I have no idea what’s going on but I am living

MR 052: Scherzo

Who is this Doctor person anyway? Why does he constantly take people, usually young women, out of time and space and travel with them? And why is he constantly trying to sacrifice himself? Does he really care so little for his own life?

This is a hard story to review because it's mostly just vibes. Most of it takes place in a white void (give me any other story harder to make in a visual medium) with the Doctor and Charley having a conversation. There's a plot, but barely, just enough to string the conversations along. It's actually about questioning the entire premise of the show and the relationship at the heart of it. As such, most of the review will be meditation on the basic premises of Doctor Who.

When we last left the Doctor in Zagreus, he was going into the Divergent universe to sacrific himself so that the universe generally and specifically Charley would be able to live. He was filled with anti-time energy and letting that into the universe would cause it to be destroyed. Only Charley followed him into the TARDIS. She isn't safe at all. His sacrifice was for nothing.

There's a fantastic line right at the beginning that sums up where this story is going to go. The Doctor is hiding behind the console and talks to Charley, but as if she isn't there. He believes she is some sort of ghost or phantasm. "Impossible. You can't be Charley. She's safe in her own universe. She would never betray me like that." To the Doctor it is a betrayal that Charley would even think of coming with him when he's already made this huge noble self sacrifice to keep her alive.

This is a trend with the Doctors. He tries to sacrifice himself for his companion, for the world, for everyone else. The idea that they wouldn't let him is absurd. Time and time again on Doctor Who (mostly classic, but even in new who sometimes) we see the Doctor telling the companion what to do and she just obeys without question. The Doctor can't even fathom that the companion might have a mind of their own. At the end of my Zagreus review, I even said that it felt absurdly condescending to do the "cruel to be kind" routine at Charley after all they've been through. The Doctor won't consider her feelings. He CAN'T consider her feelings. They do not matter in the slightest. Charley is safe, what she wants doesn't matter. Nevermind that she doesn't want to live in a universe apart from the Doctor. She didn't ask for his noble self-sacrifice. What if she wants to sacrifice herself for him? No no. Unthinkable.

So when the Doctor sees Charley he feels betrayed. He is centering himself first and foremost and that leads him to this feeling. Charley acting on her own feelings is a betrayal. He's mad that Charley dared to come with him and now she's here, not safe. The Doctor was very much expecting to die alone and yet here he is not dead and not alone. In Neverland and Zagreus, both of them said they loved each other, but what does that even mean? Is the Doctor capable of that feeling? They're best friends, supposedly. The Doctor says they are. But are they? Is the Doctor capable of having friendship like that? If they were really friends, why is the Doctor so upset that Charley acted on her feelings? Friends care about each other, not just what they can get out of their relationship.

The Doctor isn't sure he even meant it when he said that he loved Charley. It might have just been a way to make her feel better before she died. To which Charley is rightfully horrified that he would say that. He can say things so fippantly, so casually, and not mean it or, indeed, even understand what it means. What does that make the Doctor?

The plot, such as it is, is barely there. They've created a creature out of sound that adapts and evolves along with a corpse that keeps changing and evolving over time. But they keep eating from it, the Doctor cutting up the corpse with Charley's broach. It's a horrible thing to imagine, but they keep doing it and keep getting used to it as the sound creature continues to try to communicate with them using just sound. They eventually start evolving as well, their hands fusing together until they become one creature. The sound creature feeds on sound and so tries to cut open their necks to get at their vocal cords. The Doctor even has Charley cut his throat open and let his vocal cords pop out so the sond creature can feed, despite there being no blood and he doesn't die. It's all filled with body horror and I'm glad I can't see it.

I particularly liked how the Doctor starts to seek a reason for all of this. He, at first, was quite resigned to the fact that he was going to die and was disappointed, in fact, that he did not die. But now that there is a mystery to solve, the Doctor is more than enthusiastic to solve it. Yet there is no explanation. It simply is a strange environment, they're walking in a glass ring forever and ever with a corpse and a sound creature that keeps changing. Given the opportunity to solve something, of course the Doctor springs to life. Yet there is nothing to solve.

The Doctor angrily lashes out at Charley. Why are you here? Why? What do you want from me? I was supposed to die here to save you and yet you came with me? WHY!? And it's a good question. Why does the companion go with the Doctor? To see the universe? Friendship? They don't think they have anything to live for at home? Adventure? Excitement? A sense of danger? Charley counters with the same question. The Doctor saved her, why did he do that if he didn't want her around?

I LOVE what comes next. The Time Lords have a theory that the Doctor takes companions because they are "memento mori," reminders of death. Time Lords live for thousands of years, humans don't even reach one hundred. What then is the point of them other than the fact that they will die? They will all inevitably leave him or die in his care and he will be left with the empty ache, the pain of losing something, the loneliness. Yet he keeps bringing them onboard despite knowing how it will end.

He didn't expect to care about Charley as much as he did. He put her above time itself, knowing that she was supposed to die and yet he didn't care. He let her live and sacrificed everything so she would survive. Yet again, he feels like she has betrayed him. He doesn't even want to see her anymore because that would mean he's failed in his self-sacrifice. Once again, not caring about or thinking about Charley's feelings because what do the feelings of a short lived human matter to a Time Lord? Charley loves him and won't leave him behind. Their love for each other has killed them.

We get a surreal scene with each character as Charley is giving her brooch to her "daughter," which appears to be the sound creature. The brooch gets handed down from mother to daughter forever and ever. But Charley doesn't have a daughter and will never have one. That's what the sound creature, created by the Doctor and Charely's presence, is her daughter. Yet it doesn't know how to use the brooch and doesn't serve it.

The Doctor talks to something that has Charley's voice and they talk about the Doctor's capacity for self-sacrifice. The Doctor will die for Charley. He'll die for the universe. He'll die for anyone at the drop of a hat. He values life so little. Only one of them can live: the Doctor or the sound creature. The sound creature values its life while the Doctor will sacrifice himself easily, he doesn't value his life at all. So it is only a matter of time before the Doctor sacrifices himself for the sound creature. So naturally the Doctor is willing to die so someone else might live.

Only Charley is a part of him now. They have fused together. She says it isn't the same thing. Why not? The Doctor dying so Charley can live. The Doctor dying so the sound creature can live. It is functionally the same. Why isn't it any different? The Doctor often can't see a difference. He's so willing to sacrifice himself at the slightest provocation that he has no priority system. He doesn't prioritize himself or his friends or those he claims to love. None of that matters at all in the slightest. And Charley won't let him. He will survive. And she accepts that she will one day die for him, not the other way round.

They can keep evolving, go on and become something greater. They can rule this new universe and have everything, but Charley doesn't want everything. She just wants the Doctor. They separate and go explore this new universe together, hand in hand as they began.

Once again Robert Shearman creates a casual masterpiece. This is one of the most intimate conversations between a Doctor and companion ever recorded and with good reason. They wear their hearts on their sleeves. It's as raw, emotional, and unfiltered as it gets on Doctor Who. Shearman understands this show intimately on a level that perhaps nobody before him had even considered. These questions are fundamental to the entire premise of Doctor Who, but nobody ever asks them. Yet here they are. This was hugely influential on Doctor Who going forwards, clearly, in audio, but especially in new who. We have this story largely to think for the stronger relationships between Doctor and companion in new who than we did in classic.

This story questions the entire premise of the companion. No, the companion shouldn't just be a prop. They shouldn't just be there to ask the Doctor questions and make him seem smart. No, the companion shouldn't just do whatever the Doctor says without question. They're there for a reason. They're people in their own right. The Doctor does consistently ignore their feelings, particularly towards him, and perhaps it's time he didn't. What better Doctor and companion to pull off an intimate story like this other than Eight and Charley? The most romantic Doctor questioning that very nature. The most romantic companion being rebuffed over and over, yet still persisting. And they end up going together anyway, stronger together, as they should be.

07.02.2023

Difficult to understand what this one's about. Depression, dysfunctional relationship, sure. But there's more then that, something that eludes my description.

Anyway, this is a really captivating piece. A must-listen for sure. I've listened to it twice back-to-back. This happens practically never. There will be a time when I'll be begging you to listen to the Eighth Doctor.

Another absolute banger by Robert Shearman. Four out of four I've listened so far I absolutely fell in love with. What a legend. 4.5/5 for sure, I'll be coming back to this one.

