There’s a secret locked up in UNIT’s Vault 75-73/Whitehall. Dr Elizabeth Shaw is the only one left who knows what that secret is. Returning to UNIT for the first time in decades, she slowly unravels the past.
There’s a secret locked up in UNIT’s Vault 75-73/Whitehall. Dr Elizabeth Shaw is the only one left who knows what that secret is. Returning to UNIT for the first time in decades, she slowly unravels the past.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: SHADOW OF THE PAST
The ninth release in the fourth series of Companion Chronicles, and the second Companion Chronicle to feature Caroline John, Simon Guerrier’s “Shadow of the Past” goes back to the gritty season 7 era. It certainly employs Guerrier’s usual focus on the characters, but it revolves around such a generic, predictable plot that it’s hard to truly enjoy, and I say that as someone who doesn’t prioritize plot in his drama.
I’ve seen a lot of praise for “Shadow of the Past” and how it captures the uneasy feeling of season 7: the Doctor’s strong desire to leave Earth, his contentious relationship with the Brigadier and UNIT, Liz’s insecurity at being displaced as scientific advisor, and so forth. While this is certainly present, the Companion Chronicle format unfortunately prevents it from being as effective as it could be. The story is explicitly set after “Doctor Who and the Silurians,” with the Doctor still hostile toward the Brigadier over the conclusion of that story. But with the story told through Liz’s eyes, we only see that conflict around the edges and through Liz’s own nervousness about it. It’s well written, of course, but it feels like we’re getting one story while a more interesting one is playing out at the edges. That said, Liz’s story itself is pretty great – this is a very honest, human script, the crying scene in the shower a particular example of the sort of characterization this series excels at.
My biggest problem with the story is its predictability. The cliffhanger is a perfect example of this: suddenly, the Doctor appears to be betraying humanity for his own interests! We’ve seen this maneuver time and again, especially in the spinoff media, and only a few seconds after the resolution we find out that this impression was mistaken and the Doctor is not, in fact, betraying humanity. I grant that the Doctor exploding into a giant, purple, tentacled shapeshifter was not the first resolution I would have anticipated, but it’s hardly a dramatic cliffhanger in the first place. I very much enjoyed the framing sequence, which uses Guerrier’s preferred style of the supporting actor performing only in the frame – but it’s obvious from the start that the soldier is out of place, and as soon as the story mentions shape shifters the ending becomes clear. Lastly, Guerrier introduces an invasion fleet in addition to the sole alien on Earth – but then has the Doctor summon the Time Lords to eliminate the fleet. There’s a great little moment in which Robin threatens the Time Lord to force him to use his powers; it’s still contrived, though, that the Time Lord would accept the argument in the first place, especially considering the source.
I sound like I’m piling on the play, but in general I enjoyed it. Caroline John gives a great performance, an emotional delivery that’s quite refreshing for this era and a credit to director Lisa Bowerman. Lex Shrapnel (really?) is similarly good as the Vault soldier, questioning in all the right places. I also appreciated the sound design from Richard Fox and Lauren Yason. Overall, “Shadow of the Past” is not a classic, due largely to its predictability and use of era-specific clichés – but it’s still a well-written piece of drama with a fine central performance.
Recommended.
6/10