Forged in Fire: The Shadow Squad

"You've been denied normal lives."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: June 2021

Series: The War Doctor Begins 1.03

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis

Tamasan is unconvinced of the War Doctor's loyalties, though when their paths collide, both agree that the destruction of the Dalek Time Strategist could be the best route to victory. But on Atherea, the Daleks may have found a way to annihilate all plans to defeat them before they are even begun...

Verdict

The Shadow Squad was an excellent episode to conclude the Forged in Fire first series of The War Doctor Begins! Well, this incarnation really has begun with a bang and I've really enjoyed this boxset. It's been a fantastic start to life for the War Doctor as he begins to realise what he needs to become, whilst still showing vestiges of the Doctor we knew before. He makes it clear on more than one occasion here that he doesn't use the name any longer, but he acknowledges he's still the same man which I think is rather important. I liked the style of this episode as it felt a little different to the first two in the boxset, with the War Doctor having spent some months deciphering code of the Dalek Time Strategist. I think it's good to move on a little past the immediate aftermath of The Night of the Doctor and really give the War Doctor space to breathe now. His relationship with Tamasan is good and the pair took on quite the mission here. I thought the removal of Draven from time was terrific as the Doctor and Tamasan were time sensitive so saw that she'd vanished immediately, whereas everybody else in the establishment had not. They had to take her place in providing details to the titular shadow squad, and once the Arcadia password was accepted after a less than welcoming hello, motions were set to take on the Daleks. I thought it was fitting that the Daleks featured heavily in the boxset finale, and the Doctor interacting with the Dalek Time Strategist was fantastic for this incarnation. It knew the enemy of the Daleks in all forms, name or otherwise. I thought the focus on a weapon was good and the Time Lords understanding the importance of it was evident in the existence of the shadow squad. The entire concept behind it was clever but also heartbreaking. An entire squadron of Gallifreyans who hadn't existed outside of a mountainside. No outside interactions. No families or relationships. Their sole purpose in life was for the Gallifreyan war effort and they would be invisible and immune to the Temporal Eradicator. As weapon names going, that one is more than befitting of the Time War and it pretty much is what it says on the tin. I thought the twist that it was actually a Dalek was brilliant and I loved how even for the Doctor this was a version he had never seen before with it existing in and out of time. It wasn't wholly there but it wasn't absent either. It existed in multiple timelines and could see and erase where Dalek failures were happening or had happened before travelling along them and exterminating in the Daleks' favour. That was pretty great stuff! I liked how the Doctor's presence in almost offering himself for capture was a ploy to bring about the shadow squad and Tamasan. That was nicely done and it almost had me fooled. Trestor as its head was a fine character and I thought the moment he was exterminated was a big shock! Of course, time would change with the Temporal Eradicator being destroyed, and the Doctor seeing him now with a family was a nice way to finish. He got a better life after all which I'm a big fan of and something that seems very Doctorly. The confidence the Eradicator had when confronted by the Doctor was superb as it thought it knew the old enemy and that he wouldn't go so far as to killing. But this was a new incarnation and one focused on the war effort. His method of destruction for the Eradicator was quite incredible as not only did it set the Dalek to self destruct, but it removed the vortex stabiliser to ensure that it destructed across the timelines. I thought that was an incredibly fitting ending! It really dealt with the Eradicator and it was nice to set things back on track. Overall, a fantastic finale and I'm very excited for what comes next in this series. There's so much room to play with where the War Doctor is concerned, and we're just at the beginning. A great listen. 

Rating: 9/10