| FLIP-FLOP by Jonathan Morris |
| Story 46 Synopsis: Seeking leptonite crystals to foil an attack by the Quarks, the Doctor lands the TARDIS on Puxatornee, where he and Mel are branded criminals. They find the ruling humans being subtly subjugated by the Slithergees. Two rogue guards force the Doctor to take them back 30 years to kill the ruling President. Despite the Doctor's warnings, they succeed, but return to find the future changed, seemingly for the worse. The Doctor says they cannot change the past back now. He and Mel manage to return to the TARDIS. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Mel arrive, and are inveigled into travelling back 30 years to change history. This succeeds, and the President survives, ordered to make peace with the Slithergees at all costs. Back in the altered future, things have changed beyond expectation. The Doctor and Mel cannot take the guards back as they wish, and merely return to the TARDIS at the allotted time, with their leptonite crystals. Meanwhile... |
| Review:- During the 40th anniversary year of the show, Big Finish came up with several novel ideas, one of which being this, a story in two halves, but which could be listened in either order. The author apparently came up with this idea after putting the wrong disc into play. Most people wouldn't admit to being this stupid, but heyho... In fact, the story is thus two short stories repeated in reverse. What is status quo at the start of one half is the result of the other half, and vice versa. Setting the action on a planet called Puxatornee (a witless reference to the film Groundhog Day) is one of many tedious gags with characters named Bailey, Mitchell and Potter (referencing the film It's A Wonderful Life). The message (twice!) is that changing the past can make things worse than they already are. The Doctor and Mel are handled quite well, given the limitations of the story. Bar the odd joke, they're actually presented quite seriously, as befitting the weighty issue at hand, namely the attempt to change history. They are drawn into events before they can really make sense of them, and by then it's too late. The other characters are less enthralling. Whilst Stewart and Reed are given some motive, they tend to be forgettable ciphers several times over. The love triangle with Mitchell, Bailey and her secretary could also have come from central casting. There is some bemusement with the Slithergees. Creepy and oleaginous, they seem a definite comment on racial tolerance, as they seem to have taken advantage of the humans' good natures, and are systematically erasing the humans from control. Whilst this later turns out to be a result of changing history, it cannot be merely swept back under the carpet. But their motives are not the point - their actions merely force the change that leads to history following the other track. In the other history, where they have been treated as vile terrorists for decades, things are little better. As an experiment, it just about works, although whichever half you listen to 2nd will feel like unnecessary deja vu. Since both stories seem to be occuring simultaneously, there are moments when they overlap, and the loose ends need careful tying up. How both Doctors and Mel could have come from the same place and intend to return to the same place is not tackled, unsurprisingly - as the story both must have happened twice, and yet can't have, there is some question of paradox to be considered. But not by me. I delayed listening to this for quite a long time, but it isn't quite as mind-blowing as its publicity suggested. Nor do I find it the redoubtable classic that some seem to say. It's alright enough, but no big deal. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |