Enemy Aliens.

1 episode. Approx. 60 minutes. Written by: Alan Barnes. Directed by: John Ainsworth. Produced by: John Ainsworth. Performed by: India Fisher, Michael Maloney.


THE PLOT

The Doctor and Charley have just completed an exploit in 1935 England, one that has left Charley exhausted... and, for reasons never fully disclosed, dressed in a Russian uniform. All she wants is a short break, a chance to catch her breath before their next adventure.

That isn't to be. No sooner has she sat down then the Doctor receives a message from his 11th incarnation. Heavy static makes it hard to distinguish what his future self is asking, but two things come through clearly. There is a plot involving "enemy aliens" at the exact time and place the 8th Doctor is currently visiting; and the key to whatever's going on is "William Tell."

Charley is put in mind of Rossini's William Tell Overture, the sprightly and easily stuck-in-the-head piece that would become inextricably linked to The Lone Ranger. But when the Doctor sees a bill showing a "memory man" named William Tell, reciting obscure facts at a music hall, he thinks he has found a lead. When Mr. Tell delivers facts the Doctor knows to be false, he's certain that he's on the right track. He stands up and demands to know about the enemy aliens.

A flustered Tell cannot help himself. He starts to answer, providing clues that lead to a quay in Scotland. But before he can say too much, William Tell is shot dead. In the confusion, the gun is planted on Charley - leaving her running for her life in the company of the affable Hilary Hammond (Michael Maloney), pursued by the police and still none the wiser about the enemy aliens, whose invasion is imminent...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: In his energetic 8th persona, he sees little reason for a break between adventures and appears genuinely puzzled at Charley's desire for some down time. With only a vague message that basically amounts to the words "William Tell," his way of trying to find his goal is to simply wander around and keep his eyes and ears open until something develops - which, inevitably, it does. When police are closing in on them on a train, and there is only one hiding spot available, the Doctor insists Charley hide while he jumps, and he is genuinely surprised that Charley doesn't expect to find him alive later.

Charley: Now aware that she should have died in the crash of the R101, and feels somewhat disconnected from life as a result. This leads her to seriously consider Hilary's offer of marriage. Even though he's a total stranger, he seems a decent sort; in a time only a few years removed from her own, a marriage to him might be "her way back" to life. She ultimately turns him down, because she can't bring herself to marry a man she has no feelings for. Which makes it all the more revealing that she borrows Hilary's reasoning to try to maneuver the Doctor into a marriage of convenience just a few minutes later. When the Doctor almost kisses her out of enthusiasm, Charley moves her head to deflect him. As she observes, she knows he doesn't mean anything by the gesture - and therein lies the problem.


THOUGHTS

The most notable single feature of Enemy Aliens is its choice of companion. All other audios in the Destiny of the Doctor range featured companions from the television series. For the Eighth Doctor, this was not possible; he'd only had one television outing (this was before The Night of the Doctor, in which he was a solo traveler anyway), and there were significant rights issues involved in using characters unique to The TV Movie. Meaning that, for the only time in this anniversary range, they had to use a Doctor/companion team created for another medium.

Using Charley Pollard, in a story set during the second Eighth Doctor audio "season," was an ideal choice. The first two Eighth Doctor seasons represented a return to performed Doctor Who that actually moved the series forward. The Big Finish stories allowed McGann to put his own stamp on the role, his performance informing the development of his Doctor on audio. Before the announcement of the new series in 2003, the first two Eighth Doctor/Charley seasons effectively were new Who. As such, they were exciting - particularly that second season, when the storytelling became more challenging and ambitious, and the characters really came into their own.

Writer Alan Barnes knows this Doctor/Companion team well. He introduced Charley and the audio 8th Doctor alike in Storm Warning, and had a heavy hand in the development of both characters and their various arcs. As such, it's no surprise that Barnes recaptures Charley's characterization seamlessly. Though many stories of the Destiny of the Doctor range have gone for a third person omniscient viewpoint, with many scenes from the Doctor's viewpoint, this story is written effectively as a third person Companion Chronicle. Charley is present for every scene, and only a few stray lines diverge from her viewpoint.

The story heavily references Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, from the use of a music hall memory man to Charley being paired with a stranger as she is hunted by the police - and even in the identities of the ultimate villains. Even the year the story in which the story is set is a reference: 1935, the year The 39 Steps was released. None of which stops this from being thoroughly engaging on its own merits - but listeners familiar with the Hitchcock classic will gain an extra smile or two of appreciation.

Enemy Aliens is unremarkable, but it is consistently enjoyable and effortlessly likable, spotlighting a Doctor/Companion team that is always good company. Not a "must-hear," perhaps, but still a good 60 minutes' entertainment.

Overall Rating: 7/10.


Search Amazon.com for Doctor Who



8th Doctor Audio Review Index

8th Doctor Television Review Index