I got around to The Dimension of Lost Things this morning, my review is here.
Though on my own blog, I review box-sets as package deals, so here’s the “Final Thoughts” section here as it holds some of my mixed feelings on the box-set as a whole. It may come off as rather negative, but I feel in the individual story reviews that preceed it I’ve made clear enough that I greatly enjoyed these stories.
Some thoughts on the set as a whole, with some very mild spoilers
The Fugitive Doctor Adventures is no doubt off to a strong start, effectively reintroducing Jo Martin’s Doctor, introducing a long-term rival in Cosmo and building up mysteries to explore. All three stories are winners individually, though as a whole there are a few issues. There seems to be a lack of cohesion with the Fugitive Doctor herself, her characterisation doesn’t quite feel consistent between each story (something that perhaps they’re still feeling out). Going from the first story to the third there’s also a sense of having missed something, with the Doctor now not seeming to know that what Division wants her for is secrets held in her memory or even what Division is, even though Fast Times opened with her on a Division mission. The fan brain does present a possible theory that would explain the inconsistency, running with an idea from the third story, though it doesn’t feel like something the series will explore.
As well as this her relationship with Cosmo isn’t allowed to build organically, briefly meeting her at the beginning of the set, her being absent in the second story, only for the third to treat them as though they’ve known each other a while as touched on in the story’s review. With their dynamic likely to be a key part of the ongoing series as a whole this is a bit of a disappointment. Only time will tell how things are handled from here.
Another thing that runs through the box-set is the repeated visits to Earth, a brief history of New Mexico in Fast Times, 1600s Russia in The Legend of Baba Yaga and 1920s Mount Everest in The Dimension of Lost Things, while trips through history are appreciated (and a Fugitive Doctor pure historical has to be on the wish list) it would be nice for some future episodes to keep away from the Earth entirely, especially when the series’ main conceit is that the Doctor is a fugitive trying to stay a step ahead of her pursuer.
As often gets brought up in reviews on this blog, Most Wanted does not come with any music suites, this is a shame with the latter two stories having such good soundscapes. Also conspicuous by its absence this go around is the lack of a reverse cover, usually Big Finish releases come with an alternate edit of the cover art to match the branding of the era it’s based on, but in this case the 2018 logo is nowhere to be found. The Fugitive Doctor lacks her own arrangement of the title theme as well, which may be disappointing to some after John Hurt’s War Doctor received his own though this is far from a deal breaker.
Back to some positivity, all three stories were still enjoyable on their own merits with The Legend of Baba Yaga being the standout. If you’re a fan of the Fugitive Doctor and on the fence, know that in terms of story quality you won’t be disappointed, if you’re looking for answers to the big mysteries you won’t find them here though Most Wanted builds up many of its own that will ideally be explored more deeply in future (and one particular mystery raised by the TV show is flirted with here, albeit it not definitively answered, which many fans will enjoy).