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“SHADOW OF A DOUBT – MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL…”

The second of Paul Cornell’s lockdown shorts, Shadow of a Doubt, is a haunting little follow-up to his celebrated two-parter Human Nature / The Family of Blood. At just a few pages long, it serves as a quiet, chilling coda to that story—checking in on the fate of “Daughter of Mine,” the girl trapped for eternity inside a mirror.

Time has moved on. Civilisations have risen and fallen. But the girl remains, cursed to watch and reflect, always hoping that someone might finally release her. And over the years, the Doctor(s) have occasionally returned—always silent, always leaving her there. She says she’s sorry, but it’s clear she doesn’t quite know why. There’s a great thematic tension here: is she repentant, or merely regretful that her punishment continues?

A STRANGER AT THE GLASS

The framing device sees the mirror picked up in the far future by an unnamed narrator who becomes her new listener. The girl speaks directly to this stranger—telling her story again, in hopes it will be different this time.

Cornell deliberately muddies the perspective with layered pronouns, making it initially unclear who is speaking and who is being spoken to. On a first read, this can be frustrating, but there’s a method in the murk. The ambiguity invites the reader to consider all the people the Doctor touches, and all the echoes that linger.

Eventually, if you’ve got your lore goggles on, a reveal presents itself: the mysterious figure holding the mirror is none other than Professor Bernice Summerfield. It’s never stated outright, but the hints—her tone, her wit, her location in Andromeda—are unmistakable. It’s a lovely, quiet nod to Cornell’s own legacy within the expanded universe.

THE LAST RED-HAIRED DOCTOR

Among the fleeting glimpses we get of the girl's eternity is one red-haired Doctor who once came to visit, believing he was the last. It’s a brief but tantalising moment.

A WHISPER, NOT A SHOUT

Ultimately, this is a piece of mood and memory rather than plot or development. It exists in the margins of one of Doctor Who’s more poignant tales, offering a character sketch in miniature and a postscript that’s more about atmosphere than answers. It won’t change your understanding of Human Nature, but it adds a mournful echo to the fate of its most tragic figure.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE: 5/10

Shadow of a Doubt is a short, ambiguous, and slightly obtuse piece that rewards fans of Human Nature and Bernice Summerfield more than the casual reader. As a postscript to one of the show’s most poetic punishments, it adds an eerie whisper to the mythos—though it’s more thought-provoking than emotionally affecting. A nice nod, but not an essential read.

I like the idea that covid prompted Paul Cornell to rethink the fate of the little girl with the red balloon. The Doctor can, on rare occasion, doll out cruel but fair justice. But maybe once in a while they are compelled to undo their worst excesses. I think my Doctor does.