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Doctor Who At Big Finish: Throwback Thursday - The Judgement Of Isskar

Released: January 2009
Range: The Main Range 
Range Number: 117



Starring Peter Davison, Ciara Janson, Laura Doddington, Nicholas Briggs, Raquel Cassidy, Andrew Thomas Jones, Heather Wright & Jeremy James 
Written by Simon Guerrier 
Directed by Jason Haigh-Ellery 

On a planet where time stands still, the Doctor meets a woman who is just a few minutes old. She is a Tracer, sent into our Universe by her makers to locate the six segments of the Key to Time. This being without a name wants the Doctor to be her assistant, but she doesn't tell him the whole truth. Not at first. 

Their first port of call is Mars, where a society that one day will become Ice Warriors lives in peace and civility. But the Doctor's arrival will change all that. The universe is dying, a choice must be made, and the Judgement of Isskar will be declared.

The price must be paid - even if it takes centuries...

The Judgement Of Isskar is a story that has divided fandom since it's release. Certainly, many have agreed that it deals with the problem of only having three stories and a tie in Companion Chronicle in a six story arc, however for some, this story (and the whole Key to Time trilogy) is an very, very poor trilogy, and Judgement Of Isskar is a poor opener. However, in my view, The Judgement Of Isskar is a very solid introductory story that gets the listener back into the swing of the mechanics of the Key to Time stories and also gives us a more intriguing look at the Ice Warriors genesis than previous examples of Doctor Who origin stories have been. It does all add up to an enjoyable opener, but also a frustrating one. 

The plot certainly jumps about in both time and space a lot, however that's no real bad thing. Simon Guerrier's comments in the CD extras about this being like a Flash Gordon story, and that's quite true: it is very much like that sort of story that would fit in with that genre of space opera, only updated for the 21st Century. One thing that this format is the danger to be rammped up, as it reflects the nature of the scenario. That was one thing that the original season didn't do quite as well, as, for the most part they seemed more like normal Doctor Who stories with the format bolted on. However, at times, this quickened pace means that certain segments of the key are collected with suprising speed. This is a massive issue with the story, particularly episode 1, because it makes it feel less dramatic and gives some of the segments a easy work kind of feeling. They just happen so fast that, at times, it feels like the difficulty of getting these segments has been drained away. The story of how the Martian race became Ice Warriors is something that doesn't seem as obvious a story, so instead of doing a story similar to Genesis Of The Daleks or Spare Parts, Guerrier has instead taking the root of discovering why they became the monster, rather than how. That's a good idea, and, while it certainly doesn't get as much focus as it should, it's still a pretty good plot thread. And through Isskar, we get to see how the Warriors change. It's lovely to at long last hear about how the Warriors were forced to abandoned Mars, something alluded to heavily in the 2000 audio Red Dawn. However, the story just doesn't give this storyline as much time as it should, having to deal with the Key to Time plot and the exposition surrounding it. It's certainly nice to have a series where not everything is said at once, and it's kept back to be revealed at a later date, unlike the original series. There may be a massive info dump still at the beginning of the series, but it does hold back some details for a later date.

The character in this story are, sadly however, not as interesting as they could be. Amy and Zara are a bit too generic for my liking, however that might smooth out over the course of the trilogy. The Valdigian characters are also sadly not very interesting, but with generic facets. Mesca - the reasonable and sweet. Wembik - the wicked, embittered sister. Thetris - heavy muscle with a loyalty to his queen. In fact, that seems to be the same case with most of the characters, meaning that the story is much more interesting when it's dealing with the plot, rather than with the characters. Even the Doctor seems a little fudged, unlike Guerrier's usually strong understanding of the regular characters. He seems to want to run away more than usual. Really, only Isskar seems to have some real depth, as an Ice Lord with some real questionability. He's not just a good or a baddy. And Nicholas Briggs is perfect, really getting a chance to voice a complex character, not just shout or hiss. However, the rest of the cast aren't quite as impressive. Peter Davison isn't quite as strong as in his stories with Nyssa and Peri & Erimem and Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington are just not as interesting as they could be. The dynamic between the three of them isn't quite as strong as it should be. Whether that's acting, or writing, I don't know, but it does cause a few issues. The Valdigian actors are also encumbered by the vocal effects placed on their voices. They are unable to express themselves properly due to the technical effects restricting the emotional levels. And I was never sold on Andrew Thomas Jones' performance as Zinc. Really, the cast are either average or restricted by vocal effects. I think that Jason Haigh-Ellery's direction should have been a lot taughter, but that seems to be an issue with most stories he's helmed. Unlike Nick Briggs or Barnaby Edwards or Ken Bentley, he doesn't quite hold the play together. Coupled with some inconsistent sound design from Simon Robinson, it doesn't work together quite as well as it could. 

The Judgement Of Isskar is one of those stories that suffers from some plotting, directing, acting and post-production problems. However, that doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable, and in fact it does entertain for a couple of hours. Just don't expect a miracle, but it's a story that will entertain. 

Rating - 6/10

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