Doctor Who: Once and Future: Past Lives Review
Reviewed by Gustaff Behr.
Big Finish has kicked off the 60th anniversary festivities with the first installment of their new eight-part adventure, Once and Future: Past Lives. The basic premise is that the Doctor is suffering from some kind of regeneration sickness that is causing him to regenerate unexpectedly. This setup is similar to the one for the 60th anniversary television specials later this year, but there are some key differences. Let’s take a closer look.
Past Lives chooses, in my opinion, to wisely and quickly answer the question of how the Doctor is regenerating up and down his regeneration cycle. Instead, it sets up the mystery of who has caused this to happen. The story takes place during the Time War, but it is deliberately unclear whether the Doctor being affected is the War Doctor or the Eighth Doctor. However, given the lack of an early cameo by Paul McGann and the TARDIS interior shown in the video trailer, it is reasonable to assume that it is indeed the Eighth Doctor.
The narrative quickly gets to work incorporating the other guest stars. It should feel rushed, but given how the Doctor reacts to his unique situation, it really is funny and in character for him. The Doctor is following the Monk, who he believes is to blame for his predicament. Rufus Hound’s performance as the Meddling Monk is easily the best part of Past Lives. It is always delightful to listen to his wonderfully moustachioed and entertaining version of the character, which is arguably the best incarnation of the lot. When it was announced just how many widely unique guest stars this story would feature, I was concerned that Mr. Hound would draw the short end of the stick. Thankfully he doesn’t.
However, the same cannot be said for Sarah-Jane Smith, played by Elizabeth Sladen’s daughter, Sadie Miller. For a good chunk of the story, Sarah-Jane feels like a surplus character. While she has some plot relevance and her reunion with the “Fourth” Doctor could have made for a unique encounter, I just couldn’t stop worrying that something in this story would damage that wonderful episode. And it does, in a way, for me at least, but it’s difficult to judge based on one episode. Unfortunately, Sarah-Jane isn’t utilized much beyond being needed by the Monk.
The same cannot be said for UNIT. Over the years, Big Finish has done wonders for Kate and Osgood, portraying them as strong, capable badasses rather than barely competent legacy or fandom-insert characters. This continues in Past Lives. At first, I wondered how the two of them fit into the de-regeneration plotline, but Robert Valentine manages to sew the narratives together using the Monk as the catalyst. Interestingly enough, most of the episode’s callbacks, call forwards, and references take place during the Doctor’s encounter with Kate and Osgood.
The Highrev, the bipedal creatures on the cover, are perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story, but not for the reason you might think. I find their backstory very attention-grabbing. Unfortunately, due to the abundance of other balls being juggled here, it is not given nearly enough attention to make these dinosaur warriors stand out as anything other than another Doctor Who alien villain. However, this is only the first of eight episodes, so things may change.
Overall, Past Lives is an unusual start to the arc. Part of me believes that this story would have worked better without Sarah-Jane or even the UNIT gals. At times, it feels like the glue holding everything together is just barely managing to do so, with the Monk serving as the catalyst for the various plotlines. To its credit, the story introduces many questions that hopefully will be answered, and it sets up the stakes for the next installments successfully. Additionally, it features some impressive references that will make listeners do at least one spit-take. And my god look at that trailer!
