Doctor Who review: The War Master: The Edge of Redemption
By James Aggas
The War Master is sent on a mission, and he needs a team to help him, in the opening episode of his latest Doctor Who spin-off box set Hearts of Darkness.
The latest volume of Doctor Who spin-off series The War Master kicks off with an extremely intriguing opening scene. The Master has been hired by Narvin from the C.I.A. (short for Celestial Intervention Agency, in case you were wondering) for a mission. He’s been assigned to track down the Doctor, stop him, and even kill him if necessary.
What is the Doctor up to? Why are the Time Lords so keen to track him down? Is he really so desperate to stop the war completely, or is there another explanation? It’s an extremely bold opening scene that makes listeners ask a lot of questions right from the start, and it sets both the overall story and the tone of Hearts of Darkness nicely.
The rest of The Edge of Redemption focuses on the Master assembling a team together, specifically on the planet called – yes, you guessed it – Redemption. We’re given a depiction of a whole city – if not a whole world – living in rather desperate circumstances, with so many just struggling to survive. Naturally, this means that the Master has plenty of willing recruits to choose from…
Seán Carlsen returns as Narvin in this episode, pictured here with Derek Jacobi (The Master) and Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks) for last year’s War Master box set Anti-Genesis.
Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions
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A heist story
David Llewellyn clearly had a lot of fun playing with the heist format for this episode. The Edge of Redemption is an episode that’s very focused on bringing a team of very different people together, all with one mission: to help the Master track down the Doctor. The complications they face just trying to gain a ship off-world make this a very entertaining listen.
The characters themselves stand out well, with each following a particular archetype commonly found in heist movies. There’s the organizer, the thief, the cat burglar – everyone has a clear role to play.
All of these characters are very different, so you’d expect the story to focus on them completely clashing. But, while these team members do clash occasionally, Llewellyn also makes sure to give them plenty of great little moments to grow closer. We learn about their own personal history, and each of them gets to find something to respect or admire about each other. There are several close bonds formed in this episode – bonds that sadly don’t last beyond it…
The Edge of Redemption is a great opening episode for Hearts of Darkness. It makes it clear that’s it part of a larger narrative, but it works well at being an entertaining opening story. A solid way to kick off the War Master’s latest box set.
Next. Review: The Paternoster Gang: Rulers of Earth. dark
Do you enjoy a good heist story? What’s your favorite example in Doctor Who, both on and off the screen? Let us know in the comments below.