A visitor from beyond the stars needs to explore Jamie’s past, and discover what happened in the year 1688, when the TARDIS landed in London, and the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe were welcomed into the court of King James II.
A visitor from beyond the stars needs to explore Jamie’s past, and discover what happened in the year 1688, when the TARDIS landed in London, and the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe were welcomed into the court of King James II.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION
While “Helicon Prime” certainly wasn’t a successful story, it did feature the debut of Frazer Hines’ Patrick Troughton impression, something that has rightfully become famous for its uncanny quality. It was only a matter of time before this impression was paired with an fine story, and Jonathan Morris’ “The Glorious Revolution” is that story. It’s not brilliant, but it’s a fine example of Doctor Who historical storytelling.
“The Glorious Revolution” is a story that we’ve seen many times in the spinoff media and a few times on TV: a companion challenging the Doctor over what sort of interference in history is and is not acceptable. The titular revolution concerned the overthrow of James II and his eventual replacement by William & Mary, and was named for being relatively bloodless compared to the English Civil War. Jamie, however, was on the side of the losers, fighting against the English in the Jacobite Rebellion. Presented here with the possibility of keeping James on the throne is a temptation too great for him to ignore, and he disregards the Doctor’s advice in an attempt to do just that. It’s fascinating to see the Doctor and Jamie pitted against each other, something rarely seen on television; the Doctor’s desperate attempts to convince his friend are met with suspicion and mistrust. It’s also interesting to use the companion’s perspective to explore their own period of history – it’s rare that companions are deliberately portrayed as “of their time” in this way.
Dramatically, though, the story doesn’t hold up very well. The first episode is near perfect, everything building logically to a great cliffhanger. But after that, all of the interesting material goes away. James starts acting like a lunatic for no apparent reason other than to convince Jamie that the Doctor is right, the brilliant cliffhanger in the framing device is resolved with no effort whatsoever, and we get silly antics in the place of dramatic confrontations. There’s a fine moment when Jamie, realizing his mistake, has to betray the man he wanted so desperately to save, but it happens too abruptly after the first episode to be truly convincing.
I also enjoyed the framing device, in which a Time Lord interviews an older Jamie, temporarily returning his memories to learn about this adventure. As mentioned above, the cliffhanger is set here, and it’s the sort of thing that compels you to listen immediately to the next part. I also understand the ending, and Jamie’s decision, though I’d have been curious to see how it would have worked out had he chosen differently.
The production is successful as well, with Nigel Fairs handling both the direction and the sound design. Overall, “The Glorious Revolution” is very, very good. Some flaws keep it from true greatness, but in the end this is another fine story in a range full of them.
Highly recommended.
8/10