Doctor Who review: The Innocent begins the War Doctor’s own series in a surprisingly low-key way

Back in 2015, the release of The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous was a huge moment for Big Finish.

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

For a limited time only, Big Finish has made the first episode of Doctor Who: The War Doctor available for free. How is it as an opening episode to his own series?

The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous was a pretty major Doctor Who release for Big Finish back in 2015. Not only was it the first time that John Hurt had played the role since fiftieth-anniversary special The Day of the Doctor back in 2013. It was also the start of an era of his own, with no other Doctors to distract from his story.

Even more than that, it was also Big Finish’s first major dip into the Time War, at least in terms of their releases back then. While these days, we have several different series set during the war – including The Eighth Doctor, Gallifrey, The War Master and, later this month, Susan’s War – The War Doctor was the first major dip into it.

How would Big Finish explore this? How would the opening episode of the series begin? Would it focus on a big, epic battle across time? Would we see the worst of the Doctor, as he had to make truly terrible decisions in order to survive the conflict? Exactly how would the first exploration of the Time War by Big Finish truly begin?

Recovery

As it turns out, rather different than expected. Oh, the opening episode begins with a battle, certainly. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that The Innocent begins with a battle’s end. It sounds like a pretty major one too, as the Daleks prepare to make their “final” attack on Gallifrey.

Obviously, this being the start of the series, they don’t succeed. I won’t say how, but it does connect to an extremely early Dalek story. More than that, it seems to hint that this is the start of the War Doctor as an old man – he survives a powerful weapon, but at a terrible cost. He needs to recover.

And that’s what The Innocent is primarily about. Yes, flashbacks and hints of previous battles feature throughout the episode. But the primary focus is on the War Doctor’s gradual recovery on Keska, a world far removed from the Time War. No, more than that: it’s about the Doctor forming a brief but strong relationship with someone, during perhaps the worst period of his many lives.

The Innocent establishes the War Doctor’s own series in a surprisingly low-key way.

Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions

Potential companion

And that’s what makes The Innocent stand out nicely as a story on its own terms. While it is technically the first episode of a three-parter, and so features hints and clues of a larger story, the story of the Doctor’s friendship with Rejoice is what drives this particular episode.

In many ways, Rejoice comes across as perfect companion material. She’s eager to help the Doctor, even when he doesn’t want to be saved. She’s smart, and she’s not afraid of making big decisions. But there’s also an innocence to her (pun unintended). She’s seen war, but nothing like the battles that the Doctor’s faced. She understands that, while the Doctor thinks the worst of himself at this point, he’s far better than he believes himself to be. She’s a great character, especially for this particular Doctor, and Lucy Briggs-Owen is great in the role.

Speaking of characters, the story does introduce us to a couple of key players in Big Finish’s Time War audios. One of which is Commander Veklin, your typical Time Lord soldier who never questions orders and just wants to get the job done. Played by Beth Chalmers, she also appears in several episodes from Eighth Doctor series Doom Coalition (set before, but released after The War Doctor), and will soon be appearing once more in Susan’s War.

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Ollistra

However, the biggest character that this story introduces us to is Cardinal Ollistra. Perfectly played by Jacqueline Pearce – best known to British sci-fi fans as the evil Servalan in Blake’s 7 – Ollistra essentially represents what the Time Lords have become in the Time War. This episode just introduces us to the character, so we don’t exactly see her at her scheming, manipulative worst. But we still get a sense of both her power and her desperation to win the war – at any cost.

In some ways, The Innocent is a surprisingly low-key beginning to The War Doctor. Focusing on who the War Doctor is after he’s already exhausted from the Time War is a bold move, especially as The Day of the Doctor had already explored similar territory.

But at the same time, it’s great to get a deeper exploration of this particular Doctor. We’re given an idea of how he thinks of himself and how he’s so utterly exhausted from the fighting. Unsurprisingly, John Hurt is just perfect in the role, giving us a take on the Doctor that’s unique and with so much depth. His relationship with Rejoice is a real highlight of the episode – in fact, it’s what makes The Innocent stand so well on its own terms. While the rest of The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous is strongly recommended, The Innocent still works extremely well as an opening story.

Have you checked out The War Doctor: The Innocent yet? Do you think it’s an effective beginning for The War Doctor‘s own series? Let us know in the comments below.