Doctor Who review: UNIT: Silenced – In Memory Alone
By James Aggas
The Silence is ready to leave planet Earth, in the final episode of Doctor Who spin-off box set UNIT: Silenced. But they still have one final move to make against humanity…
UNIT: Silenced has quite an unusual structure, at least compared to other volumes of the Doctor Who audio spin-off. House of Silents felt like a typical opening story for the team, one where they face an alien threat all guns blazing. The middle two episodes – Square One and Silent Majority – were a little more closely linked, and gave us something closer to a conspiracy thriller. The final story, In Memory Alone, is set months later when UNIT is convinced that the threat from the Silence is over. Or is it…? (Spoiler alert: it definitely isn’t.)
Having a box set where the main characters either completely forget about the enemy or think the threat is resolved is a risky move. But it just about works with a monster like the Silence. UNIT is constantly facing an enemy that can step back into the shadows very easily, without them even knowing about it.
What also helps is that the consequences of each story help to set up the next. Just as House of Silents leads into the grand plan seen in the middle two episodes, the ending of Silent Majority helped to set up the Silence’s new plan. Creating a feeling of mistrust and paranoia all over the globe, the Silence knows that they don’t have to worry about destroying humanity. Because this time, humanity will destroy itself…
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Silence in space
In Memory Alone features a brand new setting, this time in the form of an orbiting space station. We get to hear both Osgood and Sam Bishop in a new environment, and unsurprisingly, Osgood is very happy to be in space. When things go wrong on the station, however, it’s up to Kate and UNIT to find out what’s going on and prevent a catastrophe.
Storywise, In Memory Alone might be my least favorite episode of the set. House of Silents kicked off the box set really well and did a great job of reintroducing these major Doctor Who monsters. Square One and Silent Majority upped the stakes considerably while giving us a great mix of conspiracy thriller and political commentary. It also made things quite personal for the team when one of their own was under control of the Silence.
In Memory Alone doesn’t have those personal stakes. While the world itself is definitely under threat, there isn’t quite as much conflict in terms of character drama in this one.
That’s not to say that the finale isn’t enjoyable at all. While the personal stakes are low, the Silence is still able to create a significant worldwide threat. There’s also plenty of tension created by the fact that UNIT no longer believes that the Silence is still active. Can they realize the truth before it’s too late?
In Memory Alone does a decent job of wrapping up UNIT: Silenced. It may not be the strongest episode of the set, but it provides a strong threat for UNIT to face while dealing with the Silence once and for all.
Next. Arthur Darvill returns as Rory in new audio spin-off next year!. dark
If you’ve listened to UNIT: Silenced, do you think In Memory Alone wrapped up the story well? And do you think Big Finish should use the Silence in other stories? Let us know in the comments below.