The Beginning (#8.05)

  Big Finish, Companion Chronicles

 

Now this is an amazing start to the whole Dr. Who story. The first Doctor and Susan taking off, with a stowaway, Quadrigger Stoyn, and landing near Earth where the Arkayons are seeding the Earth and are all about order. Unfortunately for them, they try to take part of the TARDIS out and it causes problems with time in the area. So it gets a bit confusing as Susan wakes up with humans taking care of her millions of years in the future. But then we return to the Arkayons and Quadrigger Stoyn. With a satisfying ending!

The tricky bit was actually listening to the Doctor and his personality as it first emerges. He was a grouchy codger by the time he and Susan make it to the Earth but in this story, he’s very much a curious man escaping a manhunt. We don’t know why he leaves Gallifrey but we do know that Quadrigger is wrong – they do not hunt him down. He’s actually interested in Earth thanks to a video history he’s shown and seems to be just a gruff grandpa, instead of the grouchier, entrenched personality he has later. It’s fun to listen to but a bit confusing because of that at times. Plus the Arkayons are very single-minded themselves, which was their ultimate downfall. But also the least interesting part of the story.


Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) and Terry Molloy(Quadrigger Stoyn)

Writer: Marc Platt

Director: Lisa Bowerman

Release: November 2013

© Laura Vilensky 2019