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14 July 2025
This review contains spoilers!
I really like this episode, I do. But I'm a little frustrated by it as well. Once again I feel like Gallifrey has too much going on, and it has to move too fast and this doesn’t give enough time for events to have as much impact as I'd like. This isn't always the case here to be fair. I'll explain my problems as I go through the episode.
So the fast half of the episode is mostly political scheming. Yes there's some more information on the broken man, and there's a subplot about one of the new offworld academy students trying to poison the water supply before being stopped by Andred. But mostly it's our main cast talking to each other. In fact it's mostly Darkel meeting with each of our cast in turn, trying to manipulate them in some way. Now on the one hand this is a great thing, because Lynda Bellingham is absolutely killing it as Darkel. She's so deliciously evil that it's fun watching her scheme and growing to dislike her. She actually may be too sinister in her delivery honestly, because it feels like people should see through her attempts to manipulate, but the performance is such fun that I'm happy to go with it. The small issue I have with this is that there are so many scenes of Darkel meeting with and manipulating characters that it gets a little repetitive. It starts feeling like a chore to keep track of all her manipulations, and it might've had more impact if this scheming was a little more spaced out.
I generally do like this however, but I was beginning to worry that this was going to be another episode with too much time spent setting up too many pieces, and that the series was going to get a bit too overstuffed and messy again. Luckily in the second half of the episode, we start getting to payoffs to all of the setup. And hoo boy, do we get some payoffs.
The best payoff is the reveal of the broken man. The broken man is a future Wynter, who gets possessed by Pandora in this episode. The horrifying audio recordings of how Wynter sustains all of his injuries whilst possessed make an already shocking reveal all the more shocking, viscerally so. His screams in anguish and the excellent sound design make for a powerful scene, that may be a bit much for the more sqeamish listener. It's a tragic end for a very likeable new character.
The other big payoff here is Braxiatel's story. This I'm much more mixed on as although I love the new status quo it leaves for the series moving forward. A lot of this feels far too rushed. For example, Braxiatel becomes the new chancellor, officially making him Romana's second in command. But this lasts less than half the episode because by the end he's exiled. So this episode gave us a new status quo for Gallifrey, but never lets us live in it, before immediately taking it away and replacing it once again with something new. I get that Brax becoming chancellor was narratively a stepping stone to get us to where we end up. But the way it plays out in this episode feels rushed and inelegant.
Essentially Brax gets his promotion, although he's aware that Darkel is trying to frame him as the person who released Pandora (all revolving around his access codes being the ones used) and the political threats closing in on himself and Romana. Then Pandora possesses Wynter and escapes the Matrix, going down into the vaults. Here Brax confronts Pandora, who is tempted by Brax's ambition to become President and begins feasting on him. Brax is able to contain Pandora (well the past & present versions. There's a future version still out somewhere) within himself. The catch being that he must leave Gallifrey forever, and can never interact with any Time Lord again, for fear of releasing Pandora. He gets to leave under somewhat heroic circumstances, even being allowed to keep his title of chancellor. Then Narvin makes his breaking of Gallifreyan laws (meeting with future versions of himself to create his Braxiatel collection) public, forcing Romana to publicly distance herself from Braxiatel by officially exiling him, also he can no longer keep his title.
This all happens so fast though. His confrontation and entrapment of Pandora basically all happens in between scenes. We never get to hear any of this. It's just one scene Pandora wants to take over Brax, and then the next scene Brax has already trapped her. He became chancellor halfway through the episode, but by the end of the episode he isn't. He's allowed to keep his title as he leaves Gallifrey, for maybe 3 minutes then he's been stripped of said title and exiled. None of these plot points are bad by any means. In fact I think they’re really good. But they never get to really land, because we have to speed through 6 more story beats before the episode is over.