This is a masterpiece of an audio and unlike any other story I can think of. It captures the idea of a new and unfamiliar universe so well. The real star here is the character-focused stuff. Really, this is just an hour and a half of characters interacting with each other and it is excellent. You really get into the Doctor's head and start to explore his motives and feelings towards his companions. There is really nothing quite like this.

Practically perfect, if a bit unnerving to listen to. Still a brilliant story, McGann and Fisher carry this perfectly, but it's got a few freaky moments in it

❤️100% = Masterpiece = Essential!

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

This time: a two-hander in an empty space, with ear-shattering soundscapes and relationship drama.

Scherzo plunges us directly into the adventure, with the Doctor and Charley stranded inside the TARDIS, evading an unidentified terror at the apex of everything. They eventually exit the ship, only to notice that they have appeared in a place where they cannot see, feel, or taste anything and have to rely on their hearing as they make their way across the vast nothingness. The Doctor, under the influence of Zagreus, forced himself into this Divergent Universe, Rassilon's pocket universe, where time does not exist.

There is a deeper narrative here, as Robert Shearman (Jubilee, 2003; Dalek, 2005) takes the opportunity to further develop the relationship between Eight and Charley and deal with the fallout from Zagreus (2003). The dialogue also explores existential questions and ideas.

In terms of its sheer inventiveness, unique setting, and total reliance on the two regulars, Scherzo is unlike any Doctor Who story I have encountered. It is simple yet complex, engaging yet unnerving, and strange yet impactful. Only if you're familiar with the characters and their journey up to this point can you fully appreciate their impact.

From the onset, it becomes clear that this story relies heavily on its two performers and the sound design to find success. Paul McGann and India Fisher carry the story effortlessly with their amazing emotional range and effective chemistry, while the intense sound design creates strange and scary canvases around them. Throughout the story, the bond between these two characters fluctuates, and Scherzo excels during the most emotionally charged moments.

Due to the nature of the story and its setting, it only really works in audio format. The simple and unnerving sound design, sometimes overwhelming and capable of making your ears bleed, brings it to life. There’s no music apart from the theme tune, which serves to strengthen the strange nature of the setting and puts more focus on the performances and the soundscapes.

The story maintains a tense atmosphere expertly and occasionally bursts into intense moments of creepy and weird “action” that serve to make the experience even more effective. The story also slowly introduces small, dark elements that give the entire thing a new layer (such as the Doctor and Charley eating the flesh of the dead bodies they come across).

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

This is the first Big Finish release, and the first performed Doctor Who all in all, to only feature two cast members.

Scherzo is also the first entry in the eight-part Divergent Universe arc.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Wildly original, creative, and emotionally complex, Scherzo brings out the very best in Big Finish and ends up being one of the finest pieces of performance by Doctor Who ever released.

Of the conceptual Rob Schearman stories we've gotten so far in Main Range, I'd classify this as the 'worst', though, if you know Shearman, you know that isn't saying much, it still has a deeply fascinating concept explored incredibly well, with compelling writing, mind-expanding concepts, a dark and chilling tone, and a deep sense of unease. Where it falls a bit short for me is the ending, unlike every other Shearman story so far he kinda rushes the ending, which leaves you with a bit of a sour taste in the mouth, because the rest of the story is so deliberately paced, that it's a shame that the ending couldn't have been as well.
8/10

The Monthly Adventures #052 - “Scherzo" by Robert Shearman

Sometimes it annoys me how good of a writer Robert Shearman is. Sometimes it annoys me that he takes half of my top five Doctor Who stories ever. Sometimes it annoys me how, time and time again, he manages to do what other writers can not, and create some of the most unique, most exhilarating, most creatively rich, beautiful, scary and impactful stories ever, and all through the medium of a silly little sci-fi show that was more good than it theoretically should’ve been. And it annoys me because how could anybody else ever match up to him. I don’t know. The Chimes of Midnight sits comfortably at my number one favourite DW story ever, but the more I think about Scherzo, the more I consider it a tie. Scherzo is unlike any story I have ever had the pleasure to experience, and for that, I must praise it.

The Doctor and Charley have become lost. Trapped in a new universe, blinded by never-ending white, can they overcome their differences and survive? Or will they rip each other apart?

