The Havoc of Empires

Third Doctor Adventures #1.2

Released: 2 September 2015

Listened: 6/26/21

This is the second story from the inaugural Third Doctor Adventures set. This one takes place after the TARDIS is functional again, so it starts with Jo and Mike wanting to use it to go on a date. (Mike wants to see a famous cricket match; Jo thought they were going to the Cavern Club to see the Beatles. I gotta say I’m with Jo on this one.) Of course they end up somewhere else entirely, in this case a space station that’s about to host a diplomatic wedding of two space-faring powers. Jo, Mike, and the Doctor pretend to be security inspectors for somewhat complicated reasons, giving the whole thing a “Curse of Peladon” feel, which is pretty deliberate. Jo gets a lot to do in this story, as she’s nominally in charge, given their cover. She takes to it pretty well, which doesn’t quite match her TV characterization, but isn’t out of line with her background. We’ve never seen Mike in a full-on companion role like this, but he does well enough, kind of like Harry Sullivan. It’s clear that Big Finish is still hedging their bets, giving Mike a larger role and including the narration, both of which stick out a bit more than in “Prisoners of the Lake.” Richard Franklin is clearly trying, but there are times when he doesn’t sound like a young Mike. There are also a few moments of rather silly humor, all involving the wedding planner and her trained eels. I guess it’s supposed to be like Alpha Centauri, but it comes off as absurd. There’s also a brief appearance by the Delphons, the species that communicates with their eyebrows, as mentioned in “Spearhead from Space,” so if you’ve been waiting for that, there you go. On the whole, it’s a fine story, but maybe a bit too derivative, and the humor goes a bit far.