I would've liked this episode to actually be 2 episodes. The first episode should've been all of the political intrigue stuff, including Brax becoming chancellor. We'd have had more time to spend with all of this, meaning the Darkel stuff could've been a bit more spaced out for one. We'd also get more time with the Gillestes poisoning the water & Andred's redemption subplots, both of which also feel rushed in this episode. Then at the end of episode 1 we get Wynter's possession by Pandora and the reveal of the broken man as a cliffhanger.
Then episode 2 could've focused on Gallifrey fighting to locate and contain Pandora. Leela & Andred would lead the hunt for her in the vaults, giving this pair plenty of time to work through their issues together. Romana & Brax could be overseaing this mission whilst dealing with Darkel's schemes closing in on them. We'd get to see them working as a team, and become more invested in Brax as Romana's closest ally and 2nd in command. Then when we hear his ambition to become President, we can take some time for this to feel like a betrayal for Romana. When Brax traps Pandora, loses his job and his title, then leaves forever (although I doubt he's gone forever) it’ll feel more impactful if we actually spent a little time living in the first new status quo, before switching to the second new status quo.
Alternatively just start the series with Brax already chancellor. Romana & Brax already feel closer this series then they did last series. So just make this not only a character development, but a story development. They're not only better friends now, but incredibly close politically. Show them working closer together because Brax is now essentially the vice-president. I just think it'd mean a lot more when Brax loses his job and his title if we actually spend some time seeing him actually doing the job and earning the title.
But on the whole I really like the story here. I just find it frustrating that once again there feels like there’s too much of it, and too much feels rushed as a result. But the Wynter/broken man reveal is excellent. The Braxiatel & Darkel character developments are excellent. The fact that Romana now finds herself without her strongest, most trustworthy political ally, leaving her the most exposed she’s probably ever been in this series, all while Darkel is making her power plays is a great place to leave the episode. I want to know where all this leads, I just hope it doesn’t lead to too many places in too short a time.
Smallsey
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My ancestress.
GrannyPertweeshnaya
Undoubtedly, the best episode in the entire history of the show, forever inscribed in the history of world science fiction. I especially want to highlight the scene featuring the Granny Doctor. This is the most important thing you need to see in the classic episodes.
This comic has everything. A surreal, mind (and time) bending story with incredible lore elements about the omniverse and the Glory. The Master and the 8th Doctor face off in an amazing fight of will and Kronos cements himself as the one of the shortest but brightest companion of the 8th Doctor. A Cyberman whose Upgrading went wrong and ends up with emotions is a cool concept too, wish he appeared in more stories before this last one. And the end to Sato's arc is quite powerful too.
And last but not least, the art in this one is off the scale. The Omniversal Spectrum panel is a work of art.
MarkOfGilead19
The Doctor and Peri are on Magnus, where an old friend, or rather, bully of the Doctor is also present. They're not the only 'old friend' who awaits them...
The return of Sil and the Ice Warriors (might be a spoiler, but they're on the cover!). This would have been the second or third story in Colin Bakers cancelled series.
Peri does a lot of 'Whats happening Doctor', "Will that work Doctor", "They're shooting at us Doctor" some of this I can put down to the fact that this was meant to be seen and Big Finish are trying to keep it authentic, but I feel that some of it is just the writing.
The Timelord thats introduced at the beginning kind of disappears, and Sil doesn't really do much. The Ice Warriors turn up at the end of part one - Its is a classic Doctor who thing, but with only two episodes I feel that they shoud have come in earlier. The Ice Warrior voices are not great on audio, and can be difficult to understand at times.
The story is set on a world dominated by women with a small amount of males. This is addressed at the end of the story but in an unrealistic and cringe worthy way. Maybe when this was written it might have been ok, but it just sounds awful.
I listened in dribs and dabs, due to lack of time, but then perhaps if it was more interesting I would have stuck with it more. I do think the story has its problems; Anzor - why introduce him when hes barely in it, or does anything? Part one seems like a waste of time (though I did like it).
I'm not saying this story is bad, BF have done worse, but I think it needed more work - not a negative point against Big Finish, they've bringing the lost stories to life and have tried to keep it as it was.
