REVIEW: Doom Coalition 2

Doom Coalition 1 (review here) was deliberately tantalising - setting up plot threads, introducing characters and generally hinting at 'something bigger' - which meant that this follow up had a lot to live up to. Luckily, the second set in the four-box saga is no disappointment, far from it.

(It's worth noting that spoilers follow, don't do it to yourself!)

For me, Doom Coalition 2 boils down to two big themes. Firstly, that the Doctor does make mistakes which have repercussions. Secondly, that absolute power is bad and can corrupt.

We begin the set with Beachhead, the latest in the long line of doomed attempts for the Doctor to treat his companions to a holiday. It's the equivalent of someone saying how happy they are in a soap.

Here, the Doctor returns to the scene of a mistake made by his third incarnation. Inadvertently, the Doctor, Brig, UNIT and co missed a whacking great Voord spaceship buried under a beach after investigating reports of an alien craft. The character of Phillipa Gregson brings home the emotional results of this error - recalling the impact it had on her now late husband who went the rest of his life with people believing he's been wrong to say he'd seen such a thing.

This is the strongest part of a story that is resolved a little too simply, with the Voord suffering a swift defeat at the hand of the Doctor and his companions. The demise of the Voord home world does, however, set the intrepid trio back on a mission.

It takes them to the second story Scenes From Her Life, yet another sterling effort from John Dorney. This is a clever tale that teases the listener with flashbacks and catches you off guard with a few twists. The idea of a decaying Tardis stuck in the vortex gives the story an intriguing backdrop that is perfect for a tale in which you never quite feel you know what'll happen.

In the end Helen and the Doctor are duped into setting Caleera free and giving her the dangerous power she now seeks. Seeing the character's back story is a smart move and allows her to instantly feel like a well-established villain. The way in which we realise the true identity of Lord Stormblood, Lady Sepulchra and Swordfish feels macabre and a worthy pay-off.

So, after two stories in which well-intentioned mistakes are key - we move onto the next central theme in The Gift. While this doesn't quite hit the heights of the previous story the San Francisco earthquake setting helps create a tense tale.

McGann has a tough test here - verging from near-madness to defiant hero in a matter of minutes. It's a challenge that he meets with aplomb, of course. We should never take for granted just how good Paul's performances are though.

While the first box didn't quite nail the tricky 'finale' slot, The Sonomancer was probably my favourite of this second set. If 'San Francisco on earthquake day' gave The Gift a sense of pace and danger then the planet of Syra on the verge of destruction took it up a notch further.

This is a loud, fast, entertaining finale, peppered with great characters and suitably dramatic confrontations as the Doctor tries to face up to Caleera (the eponymous Sonomancer) and Liv squares up to the returning Eleven.

The addition of River Song just adds to the entertainment value here. Kingston's inclusion naturally causes you to sit up and take even more notice and she oozes quality in her interactions with both companions along the way. While she clearly can't meet her future husband, River certainly helps him out and then - at the end - intriguingly helps the Tardis crew on their way.

Taken as a whole, this is a box set that is greater than the sum of its parts. While Beachhead and The Gift didn't quite have the standalone quality of The Red Lady in the first set, they feed nicely into the broader themes and support Doom Coalition 2's stronger two stories. It's a collection of stories in which there is, aptly, a greater sense of 'doom' and yet still, tantalisingly. a sense that there is even more to come in boxes three and four, with hints that Caleera and The Eleven aren't acting alone.

Finally, it's worth noting how quickly the Doctor, Liv and Helen have come to feel like a classic line-up. The speed at which they've become firmly established is testament to the writing and performances of all involved. When the Doctor goes off on his own, it's fun to hear Liv and Helen form their own Doctor/companion dynamic. While I like Liv's character, the addition of Helen certainly gives the stories something extra that they might otherwise be lacking.

I'm already looking forward to the next outing for this team in October, when the Doom Coalition saga starts to head to its conclusion. Thrillingly, nothing about this feels remotely predictable, even eight stories in.

The cover for Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 3 by @tomwebsta. Pre-order now! https://t.co/po5w37Ye64 #doctorwho pic.twitter.com/i3d5FCmSUa

— Big Finish (@bigfinish) July 21, 2016