Visitants: The Last Line of Defence

"It's time for you to decide which side you're on, Brigadier."

Writer: Robert Valentine

Format: Audio

Released: December 2022

Series: UNIT: Brave New World 2.03

Featuring: Bambera

Synopsis

With the civil war in Valge Maja threatening to spark an even greater conflict, Bambera is put in charge of security at a secret Millennium Eve peace conference to settle the matter. But as all of Earth's leaders gather to debate the future of humanity, dark forces have conspired to ensure that this meeting will usher in a terrifying New World Order – and with the clock ticking, who can possibly stand in their way?    

Verdict

The Last Line of Defence was a strong episode to conclude the Visitants second series of UNIT's Brave New World! As it stands, this is the end of the line for the spinoff series and I think it does end really well. I'm starting at the conclusion but I thought it was really great to have the episode set on New Year's Eve and it wasn't just any old year! 1999 is obviously a big year so seeing UNIT bring in the new millennium was good fun. It just feels like the right kind of time for an alien threat and whilst the Eighth Doctor was taking on the Master over in San Francisco as part of The Movie, there was another threat on the British shores in the form of the Zeta Hydri. I liked the reveal and the revelation regarding the phone call at the end of The Frequency as a subtle warning for the Brigadier was good stuff. It explained a lot and whilst it wasn't perhaps the most exciting of reveals, it made sense and tied in well with the story. I loved the continuity in having the Hoplite Frequency being used once again and the Zeta Hydri were thinking that they were very much in control. They were quite taunting towards Rix when she explained what she knew of it, and the inclusion of sonic feedback was sensational. She was mocked, And then one turned to literal sludge. Rix working out that the organic that acted as the receptor was within and couldn't be removed, unlike her own earpiece. That was tremendous stuff but she was a little guilty as she only wanted to show what she was capable of and not actually bring about a death! Colonel Birch was very impressed though! I thought given the warnings he'd been instructing Bambera with that they would have had a little more time together, but he actually developed a strong relationship with Rix. I enjoyed them a lot. I enjoyed the throwback to Rogue State with the positioning of the civil war within Valge Maja which was a reminder that despite this spinoff series only being six episodes long, we really have come a long way! It does feel a slight shame that there hasn't been any further continuation yet, but it really does end perfectly to send UNIT off into the modern era. We would see UNIT come into play on screen in Aliens of London/World War Three which is set in 2006, and with the UNIT team here seeing their state of play move to the Tower of London that's a fine bridge between eras. I thought that was just wonderful. What was less wonderful was the traitors at play in the episode. It was a little surprising to find that Dame Lydia had sold out to the Zeta Hydri and was willing to offer a power share. Why she thought it would be accepted by the rest of the population is beyond me, but I loved Bambera's reaction. She was disgusted by the decision that was supposedly in the interests of mankind. The use of sound against them is a pretty good mitigating factor and Lydia looked a bit stupid for thinking she got ahead of the game and stopped the destruction of her species. It didn't take too long for UNIT to step in, arrest her, and broker some peace talks. That was a fitting ending really and rounded things out very nicely. The last line of defence indeed! UNIT did a job well done. I did find the balloon cover story very amusing though and it really is a reminder that the general public will believe anything told to them. Overall, a really strong audio to round out what has been an enjoyable boxset! I hope this isn't the last of the Brave New World.

Rating: 8/10