Time War: Assets of War

"I'm just a nobody from the Dry Lands."

Writer: Lou Morgan

Format: Audio

Released: April 2020

Series: Susan's War 1.03

Featuring: Susan

Synopsis

Cardinal Rasmus believes that Susan's special abilities will help him assess a new weapons project.

On a secret military base, creatures from the vortex are being bred for war. Gallifrey's scientists think they can be used as assets against the Daleks.

But the Orrovix are not easily tamed...

Verdict

Assets of War was another great episode to continue my way through the first series of Susan's War! This was much more like I expected and felt like a story that was suited to the Time War setting. Susan's telepathic abilities are being exploited really well here and I liked how they came into play during this episode. It felt like the right use of them although I do hope that things don't lean too heavily on them as I'm not sure we really saw that of Susan on screen other than on a very select few instances. It feels like this defines her character in this series at the episode which isn't an issue at all, but I don't think it should dominate her character. I like the idea of the Time Lords trying to get a new weapon and the way they were hoping to obtain the Orrovix was pretty abhorrent considering they were a sentient race. Sure, they were bred in the Time Vortex and history was on the side of the Time Lords with them having hunted them for sport, but that didn't make what they were doing now right. Sure, on paper they were a very strong weapon with them being latched onto someone through time and not letting go for basically any reason! It was welcome continuity with Nevernor within that Time War bracket. For Susan and her mind link with them she was never going to grant authority to have them used for war. I thought this episode did a really strong in highlighting the difference between the Time Lords and Gallifreyans as a whole. It's often easy to forget that they are two different things with the former being very much the elite on the planet. Rennis was obviously the prime example of that with him being from the Dry Lands and the slow build of his true intentions and his thoughts on Time Lord elite was terrific. Susan was understandably shocked but even she was guilty of thinking there wasn't much to the Dry Lands. What use could there possibly be out there for the war effort? That was a fascinating insight that I really enjoyed exploring. Her questioning to Veklin and Rasmus about if they were fighting for the Time Lords or Gallifrey was something that packed a lot of wait when you got into the thick of things. Susan getting secondhand resentment because of the Doctor's desire to not partake in the Time War was fantastic and something I think will surely come back into fruition in the finale when he's set to show up. It's an interesting dynamic with the family element and I hope we get more of it. Susan referring to Rennis's time pendant as a toy was another strong example of the inadvertent thinking less of those Gallifreyans who weren't Time Lords. This was a powerful tool to him but for her it was almost laughable. The dynamic between Susan and Veklin is something I'm enjoying a lot now too after three episodes and it's nice to hear how strong their relationship is at this point. Veklin is certainly being influenced by Susan which I like and that really came to the forefront at the end with them ensuring that Rennis did not return to Gallifrey for execution. She didn't think that was right or setting a good example, so he was basically now exiled away from his home planet and the war altogether. His motives were fascinating in representing his people against the elite and presenting that during wartime is strong. I liked how the assets of the Orrovix were thought of as just that as it highlights how starkly different the Time Lords are during this conflict whilst exploring them further. Overall, a really good episode and I'm now very excited for the finale! 

Rating: 8/10