See! That’s more like it! A step forward!

After one of their earlier adventures, the Doctor has been infected with a mysterious disease this has left him delirious and mostly unresponsive. This leaves us alone with Susan, who’s landing the Tardis in various locations, looking for a cure. Things change, however, when Susan lands right in the middle of a counter-terrorist operation, where her role might be crucial.

The first thing that’s really of note in this story is the presentation. It sets its tone quite well! Susan is alone, stranded on a strange and unfamiliar world. The story decides to reflect this by having Carole Ann Ford very close to the mic. It really makes her feel like a blip in a massive world. Insignificantly small. Very well done.

Other than that, it’s kind of surprising how well this story matches up with my expectations from the previous review. For early stories, everything is a first time. I want to see how those “first times” affect our cast. Which is exactly what happens here. This story makes Susan interfere with her environment, which leads to a different outcome in the central conflict. That’s huge! Let’s look at the details:

When arriving in an abandoned laboratory, Susan meets up with a group of soldiers in giant mech suits. These soldiers are trying to stop a hacker-terrorist called “the Butcher”. This man has hacked the medical nanobots that are in everybody’s bloodstream, which allows him to turn off their heart with the flick of a switch. Susan, too, has secretly been injected with those nanobots by a spider-shaped robot. Leading to a dire situation for all involved.

It's a solid premise! The hacker has their lives in his hands from minute 1. This should lead to some really tense storytelling! Sadly, it’s held back by quite a few conveniences and contrivances.

First, the threat is immediately diminished when Susan, our famous master hacker, fixes the nanobots and removes all control the Butcher had. She has full control of the situation and the Butcher is no longer a danger to them. This exact scenario shows up again when Susan saves the day by outhacking this hacker, so he can’t release his virus and message to the world. This kind of computer talent has never been Susan’s forte. She has never shown tech wizardry before. This is more something Vicki or Steven could accomplish. It’s a clear retcon to make Susan look more capable. I wish it was more earned instead.

Stories with Susan tend to do this sometimes. They look to “fix” her by giving her random skills or talents that she never had on screen. These attempts are always far from subtle. I won’t go on too much of a tangent here, but I prefer it when her skills build upon the foundations the show already has. On TV, Susan is sociable and bold. She might be afraid of danger, but will still do what is needed. On top of that, she’s also the granddaughter of our main protagonist. A man who can talk himself out of all kinds of scenarios. Maybe that’s a familial trait?

I would prefer it if the story played with those kinds of elements. Have Susan convince an AI interface or pull a dangerous plug from the machine. Maybe just convince the Butcher himself with kind words. That’s something even the Doctor can’t always do. It would fit her character way more than sudden hacking skills.

Another contrivance happens in the finale. When Susan saves her soldier friends, they kill the Butcher. He never got to spread his message. When she returns to the Tardis (with medicine), the spider-bot appears again and shares how the Butcher wanted equal healthcare for all. He lost his grandmother because only the rich get treatment. He wanted to make clear that things should be better.

A bit flimsy when you consider he was about to kill millions. But the story is smart enough to not take a side on this one. It is just a reason for Susan to reflect: She has potentially interfered in the outcome. If she hadn’t hacked his systems, he might’ve killed millions and changed the world in a significant way. She has upheld the status quo. She is worried about this and the Doctor consoles her and reflects on interfering.

This could’ve been more impactful. First, the message. Right now, it comes out of a random robot, but maybe the impact would’ve been greater if it had actually come from the Butcher’s grandmother.

Imagine the same scene, but after the Butcher is shot, a room opens up that reveals his ailing grandmother. Delirious and almost dead, just like the Doctor is. There is no hope for her, because any kind of reasonable treatment would be reserved for the rich. Immediately the similarities to the Doctor would hit Susan. Maybe it even affects the soldiers as well.

When back in the Tardis, Susan reflects on how things could’ve been different. Would she have done the same to save her grandfather? Or would it truly have been madness? Just how much has she changed time?

And since we still have an early Doctor, it’s way, wayyyy too soon to talk about potentially interfering. So instead, make him angry. Make him furious, because all laws have been broken. Yet add a little twinkle, because if they hadn’t been broken, he would’ve been dead. The first drop in the bucket of interference.

Maybe that’s just my imagination running wild. But I feel like the pieces are there. The priorities should just be shuffled a bit. Susan isn’t great because she can hack. Susan is great because she has empathy. The big conclusions around interfering basically come down to: “That was a bummer, maybe interfering might be worth a shot”. It could’ve been more than that.

Don’t get me wrong. The story is still very good. The characters are all likeable and understandable, the morality of the story is in check and the overall setting is pretty great. It’s just that I can feel there’s more here. The ending reflection feels way too tacked on, while that should be the most exciting part. And of course, I don’t agree with the skillset they give Susan here. But I still think it is very much worth your time for what it does do well. Let’s call it a diamond in the rough.