Christmas is a time for family, they say – which is why the Doctor has invited his granddaughter Susan, and great grandson Alex for Christmas dinner in his time and space machine. But who, or what, is the spectre at their yuletide feast?
Venturing deep into the dark heart of the TARDIS, Susan uncovers her past, Alex is told his future – and the Doctor finds himself caught in a deadly, dangerous present!
RELATIVE DIMENSIONS
Big Finish continues to follow the season structure of the TV series: after an epic, dramatic two-part “season finale,” they present a festive Christmas special. Marc Platt’s “Relative Dimensions” calls all the way back to “The Edge of Destruction” in style: it is set, save for a brief scene at a bus station, entirely within the TARDIS, and features only the Doctor, Lucie, Susan, and Alex. Such an intimate setting lends itself naturally to solid character-oriented drama, and though there is an alien monster about, Platt focuses entirely on these regular characters and their relationships to produce a poignant slice of Doctor Who.
I would never have predicted the Doctor’s reaction to having a great-grandson: he’s suddenly quite worried about his legacy! He scans Alex’s DNA to see how much is Time Lord, he prepares a room for him aboard the TARDIS, he tests his telepathic abilities, etc. It’s not dissimilar to his desire for a traveling companion, but he’s clearly demonstrating familial attachments that we haven’t seen since he locked Susan out of the TARDIS decades ago. Even Lucie is shocked to discover he has family around.
Speaking of Lucie, it’s nice to see her get the Christmas she’d missed out on due to “Death in Blackpool.” She clearly loves the holiday, throwing herself into the preparations with enthusiasm. But it’s still clearly painful for her to be around the TARDIS, especially when things start going wrong and the Doctor seems determined to ignore everything to protect family Christmas. It’s achingly similar to having an ex-girl- or boyfriend around for the holidays, allowing yourself to remember how things once were but understanding they can’t be like that again. Thankfully they part on much better terms this time around, and Lucie and Alex seem like good traveling companions for an architecture tour.
It’s interesting, meanwhile, to observe how Susan has developed, while in many ways the Doctor hasn’t despite the greater number of intervening years. Susan is a protective mother to Alex, viewing all decisions through the prism of keeping him safe. In many ways, this is the Doctor’s fault, as he basically consigned her by force to a family life – but now he’s come back full of the spirit of adventure, nothing like the protective grandparent he once was. We’ve heard in the TV series time and again how the Doctor is unsuited for domestic life: well now we get to see it in action, and it’s clear that he no longer understands what it actually means to have a family. He’s rightly proud of Alex, and wants to become part of his life, but the only life the Doctor knows is exceedingly dangerous. The clearest summation is this: the first Doctor would never have allowed Susan to travel with the eighth Doctor, and thus it should be no surprise that Susan doesn’t want Alex going with him either.
Lastly, there’s Alex himself, who’s still trying to figure his life out at age 18. He’s settled on architecture as a career, which is wonderful considering the state of the world he comes from. He’s resolutely human – after all, he’s never known anything else – but coming to terms with his Time Lord heritage. Most importantly, he thinks the Doctor is crazy, and a little dangerous, despite his growing affection for his great-grandfather. Of course, in many ways he’s absolutely right – but he’s also demonstrating how he’s not really companion material, as he has a plan in front of him and seems to be the kind of person that will make a difference in the world. I’m sure he’d love to see other worlds with the Doctor, but he doesn’t need to, not like Lucie or Charley or the dozens before them.
Paul McGann turns in his usual fine performance – it’s interesting to watch him desperate for Alex’s affection – and Sheridan Smith engages in her usual double-act with him over Christmas dinner. It’s remarkable how easily Carole Ann Ford slips back into the role of Susan, even after the previous year’s “An Earthly Child” – she’s so good with McGann, too. And Jake McGann has improved considerably over “An Earthly Child” – he’s far more convincing, and while not up to the caliber of his co-stars, no longer impacts the drama with wooden line readings. Barnaby Edwards directs Platt’s script and Jamie Robertson’s sound design to create a true Christmas feeling, while Robertson’s holiday-themed score contributes equally well. Overall, “Relative Dimensions” is another success in the excellent fourth season of McGann stories and stands as one of the best Christmas pieces Doctor Who has done. Highly recommended.
Oh, and there’s a giant floating electric interdimensional fish in it.
8/10