Manchester, 2008. The Doctor is the prime suspect in a murder, but only he knows that the victim was an alien.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 8, 2016 at 1:07 AM
THE CONDEMNED
At the time, “The Girl Who Never Was” seemed like the perfect time to write Charley Pollard out of Big Finish’s Doctor Who range. With recent farewell stories for Erimem and Evelyn, it seemed that new producer Nicholas Briggs aimed to put his own stamp on the range, and a script by Charley-creator Alan Barnes involving the Cybermen and a dramatic, explosive ending, made it seem that the character was on her way out. Instead, a surprising twist ending put her character in the TARDIS with… Colin Baker?! At the time, I wrote this: “Sorry, but I don’t trust Big Finish to write convincing character arcs, especially not when they concern a character who passed her sell-by date three years ago! Simply put, I have no faith whatsoever that this idea is going to work — and since it starts out by completely undercutting and ruining what was otherwise a decent ending to the character, I have no reason to feel optimistic.” That was written some time ago, and now, mellowed by the passage of time, I turn with a healthy dose of skepticism to Eddie Robson’s “The Condemned” to see just where this new pairing will head.
So let’s get the big question out of the way: does the pairing work? I don’t know, but the characters get on well: Charley seems to figure out right away that she’s traveling with a previous incarnation of the Doctor, and her attempts to protect her secrets are amusingly inept. The sixth Doctor, meanwhile, is much more suspicious and confrontational than his free-wheeling successor, and he immediately determines that there is more to Charley than meets the eye. Colin Baker and India Fisher have an easy chemistry that’s fun to hear, and I look forward to hearing them together in future stories. The problem, though, is that it’s impossible to analyze where this is going: the two characters are kept separate for almost the entire length of the play, and absolutely no hint of their future is given. I was also confused by Charley’s characterization: this person has traveled through all of time and space, and even to different universes, and yet is overwhelmed by the idea that Indian food is available in Manchester? She doesn’t know how telephones work? Eh? I’ll have to wait for future releases to judge the success of this pairing, but it seems to be working, based on limited evidence.
As for the script: brilliant setup, poor returns. Robson nudges Doctor Who toward a previously-unexplored genre: the crime drama. It’s not often that we see the Doctor involved in a legitimate police investigation — but the reasons for this are evident throughout, as the Doctor’s methods clearly aren’t by the book and don’t mesh well with the law. I love the opening: very atmospheric, very suspenseful, as the Doctor and Charley stumble upon a murder victim, and the Doctor is arrested while Charley is abducted. I love the introduction of DI Patricia Menzies (Anna Hope), the sort of cynical, seen-it-all homicide cop beloved of nearly every police drama. I love the disembodied voice of Sam (Will Ash), calling Charley seemingly from nowhere. And I love the first few revelations: it’s not a human body at all, but an alien body retrofitted to appear human, etc.
Unfortunately, consistency starts to fall apart the further “The Condemned” progresses. Menzies accepts the Doctor’s story way too easily — she’s presented as far too weary to believably accept a story about alien invaders. And while I didn’t find the revelations about the plot to be poorly-constructed, I found them unimpressively banal: it’s yet another alien threat to Earth. I also admit that I usually find the sentient house trope to be uninteresting — it was difficult for me to sympathize with Sam, especially in light of his actions. By the end — and I listened twice, just to make sure — I found myself losing interest, which was a shame considering the otherwise strong start to the play.
Special mention must go to the production of “The Condemned,” specifically the sound design and music by David Darlington. The second season of McGann audios — and “The Bride of Peladon” — were consumed with repetitive orchestral scores that failed to stand apart. Darlington’s work is refreshingly atmospheric, lending the play a grim, intriguing feel. The supporting cast is, as ever, on solid form, and Nicholas Briggs’s direction keeps the tension up as long as it can.
Overall, I enjoyed “The Condemned.” I went in expecting some sort of continuity-laden explanation of how Charley and the sixth Doctor can travel together, but I got a solid, entertaining Doctor Who story instead. Though I’m still dreading the eventual explanations, “The Condemned” gives us an intriguing new genre for the series and a surprisingly refreshing companion/Doctor pairing. I’m still waiting for Eddie Robson to pen a true classic — I’m increasingly confident that he will — but until then I’m enjoying his work.
