Saying goodbye to Thomas Brewster so soon after he boarded the TARDIS! I'm a little upset that he didn't spend more time hanging around with the Doctor, but he went out with a bang and it's a very interesting short story about perfection and real life.

I like how, despite the constant annoyance and trouble Brewster brings the Doctor, there's still an intimate bond between them, as if he can see in Brewster a younger version of himself. There's not too much of him or Nyssa in this story as to draw focus towards the companion's departure, but there's enough to showcase the message of the story; he's not meant to be with them, he's always been a rebel and is trying to find his own way in life instead of following the rules of an orphanage, Creek or even the Doctor - he's his own man, and he leaves to find out what rules he wants to make. I also really love the change in style of the "fairytale ending" - most companions who leave because they're in love stay with their partner and live happily ever after, but Connie tells him that the relationship might not last, and not everything is perfect, but he wants to take that risk anyway, something so human and real.

A minor gripe I have with this story is the rushed resolution. Yes, it's only one part and therefore is thirty minutes runtime, but as someone who writes stories which would roughly equate to thirty minutes screentime, I know that the resolutions can be much stronger than "ooh, let me just fix that - problem solved!" The plot develops quite nicely besides that, with an interesting premise conveying a strong message of imperfection, and the Doctor paraphrases his line from Earthshock "For some people, small pointless blunders is what life is all about!" and it's introduced so brilliantly with an introduction to Connie making references to her own life, which the audience doesn't care too much about, and then seeing them completely changed in the new timeline.

Something that made me chuckle when we had gone back to London 2008 is the fact that Series 3 of the Modern Series is also set during 2008 (considering Rose was away for a year). So Connie talks about global warming and her parents and her rubbish job, but fails to mention the Auton invasion, the earthquake in Cardiff, Cybermen and Daleks fighting on the streets of London or the Prime Minister killing the President! I get the reasoning behind it, just humoured me a little. It's a fun location, nice to return home for a bit - especially to the 21st Century rather than the 20th - after going all around the Universe.

Connie's a fun character, realistic, grounded, charming - but I feel like she doesn't really serve a purpose outside of getting Thomas to stay, which I have a little bit of a problem with. The maintenance men of the Universe idea is a bit odd and, like I said, a cheap way to solve the plot, but a fun gag nonetheless.

The music was atmospheric and helped set the tone without overshadowing it too much, and I think it serviced the story well, but yet again nothing special.

Favourite Line: "Staying with us would've been the biggest mistake of his life. He made the right decision. And you know, I think he'll probably do very well."

This is a brilliant story, if a bit cheapened at the end - a strong premise executed brilliantly, a relaxing score, interesting characters and a nice departure for Thomas, with the idea that his future isn't set in stone - it might work out with Connie, it might not. But he's free at last. Farewell, Thomas Brewster.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Time Reef

Well that's the last we'll see of Thomas Brewster for a while, I'm not really sure what to think of him as of now. He definitely brings an interesting dynamic to the TARDIS team but his run (so far) is really short and one of the stories in it, (which he was barely in) was one of the worst stories I have ever had the displeasure of consuming in any form (The Boy That Time Forgot)

This story however is quite sweet and a nice message about how bad moments in life are equally important as good moments and that one cannot exist without the other. His speech feels somewhat similar to the "well-prepared meal" speech in Earthshock, but executed better. This story perfectly suits the 30 minute length although that is still not something I particuarly enjoy.

I'm excited to escape this period of the Main Range as it is rather dire, but this story is definitely a diamond in the rough.

Next Story: Castle of Fear