Between Two Worlds: The Enemy Beyond

"I'm a lost soul."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: November 2021

Series: UNIT: Nemesis 1.01

Featuring:

Synopsis

In a UNIT facility beneath Edinburgh Castle, Kate and Osgood work to unlock the mystery of a stone arch discovered buried in a prehistoric rock formation.

When the arch takes one of their number away to a strange, bleak world, it leads to an encounter with a Time Lord. One with multiple personalities. Soon the Eleven is loose on the streets of Edinburgh and plotting to seize the arch from UNIT by any means necessary.

Verdict

The Enemy Beyond was an excellent start to the Between Two Worlds first series of UNIT: Nemesis! I have longed to start this audio range for a long time now but the OCD in me would not let me begin until I had purchased all four volumes. Thankfully, an eBay voucher and an incredibly good deal from MusicMagpie meant the collection was complete and I would begin. So expect to see this range completed over the next couple of months! This was an exciting start. I whizzed through the Eighth Doctor Adventures and the Eleven was a monumental part of that so to have him on Earth and interacting with the modern UNIT team was a wonderful combination. The whole concept behind him as a Time Lord suffering from regenerative dissonance is incredible so it was wonderful to be back revisiting him. Mark Bonnar is wonderful in the role and I think this might be the first time I've listened to an audio with him in since his appearance in The Traitors late last year! I saw him in a whole new light on the cover which was good fun. I thought it was great to have Kate and Osgood lead the adventure as they really are a magnificent duo who rightfully star in their own series here. They just work so well together and that chemistry and respect was fully evident which was great. I thought Adam Merchant was a strong character called in for his expertise with geology to give information on a mysterious arch. He was fascinated by the finding and just the image of this under Edinburgh Castle was a delight. The Scottish capital is one of my all time favourite cities I have visited and the castle is obviously a highlight. I remember actually catching a bus tour to Loch Ness from behind it and it really is incredible high up on the rocks. An absolutely must visit location so I enjoyed the image of the Eleven running around there with the potential to infect the population massively! Adam suffering from an apparent plague that was gluey in residue didn't sound good and I like the threat of it coming from the other side of the Arch. Just where that is was mysterious and I'm sure it's something we will come back to in the series' future. I feel like we have to! The Eleven 'taking care' of Adam on the other side of the arch was intriguing and the effects of travel through making him blind was the perfect cover for the deranged Time Lord. He could pretend that his previous internal incarnations were actually different people and that was played really well. Imagine his reaction after taking the protective patch off to find that the Eleven was the only one! The Eleven describing his condition to Kate and her understanding instantly was a fun surprise for him as he realised that Kate wasn't all she seemed! She had a lot going for her. The Eleven having a police officer under his hypnotic watch was great stuff and certainly aided his cause for a while. I thought the way things ended was pretty darn dramatic with an incredible sacrifice from Adam to take the Eleven with him out of the plane and into the depths of the ocean! A phenomenal image. The Eleven's body not being recovered was fun because it's clear he wasn't dead but at least he was sent packing from this scheme. The lead into the next episode with the prospect of Harry entering the UNIT fray and Ice Warriors in the Australian desert was terrific too! Overall, a fantastic start to the series! 

Rating: 9/10