The TARDIS takes the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C’rizz to a place where there is no time. A place where nothing can be. But something is.
The TARDIS takes the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C’rizz to a place where there is no time. A place where nothing can be. But something is.
TIME WORKS
Consumerism (and, by extension, capitalism) is a common satirical target of drama. The speculative nature of science fiction often proceeds beyond mere satire and into outright criticism — what would an unrestrained capitalistic future look like? More often than not, it results in a dystopia — and that is precisely what is on display in Steve Lyons’ “Time Works.” Lyons’ play offers a unique twist on the idea, however, tying it directly to the concept of the passage of time.
Forced conformity has been a Lyons nemesis since he entered the Doctor Who fold. Additionally, Lyons enjoys writing stories in which he plays with the mechanics of time. The two have been explicitly combined in “Time Works:” citizens of a city named “Industry” are forced to live clockwork lives by rules enforced by Clockwork Men, ruthless mechanical guards of efficiency. They live in the shadow of a literal giant clock as well as the figurative clock driving the progress of industry. Language defines a society in many ways, and this one, raised from DNA fragments by a central computer, sees time as a central part of its language: “turning hands” as an expression for work, for example, or “between the tick and the tock” supplanting the word “instant” — and this is important, for Lyons’ Clockwork Men literally operate between seconds. The result is a people consumed by the concept of time — enslaved by it, even — proving a fascinating counterpoint to the recent Divergent Universe arc, in which time was said not to exist.
Lyons’ economic vision is interesting as well, juxtaposing a fairy-tale environment with an obsession over production. There’s a castle, a king, and an Idle Prince (Adrian Schiller) — a fairytale naming convention, yes, but literally true here, as the only person in Industry without a job. And it certainly sounds like corporate totalitarianism, with people punished for idling while on the clock, but listen to the means of job assignment and wealth distribution: it could easily be summed up as “from each according to his ability to each according to his need,” and that’s straight Marxism. Perhaps this is a questionable reading, but this has the ring of a 1980s brand of paranoia and, perhaps intentionally, gives “Time Works” a very “classic Doctor Who” feel.
Despite this, however — and Industry is intellectually significant in a way that so many Doctor Who settings are not — “Time Works” just isn’t a very interesting story. It’s been said many times, but it bears repeating: episode one is very reminiscent of “The Space Museum’s” first episode, even though it proves more significant to the plot than its predecessor. This brings an intriguing start to the play, but the interest goes no further: once we determine what’s going on, the Doctor and companions meet the oppressed locals and bring down the totalitarian society just like in a hundred previous Doctor Who stories. There’s the worker (Beth Vyse) who learns from the Doctor how to ask questions, there’s the government employee (Philip Edgerley) who throws off his shackles and fights his faceless employers, there’s the king (Ronald Pickup) held impotent by the power behind the throne — we’ve seen this all before. None of which makes Lyons’ story bad, of course, but it seems such a waste of a unique setting to run through a standard Doctor Who plot. Even the Doctor comments to the Figurehead (Tracey Childs) that he does this sort of thing all the time.
McGann’s quite good in this, and his Doctor seems more impulsive and destructive than usual. India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas play their parts well, but I’m continuing to tire of these characters. Charley is companion-by-numbers in “Time Works,” save for a plaintive cry of “I can’t lose the Doctor yet!” while C’rizz — well, nothing, aside from his usual hatred of and rebellion against oppression. No mention of the voices, or his chameleonic nature: I suppose ignoring character details is one way to stop the audience asking questions. The supporting cast is quite good, but Pickup and Schiller stand out, each portraying a different aspect of tortured, ineffectual royalty. Edgerley is given the moment of revelatory rebellion, and gives an inspirational portrayal.
This is yet another Big Finish triumph of production. Atmosphere is very important, especially in the first episode, and director Edward Salt and sound designer Gareth Jenkins keep the tension high. The clockwork soundscape heard throughout the play is incredibly effective — you can tell just by listening how the clocks run the lives of Industry. And Andy Hardwick’s string score is inspired, lending a lightly tragic air to the proceedings.
I’d love to give “Time Works” a higher mark: the setting is brilliant and thought-provoking, giving the play a deep backdrop usually seen only in the best Doctor Who stories. But Lyons just didn’t do anything with it, and as the Doctor and companions went through the motions, I was left wanting more. I admit my views may have been distorted, having listened to “Time Works” soon after seeing Alfonso Cuarón’s brilliant dystopian vision “Children of Men,” but disappointment is disappointment. I’ll say this: this is probably the best Doctor Who story in which I’ve ever been disappointed.
Recommended all the same.
7/10