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

I love a horror story. Not the sort of horror that’s all blood and guts without end, jumpscares and scary men in dirty masks, I like the horror that sits with you, like rocks in your gut, getting under your skin and into the folds of your brain. I like the horror that feasts on primal instinct and at just the right moment, just when you can’t take it anymore, it explodes, and you’re given something you never thought you’d see. Scherzo is much like that - 90 minutes of ravenous tension intercut with moments of rage and fear and some really good jumpscares (like seriously, oh my god the jumpscares). The whole thing is unnerving, and I think that’s the best word for it: unnerving. It’s psychological horror, through and through, it takes two characters and each of them sees the other as the scariest thing in the world. As for the viewer, Shearman drowns Scherzo in unmistakable atmosphere; a sense of dreamlike uncanniness, the feeling that nothing around you is quite right, reflecting our characters, stuck in a universe they are not made for, which, on its own, might just be the scariest idea Doctor Who has ever come up with; a place that is not meant for you. And past the atmosphere, I think the real pioneer of fear here is the sound design. Big Finish, as an audio-centric production company, has played a lot with the idea of sound. It is intrinsic to them, they are sound only and so must utilise that in any way. Scherzo is hands down their best usage of sound. Ever. It takes place in a realm where the Doctor and Charley have lost every sense, except hearing. And in this one simple premise, we are stuck with them. We can’t see, smell, touch or taste a single thing about the world of Scherzo, but we sure can hear it, and so can the characters. And with that simple idea, we’re as scared as they are. It helps that the sound designer, Gareth Jenkins, must hate you because hot damn does he make use of the format. From the everpresent hum of the void to the voice in the oblivion, Jenkins makes sure the sound is always discomforting you, you are never safe from it, ever there, ever piercing.

And then you actually get to the story and dear god is it good. First of all, the premise we’ve already touched on: perfect. Could not be done in any other format, the Doctor and Charley are alone, walking through a void, hunted by a creature made of sound; it might be the best idea I’ve ever seen, and I’m not joking, it’s a stroke of f**king genius that I still can’t get over. Rarely does an idea, just an idea, not even the execution, make me so inspired. But then you do get to the execution and things just get better. Ok, so, what do we actually have in Scherzo? The Doctor and Charley, mainly, who are both given some of, if not, their best material here. We get to see the dark facets of the Doctor’s character, what drives him when he’s scared, how he thinks about the humans who he is so innately superior to and it's fascinating. We’ve seen dark Doctors before but this is a Doctor who is spiteful and callous and it doesn’t feel out of character because the show makes it so abundantly clear that, no matter how many jokes he can share and smiles he can give, he’s still an alien and he is still not like a human. Charley, on the other hand, as one of the most sentimental and human companions we’ve ever had, makes a nice juxtaposition and a stable factor in a turbulent universe. It’s her balance to a slowly disintegrating Doctor that perfects Scherzo’s flawless dynamic and makes it such an impactful character piece. I’d actually say that past the premise and the horror and the ideas, Scherzo is about the Doctor and his companion, their relationship, what it means, why he even takes humans with him in the first place. And whilst the revival will tell you because he gets lonely, because he needs a hand to hold to keep him moving on and saving lives, Scherzo will tell you something much darker. They’re memento mori, reminders to the Doctor that he is mortal. The ideas are somewhat similar, in a way, the companions are there to keep the Doctor grounded, stop him abusing his power over time, but Scherzo goes one step further and says they’re there to keep him sane. And I think that is just the perfect explanation as to why this playful demigod would meddle with such ordinary creatures such as ourselves.

