Audacity: The Great Cyber-War Part 2

"They will rip out your heart and replace it with steel."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: November 2023

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 11.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Audacity 

Synopsis

The Cyber-War has come to the Aurum. The best hope of survival lies with the great Oberon Fix – the finest scientific mind of his generation, working to protect humanity. But the Doctor is worried that his own presence will affect history's outcome. And for Audacity, life with the Doctor will never be the same again...

Verdict

The Great Cyber-War concluded in strong fashion with this second half of the story! It's an interesting quirk to have part two as a separate instalment and it's funny because if there wasn't the separate synopsis and the details on the Big Finish website just listed this story as being two parts then I would have done just the singular blog entry. But here we are! I actually listened to the first part very early in the morning whilst this second part was done the next day in the evening so it was a little bit of a different listening experience there. I quickly got reacquainted with the characters though and it was wonderful to hear the Cybermen in full throttle after the first part's cliffhanger. I love the proximity this story has to Revenge of the Cybermen and it almost becomes a prequel to it. The role of Oberon Fix was excellent here and the journey the Doctor underwent to reach him was quite extraordinary. I'm not sure the kind of obstacles presented here with the insane climb and the lift getting stuck were suited to an audio format, but I could appreciate the extent and toll the Doctor went through. Audacity's reaction when the Doctor said how he was going to reach Fix was magnificent. She is slowly learning what life with him is like. It was also really fun at the start to hear how she welcomed the arrival of the Cybermen as allies after what happened to Dellatine. She has a lot to learn! That was a strong moment though and showcased her innocence with this still being her first TARDIS trip. I loved the origin of the Cybermen's vulnerability to gold with the Golden Pulse  and that makes this a very interesting point in Cyber chronology. This is so far in the future from the perspective of us as a listener and the Doctor's companion, and I like how that also explains why gold has not been used for any Cybermen we have seen on screen prior to Revenge. It does a good job at explaining that and the glitter gun is quite the weapon. The threat it would have to Voga with it being the planet of gold scarlet bore thinking about and that was why Fix was yet to operate it. Audacity getting injured with her wrist and still making the climb showcase her mindset and determination which are going to be qualities I think we admire on her companion journey. I thought the fate of Galta was surprising and I was honestly not expecting her to perish so early into the part and in such gruesome fashion! A Cybermat implant inside her leg! That was horrifying and felt like something right out of a horror film. I thought the incidental music for this story was wonderful as well and really gave it a different kind of feeling. It felt both retro and futuristic in the best way. Exploring the relationship between Vrull and Nevlin here was emotional and the sacrifice of the former was a very powerful moment. They were strong characters. The extent of the Cyber-War was explored well and I like how it has been ongoing for so long that the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors are beginning to fail. That's a strong concept that perhaps warranted more exploration as the potential there is exciting. Hearing the anguish of the gold-coated Cyberman was uncomfortable and the Doctor was less than pleased there. The time tourist element was a fun concept and again was perhaps revealed a little too late but the Cyber Leader wanting to change time and stop the pulse was logical, only the Doctor boosted it to knock Voga off its orbit and protect them whilst the Cybermen were wiped out. I think the Doctor emptying the TARDIS of its gold contents to help Voga was nice and I was dying for some sort of reference to the Seal of Rassilon that appears there on screen before Gallifreyan lore is established in The Deadly Assassin. A missed opportunity there! I thought the ending in having the Doctor and Audacity return to Charley was exciting and it's now clear when in the Eighth Doctor's timeline he gets this new companion! A whole new trio once again. I can't wait for the continuation. Overall, a great listen to conclude the series! 

Rating: 8/10