Seagullslost
This is in all likelihood my favourite among the Fifth Doctor television stories. There's so much I like about this one, but what really stands out to me is the brief time we get to spend with our TARDIS crew enjoying Cranleigh. The Doctor actually gets to play some cricket, while Nyssa and Adric get fun little dance numbers. After Adric's character basically descended into little more than whining while travelling with the Fifth Doctor, while Nyssa largely felt wasted entirely, having a story that actually shows both of these characters in a more positive and active role in a story was incredibly refreshing.
The story itself beyond the fun and memorable setting was also pretty good. Cranleigh just had this look to it that really helped it stick out from your average Doctor Who story. And costumes behind this one I found very impressive and stuck with me in a positive way. I liked the whole angle of Nyssa and a potential doppleganger, and also enjoyed the whole thing with the harlequin. The story behind this mysterious figure really worked for me overall.
I guess the cast didn't care much for this script at the time of filming - that's a bit of a shame because I really liked this story and its premise. It reminded me a bit of a classic stage performance like the Phantom of the Opera - both that musical and Black Orchid rely on a relatively simple premise, and both productions in my opinion pull it all off with a lot of style and energy. Overall I think these episodes are a bit of an underrated gem among the Fifth Doctor's original TV run.
dema1020
This is a really interesting look into conspiracy theories but through the lens of a Torchwood investigation led by Captain Jack. The first story of Big Finish’s Torchwood series sets up the Committee quite nicely, and shows several brilliant moments for Jack. The sound design is fantastic and doesn't overpower the story.
kawaii2234
The TV show never once implied that Ianto was involved in a 9/11.
The ending made me go from half-heartedly enjoying this story to falling in love with it, such a perverse way to end it. I love twisted endings, specially in short stories like this one.
Kroton should be used way more, such a shame I have read everything he is in.
As a student of linguistics I was quite looking forward to this audio. Unfortunately, I must admit I don't really get the hype.
The Ish itself isn't as interesting as it could be. Honestly, I think the premise is flawed; there's only so much you can do with a virus that erases your vocabulary, and while the audio does mention the implications multiple times we aren't really given liberty to focus on them.
A big problem I have with this story is establishing English as The Language of the future. I have never been a fan of the use of English as the default in sci-fi; I much prefer the concept of the universal translator or a "Universal Standard" conlang. English being the end-all be-all reaks of colonialism.
The story itself is fine. A little convoluted and confusing, and the ending feels pretty rushed while the middle sags. The first episode is good and I like Peri and Warren's initial interaction. The word association games are fun.
uss-genderprise
Hell yeah, now we're talking.
I can't argue with the general consensus on this one - it's really really good. Certainly the best 8/Charley story so far, and between this and Invaders from Mars I feel like Paul McGann's 8th Doctor is finally clicking for me. Soft spoken and gentlemanly, but plays his cards very close to his chest; cogs constantly turning in his head because he fancies himself a bit of an amateur sleuth. Perhaps also a bit too reserved for his own good, harbouring a deep loneliness in ways that might impact his companions down the line...? Put a pin in that thought.
I've seen some people cite this as a good jumping on point for getting into Big Finish, and I respectfully disagree. I'm following the Web of Time arc that makes up the first stretch of 8 and Charley's adventures, and some of the reveals in this are absolutely CRUCIAL for that ongoing story and won't make much sense unless you've at least listened to Storm Warning - 8/Charley's first story. So I'm definitely glad I've decided to follow this arc in chronological order, even if it's been a little hit and miss so far.
Don't get me wrong, though, this isn't a Moffat-style overly serialised self indulgent mess. Indeed, Robert Shearman's writing is incredibly well balanced - meaning this still works as a brilliantly atmospheric self contained story, and the ties to Charley's paradox and the overriding themes of death and free will feeding into the main arc are just an added bonus. Speaking of added bonuses, it's a Christmas special! Set in an Edwardian house that harbours a murder mystery (and quasi-ghost story), the atmosphere is deliciously dark and eerie - offset by lashings of the absurdist gallows humour that I loved so much about the other Shearman story I've listened to, The Holy Terror. Ideal for a gothic Christmas tale within the time loop paradox trappings only Doctor Who can provide, with an ending that legitimately tugs at the heartstrings.
