Starring Alex Kingston & Paul McGann.Written by Matt Fitton & Directed by Ken Bentley.
As shocking secrets are exposed, and a grand plan for the universe is revealed, River decides it’s time she took control of events once and for all.
Out in deep space, a clandestine society faces off with an ancient and powerful alien force – but, for River, there’s an added complication.
The Eighth Doctor has been caught in the middle, and she must make sure her future husband can arrive at his own destiny with all his memories – not to mention his lives - intact…
And so, we enter the final part of The Diary Of River Song. After a slightly faltering start, the third story in the set really upped the game and so, with the stakes as high as they could be, the onus was on The Rulers Of The Universe to deliver. And, for the most part, I thought The Rulers Of The Universe did deliver, with a really strong story and some amazing acting. I wouldn't say it's perfect, and it does suffer from the law of diminishing returns, but I did think that it was certainly one the stronger episodes in the set, and it's a very strong finale for the first series.
This story, more so than the other three, is very plot heavy. We return to the party setting of the second story, and we finally see the grand extent of what the Rulers are planning. It's unnecessarily complicated, but considering that it's Bertie's plan, that seems to fit. The way they draw the eighth Doctor into the story is interesting, and then you've got River coming into the story. It does get complicated quickly, but Fitton keeps the whole thing carefully controlled. There are four main elements to this story: the Doctor defeating the SporeShips, River defeating the Rulers of the Universe, the Sanakuma and the meeting between the eighth Doctor and River Song. Out of the four elements, I'd say that the defeat of the Rulers is probably the most interesting. It takes the complicated temporal shenanigans of the Moffat era, and uses them fantastically to show off River's modus operandi. It's probably the first time that we get to see how River manages to use her own intelligence in order to outwit the enemy, without the use of a gun. For the most part, the Rulers are written out about twenty minutes into the story, so it's sadly an element that doesn't get that much exposure. It did almost make me quibble about the title of the episode as well, but Fitton has seeded the idea that, like the Rulers, the Sanakuma also play with the development of planets. It's an interesting idea - after all, are they any better than the Rulers? Or are they much worse? It's not really given much time to be examined, since the story is jumping around, trying to resolve the important plot threads, but at least Fitton tries to subtly convey that aspect to the listener. But, despite the aspects of the plot that try to stand alone, most of this story is very much about tying up everything that the three previous episodes set up. What most surprised me about this story, however, was that it didn't just feel like an extra-long info dump. Fitton manages to keep the pieces of information well integrated into the story, and there isn't a scene that just feels like it's answering everyone's questions about the arc. That being said, this whole episode is centred around the arc, so it's not really the place to start with this set (which, let's face it, some fans might have been tempted to, what with this featuring the eighth Doctor), so I don't know by how much that mitigates any good points that the episode might have. For some people, a story that can't stand alone is automatically bad, which I'd have to disagree with. After all, a story with long-running elements can be excellent, and can serve to enhance the stakes and what the story is batting at. In Rulers' case, I think that it's both a strength and a weakness, as while some of the concepts and elements the episode is using feel slightly undeveloped in favour of resolving the story arc, the already introduced elements do give the story a rising tension that certainly aids the second half of the episode. I suppose in that sense, the episode is bound to suffer from the laws of diminishing returns - it's one that works on first listening, but after that, I don't think this is an episode that will be rewarded by repeated listens.
