A fairly bland story that plays like an historical, without actually being historical.

The Doctor and Susan land on the planet Quinnis, where the people are suffering from droughts. Thanks to his stubbornness, the Doctor accidentally promises that he will be the new rainmaker for these people. With Susan as his assistant, the two of them unwillingly try to save the day. But trouble looms from above, as a crow-like creature seems to cause bad luck wherever it goes.

Quinnis has a bit of a mythical reputation, because it actually has its origin in the TV show. In “The Edge of Destruction”, Susan mentions that she and the Doctor visited the planet on one of their early adventures. So this story actually plugs an existing hole.

Which makes it a bit sad that I found the story to be dull in multiple places. I was hoping it would be more special.

The problem mostly lies in predictability. The story never really manages to feel tense. You never really wonder what will happen. This is mostly because of our “big bad”.

I’ve already mentioned the crow-like creature that is pestering the people and bringing bad luck, but I haven’t mentioned how obvious the story is about this villain. While in town, Susan meets a girl named Meedla, who mentions that she doesn’t belong and feels out of place. She also mentions upcoming cataclysmic events. At the same time, she manages to pop up every time the crow is seen. She is even found in a trap set for the crow-creature. I think we get the hint. Meedla is the crow.

Yet the story expects us to be stupid. We aren’t supposed to know who the creature is until the last 10 minutes. And Susan just can’t believe her true friend she’s known for 2 days could be a bad person, so it’ll take her a bit. We’re basically just waiting for Susan to get on our level and reveal the truth.

And it’s a long wait, because the story has very little to distract us. The world of Quinnis is not exactly imaginative. There’s just some superficial worldbuilding. The townsfolk act generic medieval, to the point of there being a woman who’s identifying trait is carrying a piglet. For an alien world, it all feels barebones and human to a fault.

The world itself sparks a little more imagination, consisting mostly of viaducts and stone structures, while being high in the sky. But this never really feels all that relevant. It’s just set dressing and not all that engaging.

I think it would’ve helped if there was a bigger link between the world and the society. We have this world high in the sky, yet there are basically people living there. How did that happen? Who built the structures? And why? What struggles do people these face at higher altitudes? What keeps them up there?

I think playing with these questions would lead to a better world overall. Right now, it just feels like we’ve settled for the basics. It could be way more!

Hell, our enemy is a bird. Why not make the people birdlike as well? Play into some avian behaviors! Crows are notoriously smart, but other birds have interesting traits too! A 2 minute Google shows me that Woodpeckers have multi-days wars that other birds like to watch! That sounds almost gladiatorial! I’d be on board with that for a story!

Or, if you want to keep your medieval setting, why not pull a “Mother Russia” and let the Doctor and Susan truly integrate in the society for a while? This story ends with them heading to 1963 to settle, so why not make this a similar attempt to live in one location for a while? The story mentions the idea that Susan needs people her own age, which matches earlier/later moments in stories. So why not go all in on that? It is almost a footnote as it is now.

To be clear, I am not saying I could write a better story, I’m just saying that this story could’ve had a lot more substance. The main mystery is incredibly obvious and there is nothing else that can keep your attention. If the world was fleshed out more, the story would have more to offer. A reason to stick with it.

Because right now, Quinnis feels bland. This mystical world that was fondly remembered in the tv show feels like one in a million, and that’s a waste. It has little worldbuilding, only a bit of tacked on character work and nothing that really gets its hooks in you. Quinnis is a drop in a bucket of stories, nothing more.