Generally, I have a problem with
war stories. Quite often I feel writers treat stories of war as if they are
already deeply emotional. They presume we care about the thousands, millions,
of casualties and deaths without doing very much to make us care. They end up
being as emotionally engaging as a newsreel: sad but distant. Simply saying
“Millions will die,” is not enough to make us emote or indeed, increase the
jeopardy. Look at The Parting of the Ways:
Jack cries, “This is it, ladies and gentlemen, we are at war!” But Russell T
Davies doesn’t show us the war on Earth, the continents being destroyed, homes
being demolished. He focuses on a small outpost in space, full of people we
know and we watch as their world is obliterated around them. It’s a canny move,
because really, war is just a word. It’s the people who live through it we
should focus on.
That said, it should be fairly
easy to understand my disappointment with John Hurt’s War Doctor series. It
felt loud and furious but uninvolving and samey. The stakes were high but the
people to care about were few and far between. I was - as JNT would have it -
surprised and delighted to find the Eighth Doctor Time War series so massively
enjoyable.
The first volume approached the
idea of Time War very well indeed, from bootcamp training to worlds ravaged by
time itself. It took the words Time and War and properly explored the ideas
conceptually and dramatically. The only failing, I thought, was new companion
Bliss, who was sketchily drawn, too quickly introduced and averagely performed.
It has since come to light that Bliss was only conceived for the one box set
but as storylines coalesced and the Time War saga rolled on, it became clear
there were more stories to tell. On the evidence of the second volume, this is
very true!
Here we have a wartime rebellion
story, a fanservice-ing oddball tale, a prison-break drama and a submarine
bottle story: all bar the second, traditional wartime staples. All, however,
use the Time War twist well, to enlarge the playing field, slightly warp the
rules and make these stories unquestionably Doctor Who, although Paul McGann
sounds quite at home as Captain Jonah in the boxset’s fourth sojourn.
The Lords of Terror is perhaps the weakest instalment and that only
because it feels overly familiar. This is the entry most like a now-traditional
Time War tale. (God, it has its own genre!) There’s the Doctor being appalled
by Ollistra and a fleet of Daleks incoming. The story’s twist is sadly made
hugely obvious by the title but the narrative is adroitly paced and thrilling.
It’s such a shame though that this couldn’t be the story where we connect more
strongly with Bliss. Her parents may never have existed thanks to the war, she
and the Doctor learn. But it’s greeted with more of an “Ah well, let’s go
somewhere else then” attitude rather than a human resonance. They even decide
giving her a title like “An Orphan of the Time War” is perhaps the appropriate
thing to do right now. Arguably, the scene in question is underwritten by
Jonathan Morris but then Rakhee Thakrar does absolutely nothing to give her
lines weight, no stiff-upper-lip brave face and Bliss resultantly ends up
feeling as distant as those aforementioned newsreels. So she’s an orphan? So
what?
Planet of the Ogrons is an instant tonal shift and insanely good
fun. In short, an Ogron who believes himself to be the Doctor, dressed in
velvet, arrives on Gallifrey in the TARDIS, the Doctor and Bliss meet The
Twelve and head off to investigate… and hilarity ensues. Whilst not strictly a
comedy, there are laughs aplenty here: the Ogron-Doctor’s uplifting rallying
speech to his fellow Ogrons is a moment to treasure. Suddenly, the Doctor and
Bliss feel as if they’ve been together forever and the addition of the Twelve
and the Doctor-Ogron makes for a positive “gang” feel across the hour. Amidst
all the laughs, Bliss - through her Ogron friend - learns more about the
Doctor’s philosophy. Julia McKenzie is terrific as the Twelve, her sweet old
lady act belying a subdued ferocity beneath. She’s a welcome change of pace
from Mark Bonnar’s equally excellent but more manic Eleven. Even the ubiquitous
Nick Briggs doesn’t sound like Nick Briggs in this a quite masterful and
different turn. Special mention however, must go to Jon Culshaw’s cute
Doctor-Ogron. For a series based amidst a devastating war, it’s bizarre that it
ends up being this sad, funny, hybrid character who is the one, across the
whole boxset, we end up feeling for the most.
In the Garden of Death has a delicious remit: how would the Doctor,
Bliss and the Twelve escape from prison if they couldn’t remember who they
were. Guy Adams, also author of Planet of
the Ogrons, runs with this conceit and their memories remain missing for an
enjoyably long time. The Daleks are used as they should be, a distant menace,
and the dynamics within the prison inmates are realistic and dramatic. That the
Doctor is in solitary means his reassurance is often missing where it ought to
be a comfort. The only disappointment (SPOILER ALERT) is that the day is saved
simply by tinkering with gadgets and not with some great cleverness more
fitting for a couple of Time Lord genii.
Lastly, relative new-boy to Big
Finish Timothy X Atack’s Jonah
plummets the TARDIS team between the waves of an ocean planet. There is a
definite sense of unease across this masterfully written finale. It is perhaps
quieter and subtler than one might expect from the last of four tales but it’s
no less excellent and still includes phrases like “depth charges.” The idea of
Daleks falling through the depths towards a helpless submarine is a terrifying
one and perhaps the best, most original use of the pepper pots for some time.
The nature of the Twelve’s relationship with the Daleks is for the most part
unclear and forms a tense narrative spine throughout the play’s entirety. It’s
also a joy to hear Paul McGann enjoying himself so tangibly. Jonah ends this particular boxset with a
very high bar for the next one to aspire to.
Overall, there are, perhaps
unbelievably, more and more stories to tell of Russell T Davies’s once
unimaginable Time War and these smaller skirmishes are proving far more
effective than the brasher, harder War Doctor episodes. For a concept that once
felt like it had nowhere left to go, the Eight Doctor’s Time War feels
positively fresh with new ideas.
8/10
Addendum: Just a quick word to
celebrate the great Jacqueline Pearce who is, as ever, completely unassailable
here. She will be truly missed, not just by the Doctor, but by Blake and Avon and
all of us unworthy fans. Rest in Peace, Jacks.
JH
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