A Thing of Guile

The War Doctor #2.2

Released: 22 February 2016

Listened: 8/30/22

The second story, by Phil Mulryne, is the weak link in this boxed set. There’s yet another Dalek weapon hidden on an asteroid, so Ollistra brings a strike team to go get it. She ensures the Doctor’s cooperation by sticking an “artron leash” on him, which means he can’t go too far away from her. Why Ollistra would want to go on this particular mission is a mystery, as she’s hardly a commando, and making the Doctor stick by her doesn’t make the best use of his talents. The other two Time Lords who tag along also aren’t suited to commando missions, with predictable results. It turns out there are two secret weapons here, and the Doctor pronounces both of them too horrific to use. Which is starting to get a little repetitive, as at least one of them is pretty bad, but not exactly beyond the pale for the Doctor to use. Ollistra seems to be off her game in this story. Every other time she appears, she’s several steps ahead of the Doctor, who’s innovative when he’s improvising, but his broad motivations are fairly easy to manipulate. This time, though, she seems caught out several times, not least of which at the very end. This one is serviceable, and that’s about it.