| THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER by Stephen Greenhorn |
| Story 38 Synopsis: The TARDIS lands on Messaline, where the Doctor has a DNA sample taken, from which is rapidly grown a young female soldier. When the Hath attack, Martha is taken, and the new soldier blows the tunnel to buy the humans more time. The Doctor and Donna meet the human leader, General Cobb, who talks of their war with the Hath, and their quest to find the Source. The Doctor alters their map, showing a new path to the Source, but when he learns that Cobb simply wants to use the weapon to obliterate the Hath, he declares his opposition. Cobb considers them pacifists, and has them all locked up. Donna names the soldier Jenny, and teases the Doctor about her being his daughter. He explains he did have a family, but they were lost in the war. The Hath also learn of the new way to the Source. Martha decides to risk crossing the surface to get there first. Jenny helps the Doctor and Donna escape, and they find their way to the Source, learning from the Doctor about alternatives. The Source seems to be the spaceship the humans and Hath arrived on, but it's brand new. Donna works out that their war has only been going on for a week. The Source is a globe of terraforming stuff. Martha arrives, shortly followed by the humans and the Hath. The Doctor informs them of the truth about the Source, and then launches its program. Cobb, still furious, tries to shoot the Doctor, but Jenny takes the bullet for him, and dies in his arms. The Doctor appears to consider shooting Cobb, but instead makes clear he would never do so. Leaving the humans and Hath to work together, the Doctor takes Martha back home. She tells Donna that she'll get jaded eventually, but Donna disagrees. Back on Messaline, Jenny recovers, and takes off for the stars in a shuttle... |
| Review:- Contentious? Just possibly... What this is, is a classic tale of things that aren't what they seem, on many levels. Messaline seems home to a war of attrition between humans and fish-like Hath, both sides on a quest for the Source, which may settle the war. When the Doctor shows both sides how to find it, the race is on... But the main thrust of the story is of course the totally contrived excuse to give the Doctor a genetic offspring, for 'daughter' is surely too generous a description. Quite why such a creation should bear no resemblance to her source is a mystery (especially when we see a Hath apparently identically cloned). However, Jenny is unwillingly put under her 'father's' tutelage, which helps both of them come to terms with their situation. Luckily, and amusingly, Martha is kidnapped by scary people who are basically harmless (cf. Gridlock). She makes a dumb decision to risk walking through a radioactive wasteland rather than stick safe with her Hath pal (presumably the chance to do some medicine for a change went to her head). As she contributes nothing else save mardily telling Donna not to get too comfortable (killjoy!), her addition seems pretty pointless. Donna, fortunately, wants none of it, and having proven just as valuable as Jenny and the Doctor, who can blame her? The countdown element (cf. 42) is a useful strand which her friends ignore, but which is the key to the whole mystery. It also completes the trinity of alien planet/alien race/future setting which many fans consider under-used in the New Series, but presumably was allowed here because Jenny is meant to be the main news. The Doctor's admittance of the loss of his family is a moment reminiscent of previous Doctors, though they didn't need talk of Time War to provide their entire motivation. His cradling of his dying friend (cf. Last of the Time Lords) is immediately followed by the shot of him holding a gun to the head of Jenny's murderer (and his attempted murderer). But (for now anyway), the Doctor still foregoes a licence to kill, presumably taking his friends home so that Jenny can "sleep in his mind". Of course, in a predictable twist, she is a bit Time Lordy after all, and sneaks off at the end into places unknown (cf. Utopia). Frankly, a return from her would be rather more welcome than most which have been suggested (or happened) in the last few years. So, overall, despite the duff premise, this is a pleasant little runaround dealing with basic, understandable themes, and echoing much of S3 (deliberately?). |
| Disclaimer: I have watched this story. |