| ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAR by Paul Sutton |
| Story 57 Synopsis: Evelyn wants time away from the Doctor, so he takes her to Vilag, which is on the brink of invasion. She suffers a turn, and is allowed to rest in the Palace. The Doctor meets a young soldier and convinces him love can conquer all. Only when he learns of the suitor's intended does he realise he could have prevented the formation of the alliance that will repel the impending invasion. He tries to persuade the lovers of his mistake, but to no avail. Evelyn becomes a peace envoy, and the Doctor tries to keep the tryst a secret. But he's bugged without realising and the secret falls into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Governor Rossiter become attracted, and he offers marriage. The Doctor becomes a political prisoner, and Evelyn's extradition is ordered. She decides to throw herself off the train transporting her, but is found with a broken shoulder. The Killorans invade, as the Doctor foresaw, and the countries of Vilag reluctantly come together in alliance to fight them off. Evelyn and the Doctor talk over their problems, and she leaves Rossiter behind. |
| Review:- Continuing on from Project: Lazarus, Evelyn is at her wits' end with the Doctor, and worried about her own mortality. He takes her to Vilag, to give her thinking time, though they both know the planet will be invaded in a month's time (see Warmonger for another example of really-stupid-places-to-land). Inadvertently, the Doctor shatters the planet's chances and ends up a political prisoner. Whilst the Doctor bungles his role as romantic envoy, Evelyn finds herself getting a romantic subplot for once. Rossiter is one of the three planetary leaders, and played well by Gabriel Woolf, famous as the voice of Sutekh in Pyramids Of Mars. As such, his vocal style is instantly to the play's credit, and it matters not that he's one of the good guys. Another guest star with a decent voice is Philip Bretherton, playing the not-nice-at-all Suskind, who causes the Doctor so much trouble and though ultimately it is his deputy, Pokol, who does the heavy work, at least Suskind is eventually given the depth and understanding to know when is the time for better battle strategy in alliance rather than separation. The doomed romance of Princess Krizstina and the solider, Marcus Reid, is nicely developed and played, and it feels a shame that neither make it to the final credits. The Doctor's fury at this does at least allow for his necessary chat with Evelyn, who has already come to terms with his apparently carefree ways. Though her health remains an issue, it's almost a shame that she and Rossiter never make it. Though I gather there is a sequel to this tale, so I'll know more when I get to that. The planet's three states are surprisingly well covered, and even if the distances travelled are a bit unlikely, the time span means that this is a play with a decent sense of scale for once. The month-to-go ticking-clock means that the story must cover that whole time, whilst the Doctor and Evelyn try to prevent disaster without letting on that they know disaster is coming. Suskind's realisation when the Killorans do invade shows that he can at least get the Doctor's drift, though Rossiter is obviously surprised when Evelyn admits she knew what was coming. The logical assumption might be that the Doctor and Evelyn came only to see the invasion stopped - but that's not entirely the case. If anything significantly lets the play down, it's the brevity of the Killoran attack, though the play is not about war so much as the idea of togetherness, or union. Once the chiefs get their act together, the war's over quickly, though Pokol's continuing rage suggests that troubled times will resume... Overall, a thoughtful effort, albeit a little clinical at times. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |