The War Master: Only The Good

Things Die. It's Just What They Do.

The War Master: Only The Good

By far, one of the best things Big Finish ever did was sign on Sir Derek Jacobi as The War Master and give him an entire four box set series merely on his star value and that he was in Doctor Who for five minutes. It is for a reason Sir Derek Jacobi is counted among fans as an incarnation of The Master, and not one of his disguises, simply because he was just that astonishing in Utopia, with his ability to turn on a hat. The character is entirely based in his popularity, the demand for it was probably the only reason the set was commissioned, and the demand is solely because of Sir Derek Jacobi's innate quality as an actor, and one of the best examples of one who has ever been born.

I'm going to try actively to not talk about Sir Derek Jacobi in this review. Why, you ask? Because Only The Good could have been Only The Monstrous. A Disappointing and Mindless Dalek runaround with no meaning behind it, helmed by one of the best actors of our generation. Sir John Hurt and Sir Derek Jacobi are equals. You could have swapped their roles and they would have played them out exactly the same. They're both far and away the best thing about their boxsets, but the thing that makes Only The Good that much better than Only The Monstrous is the writing, and everyone else but our Sir Derek Jacobi pulling his weight, because face it, the man doesn't have to try to turn in one of the most astounding performances ever written.

Beneath The Viscoid By Nicholas Briggs

A standalone introduction to the status quo, Beneath The Viscoid is ultimately irrelevant other than as an introduction to what this series will become. Funny it's so good despite that.

Beneath the Viscoid is a triumph of sound design, writing and I mean, above all, Sir Derek Jacobi, but I'm trying not to mention that. It's a piece of gripping edge that brilliantly shows the darkness the series is all about. The War Master is a series about a horrible person doing horrible things in the name of good, and getting away with it. The War Master does, frequently do the right thing Maybe it's a side effect. But then he'll cross the moral horizon like that. Everything he does in this series is in the name of averting a larger evil. And then once he does, he may then commit an extra murder. 

Who cares? He just saved a civilization. He may have just. But it will only ever be for himself. It's a fascinating look at a character, and even if you instantly know (which you will) what Beneath The Viscoid is building up to, it still doesn't make it any the less effective. The series does not pull any punches, and even if Torchwood is superficially darker, (alright, on occasion is, but it does have plenty of fluff) The War Master is the blackest Big Finish release, by far. He'll do anything to benefit himself. This one is free off of the Big Finish website, and I beg you to download it. It is a requirement. 9/10

The Good Master By Janine H Jones

Decent. The Good Master uses it's superficial and distracting title that doesn't fit the story at all, literally in any way, so if that's worrying you, don't. The low point of the box-set, although to be fair, the low point of a War Master box set is like the low point of...I don't know, just it's not really that noticeable, because the series is so good it doesn't matter. The best bit in this one is a striking bit of writing where The Master monologues about the stars going out and you get a feel that he genuinely wants to save them... Look, this one introduces Jonny Green and that's all you need to know about it.

It's fine. 7/10

The Sky Man by James Goss

I'm not being hyperbolic, calling this one one of the best things Big Finish have ever produced. Bleak, Beautiful, and Depressing as all get out, The Sky Man is an exercise on how you can literally do all that you can do, and it sometimes won't be enough. It's difficult to say what makes this one positively perfect without spoiling it, but just the mood and imagery of it is spectacular. This is what I mean when I say the War Master is dark. Gorgeously sad and melancholic, the Sky Man will break you. I reiterate I am not being hyperbolic. 10/10

The Heavenly Paradigm by Guy Adams

Somehow equally good, The Heavenly Paradigm is a hell of a conclusion to a boxset, utilizes The character of The Master better than the other three releases combined, and is all about a extra dimensional time lord warehouse of doom hidden behind the facade of a pretty little English house, which is also a gorgeous metaphor for the seemingly kindly War Master himself. Like The Sky Man, talking about what makes this one great is difficult, because it heavily leans on the impact of The Sky Man. But it's pretty exceptional in it's own right, the idea of opening the cupboard under the stairs and finding an entire world of weaponry and death is fantastic, and the setting only serves as a backdrop to the gorgeousness that unfolds beneath it. I can't not talk about Sir Derek Jacobi at this point. He's phenomenal. Like otherworldly in his prowess in this role. But that's beside the point, because this is another 10/10 release, and possibly one of the best boxsets Big Finish has ever made. He's The Master. You Will Obey Him. 

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