Eyes of the Master [AUDIO/2014.2.12]

★★★★☆

  To prove my theory that attitude and confidence of the production carry most of these Dr. Who adventures, Eyes of the Master is set up to be the exposition extravaganza of the early Dark Eyes saga but turns out to be one of its most enjoyable. It's all down to how polished the production is (Dark Eyes in general, I think, is one of Big Finish's pinnacles in terms of sound design and direction -- like a sleek early-2010s action blockbuster) and how strong the performances are, and Alex Macqueen is on fire here as the Master. I've always loved his incarnation, but with a new lease of life and a driven purpose, Macqueen is ferociously entertaining as his take on the age-old enemy and seems to delight in taking the piss out of the Doctor every chance he gets. Paul McGann truly feels like an old hand here, guiding the newcomers along the tried and true wacky world of Who while delivering a solid performance, mixing the brevity of his earlier years and seriousness of his (at the time) newfound Dark Eyes persona. To listen to these two interact and hate each other's guts is profoundly fun.

  If Eyes of the Master accomplishes one thing, it's that it almost single-handedly reinvigorates the spark for the Dark Eyes saga. DE2, for the most part, seems to find its feet for the first three installments of the series; this adventure changes all that and sets clear its goal towards an epic confrontation between the Daleks and the Eminence -- and it's all happening in 1970s London with one of the main set pieces being an optician's office! Gosh, I love Dr. Who. With Wilfredo Acosta bringing in a whole heap of memorable music to set the tone, Eyes of the Master simply flies by with an exciting story and a heap of great characters.