Yeah, this one's great. Absolutely check it out (but not as your first BF story).
DogerRelgado
Survivors Of The Flux starts moving all the pieces into position for the final chapter, but it’s pretty thrilling setup as we follow The Doctor, trapped on a satellite in the boundary between universes by her wicked stepmother, Yaz Dan and Jericho on some globetrotting Tintin escapades trying to find a clue to the earth’s future extinction event, Bel and Vinder as they nearly meet, Bel being recalled in her Lupari ship to defend Earth, Vinder captured in a Passenger by Swarm, and the long game played by The Grand Serpent while posing as the human Prentis, inveigling his way into UNIT infrastructure from the very beginning so that he will be in a position to deactivate it by 2017 to allow the next wave of Sontaran invasion forces in 2021.
This is an imaginative, bold take on Doctor Who, and I really love it, pretty much top to bottom. There is one significant misstep, though, and it’s one that showrunners make occasionally in New Who, where they stumble across some really juicy idea that should probably have taken a whole season to resolve but they wrap it up by the end credits. Tecteun is so promising, so calculating and cold, consumed with her own sense of power and warped priorities, and she’s been pulling the universe’s strings since the very beginning, and her plan is hideously evil, what a great addition to The Doctor’s rogue’s gall…oh, never mind, she’s been dissolved. This is on par with the fumble of Melody to River in Let’s Kill Hitler, like I don’t know about you, but a back half of S6 where Melody, who has been trained since childhood to assassinate The Doctor, tries to hunt him through time and space with all River’s cunning leveraged for evil sounds quite a bit more sensible and compelling than what we got, but…oh, never mind, she’s back to normal River now, glad we made all that space for Night Terrors and Closing Time lol. So I do find that choice disappointing, but it is quite unexpected, and it does emphasize that Swarm and Azure are a significant threat, and there is something appropriate about Tecteun’s hubris being the thing that destroys her. Compelled to note what an absolutely amazing set the Division lair/lab is, gorgeous to look at.
But credit where credit is due, The Grand Serpent storyline has been seeded all the way back to the hilarious call center joke in Resolution, that UNIT has folded and can no longer be depended on. I don’t know if Chibnall always planned this specific reveal as to why, but I love this choice. You could ask “so The Brig and The Third Doc never noticed this alien hanging around the place,” but they do make it clear that he’s time-hopping through the latter parts of the 20th/21st Centuries, he’s probably avoiding The Brig and Doc on purpose, only surfacing when necessary to substantiate that he’s still around and make his next power grab. His attack is really pretty unsettling, I love it. And what a joy to have Kate Stewart back; because she’s a full recurring cast member in the 15 era, I had forgotten quite what a long gap it was between Zygon Inversion and this, and the show is better when she’s around (just maybe not for EVERY season finale lol). Jemma Redgrave is just a very credible actor, I like her standing up to The Serpent very much.
And so we move into the final chapter! Swarm advances on The Doctor intending to disintegrate her, a chameleon arch containing her whole lost past sits tantalizingly near, The Serpent lowers Earth’s defenses to allow the Sontarans to invade… 4/5
OliverGreene
This was an okay outing for this TARDIS team, although I'd hoped for better given its a companion introduction story! I really liked part 1, but part 2 lost me and despite the shorter runtime it dragged a little bit for me. That said, I greatly enjoyed getting to meet Marc and look forward to his next adventures! It was interesting bringing Cicero into the mix, granted its not made me want to check out BF's Cicero range.
Jamie
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!
