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TARDIS Guide

Review of Curiosity Shop by JayPea

9 January 2025

This review contains spoilers!

Wow. Just wow.

Every great companion should have a story where we see how they can do more on their own, Donna gets Turn Left, Martha gets Sound of Drums, Amy gets The Girl Who Waited, etc, and this is an *incredible* one of those.

Valarie's determination is put to the test, waiting and waiting for The Doctor even as there's a war about to start in the sky, as she's having to sell herself piece by piece, as she's scrounging for scraps of food. Despite everything, despite how much she loses, she still holds onto that hope that the doctor has given her.

And then I adore how her progression is mirrored with The Doctor. She's slowly breaking down, piece by piece, and all the while he's slowly building himself back up, Dudman's impressions of Eleven's takes on the previous doctors is just brilliant, and I love how they sound more like the actual doctors as time goes on. I love how with Nine we see some glimmer of hope, almost for it to be nearly fully dashed away with Ten.

Like I said the way our two lead's journeys mirror each other as the story goes on, one breaking down, one being built up, it's spectacular.

I also can't go without talking about the stories that Valarie tells about her travels with the doctor, each feeling so real even from the tiny glimpses we get. I love the tiny moments of Eleven coming back through as she tells the stories. I love all of it.

Easily my favourite of the range so far. This story is incredible.

And very much unsurprised it's written by Goss


JayPea

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