Big Finish's celebration of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary continues with the August release of, "Doctor Who:  Once and Future:  Two's Company."  In case you're just joining us, the Doctor was hit during the Time War with some kind of device that's caused a so-called "degeneration crisis" that has him flipping between past incarnations.  This month sees the 6th Doctor teaming up with a motley crew of Jackie Tyler, Lady Christina, and the beloved Dr. Harry Sullivan, as the Time Lord tries to figure out how to save himself.

Does this random collection of characters work?  To cut to the chase, not really.  This installment feels like a collection of assorted threads thrown together in hopes of creating an interesting story, but it all falls flat.  We get off to a rough start with an appearance from the 3rd Doctor (voiced by Tim Treloar) that seems to be thrown in just to make sure every Doctor shows up at some point.  Also, Christopher Naylor's take on Harry Sullivan is more of a generic sense of the man, rather than a impression. 

It's impossible for Camille Coduri to be boring as Jackie Tyler.  However, she's the only real spark in the cast.  We were excited to hear Michelle Ryan return as Lady Christina, a character who deserved much more than just one TV appearance in the modern era.  However, Lady Christina doesn't bring much here, apart from some mild nostalgia.  Almost any character could have filled her role in this tale. 

Colin Baker is fine as the 6th Doctor, a role which fits him like a glove.  It's just that he was so much more engaging as the Curator in "Once and Future:  The Artist at the End of Time," it's hard not to be a little disappointed here.  This Doctor doesn't seem to have much more use for Harry Sullivan than the 4th one did, and there's not much to take from their reunion.  However, #6's dealings with Jackie Tyler are fun.  No matter the incarnation, the Doctor and Rose's mom seem destined to butt heads.  However, it's clear that Jackie trusts the Doctor when it counts. 

When it comes to the villain, we're pretty sure you have to be familiar with Big Finish history to fully appreciate this individual's backstory.  If you don't already know who they are, this threat can come and go without making much of an impact.

As for the story itself, written by Lisa McMullin, it's the most timey-wimey chapter of the "Once and Future" series so far, given that the Doctor is dealing with past and future associates.  We always enjoy those kinds of adventures, so the 66 minutes does go by quickly.  There's just not much to remember when it's done, apart from wondering why a certain character seemed to put the pieces in place to help the Doctor.  Other "Once and Future" have been better with nostalgia, answered questions about the TV series, or opened all sorts of doors for the Doctor's future.  This one moves the, "what kind of gun was used on the War Doctor" question one step forward, and...that's about it.

We've enjoyed the "Once and Future" series to this point, but you could miss "Two's Company" without much regret.  Now we start the countdown to September's release which will see David Tennant interacting with Michelle Gomez.  (We're still hoping that pair will somehow meet during this year's TV specials.)  How does the War Doctor turn into a future iteration?  No idea.  How terrific will it be to listen to Tennant and Gomez together?  We're guessing outstanding, and hopefully it will rebuild some momentum, as we head into the last part of this celebration.

See you next month!

"Two's Company" never really clicks.  (pic via bigfinish.com)