"THE WELL – A FAITHFUL TRANSLATION THAT STRUGGLES TO CLIMB OUT OF THE DARK"
Gareth L. Powell’s The Well is a Target novelisation of Sharma Angel-Walfall and Russell T Davies’ Doctor Who episode from Season 2, and it brings with it the daunting task of translating a high-tension, highly visual base-under-siege story into prose. While it largely succeeds in deepening character perspective and capturing the desolation of the setting, its effectiveness is hampered by the limitations of the format and a few questionable pacing choices.
FROM FILE TO FICTION
One of the novel’s cleverest structural additions is the inclusion of trooper personnel files between chapters. These short interludes offer assessments and biographical snippets of the supporting cast—those sent to the inhospitable remains of Midnight to infiltrate an abandoned research base. In a story where many of these characters die before we’ve had a chance to know them properly, these little dossiers are a welcome flourish. They lend texture to an otherwise thinly-sketched group and add a faint trace of poignancy to the story’s attrition rate.
We also spend more time inside Shaya Costallion’s head. Her rigid leadership, tactical decision-making, and subtle insecurities are explored in more detail, allowing for a clearer sense of her motivations and internal conflicts—though she still doesn’t entirely emerge as a rounded character. The Doctor’s internal monologue is similarly expanded, particularly his emotional reaction to being back on Midnight and his fears about the entity that dwells there.
MONSTER MEMORIES AND META REFLECTIONS
There’s a brief interlude that revisits the Midnight episode, with Ten and Donna, serving as a primer for those unfamiliar with the creature’s original appearance. It’s a helpful if slightly redundant inclusion—seasoned fans will likely skim it, but it allows newcomers to grasp the gravity of the threat.
More intriguing is the way the entity itself is given a voice—or at least a perspective. Powell dips into its point of view at key moments, capturing its alien hunger and chilling fascination with humanity. However, some of its logic seems subtly altered. In the TV episode, the horror lay in the simple visual of something walking behind Aliss. Here, the rules are more complicated—reframed around positioning and line of sight—which makes the threat less immediate and arguably harder to visualise.
STRAIGHT TALKING AND STALLED TENSION
Powell’s prose is clean and direct, but it occasionally veers into dryness. Attempts to enrich the narrative with tangents—like the Doctor musing on why so many aliens have humanoid forms—are intellectually interesting but ill-placed. These interruptions often arrive mid-crisis, undercutting the urgency of scenes that should be accelerating.
The biggest hurdle is that The Well was always a visual and aural story. The horrifying creep of the Midnight entity, the tension in its stalking silence, and the slow-building paranoia of the group under siege—all were conveyed on TV through performance, direction, and sound. In prose, these elements lose potency. The moments where characters begin to repeat questions and react with rising dread, which felt authentically chaotic on screen, read here as circular and exhausting. The fear becomes abstract, not visceral.
And while the book captures the setting—the rocky ruins of Midnight, the deep pit of the Well, the horror-laced atmosphere of the base—it doesn’t quite replicate the episode’s sharp pacing. Instead, the novel tends to plateau emotionally during extended action sequences, where the impact of the deaths and rising paranoia dulls with repetition.
THE DOCTOR RETURNS TO MIDNIGHT
Fifteen is well-rendered throughout, his dialogue intact and his emotional core perceptively expanded. His familiarity with the monster and his internal conflict over facing it again are handled with care. The novel does an admirable job of giving us a more rounded picture of his headspace, and of clarifying his decisions during the mission.
Yet the entity—so powerfully terrifying in the original—is diminished slightly in prose. Its ambiguous form and elusive logic worked on screen because they were unseen and unexplained. But describing it, even abstractly, chips away at its aura. The mystery thins.
📝THE BOTTOM LINE:
The Well is a competent and sometimes insightful adaptation that sticks closely to the structure of its TV counterpart while adding some much-needed depth to its supporting characters. The personnel files are a great touch, and the Doctor’s psychological exploration is welcome. But the novelisation struggles to translate the sheer intensity and immediacy of the original into prose. Where the original episode excelled through performance and sound design, the novelisation occasionally stalls in exposition and circular dialogue. Gareth L. Powell does his best with challenging material, but this one doesn’t quite hit the terrifying highs of its source.
