Shadow Planet

There certainly feels like there's a bit of lost potential here. The concept of characters meeting their shadow selves is interesting, and could be an excellent way for characters to confront their own flaws and self doubt.

However, this just... doesn't happen. Shadow Ace and Shadow Hex are largely apathetic and uninvolved in the story, not serving any meaningful narrative purpose.

On top of that, the whole plot thread about the native Umbrians being displaced and the rage of the planet itself seems tacked on, and isn't explored in enough depth for it to really pay off. It has potential, but it falls a bit flat.

The highlight of the episode for me was the Doctor doing a little dance with his shadow self to save the day. Was it tacky? Yes. Was it at odds with the tone of the rest of the story? Sure! But McCoy does silly like an expert, and it was a delightfully clownish sequence that made me laugh. Sometimes, that's enough!

Choosing their next destination, our team pick Unity - what could go wrong with a bit of therapy?

The 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex - it seems like a like a long time since we last heard Hex, and its nice to have him back. Here Ace and Hex get to meet their darker sides, as the therapy process on Unity can separate them and tranfer it to a robot double to 'confront ' yourself. Thing is they are not that dark. The story is the exploitation of the planet and its people, so misses the mark on an evil Ace/Hex adventure.

Theres nothing new in this tale, its nice enough, one of the issues with 'other' versions of characters is its much hard to tell which one it is on audio, especially if you get distracted. Ace and Hex are a little too pally for my liking. There are twists, but nothing is got into in depth. There's a great line but the Doctor, where he says something like 'a day ago, a month another year, another me' it the 'Another me' that I liked.

Its Ok, listenable, but not outstanding.