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"Catastrophe Theory: A Ponderous Yet Intriguing Second Chapter"

Mark Wright’s Catastrophe Theory continues the Conspiracy of Raven set by introducing older, wiser Zoe, played once again by Wendy Padbury. Her sudden appearance in the peculiar and fractured world where the Doctor and Raven are stuck immediately raises questions about her identity—is she truly Zoe or merely an echo? Meanwhile, Jamie remains trapped elsewhere, and Raven has vanished, creating a fragmented but intriguing narrative.

The story leans heavily on the dynamic between the Second Doctor and Zoe. Their chemistry is a welcome return, with Michael Troughton and Wendy Padbury playing off each other beautifully, echoing the partnership fans remember. Periodic shifts to Jamie and Raven provide brief relief from the central storyline, but the focus is firmly on the Doctor and Zoe as they unravel a mystery tied to a planet that should have been destroyed but inexplicably remains intact, defying historical events.

While the eerie sound design and music succeed in maintaining the unsettling atmosphere established in Kippers, the story struggles to sustain tension. The central mystery is stretched to its limit, and as it unfolds at a glacial pace, the intrigue begins to wane. The eventual revelation of a hostile alien race threatening the planet feels underwhelming, lacking the originality or stakes needed to give the narrative real momentum.

Raven’s reappearance toward the story’s abrupt conclusion does little to provide closure, leaving the plot feeling unfinished and the resolution unsatisfying. The open-ended nature of the story may work in the larger context of the set but detracts from the standalone impact of this chapter.

📝Verdict: 5/10

Catastrophe Theory builds on the mystery of Kippers with some strong character moments between the Doctor and Zoe, but its slow pacing and lack of narrative payoff hold it back from achieving its full potential.

It’s nice to hear Zoe again this story definitely feels like a bridge middle story of a storyline just before the big book conclusion

I had trouble listening to this 'Conspiracy Of Raven' set when it came out, so I've given it another go.

Firstly, It does irk me a little that, on the surface it seems that this is three separate stories, when really its just one. However...

This follows on from where things were at the end of Kippers, with Raven on the station having just encountered the Kippers, Jamie still on his own and the Doctor saying 'Zoe'.

It is nice to have Wendy in a 'proper' story with the 2nd Doctor. Though having kind of met in the five Doctors, met the Sixth in the audios, and 'remembering' in the companion Chronicles etc. the moment of reuniting doesnt quite have the punch it might have - its already been done.

I think the reason I struggled with this the first time is that there's a lot of unanswered questions. The mystery of who brought them to the space station and why? Who are the Kippers? And what really going on? After the first two episode we still don't know. Also with a limited cast and information, its hard to get a grip on the overall plot. Now Zoe has been added to the mix - not that I'm complaining - it the old team back together - well not yet as Jamie is on a space liner with them trying to catch up. Raven spends the time talking to a computer only getteing a series of bleeps, leaving us still much in the dark. If you've seen a an episode or film where something happened and none of the characters or the viewer knows what occurred, but eventually they fond out and resolve the situation. Its like that but the whole way through.

Not bad but hard work.

I liked this much more than the opener. The scenes with the Doctor and Zoe are really sweet. There’s more focus on the overarching story, and much less on the story of just this episode, which I don’t really prefer personally. This honestly flew by.

this range is so consistent quality wise tbh. didn’t care for the villain but the 2/zoe/jamie scenes and the raven scenes and the new mystery are so gripping!! wish we had more of zoe explaining what she’s been up to though