MrColdStream
i’ve always had a soft spot for this episode, even though it’s not everyone’s favourite. there’s something about its almost kitchen-sink drama that i really enjoy (well, except for the robot spider solider). also, i can’t help but love the doctor thinking he’s at classic master level of disguise, when all he’s done is changed his coat.
silvertongue
This is yet another Story, where I often go back-and-forth with it. Sometimes I can see why many enjoy it, sometimes I can see why many dislike it, but mostly it falls in the middle for me. While there are plenty of excellent Scenes to be found, and I find it somewhat interesting to take the menacing Daleks in the comedic Direction, I don't think it worked out as well as Nation would have hoped.
While the travelling Aspect of this one is just great, I feel like making the Daleks, so incompetent, doesn't quite work with later and even previous Stories. No they don't have to be the most menacing Creature ever, you can do a more comedic take with the Daleks or go more bizarre with them, I feel like the Series 3 Two-Parter showcases that perfectly, this one just kinda doesn't.
Sure, I do have fun with many of its Parts and a lot of the Structure would later lead to my favorite Dalek Story ever with DMP, but I can't lie that this one just kinda falls apart a little the more I think about it and its Placement in the World of Who. That said, the first and last Episode are stellar, I love seeing how Ian and Barbara have such a good Departure and the Doctor's Reaction to it really shows what an Acting Gem Hartnell was in the Part. The first Part isn't as good as the last, but very enjoyable and plays quite well in the 60s Aesthetic of the Show at the time, with probably even my favorite Joke of this entire Serial.
I feel like your Enjoyment from this will really depend on how you tackle this, do you view it more as an outright Parody? Then you might have a blast. If you don't, then perhaps you won't like it as much, or maybe you just want some entertaining slapstick with the Daleks, which this Story for sure delievers on that front.
RandomJoke
Mission Report by UNIT Agent Bill Filer to Trap One - Subject matter: "Once and Future – Past Lives”.
A sentiment that I have seen bandied about quite a bit is that the characters that feature in any given story of “Once and Future” was decided by use of a dartboard. A sentiment that does have some merit it would seem even if it doesn’t feel that pronounced in this one. I am, however, of the opinion after repeat listens of the whole arc that there is a solid point to this whole apparent madness that is revealed at the tail end of the degeneration plotline.
We have the Fourth Doctor, or at least a degenerated version of him, paired up with Sadie Miller as Sarah, and a supporting cast of Kate Stewart and Osgood. And Rufus Hound’s Monk as the antagonist (villain seems like a too strong description in this instance). It’s a solid cast of characters, and they work very well together. Once more we have the semi-obligatory Brigadier mentions when Kate and the Doctor are in the same room, but it hits differently for me given the fact that Tom Baker used to act opposite Nicholas Courtney on the Main Show “back in the day”.
I think the setup of the degeneration plot is done well and is super intriguing, but also “Past Lives” works as a solid standalone story about the Monk and his dodgy dealings with a third-party alien race. The segue into the next chapter of this set of anniversary stories is quite good. See? Jenny showing up next wasn’t a result of a dartboard approach either ;-)
Kate telling Osgood that she must tell her about “Downtime” has got to be a seamless, cheeky reference to Kate’s initial introduction in the Reeltime Pictures film bearing the same name, right?
End of report. Logged and filed at The Black Archive.
BillFiler
i don’t love this episode, but it’s not completely awful either. i don’t think (hope) the writer was trying to make some big anti-abortion statement, but there are definitely more than a few iffy moments. clara telling the doctor to piss off is honestly one of my favourite parts; it really sets up the co-dependency they fall into later, especially once danny’s not in the picture. courtney’s okay, a step up from the two kids in series 7; she actually feels like a real school aged child. overall, it’s not amazing, but i do like what it leads into in series 9 and the next episode.
15 July 2025
New Who Review #145
The Woman Who Fell To Earth
I am back!
