Arrangements for War

This is unlike any Doctor Who story I have ever heard, and I am glad for that. In what other Doctor Who story can you constantly hear beautiful music and brilliant sound design, a companion falling sweetly in love, and the Doctor becoming a wonderful mentor to a young royal lady? (And playing the third wheel a lot, which was amusing.)


I understand that this audio came out a year after Project: Lazarus, which is odd because it is a direct continuation of that story--albeit a few hours later in the TARDIS. The Doctor and Evelyn coming to terms with each other and what just happened was, once again sad, but handled well. The way Evelyn storms off, and the Doctor's cautious way of acting around her, is just a preview of the way their relationship is strained and threatening to snap in this audio. It doesn't help that they spend most of it apart from each other.
I can't think of a more lovely visual than the Doctor, in just his shirt, braces, and blue pants skipping stones across a lake talking to a young lad about relationships. Some people might think it's a bit twee or cheesy, but I really liked it. Both Evelyn and the Doctor meet the Princess Krisztina, but it's the Doctor who really gets to spend more time with and influence her. I don't think he's ever gotten this close to someone that's not a companion, perhaps besides the Brigadier. His relationship with Krisztina was very sweet ("You're one hero I couldn't bear to lose") and I wish they'd gotten more time together.
Another relationship that didn't turn out the way it could was Evelyn and Rossiter. I know that she goes and gets married to him eventually, but they don't get much of a good-bye before Evelyn has to rush off after the Doctor in the end.
Parts one through three were great, but things got rather confusing in part four. After Pokol starts firing into the crowd, it's never really said how the Doctor and Kriszta get out of there unharmed. I know that aliens were attacking (which was another weird thing--who were the Kellorans, exactly? Why were they attacking?) and so things were rather hectic, but still. It could have been more coherent.
One more thing--it seemed rather strange, at yet the same time rather nice, that all the technology and politics were a lot like Earth's--cars, phones, different time zones (when does that happen in Doctor Who?), trains, espionage. Vilag was basically Earth, except with different people and geography. I wonder why author Paul Sutton chose to do this.

All in all, a lovely, sad audio that I'll probably give a re-listen. I can't wait to go back to Evelyn, Rossiter, and the planet Vilag in Thicker Than Water.