THE CONDEMNED
At the time, “The Girl Who Never Was” seemed like the perfect time to write Charley Pollard out of Big Finish’s Doctor Who range. With recent farewell stories for Erimem and Evelyn, it seemed that new producer Nicholas Briggs aimed to put his own stamp on the range, and a script by Charley-creator Alan Barnes involving the Cybermen and a dramatic, explosive ending, made it seem that the character was on her way out. Instead, a surprising twist ending put her character in the TARDIS with… Colin Baker?! At the time, I wrote this: “Sorry, but I don’t trust Big Finish to write convincing character arcs, especially not when they concern a character who passed her sell-by date three years ago! Simply put, I have no faith whatsoever that this idea is going to work — and since it starts out by completely undercutting and ruining what was otherwise a decent ending to the character, I have no reason to feel optimistic.” That was written some time ago, and now, mellowed by the passage of time, I turn with a healthy dose of skepticism to Eddie Robson’s “The Condemned” to see just where this new pairing will head.
So let’s get the big question out of the way: does the pairing work? I don’t know, but the characters get on well: Charley seems to figure out right away that she’s traveling with a previous incarnation of the Doctor, and her attempts to protect her secrets are amusingly inept. The sixth Doctor, meanwhile, is much more suspicious and confrontational than his free-wheeling successor, and he immediately determines that there is more to Charley than meets the eye. Colin Baker and India Fisher have an easy chemistry that’s fun to hear, and I look forward to hearing them together in future stories. The problem, though, is that it’s impossible to analyze where this is going: the two characters are kept separate for almost the entire length of the play, and absolutely no hint of their future is given. I was also confused by Charley’s characterization: this person has traveled through all of time and space, and even to different universes, and yet is overwhelmed by the idea that Indian food is available in Manchester? She doesn’t know how telephones work? Eh? I’ll have to wait for future releases to judge the success of this pairing, but it seems to be working, based on limited evidence.
As for the script: brilliant setup, poor returns. Robson nudges Doctor Who toward a previously-unexplored genre: the crime drama. It’s not often that we see the Doctor involved in a legitimate police investigation — but the reasons for this are evident throughout, as the Doctor’s methods clearly aren’t by the book and don’t mesh well with the law. I love the opening: very atmospheric, very suspenseful, as the Doctor and Charley stumble upon a murder victim, and the Doctor is arrested while Charley is abducted. I love the introduction of DI Patricia Menzies (Anna Hope), the sort of cynical, seen-it-all homicide cop beloved of nearly every police drama. I love the disembodied voice of Sam (Will Ash), calling Charley seemingly from nowhere. And I love the first few revelations: it’s not a human body at all, but an alien body retrofitted to appear human, etc.
Unfortunately, consistency starts to fall apart the further “The Condemned” progresses. Menzies accepts the Doctor’s story way too easily — she’s presented as far too weary to believably accept a story about alien invaders. And while I didn’t find the revelations about the plot to be poorly-constructed, I found them unimpressively banal: it’s yet another alien threat to Earth. I also admit that I usually find the sentient house trope to be uninteresting — it was difficult for me to sympathize with Sam, especially in light of his actions. By the end — and I listened twice, just to make sure — I found myself losing interest, which was a shame considering the otherwise strong start to the play.
Special mention must go to the production of “The Condemned,” specifically the sound design and music by David Darlington. The second season of McGann audios — and “The Bride of Peladon” — were consumed with repetitive orchestral scores that failed to stand apart. Darlington’s work is refreshingly atmospheric, lending the play a grim, intriguing feel. The supporting cast is, as ever, on solid form, and Nicholas Briggs’s direction keeps the tension up as long as it can.
Overall, I enjoyed “The Condemned.” I went in expecting some sort of continuity-laden explanation of how Charley and the sixth Doctor can travel together, but I got a solid, entertaining Doctor Who story instead. Though I’m still dreading the eventual explanations, “The Condemned” gives us an intriguing new genre for the series and a surprisingly refreshing companion/Doctor pairing. I’m still waiting for Eddie Robson to pen a true classic — I’m increasingly confident that he will — but until then I’m enjoying his work.
7/10