A cell. Four walls, one door. Jamie McCrimmon can escape, but it means unravelling a puzzle of extraordinary complexity.
And there are more than just two players in this game. The Doctor is there. So is his opponent Si
As a hero turns killer, and a rebellion becomes anarchy, the lines between good and evil are blurred. And so does the distinction between cause and effect…
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE JIGSAW WAR
The penultimate story in the sixth series of Companion Chronicles is the second Eddie Robson script in three slots. This one, “The Jigsaw War,” is a very strong release, using a nonlinear narrative to actually get into its characters’ heads.
Much like “Binary,” “The Jigsaw War” eschews the traditional Companion Chronicle narrative in favor of a full-cast style that incorporates two actors playing multiple parts into the fiction. So it’s not Jamie doing an impression of the Second Doctor, it’s actually the Doctor speaking through him. Likewise, Dominic Mafham plays both the colonial leader Moran and the true villain of the piece, Side. I like this because it gives the two-hand structure even more depth, allowing us to view the game from outside perspectives as well as those of the players.
After a few, more traditional, plot driven stories, “The Jigsaw War” is entirely about Jamie McCrimmon and his relationship with the Doctor. We see the foundations for his trust in the Doctor and the true depth of it: even in the face of significant evidence, he is unwavering in his support for his friend. But we also get to see Jamie as an intelligent human being, defined by more than his Scottish heritage and 18th-century upbringing. Much like Leela, authors have often put him into the “noble savage” box – meaning he’s brave, he’s heroic, and he’s lovable, but he’s also kind of an idiot. This story, however, requires Jamie to put together a series of discrete observations and deduce an unlikely solution, and he takes to the problem like a fish to water. Frazer Hines is great, naturally, but that goes without saying at this point.
The non-linear narrative is also put to good use. Of course, the non-linearity is the focus of the plot, as Jamie has to put the segments into the proper order, but by presenting the segments in this way we get to see Jamie’s trust in the Doctor put to the test. Taken in order, he would have no reason to distrust his own perceptions, nor would he have any reason to doubt the Doctor; the rearranged scenes, on the other hand, bring both of those issues to the fore. Narratives like this should never be gimmicky, and Robson shows a very good reason for telling the story in this manner.
I’m also a fan of the plot itself, which comes across as an attack on the veiled racism that drives anti-immigrant sentiment. We’ve all heard that sort of thing before – “sure, they seem like nice people now, but get enough of them together and look out!” – and of course the Doctor is going to react against it. But I also like that Robson doesn’t turn the humans into obvious villains: from everything they know, this race is indeed dangerous in large numbers, and they’re not being violent just for the sake of asserting dominance. I also approved of the final reversal: the revelation that they aren’t actually violent in large numbers, but their “god” alters others’ perceptions in order to keep them imprisoned. He’s the real villain, not the manipulated humans – and Jamie figuring that out is the key to finding the true solution to the puzzle.
The production is solid as ever, from Lisa Bowerman’s direction to the sound design from Howard Carter. But the script – including the narrative – is the star of the show. This is great work from Eddie Robson, and a return to form for the Companion Chronicles.
Highly recommended.
9/10