📝9/10

Counting down to Whomas 2024, one adventure at a time!

Day Three and Four: Back To The Early Days!

MY SCATTERED AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT NOTES:

This adventure calendar story takes us back to 1963, just before the Doctor and Susan left Totters Lane to embark on their journey through time and space with Ian and Barbara. It’s a compact yet tense tale that ultimately transforms into something heartfelt. The highlight of the story is how perfectly the First Doctor is characterized, capturing his essence flawlessly, while also creating a chilling atmosphere through the fog and alien werewolves slowly emerging and enveloping our protagonists. The story also builds an endearing connection between the Doctor and his temporal companion, Shivani Bajwa.

Occasionally, the narrative shifts to the Third Doctor, recounting the adventure to Sarah Jane, and to the Twelfth Doctor, visiting an older Shivani in the 21st century. These abrupt scene changes can feel disorienting, but they add depth to the story, even though it would have worked just as well without them.

This portrayal of the Doctor is true to the selfish and cantankerous nature of his early first incarnation. However, by the end, he also reveals glimpses of the warmth and humanity that would come to define him later in his life.

In all, this short story is unexpectedly well-crafted and poignant, fitting seamlessly into the Doctor's established timeline.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

There’s a line here that confirms that this adventure happens shortly before the beginning of An Unearthly Child.