London, 2015. The Doctor’s looking for a lost space probe. Lucie Miller’s feeling just plain lost, on a world she no longer quite belongs to.
London, 2015. The Doctor’s looking for a lost space probe. Lucie Miller’s feeling just plain lost, on a world she no longer quite belongs to.
THE EIGHT TRUTHS
I’ve never tried to hide my admiration for Eddie Robson, one of the most consistently excellent Doctor Who authors ever to come out of the Big Finish stables. It’s also no secret that I’ve been somewhat disappointed with the third McGann/Lucie “season” — certainly no bad offerings, but a few uninteresting-if-competent ones. I was expecting “The Eight Truths,” the first part of the traditional season-ending two-parter, to surprise and delight me like “Human Resources, Part 1” and “Sisters of the Flame” before it — so imagine my dismay when I found it tedious in the extreme.
We’ll start at the end: specifically, the cliffhanger, which is treated as a shocking surprise but in truth couldn’t have been more obviously telegraphed. A cult? Mysterious crystals? Mind control? Spider legs visible on the cover? Repeated uses of the number 8, from the title to the evil cult? At this point, the only surprise would be if it wasn’t the Metebelis spiders — and since of course it is them, I’m wondering what Robson will do in “Worldwide Web” to actually make them interesting. The Pertwee era was hardly known for its subtlety, and apart from the Great One, there was very little of it displayed from his final opponents.
Give Robson credit, though, as he usually tries to make his scripts relevant. “Human Resources” was an entertaining cross between Doctor Who and The Office, and “The Eight Truths” goes back to that well, constructing evil cult The Eightfold Truth as an obvious satire of Scientology. They also exploit the nonsensical belief in the healing power of crystals, elegantly tying the story back to its 1974 prequel. Granted, these are easy targets — it’s hardly a secret that there are dangerous cults in our midst, or that people will believe anything that purports to give them hope — but seeing these ideas dramatized lends a sense of realism to the story that would otherwise be difficult to accomplish.
I’ve also complained about the lack of followup to the dramatic ending of “Orbis” — well, that’s finally picked up in this story, with the Headhunter (Katarina Olsson) reappearing along with the remote stellar manipulator from “Vengeance of Morbius.” We see the sort of epic image usually reserved for TV season finales: the stellar manipulator hovers in the sky, giving the appearance of a second sun. But nothing is done with this; maybe they’re waiting for the conclusion, but it’s barely remarked upon.
This lack of response is symptomatic of the greater problem with “The Eight Truths” — despite a sizable scope, and a significant progression of time, few characters are actually seen to do anything. The Doctor spends the majority of the story trying to find a missing space probe and then spends the rest of it trying to figure out what’s going on. I like the idea of knocking him out for 23 days while the plot advances without him, but in this case it simply underscores the fact that the Doctor has accomplished absolutely nothing of worth. Lucie, meanwhile, is the focal point of the drama: it’s impressive to listen as Robson leads her from a quiet hotel room to the center of a dangerous cult, and the scenes in which she is brainwashed into believing the Doctor is her enemy are convincingly disturbing. The cultists, however, are mostly faceless, and as Lucie spends the entire second part under hypnosis while the Doctor wanders aimlessly, the plot feels as though it’s treading water.
The supporting cast is excellent, but their characters are mostly forgettable. Olsson stands out as always, but actors like Sophie Winkleman and Sanjeev Bhaskar are saddled with “What is it, Doctor?” companion surrogates like Kelly Westwood and Sangakkara. Stephen Moore is underused, while Kerry Godliman replaces Louise Fullerton as Headhunter sidekick Karen — and Godliman, Olsson, and Sheridan Smith recapture the caustic relationship seen in the past. The production is solid, with Martin Johnson’s sound design and music occasionally reminiscent of this story’s “prequel,” and Nicholas Briggs’ direction assured as usual.
Overall, “The Eight Truths” just didn’t grab me like it should have. For a story that took place over an entire month, there was a curious lack of incident, and very little character or depth to fill the void. Yes, it’s the first of two parts, and yes, it’s entirely possible that “Worldwide Web” will blow me away, but my enthusiasm is dampened, and that’s not what you want from the first of two parts. Still better than average, for what it’s worth.
Recommended with reservations.
6/10