Why did I have to wait until a Subscriber Short Trip to finally find an audio story that understands the dynamic between Dodo and the Doctor?
When Dodo was first introduced at the end of “The Massacre”, the intent of her character was very clear: she was an attempt for the Doctor to escape his days of responsibility. Longing for the days of optimistic time travel, he took her with him to fill a void. Going as far as to directly compare her to his granddaughter. As a character, she is meant to just plug a hole. A means to an end.
After that ending, none of the stories that followed really played with that concept. On TV, this was because of a transitional period between production teams. On audio, this was because Dodo never really got a spotlight, most likely since Jackie Lane is no longer with us.
I did notice this, since character is something I pay a lot of attention to. I usually make sure to mention some fun, interesting or important character moments as I come across them. But ever since the Massacre, I haven’t really done that, since there has been very little. Especially for Dodo.
Yet now I finally come across a story that gets it. That plays with their odd relationship and the darker elements that hide behind the surface. I’d go as far as to call this the true sequel to the Massacre. I’ll go into more detail now, but I recommend you stop here and have a listen for yourself first. This is worth experiencing for yourself. Believe me, when I give a spoiler warning, it’s because I truly think you should go in without knowing the story.
The Doctor and Dodo land in England, sometime during the 19th century. After going to a local inn, Dodo notices that the Doctor is lacking his normal sense of adventure. He seems disturbed, like something is looming over him…
After settling in and spending the night, Dodo wakes up to find the Doctor missing. The Innkeeper tries to calm her down a little. After all, he wouldn’t leave her behind, would he?..... Would he?
This is where it starts! Dodo’s naivety is breaking. How well does she actually know this man? What is she to him? What is he to her?
That’s what’s been missing these past few stories. Character dynamics. The façade is breaking, and that’s unsettling for both. Dodo decides to shake it off and look into a local monster sighting, along with some workers on the railroad.
As they go, we shift to the Doctor in his Tardis. Considering just leaving Dodo behind and running away. Yet he’s fighting with his own morality. He actively looks back on who he’s met and what he has learned: Ian, Barbara, Susan, Vicki, Katarina, Sara, Steven and Dodo have left their traces. They’ve spurred on his kindness, yet also shown the consequences. The Doctor curses himself for his new morals, and goes after Dodo.
After dealing with the threat, the cause is shown to be some kind of time and space surveillance machine, which has crashed in the planet. The Doctor sends it back into the vortex, and quickly pushes Dodo back into the tardis. As they leave, the sound of another tardis is heard outside the doors. They had left just in time.
The Doctor almost gave himself away, just to do the right thing. With a show that’s almost running for 60 years, you might even forget he was officially on the run for quite a while. Yet here is his past, almost catching up with him. But it was worth it, because he did the right thing.
Just imagine exploring the Doctor and Dodo further in this manner. The illusions breaking away and their roles slowly becoming clear. Wow. I can only dream.
Yes, this story officially has a plot, but that’s not what’s important here. This story works because of its deep understanding of the characters. It’s tense, not because of a bear-like creature running around, but because we don’t really know what these characters can expect from each other anymore. Especially on the Doctor’s side. If author Chris Wing can so thoroughly understand the character dynamics on his first attempt at writing the First Doctor, imagine what he could do with a boxset!
The only bad thing in “The Horror at Bletchington Station” is that it ends. In just half an hour, it has shown a deeper and more complex understanding of the characters than any other audio’s with this duo. I could’ve listened to this for hours. If you’re a fan of “The Daleks Master Plan” or “The Massacre”, this story is a must. A true step forward in darker First Doctor storytelling. I can’t recommend it enough.
