buyers on the verge of death and him being in a position to offer them the means of their survival, but at a price. The right price. A very big price. The Doctor was less than impressed! He dealt with him in brutal fashion after surviving the attempted murder. I did think that when he and Kiera were shot off that this would lead us into the next episode, but alas it wasn't to be. Still, the quick fix and dealign with the Quartermaster was brilliant. Overall, a superb start to the series! 

Rating: 9/10