The Ninth Doctor #29

'Hidden Depths: Flatpack' (2022) from The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Series 2.

Quite a lot to... unpack... with this one. A really well-maintained tone throughout that I commend the story for a lot. Serves as a good companion, and improvement, to Kerblam!, with an evil IKEA being the setting. The mystery of is it a TARDIS and who's in charge grabbed me quite well, and the reveal of The Doctor being The Manager and all of the staff being all of the people was really cleverly done. I'm not aware of Liv or Tania from their times spent with the Eighth Doctor, but it was nice to experience companions meeting The Doctor with a new face and re-connecting with him. Tania's line about regeneration and comparing it to transitioning was lovely, I didn't even know that was a transgender companion in Doctor Who so that makes me excited to see her with Eight way later on down the line. Infinitely better representation and handling of themes than The Star Beast. I especially like how Liv is the one to save the day, and The Doctor and Tania both become completely brainwashed by Flatpack, it makes a great change to The Doctor just sonic screwdrivering or techno-babbling himself out of a situation which has been happening a lot in these 9DAs, but luckily not all too much in this Hidden Depths volume.