Doctor Who review: The Emporium at the End reintroduces a great villain

The universe is ending in the final episode of Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Unbound Universe, which means only one thing: time for a closing down sale at The Emporium at the End! But who is the mysterious Manager…?

After having a Doctor focused story with Planet X and a Bernice focused one in The Very Dark Thing, the final episode of Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Unbound Universe features more a balance between the two leads. Both the Doctor and Bernice get an equal share of both story and character exploration in The Emporium at the End, which is satisfying to hear. But they’re not the only interesting individuals in this episode…

With this story, we learn quite a few more secrets about David Warner’s Doctor. It’s clear that the war that had nearly destroyed his universe had affected him badly. But I’m not sure we knew how badly until this episode. We learn about choices he made during the war, drastic decisions he made to save the universe. And these revelations make Benny feel more uncertain about this Doctor than ever before.

Focusing on a shopping center is the second strangest thing to do with a story set around the end of the universe (the first naturally having been written by Douglas Adams in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe). But Emma Reeves does a fantastic job of balancing the comedy with a very real threat with her story.

The Doctor and Bernice meet the mysterious “Manager” in The Emporium at the End. But who is he really?

(Photo: Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield – Vol. 3: The Unbound Universe.. Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions)

The Manager

That threat is in the form of the mysterious “Manager”, played by Sam Kisgart. (Who may or may not be related to Mark Gatiss. I think I heard a rumor that one owes the other money or something.) Is the Manager just someone who’s out to make a profit? Or is he someone far worse?

It’s extremely obvious who the “Manager” really is (even if listeners hadn’t heard Kisgart’s previous performance in the role in Sympathy for the Devil). But interestingly, neither Benny nor the Doctor know. In the former, it’s because she’s not from this universe, while with the Doctor, it ties to the secrets he’s kept to himself about the war.

Both Reeves and Kisgart have a lot of fun with this character. Reeves writes the character to be charming yet sinister in equal measure, and Kisgart just rolls with it. He has some great scenes with the Doctor due to their shared history, but they’re equally brilliant with Benny, as there’s a real sense of chemistry between the two.

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An open secret?

One thing that’s odd is that, like a character’s secret in IT: Chapter Two, “the Manager’s” identity is never explicitly revealed, even though it’s really obvious. (Sam Kisgart is even credited as the character’s actual name for the release! And yes, the irony of Kisgart actually being credited for the part hadn’t escaped me!) However, this isn’t a huge problem. Especially since Kisgart returns in the very next box set.

Overall, The Emporium at the End is a nice way to round off The Unbound Universe. Like other episodes in the series, it’s full of strange ideas. But it’s also a strong and interesting story in its own right, with a very effective villain.

Even better, it also leaves things open for the next box set, Ruler of the Universe. And that’s great. Because as strong as The Unbound Universe was, Ruler of the Universe is even better. In fact, it probably gives us one of the best Doctor Who stories from Big Finish…

Have you listened to The Emporium at the End? Or any other performances of Sam Kisgart? Let us know in the comments below.