I've had a few weeks needed break of doctor who and it felt good to jump back in. This episode was fun to watch. Series 11 is by far my most hated series of new who but this is one of the very few I actually love. It's a great introduction to 13, tim Shaw isn't the best villain but he does come across as quite menacing especially with the teeth thing. Having a homemade sonic this time instead of it coming hot out the tardis was cool. The lack of the title intro was a shame but they were keeping this a big surprise at the time. Replacing Murray Gold was always gonna be hard but Segun Akinola brings a really nice feel to these episodes. Each episode feels like a movie with the new camera shots and stuff it's very very good for doctor who. I love Grace and think she could've been great it's a shame they killed her off. 8/10
Jann
I was very curious to rewatch this episode, since I listened to Jubilee recently, but I’m sad to say that I didn’t like it that much. I don’t remember loving it, but I expected to like it more as I’ve enjoyed every episode more this rewatch.
I haven’t quite worked out what didn’t work for me yet, but I think the change of setting was part of it. I loved the alternative timelines aspect of Jubilee, and the part I found scariest about that story was the people’s treatment of the Daleks, rather than the lone Dalek itself. By this I mean the trivialising of them, putting them in adverts, films etc. I also think Jubilee did a great job of bringing out the Nazi aspect of the Daleks.
However, in this story, I just don’t see the Dalek as scary or threatening, and I find Van Statten and Adam annoying.
The underground vault setting does create some tension because all the characters are trapped alongside the Dalek, but apart from all the soldiers getting murdered, I didn’t feel a real threat from the Dalek, precisely because it’s contained.
I also find the ‘soldiers don’t listen and shoot the Dalek and all die’ trope to be a bit tiresome now, I feel like it’s been in a lot of episodes. The Doctor is amazing here, especially the scene where he tells the Dalek to kill itself. I think I’m just generally a bit bored of the Daleks by now. And I’m not a fan of ‘The Last of the Time Lords’ stuff, which was expanded on in this story.
I think that this episode would work well as an introduction to the Daleks for a new audience, and some of the themes from the original story make the episode more compelling, but it didn’t work for me because I prefer the way it is executed in Jubilee.
ProfessorSummerfield
Today’s short story comes from the charity anthology Adventures In Lockdown.
I’ve already discussed the Doctor Who: Lockdown campaign during the second doctor’s era, but in case you missed it, Lockdown was a multi-media experiment used to keep the show going during the covid quarantine, and occasionally provide public messaging and charity outreach during the height of the plague.
Adventures In Lockdown is a collection of short stories and art that was originally published on the Lockdown website, along with a few new bonus stories. This was done to both preserve the content when the site eventually went down, and to raise funds for Children In Need.
As for the story itself, it’s one my favorite themes in Doctor Who analogies, and within sic-fi/fantasy in general. Normal people not involved in the main adventures just dealing with the fallout.
We follow George, an elderly gentleman who has just moved to Gloucester right after the events of Fugitive of the Judoon. We see the city trying to get back to normal as George seemingly lucks into finding a new job, a new home, and a new friend.
I really liked this one. It’s a strong contender for the top spot on my ranking for the Martin ‘era’.
I won’t give the ending twist away, but I do like how the Doctor was handled here. A behind the scenes figure who’s helping folks in small ways. It’s just a nice take on a version of the character who is wrapped up in grand mythology event stories all the time.
In fact this is the first story in the Martin era to not be a multi-doctor story.
But more than the Doctor, I really liked the character of George. He’s so relatable. Truly a gem of a character.
bethhigdon
I somehow never listened to the Tenth Doctor & River box set before, but Expiry Dating is just so good, what a hilarious script by James Goss. The 6th Doctor’s answering machine alone haha, the letter from The 1st Doc, so great. I really like River’s overall plan, this is exactly like a War Master plot but with 10 as a pawn for good instead of appalling evil. There’s really nothing to say about Tennant’s performance, he’s never not been 100% on the money, Alex Kingston is perhaps incapable of a line reading which isn’t fun. Davison is very very funny (“I’ve left Tegan and, uh…what’s his name on Metebelis”). Sparkly, breezy, & delightful, a new favorite. 4.5/5
As the first chapter of a treasure hunting storyline, that was quite interesting -- and with a intelligent and sassy new companion in the Tardis.
