Cindy, Cleo and the Magic Sketchbook

📝5.8 = SLIGHTLY ENJOYABLE!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: "CINDY, CLEO AND THE MAGIC SKETCHBOOK"

This is a Doctor-lite episode, focusing on Cindy and told through Gabby's art and her diary entries to Cindy.

I've always struggled with these introspective issues—we certainly get a better grip on Gabby and Cindy, in particular, but it's not very exciting.

It's interesting to read Gabby's thoughts on the various Doctors and previous companions. The tail end also changes things up as we realise that Gabby warns Cindy of Anubis and the Osirians, after which she faces Cleo and Ebonite in the next chapter of the Osirian saga. This is mostly set-up, but at least it brings back Captain Jack at the end.

I really loved these cutaways before, so a story that focuses on them is incredible. I love the insight it gives into Gabby as a character and her reading of The Doctor. The age to his eyes she mentions and the page where it's different sketches of him is really nice.

I also love the line about travelling in the TARDIS being somewhere between fear and euphoria (conjuring memories of [An Awful Lot of Running](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAi4izfvXo4) for me), and the mentions of Turlough and Sarah are really sweet.

I loved Cleo from what we saw of her at the end of 10's last year,so nice to see her again and nice to have a bit more of the aftermath of that (too often these massive events just get ignored after they happen). Confirmation that Hanif and Erik were gay is nice, but also makes that more sad.

Ebonite is very interesting and while it's obviously not intentional, this side of the story does give major Pantheon vibes in terms of feeling a bit more mysterious and fantasy than Sci-Fi which is really nice.

And that last page reveal?? On I'm excited to see where this goes now.

8/10 for me