Lion Hearts [AUDIO/2021.6.22]

★★★☆☆

  Who would've expected the Tharils of all races to make another appearance in Dr. Who? It's a really random idea that's given a surprising amount of thought and credence thanks to Lou Morgan's dedication to make their involvement less of a celebratory gesture and more a deep dive into how all sorts of races were influenced by the Time War. Tasked with rescuing old friend Biroc, the Doctor finds himself with a dilemma of morality and possibility, and Jonathon Carley makes another solid impression on me by bringing the War Doctor alive with much success. He may be Big Finish's standout discovery of this decade yet.

  Lion Hearts goes straight into discovering whether the Doctor's moral compass changed for the new incarnation, whether he's willing to sacrifice the lives of innocents for the "greater good", and the answer is... does it matter what the truth is? This Doctor is never going to care about what others think of him, and under the watchful gaze and ire of the Time Lord pen-pushers, he's willing to make it look like he blew up a bunch of innocents while in reality holding his previous morals close to his hearts and saving everyone in the nick of time. This audio drama is basically an elongated fib told to the Time Lords so that they're happy with the Doctor's change, while he carries on fighting the good fight and saving people whenever he can -- and using the double framing device to tell that lie while the story itself is technically showing us the truth (only omitting a few facts until the very last moment) is a good way to spice the boxset up. Forged in Fire is shaping up to be a very strong boxset indeed.