ErickSoares3
Still nothing amazing which is....a pattern so far but this one at least had a good setting and concept! It's like a sort of Revival Who take on Vengence on Varos with awful things being broadcast on TV as entertainment
HopeAuq
This Town Will Never Let Us Go is unapologetically a product of it’s time. This is the book’s glorious secret weapon and its greatest flaw. Prepare for a book that has aged, both well and otherwise. I don’t even know how to begin to dissect the “Black Man” character in it. Though, to be fair, judging from his recent interview, Miles doesn’t seem particularly proud of that bit either.
But yes, a product of its time. We will start there. We live in a world where much of this book can be readily discounted, and yet, much of it rings true. The War on Terror is over and it’s going. Celebrities no longer live in a space where statements can take them down. You can say anything these days — would Tiffany be cancelled today? Kanye West has said worse, and he still has his circles, as depraved as they may be. We live in a world that’s just as bitter as Miles prophesied and also absolutely nothing like it. Now you can be on every screen in the world more than ever. Videotape is gone, we live in the world of the phone, not the television. But This Town Will Never Let Us Go is no mere cultural artifact. The totality of the culture once is still part of the totality of the culture today, from a certain lens. We live in an era of nostalgia. Of course the Faction are well in tune with Yesteryear. The Executive these days just runs a streaming service.
The one flaw here, ignoring the beautiful clever ideas and searingly well crafted narrative is how damn bitter it is. My fiction doesn’t need to be happy, (hell, you can check my writing for all sorts of misery) but This Town Will Never Let Us Go is written from the perspective of an enormous cynic, a person not even close to liking the world. Miles writes about, near the end of the book, how we don’t even know the people we care about. How we are merely in love with the idea of them. It is a solipsistic, self important and downright pathetic view. He backs it up with pretty words, but there are plenty other views like it in the book. Extremely well written terrible opinions. I believe the most essential human emotion is the feeling of hope — and this is, at times, a hopeless experience. I could say, if I cared for extremes, that the book is like it’s own Waco Black. It takes great pleasure in being unpalatable.Taking this analogy to its own extreme, it also means this book is shooting itself in the face.
But equally, it’s awfully hard to get too caught up in the negative aspects of a book this engrossing, this charming. Even if you disagree, even if you disagree constantly, it will still be hard to not turn the page in rapture at Miles’ talent. The book is excessively entertaining. For a book with such misery and fatalism, it also takes its time to put stuff like Bastard Raccoon in it. For every bit you scowl in indignation at, there’s a bit about videotape’s insidiousness which is the truest thing ever written. Every once in a while, everything clicks, and this is the best book ever written. But would the Faction really want it that way? There is no merit in a “flawless book” after all. It leaves no room for adjustments.
There is certainly more “purpose” transcribed here than pretty much every other Who thing under the sun. Certainly this is what I would call “arthouse” Who. Lawrence Miles had things to say. How we interpret them, what we decide is true and untrue, that can at times be an added benefit, depending on the person you are. Though, yeah. This book can also be agonizing. I would love a different ending please.
This book, before the advent of the Kindle and the handheld PDF reader, was electrical, a circuit board, constantly pulsing in one minute bursts. Paragraph after paragraph. For a book about patterns, ritual, it carves you into that ritual. Immersive, beautifully done, This book is exquisite — and it’s also endlessly frustrating, brimming with things I could nitpick for days on end. This review could go on forever, really. I feel passionately about damn near every section of the book. The flaws, the beauty. They’re both NUMEROUS. You will not find apathy here. This Town won’t let you go, no matter how you feel about all of it.
Isn’t that the main thing?
ThePlumPudding
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