2 episodes. Approx. 50 minutes. Written by: Eddie Robson. Directed by: Lisa Bowerman. Produced by: David Richardson. Performed by: Caroline John, Joe Coen, Kyle Redmond-Jones.
THE PLOT
When UNIT comes into possession of a damaged computer from a crashed alien ship, Liz Shaw is ordered to try to repair it. She is prohibited from telling the Doctor anything about it, lest he unilaterally destroy the machine. This leaves Liz in the care of UNIT Corporal James Foster (Kyle Redmond-Jones), who has been left on guard after the last two scientists who tried to study the computer were zapped into apparent nonexistence by a security device.
Liz disables the security device, but not before Foster also falls victim to it. Fortunately, help arrives in the form of Sergeant Andrew Childs (Joe Coen), a UNIT computer expert who guides Liz through making repairs. It isn't long before the two accidentally trigger something, however, transporting them to a series of bizarre corridors that look strikingly familiar.
Which is when Liz realizes where they are. They have been miniaturized and taken directly into the machine!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: Since this is a full-cast audio drama set during the Pertwee era, it's unsurprising that the Doctor has a limited role. He's not completely absent - Liz reads messages from him from terminals inside the computer - but this story sees him discussed rather than observed. This story shows Liz having a more negative view of him than we've otherwise seen, with her describing him as patronizing and unwilling to listen - qualities which don't actually reflect the characters' interactions on television or in other Companion Chronicles.
Liz Shaw: Some of this uncharacteristic attitude might be because Liz is strongly considering leaving as this story unfolds. Yes, this is another "Liz leaving UNIT" story, which has been dealt with in no less than three of her five Companion Chronicles. Surely this particular dead horse has now been punished enough? In any case, Liz no longer feels useful at UNIT, constantly overshadowed by the Doctor and too rushed by crises to ever have a chance to do "proper research." While this is plausible enough for the character, I prefer the explanation given in The Sentinels of the New Dawn, that Liz simply got worn out by the constant series of crises that is life with the Doctor.
THOUGHTS
It's fair to say I was looking forward to Binary. It's an audio that pairs Eddie Robson, one of Big Finish's most reliable regular writers, with Liz Shaw, one of my favorite companions. With a promisingly bizarre premise involving characters transported inside an alien computer, all the pieces are in place for a terrific story.
Which makes it all the more disappointing that this story falls so utterly flat.
Binary is an unusual Companion Chronicle, in that it's not an enhanced audio book like most of the range. Save for a brief Liz-narrated epilogue, this is a straight audio drama. This isn't quite unique among the range, with Solitaire and The Jigsaw War having also been full-cast audio plays. Those stories succeeded in creating more immediacy by presenting us with situations that were directly unfolding. This story fails, however, with the often overly-expository dialogue actually creating more distance between listener and story than would have been the case with narration.
It's not the format that's to blame, though. It's the story itself. From the usually clever Eddie Robson, this is depressingly predictable. Sure, there's a reveal in Episode Two. But it's one that most listeners will see coming from at least half an episode away. It was so predictable a twist, in fact, that I felt secure that something more must be coming. But instead of an even bigger reveal, what we get is... the same exact twist used a second time, to even weaker effect.
At 50 minutes, this is one of the shortest Companion Chronicles. Despite this, the story feels padded out. The situation comes down to a decision by Liz. The final scenes, in which she reaches that decision, are actually quite good, the story's best by a considerable margin. But a lot of what connects Liz figuring out she's inside the computer and her making that decision feels... Well, like a narrative that's running in place.
That leaves me thinking that this would have made a better Short Trip or 30-minute Doctor Who Magazine freebie. There's really only enough story here to carry about half the running time, leaving a lot of dead space in which the listener is left to wait for the characters to catch up with the story and do something to move things along.
Even the production is far weaker than the norm. There's nothing actually faulty about it, but there's no sense of spark, life, or atmosphere. I'm not picturing Liz, Childs, and Foster inside a giant alien computer; I'm picturing actors delivering dialogue into their microphones. A rare "off day" for director Lisa Bowerman.
A few good scenes, mostly near the end, keep this from ranking with the worst Big Finish titles. But with a thin story and a weak production, I can't think of much reason to recommend Binary. A significant disappointment.
Overall Rating: 3/10.
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