People are dying. Just a few, over a period of months… but the strange thing is that each person received a letter predicting the date and time of their death.
Throughout her time as the Doctor’s assistant, Liz Shaw has been documenting these passings.
Her investigation ultimately uncovers a threat that could lead to the end of the world, but this time Liz has someone to help her.
Her mother.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE LAST POST
The sixtieth release in the regular Companion Chronicles series, James Goss’ “The Last Post,” gained an uncomfortable significance before its release with the unfortunate passing of Caroline John. As such, the story stands as her final performance, and while it wasn’t intended to act as such, it works surprisingly well as a tribute to Doctor Who’s landmark seventh season.
James Goss seems to have been on a nostalgia kick when he wrote his Companion Chronicles. First, we had “The Time Museum,” which featured a journey through Ian’s memories of his travels in the TARDIS. Now, with “The Last Post,” we follow a story that takes place parallel to the events of season 7. The script is told in epistolary fashion, largely through letters written between Liz and her mother, Dame Emily Shaw (Rowena Cooper). Between Liz’s work at UNIT, and Emily’s work on a secret government council, the letters describe everything from the Auton invasion to the Stahlman project. I like these references because they’re not intrusive: they make “The Last Post” sound like it takes place in a connected fictional universe without ever sounding forced.
Importantly, in spite of these references, “The Last Post” is not nostalgic in its storytelling. The format of the story alone is unlike anything we saw on television, and the idea of telling a story that takes place in parallel to multiple TV adventures is something we haven’t seen too often. It makes UNIT feel more real: the Brigadier isn’t addressing one crisis at a time; he’s juggling multiple crises at once. The Doctor doesn’t blow people off simply because he’s petulant and frustrated; he genuinely does have other important things to work on. And it makes Liz’s frustration seem honest – it’s coming from professional conflicts, not clichéd behavior. Emily runs into similar difficulties on her council, but even that comes from a believable place: she’s a humanities PhD and the more “qualified” people don’t take her entirely seriously.
As for the plot, it’s a good one – a doomsday clock that issues specific predictions about individual deaths. Perhaps it was a bit too much in the reference department to reveal that the clock was built from parts from WOTAN, but the “Doctor Who is required” reference was amusing so I’ll forgive it. The story has an oppressive sense of inevitability about it, something communicated very well in the interactions between John and Cooper. As for the performances, they’re as good as you’d expect. Rowena Cooper creates an intelligent, appealing character in Dame Emily – it’s very apparent that this is Liz’s mother, and affection shines through their interactions. Caroline John gets a wide range of emotions to address and demonstrates excellent capability as a narrator. Her impression of the Brigadier is particularly entertaining as well. It’s just a shame that this is her final performance, as it’s clear that, had health allowed, she had many more great ones to give.
Overall, “The Last Post” is a very good release. It’s an entertaining story, it features two appealing characters, and it stands as a fine tribute both to its era and to its star. It’s produced well, and it’s an easy listen. It is yet another strong entry in a very strong series.
Highly recommended.
8/10