The Mystery of Sector 13

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Writer: Robert Whitelock

Format: Audio

Released: December 2020

Series: The Robots 3.01

Featuring: Liv, Tula

Synopsis

Liv is investigating the Sons of Kaldor – looking out for any unusual activity on Kaldor. But when her hunt leads her to an abandoned warehouse, she may have bitten off more than she can chew... And while she's away, Tula is finding that some problems lie a little closer to home.

Verdict

The Mystery of Sector 13 was an excellent episode to kick off my listening of the third series of The Robots! I am delighted to get stuck back into this acclaimed spinoff range during Liv's year back home away from the TARDIS amidst the Ravenous series of Eighth Doctor Adventures and she's very much settled in that position now. There's a lot going on as she investigates the Sons of Kaldor and I like the continuity that has from Do No Harm with her still following the trail. It's an exciting prospect to have her in full investigative mode because she really is rather good at it! There was a lot going on here and hearing the familiar voice of Jon Culshaw was a welcomed treat because he's a very solid actor that since this release has gone on to bring both the Brigadier and the Twelfth Doctor to a whole new lease of life at Big Finish. But here he plays a very intriguing character in the form of Vash Sorkov. I don't often make notes about the stories I'm blogging but I knew I would be writing this entry over half a day later from listening to it and my description of him was simply 'the mysterious one'. Given how the episode ended with the cliffhanger finish on him not existing on Kaldor by either name or appearance, I think that's is pretty darn accurate! I think he's an exciting character because just how is he on Kaldor and what is he up to? He clearly has significant control and the threat in the episode surrounding Sector 13 was really strong. Heightened emotions and potential robophobia came from the supersonic protection in the vicinity. That was good stuff and I liked how for Tula everything tied together in a logical explanation. I'm a huge fan of hers as Liv's sister and she really is the co-lead for this series which is tremendous. I liked how she was digging deep to find that history was literally being deleted from public record. That scale of revisionism was exciting and I'm very excited to hear that continue. The link to Toos and the events of The Robots of Death still linger strong and I'm excited for another inevitable appearance from her. She's told the records that she's off world but Tula thinks she is hiding on the planet in plain sight. She's not far wrong! Tula has more problems though in the form of Skellen who is a really shady character. I'll be stunned if he's not part of the Sons of Kaldor because he wasn't exactly encouraging towards Tula and her investigation. He certainly didn't want her findings made public! He was pushing for everything to keep them on the down low for the time being. I'm a big fan of all of the politics that is playing out in the episode and keeping Liv and Tula right at the heart of it is exciting stuff. There's a lot of intriguing and scheming going about and that keeps me very interested as the series rolls on. Overall, a fantastic start to the series that has instantly got me reinvested in the series and what's to come! The cliffhanger was fantastic and I can't wait to listen to the next episode tomorrow. A brilliant start!

Rating: 9/10