Dark Contract

😶(5.5) = OKAY!

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

Dark Contract transports us to London in the 1830s, where Five and his three travelling companions run into plenty of trouble. Adric travels to a different dimension; the police apprehend the Doctor; the girls engage with the impoverished locals; and malevolent aliens lurk in the shadows.

Will Hadcroft’s narrative brings Victorian London to life well, and Matthew Waterhouse adds food flair to his narration, especially when voicing Five, Tegan, and his own character, Adric. Under the new Poor Law, the setting and people come to life quite well, creating a palpable atmosphere.

The TARDIS travellers are very well-written and sound right to me, although Nyssa feels somewhat forgotten. The supporting characters are also good, with the aristocratic characters very realistic and the aliens very underbaked.

The story alternates between the three settings, intertwines them, and delves into the era and its inhabitants. It’s not particularly original in its approach to Victorian times or the parasitic aliens plaguing it. It’s also a pretty slow story, and it doesn’t spend a lot of time actually building tension or enveloping the almost unnecessary alien plot.

Adric's part of the story shows him having to face the ghosts of his past, bringing in the Fourth Doctor and Romana in small cameos. After he reunites with the Doctor, the story then focuses more on the underdeveloped alien mystery.

The weird thing is that this story kind of ends halfway with very little fanfare, and it never builds any real sense of tension or stakes.