The Dr Smythe and the Forge arc continues. The Doctor believes he has found a cure for the Twilight virus so they return to Norway to find the young woman he and Evelyn left there at the end of the last story. But two years have passed and the good Doctors soon find themselves prisoners of the mysterious Forge organisation. And while the villain Nimrod tries to extract the secrets of regeneration from the Doctor, Evelyn is giving up some secrets of her own.
The Forge are an evil version of Torchwood, collecting and studying alien technology. They are fascinated by the legends of the Doctor and seize on the opportunity to strap him to the examination table. As the cover image shows there are two Doctors for the price of one in this story, which involves some time hopping and a face to face disagreement. There is also a twist which is a bit obvious I'm afraid.
Terrific performances all round. I was particularly impressed by Maggie Stables who has some very difficult moments to convey and does a fantastic job. I also liked Rosie Cavaliero as Cassie, and Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy are as good as ever. I had high hopes for the character of Nimrod but unfortunately he was more of a stereotypical villain in this episode, and Stephen Chance didn't get the opportunity for the philosophical clashes with the Doctor that I listen for in these dramas.
It goes without saying that the production values and sound design are great, I did find the incidental music slightly obtrusive in places but on the whole this was another cracking instalment of this developing arc. Project: Lazarus gets 3.5 out of 5 Cardigans and Cat broaches. Next up will be release 57 - Arrangements for War.
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