The First Doctor #17

'Indian Summer' (2007) from Short Trips: Snapshots.

One of my favourite stories thus far - a really interesting perspective, and goes through the motions of establishing the villain, beginning to cotton on that it's actually The Doctor, and then wondering why The Doctor would be causing these deaths in an Indian hotel restaurant. Susan's presence is a lot of fun - I wish we had a little more of her to make this truly a Doctor-lite story. The way that The Doctor communicates is a bit whatever and the ambiguous conclusion I wish was a little more explained (again, from Susan's perspective of her solving the temporal issue would have been nice), but obviously it's in keeping with the narrator's perspective of the story and I can appreciate it for that.

Indian Summer - ★★★★★

I love this short trip. It's a tale about Suresh, a Indian boy that just started working in a hotel that has a haunted table at its restaurant. We see his life throughout the decades and many of his meetings with the ghost; as well as a mysterious girl that appears every few years looking for her grandfather, but who doesn't seem to age.

It's a character piece, primarly. It has a lovely protagonist and his relationship with the hotel itself is heartwarming. Suresh loves his life and it's contagious. I also adore the relationship he develops with the ghost, even before they can talk. Every scene is a just a little snipet in his long, wonderful life, but it tells us so much about who he is.

Obviously the ghost is the First Doctor. He and Susan got caught in some time and space shanenigans and now he is lost in the flow of time. He's holding himself to the big events, and that's why he only appears when someone is close to death. I love the atmosphere of the story before we know that's what's happening; it's pretty obvious it's the Doctor from the get go, but what if whatever happened to him is the cause of all these deaths?

Susan has a small role in the story, but this time that doesn't bother me. Even if she doesn't appear much, she has a more active role. She doesn't solve anything, sure. But she tried!

I love the characters. I love the plot. I love the writing. I love the setting. I still have a lot of short trips to go through, but I can't see any beating this one for me.

The story is multiple summers over the years in a diary esc style in the perspective of Suresh. Suresh working at a restaurant a few soldiers came in and a ghosts predicts one will die and they do. By sitting at this one table at the restaurant a ghost appears its quite a creepy story, very uncomfy read in the best way.

Suresh keeping notes on the ghost is also quite a dark thing too the powerlessness and acceptance that the ghost is there. I love the character of Suresh hes a very normal person the reader can relate too and Suresh growing up as the story goes on is quite cute.

Susan visiting this restaurant throughout the years is a cute side just looking for the Doctor, it’s a nice character beat moment.

I love how the Doctor was the ghost it’s kind of cute in a way. Keeping an eye on Suresh though out his life