Morbius the Mighty is a recent Doctor Who audio play and adds to the increasingly compelling series, The War Doctor Rises presented by Big Finish Productions. Jonathon Carley continues his ever-improving impression of the late John Hurt as the War Doctor, that incarnation that was rejected by the other Doctors for his dramatic resolution of the Time War. Tim Foley is the script writer while Bethany Weimers serves as director.
The guest cast is comprised of Samuel West, returning as his version of the tyrannical Time Lord, Morbius, alongside Sheila Ruskin, Gareth Armstrong, Theo Solomon, and Pamela Novete. Nicholas Briggs also returns to the sound booth voicing the Daleks.
The War Doctor has been poisoned with a substance that keeps him from being able to travel in time. He is in seclusion on a rather peaceful planet and is tended to by a nurse named Cora, formerly of the Sisterhood of Karn. The Time War continues to disrupt the cosmos, but the War Doctor has been able to find one of the few sanctuaries that have yet to be affected. In the meantime, an ancient evil has been resurrected, and Morbius has a consuming grudge against the Doctor. The War Doctor is compelled to re-enter the fight, and not even Morbius may be ready for what his old enemy has become in order to battle more effectively.
Foley is becoming a pretty consistently interesting contributor to the series. He does indulge in a rather shameless ripoff of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that I found a little distracting, but he later owns that in the exclusive interviews, so I wasn’t quite so annoyed.
West has a great interpretation of Morbius. He has played the role before for Big Finish and really brings out this silky, charismatic menace that is quite a treat to listen to. Morbius has a companion of his own in the shape of a Time Lord known as Judd, played by Gareth Armstrong. Armstrong is a great addition to the cast as well.’
The relationship between the War Doctor and Cora is quite interesting as well. There is kind of a prickly affection between the two of them, which is a familiar dynamic in the series, but Foley uses that trope quite effectively here.
Carley continues to display immense talent in his efforts to flesh out this conflicted and at times ruthless version of the Doctor. The War Doctor still has characteristics of his other selves, but he is the one better suited to fight in a cosmic conflict of this magnitude. He is certainly the one best able to stand against Morbius.
The action sequences will likely take some re-listening to get a better sense of what is going on. The final faceoff between the War Doctor and Morbius also pays off. In a strange way, there is something inspiring about the War Doctor’s willingness to get back into the fight in spite of his condition. He also throws out some typically mocking barba at Morbius that make me enjoy this chracter more.
Anyway, it’s a strong addition to the series. The post-production work continues to be done with stellar attention.
Morbius the Mighty is likely to be considered one of my favorites in recent years.