And then you get to our third character: the sound, or sound creature, or music, or whatever you want to call it. Wherever the Doctor and Charley are, evolution is being accelerated, and their introduction of sound into a void of nothingness has caused the very sense itself to mutate into a living creature that makes possibly the scariest antagonist in Doctor Who. Forget the Weeping Angels, who cares about the Vashta Nerada. Just fear itself in Listen? Peanuts. The Music is an uncaring entity that slowly and maliciously feasts on the Doctor and Charley and the only thing that even comes close to the cosmic terror it induces is the Midnight Entity and I am not saying that lightly. It is this unfathomable thing that we have no idea about that we get to slowly work out the mechanic of along with the Doctor as he realises more and more what it is and what it wants. And the one singular thing that makes the Music terrifying for me is the sound design. I mentioned before how well Scherzo uses audio and nowhere is this more prevalent than with this thing. Talking through chopped up, sped up or down, mixed and mangled mimicries of the Doctor and Charley’s voices, it’s very nature is unnerving to listen to. And then it screams. I mentioned the jumpscares were good, well this where they come from. Sometimes, this horrific creature straight from my nightmares will just scream and I don’t know if it's the pitch, or the volume or just however they made it, but that sound might be the scariest thing I’ve ever heard. Even on a relisten, knowing what was coming, this shit got me good. And whilst we’re on the subject, can we quickly go back to the horror because I have to ask how the hell this got made. Scherzo is horrific with a capital H: unnerving? Yes. Subtle psychological horror? In abundance. But is it also some of the most unsettling body horror you’ve ever experienced? Most definitely. Some of the imagery in this story is insane: you have the Doctor and Charley repeatedly eating the corpse of a clone of Charley, Charley cutting out the Doctor’s vocal cords, the Doctor and Charley holding hands so long that the skin on both their hands grow over each other. Robert Shearman is deranged and I am so glad for it. I could literally sit here all day and just list amazing moments. Like when the Doctor reveals that he and Charley had been walking non stop for the better part of a week, the Music’s introduction, mimicking Charley and tricking the audience, or maybe the horrific reveal that the pair had been walking in circles the entire time. I think the fact that Scherzo takes place in a giant glass tube going in a circle is the one hint of Shearman’s bizarre humour creeping into this horror story, because it’s a weird f**king image that somehow works completely naturally in the grounds of this story. And I haven’t even mentioned the tale of the king, oh christ, that is good. Every part opens with a short snippet of a story surrounding a tyrannical king slowly banishing every freedom from his kingdom, eventually ridding it of music, only to regret his decision when his empire comes to a standstill in the absence of expression. After begging the music to come back, the King watches as the music complies and returns, swiftly murdering everybody in the kingdom. It’s a glorious tone setter and also shows Shearman’s talent at writing short stories, it’s a brilliant idea, told magically that devolves into effective and wonderfully descriptive horror. It’s everything I love about Robert Shearman in the space of maybe seven minutes.

And I think that’s everything I liked covered, now onto the negatives.

I can’t think of any negatives. I’m sorry, I know I did the same thing with The Chimes of Midnight, but I truly see no wrong in Scherzo. I actually reviewed this story once before and gave it a couple criticisms that I know utterly disagree with. I said the story took a while to get going, but now I think it took the necessary amount of time to build the atmosphere and introduce the premise. I also said the Doctor acted out of character, but now I think he just expressed the parts of his character I pretended weren’t always there, hiding. Scherzo is unironically one of the greatest scripts I have ever seen and I can’t fault it. No matter how hard I try.

Long ago, when I decided to start listening to Big Finish, I listened to The Chimes of Midnight and declared it my favourite story. And it has stayed that way since then, even through my first listen of Scherzo. But now I’ve relistened to Shearman’s second outing with Eight, and I’m not so sure any more. Either way, Shearman takes the top spot in my ranking, no doubt, but I don’t know if the pitch perfect, emotional and genius murder mystery or the scary, innovative and immaculate character piece get the top spot. There is no story like Scherzo, it is incomparable to the rest of fiction, and that’s what makes it special. If I could wipe my memory of this story and listen to it for the first time again, I would in a heartbeat. Alas, I can not, so I must instead simply enjoy what time I had with it.

10/10 (easily)

Pros:

+ Unbelievably unnerving

+ Drowning in melancholic, strange atmosphere

+ World class sound design that brilliantly elevates the horror

+ Fantastic premise that could only have been done on audio

+ Writes the darker parts of the Doctor’s character flawlessly

+ Easily Charley’s best outing

+ Effortless deconstruction of the Doctor-Companion relationship

+ Terrifying antagonist

+ Brilliant use of jumpscares

+ Has an incredibly unique surreal, dream-like quality

+ The opening narration is a brilliant tone setter and a horrifying short story on its own

Cons:

~ Once again, Shearman creates a near perfect story and I can’t find true fault in it