Of course, the big draw about this story is the meeting between the eighth Doctor and River Song. Sadly, however, it's not the meeting most fans were probably expecting. Because of the complicated nature of River and the Doctor's relationship, at this point the pair of them are unable to meet in person. So, while Fitton gives the bulk of the 'doing stuff' part of the episode to the Doctor, River is sadly shoved on the party ship, giving the Doctor instructions via radio. Certainly the first couple of scenes between the pair aren't quite as fluid as they could be, but once we've got over the hiccup of how they are in contact with each other, their interaction is actually quite wonderful to hear. The Doctor accepts she's a mysterious figure, but if perfectly happy with the mystery. He sees a kindred soul in River, and the connection that the pair of them make across their scenes is really nice to hear. It's just a pity that River doesn't have quite as much to do as in the previous episodes of the series, but it's an inevitable part of the plot of this one, so it was only natural that River would be away from the action. I certainly would say that Alex Kingston plays here part fantastically in this, now totally in command of the role on audio. Certainly, at the beginning of the box set, she was a little tentative about stepping into the audio medium, but now she's as confident as any of the other actors who have appeared in these stories. As for the eighth Doctor, The Rulers Of The Universe is the furthest into his timeline Big Finish have gone to date, as we see him involved in the Time War. He's certainly slightly more hardened than the Doctor of Doom Coalition, and he has, of course, donned his Night Of The Doctor costume. It's certainly a different approach to the eighth Doctor than has been taken before at Big Finish, however it's not quite as radical as some might have hoped. However, I don't mind so much: after all, the eighth Doctor here is on the outskirts, not inside the war itself. Therefore, he is perhaps more like the Doctor of old, and, of course, his interaction with River has probably softened him a little. Paul McGann is as fantastic as ever, really knowing how to pitch each scene perfectly, and really keys into the fact that this is a very different part of the eighth Doctor's timeline that's being entered. The little Time War references were perfectly placed in the story, and I like the fact that the Doctor is actively using the devices of war in this story, which were some nice innovations on Matt Fitton's part that I could really see being included in the TV series. The rest of the cast is relatively small, probably to allow for the most amount of time between River and the eighth Doctor. Both Bertie and Isabella from the second story return, and while they are just mostly background characters here, they are still just as interesting as they were before. Particularly Isabella, who gets a great final comeuppance at the hands of River, and one that allows us to show just how devious and spiteful she is. She's fantastically played by Imogen Stubbs, who once again comes close to stealing a couple of scenes, she's that excellent, and possibly gives one of the best Big Finish guest performances in some time. As for Bertie, he's not quite as key to the story as I might have liked, however is an excellent foil for River, and Alexander Vlahos is once again fantastic in the role. This proves that he isn't just good as Dorian Gray, but at a wide body of parts, as Bertie is very different to Dorian. Finally, the cast is topped off by Aaron Neil as the Sanakuma master, and he is excellent, really conveying the dramatic nature of the 'first race'. In this story, they may not have an awful lot to do, but they are presented as suitably menacing, and with plenty of interesting elements that, while not being completely explored in this story, are still interesting, and possibly warrant a return to look at.
The production of this story is as fantastic as it is on the previous three stories of the set. Ken Bentley really has an easy job with this story, as the actors he's working with are such pros. However, he doesn't put a foot wrong, and directs the story with a really solid hand, letting the performances come through, as befitting the special occasion. The calibre of cast he has assembled across the set has been fantatstic, even if they haven't been given roles that befit how good they actually are. Howard Carter's music and sound design also deserves a mention, as it is as strong as it has been throughout the set. It's no wonder Big Finish have got him to do all the new Who releases, as he has a consistently excellent tone that makes these releases such high quality in the sound department. This is topped off by a wonderful cover from Tom Webster, who's design work throughout the set has been as standout as Carter's sound design. It's nice to see such a high quality brought to the covers, and Webster far outstrips everyone else at Big Finish at the moment, as far as I'm concerned. He just keeps producing amazing, memorable works.
Overall, while there are flaws with The Rulers Of The Universe, it's great cast, confident storytelling (bar the set up of the eighth Doctor and River's interaction) and excellent production make it more than worthwhile. It's definitely not perfect, and it's not the highlight of the box set like some were hoping it would be, it's definitely a strong finish, and much better than the first half of the set. This first series of The Diary Of River Song didn't have the strongest of beginnings, but once River was established and the tone was consistent, I thought there was a marked improvement. I certainly hope they can maintain the good work done in the second half of this set in future River Song adventures at Big Finish.
Rating - 8/10
Other Reviews of Big Finish Products:
The Innocent - COMING SOON
The Thousand Worlds - COMING SOON
The Heart Of The Battle - COMING SOON
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