Cortex Fire

Main Range #225

Released: 16 May 2017

Listened: 8/12/20

In 2017, instead of doing a trilogy of Main Range stories that linked the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors, Big Finish instead did three releases that each consisted of a pair of two-part stories, one for each Doctor. In this case, the second story on the disc seems to come first chronologically. Ian Potter has created a lot of sci-fi high concepts for this story: it takes place on a planet with a strong magnetic field, so the natives evolved with organs that sense that field for proprioception. Eventually, they created a computer network that they can tap into with those organs. The magnetic field also allows them to build a system of hover-cars, and results in spectacular auroras. Except the population has been plagued by instances of spontaneous combustion, and that’s what the Doctor and Flip run into. “Charge into” in Flip’s case, because she’s still behaving in a recklessly brave manner. However, in this story she seems to be more successful at thinking on the fly. The ending doesn’t quite add up to the setup, unfortunately, but it’s still quality. To get the most out of this story, it’s best not to listen to it right after the first story, or this one may get overwhelmed.