Dominant Species is the latest Doctor Who audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and features Tom Baker returning as the Fourth Doctor in a pair of pretty good episodes. Christopher Naylor reprises the role of Harry Sullivan with Eleanor Crooks continuing her portrayal of Naomi Cross. Harry Sullivan was originally played by the late Ian Marter in the television series, but Naylor does a decent job breathing new life into the character. Crooks continues to be a welcome addition to the cast as Naomi Cross, who is created for the Big Finish episodes.
First of all, there is The Face in the Storm, written by Sarah Grochala, a two-part story which places the TARDIS crew on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean transporting soldiers to fight in the First World War. The guest cast is comprised of Christopher Weeks, Kayi Ushe, and Reece Pantry. Jamie Anderson serves as director.
A ship known as the SS Maycrest is contending with a blizzard, but a strange crate held an alien entity which has gotten loose and is waiting in the storm. Naomi also gets a closer look at her own family history, which is threatened by the storm and the creature within.
The story references the contribution of Jamaican soldiers during the major wars. Naomi gets another story where she is spotlighted. Crooks puts in a compelling performance yet again. Tom Baker’s performance is consistently engaging, but he continues to delivery his witticisms with ease.
On the whole, the episode is pretty interesting, but the adversary is not very memorable. I still appreciate the effort to present the Doctor with a new adversary. I also enjoy the novelty of this particular Doctor having to deal with whatever emotional impact the adventure is having on his companions.
As usual, the episode has some interesting points and great performances, but not much really stands out.
Dominant Species by John Dorney sees the return of a ruthless race seen only once on television during the Patrick Troughton era. For some reason, the Dominators alongside their robotic servants, the Quarks, have shown back up to menace out favorite Time Lord. Nicholas Briggs once again returns to the director’s chair and is joined by a guest cast which includes Clive Wood, Clive Hayward, Polly Kemp, Rosalyn Landor, Joseph Kloska, Emily Woodward, and Helen Goldwyn.
The Doctor keeps promising a vacation to his two companions but can’t quite follow through. This time, they find that the planet Taleeria has been invaded by the Dominators with the aid of their robotic henchmen, the Quarks. The Doctor gets separated from Harry and Naomi, ending up being enslaved by the Dominators. Of course, the Doctor uses his proximity to the galactic conquerors to sabotage their plans. Meanwhile, Harry and Naomi have their own challenges lending their talents and experience to the resistance effort, not sure if their Gallifreyan friend is still alive.
The Dominators is not the most highly regarded television serial from the Troughton era among the fans, but Dorney actually manages to make them more interesting in spite of their stupid name. Clive Wood, in particular, was great casting as Director Draga. The Doctor displays a little more despair about his predicament than he normally would, but it does not make him unrecognizable. Baker continues to remain as compelling and enthusiastic as ever in his performance. The Quarks are not as menacing as I believe the original writers had hoped, but the effects are well used.
I think this story is the stronger one out of the two presented here, but yet again both are still worth the time.
It’s a pretty good release, and Dorney actually accomplishes something of a creative feat by making the Dominators more compelling than in their introductory story.
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