| EMBRACE THE DARKNESS by Nicholas Briggs |
| Story 31 Synopsis: Dodging a flotilla of TARDISes in the Vortex, the Doctor brings his craft into the Cimmerian system, where the sun disappeared in unknown circumstances a long time ago. The TARDIS is soon grabbed by th ROSM, a robot which is on its way to Cimmeria IV, to answer a distress signal. The ROSM assumes the Doctor and Charly are the cause of the problem, but the Doctor denies it. The ROSM is determined to kill Charly, as it claims she is dangerous. Arriving on the base where the signal was sent, they all find the lights out. Charly tells Orlennza and Ferras that their eyes have been taken by the creatures they say turned out the lights. The Cimmerians seem to be the threat, and release particles that interfere with the ROSM's systems. The Doctor learns that Orlennza and Ferras were trying to bring online a set of artificial suns, and so, to stop the Cimmerians, the Doctor hijacks the ROSM, and finishes the job. But the Cimmerians in person don't seem so threatening. They restore Orlennza's sight, at physical cost. The Doctor realises they are healers, and hears their side of the story, which is that they were overwhelmed by a race called Solarians, and shut out the darkness to hide from these aggressors. The Doctor's bringing the suns to life will draw the Solarians back. Deciding to cut and run, the Doctor is thwarted by the ROSM, and the arrival of the Solarians. The Solarians turn out to be descended from the Cimmerians, and want to make peace. So the Doctor lets them. |
| Review:- This has something of a reputation, coming as it does during the "Charly arc", and seemingly with little relation to that arc. Particularly since Seasons Of Fear ends on a cliffhanger, it must have astounded listeners to seem almost oblique from the whole story. There are a couple of points to consider. The ROSM is adamant that Charly is a bio-hazard, and it is tempting to suppose that the disruption to the Web of Time is what the robot is unable to articulate. As usual, the Doctor defends his companions to the death, regardless of whether the ROSM is right. Also, during her draughts game, Charly eagerly chooses to play black. Well, I thought it was subtle... The other complaint about the story is its drama. Having sold itself as a psychological story, there is a problem that many listeners seem to think that The Chimes Of Midnight was scarier, which isn't quite true, in my view. But there is a bigger problem in the story. The characterisations are all tolerable, the aliens are relatively well created and thought out, the actors make a good job of convincing that they really are on a space base. It's just the plot. It falls apart like toliet paper under a waterfall. The crew (Orlennza, Ferras and Haliard) are disturbed when the Cimemrians turn out the lights, and signal distress. The ROSM comes, dragging the Doctor and Charly along. The Cimemrians remove the eyes of the crew members, and attack Charly. The ROSM is determined to kill Charly. The Cimmerians are releasing unknown particles that damage the ROSM's systems. By the end of part 2, there is still much drama, and curiosity about the shape of the rest of the story, and how it will be resolved dramatically. Then the Cimmerians turn out to be misunderstood. They restore Charly's eyesight, and then Orlennza's, allowing her to become less vindictive, and the Doctor's great plan to stop them seems to be bringing an even bigger threat - the Solarians! Then they arrive, and turn out to be quite pleasant, and misunderstood, and they all live happily ever after. Then the story ends. So it wouldn't surprise me if a large number of the people complaining about this story are simply aggrieved at its lack of conviction. All the supposed baddies are nice, except the ROSM, who imperils everyone! D'oh! The title could have been better, too. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |