Sylvester McCoy was the last of the original Doctors. And I will fully admit that I didn’t embrace him. He came across as a bit of a clown and his stories were written with almost a disdain for the series. At least that is how I felt back in the late 80s and early 90s. Having said that, through Big Finish I have come to really enjoy McCoy.
The Dark Flame is main release #42 and has the Doctor teamed up with his constant companion Ace. They are actually travelling to meet up with the newer companion of his at times Bernice Summerfield. They wind up in a situation with a cult like supernatural being who is mind controlling people, raising the dead, and setting out to manipulate the universe with his evil and destroy it all.
As a writer there is a standard idea that the villain doesn’t see themselves as the villain. It isn’t really a trope so much as a matter of perspective. The idea that someone is outright doing things to be evil is a bit odd, to be honest. Their plans and manipulations are usually for a goal. It’s just that often that goal doesn’t take into account the well being of others, so they become perceived as a villain. Hell, McCoy as the Doctor was known and seen as a manipulator. Not telling companions and allies what he was doing because it might impact him achieving what he was trying to pull off.
And in this story, we see the manipulator Doctor. When someone dies and he is accused of not trying to help prevent it, his response is basically that he isn’t worried about the one who died as much as the one behind it all that caused his death. Which has often been something people accuse Doctor Who stories of embracing. And each Doctor has their own personality in many ways. Their concern for others changes with the actor portraying the Doctor.
This story isn’t one I enjoyed very much in a big picture way. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all Doctor Who. But this one was a villain that didn’t fully make sense to me and a setting that felt very contrived. Imagine any tv show that you love to watch, and think about the shows that felt like filler. The ones that are part of a season but not memorable. That’s this. And if it was something that could just be downloaded and listened to, great. But if it is a $5 purchase… Well, $5 isn’t too bad (I went and checked the Big Finish site.) And with that in mind, I am going to go with a 6 star review here. It was worth a listen and I do enjoy it, but this cd is likely going on a shelf and will never be pulled out by me again.
My reviews of these are going to feel a bit random at first, but I want to touch on early releases and different Doctors. So I will likely be doing Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann in equal measure and jumping around a bit (except McGann who I will do in order.) Before I shift to the newer releases. The older ones are also really easy and cheap ways to get a $5 download to try these out.