Hello! I haven't written a post on here in a while, so it'll be great to get back to reviewing some stuff more often. If you don't know, we now have a podcast, so be sure to check that out in the link on the homepage. Today, I'm gonna review the 2001 Big Finish story, Spare Parts. This story really pushed Big Finish to new places, and I thoroughly recommend giving it a listen.
Beware: Spoilers lie ahead.
The Mondasian Cybermen, ever since I first watched World Enough and Time // The Doctor Falls, have captivated me for the sheer creepiness and grittiness that they emit. The disfigured, cloth face and the haphazard tubing and chest unit make these cybermen the scariest looking, and combined with the out-of-tune, tone-shifting, almost broken voice and the primary focus on actually turning humans into Cybermen these Cybermen are far and away my favourite.
2001's Spare Parts is a brilliant look into their horrifying creation, but the story is refreshingly simple. It's a classic doctor-gets-mixed-up-in-important-event-in-time dilemma, and doesn't try any tricks. This simplicity is one of the reasons that it's such a great story, as it really gives time to explore the character moments that led to the creation of (in my opinion) Doctor Who's greatest villain.
The conditions on Mondas are portrayed horrifyingly well, as you root for the unlucky citizens to survive the icy atmosphere, despite knowing their shocking fate. The actual Mondasians we meet, like Yvonne and her family and Thomas Dodd are very relatable, because they are us. This is what makes the story so heart-breaking, especially in the scene where it is revealed that Yvonne has been converted. All of this character work adds to the sense of discomfort that this story portrays so effortlessly well.
Peter Davison is on absolute top form too! He conveys the Fifth Doctor's sense of unease at the knowledge of Mondas' future just so well. I always enjoy when the Doctor knows the future of an event while he's living through it; it creates a fascinating dilemma (like The Waters of Mars) and Davison gets it, delivering one of his best performances in my opinion.
Sarah Sutton is really great as Nyssa in this story, and I'm glad it's only her and not Tegan as well (sorry Tegan, just not a fan.) I love all the call-backs to Adric, and both Davison and Sutton perform all those scenes very well.
Most of the story is absolutely exceptional, leaning on gritty body horror. But then, they had to ruin it. The ending was so rushed, neglecting the gritty first hour-and-a-half, resulting in an ending that really left a sour taste in my mouth. The fact that the Cybermen didn't actually come from this (although allowing World Enough and Time to exist) is so annoying, as it just destroys the work they put into creating the bleak misery from the first three parts.
So, apart from the resolution, this Big Finish audio drama is exceptional. I would highly recommend listening to it. It's actually free on Spotify and Apple Music, like a lot of early Big Finish stuff, so if you subscribe to any of those sorts of platforms, you won't have to spend a penny to listen to it. (not in that way.)
Thanks for reading! As always, check out our Podcast. I'm currently working on embedding the podcast feed onto the blog, so keep an eye out, but until then, to listen, just click this link. We hope all our readers and listeners are well! Check back every Tuesday for a new Episode of the podcast. I'm really going to try to push out more and more blog posts, including an ongoing review series of every single Paul McGann Eighth Doctor Audio Drama.
But until then, keep wandering!
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