Finished this during the weekend.
What He Wants…: 8/10.
This story takes us to Mississippi in the 1930s, the era of blues musicians making deals with the devils (as in the Supernatural episode).
Rob Williams assumes the writing responsibilities for this one, plunging us directly into the adventure, where a truck-driving Alice steps in to rescue a seemingly possessed Doctor. Williams then transports us back in time to witness the build-up leading up to this event.
Alice has the opportunity to choose the setting once more and expresses a desire to meet her mother’s former idol, who ultimately proves to be far from the legendary figure she once knew. There are some Devil’s Chord vibes in this one.
Bessie is back in an evolved form! It’s a fun nod to the 1970s, but not exactly a huge plot point.
I like the Doctor’s dialogue here; it feels spot-on for Eleven.
We eventually work our way back to the beginning of the comic and begin piecing together why no one notices John Jones and where the yellow-eyed zombies come from.
So there’s a creepy organisation here (SERVEYOUinc) that has been following the Doctor for some time, led by a creepy dude.
We yet again see Alice being resourceful as she figures out how to use the sonic and the TARDIS to help the Doctor.
The resolution is once again very quick and simple (and again feels a bit like The Devil’s Chord). It also leaves the nature of the baddies shrouded in mystery.
Whodunit: 7/10.
Al Ewing returns to write, and the Doctor takes Alice to her first space station to hopefully solve the mystery of the puzzling SERVEYOUinc organisation.
This feels like one of those Classic Who serials set in a space station, led by a useless base leader, where the crew members die one by one, killed by an unknown alien assailant.
I appreciate how this story takes time to discuss the nature of travelling with the Doctor and being his companion, as Alice wants to return home to catch up on her life.
The art style here is quite traditional and cosy. I like it.
This story feels longer than previous chapters because it gives everything more room to breathe.
Alice gets some deeper character development while the Doctor goes off investigating the murders. However, the majority of this is characterised by a gradual build-up, with minimal noteworthy events occurring.
I find Jones very annoying, and I don’t understand why he had to carry over from What He Wants to this story. It’s not like Alice couldn’t keep being the sole companion.
What a great cliffhanger reveal!
The Sound of Our Voices: 8/10.
The second part of the SERVEYOUinc story runs like the final third of a classic base under siege serial. The action is intense as the Doctor and his friends strive to stop the alien from eradicating them all.
The security chief, August Hart, makes for a very traditional Doctor Who villain but is effective enough.
The Doctor takes good command here, like Eleven did in most of his stories, while his companions fend for themselves.
ARC is a fascinating alien, but it’s important to remember that it’s not truly evil but rather a victim of torture and misinterpretation. I also like how it simply wants to learn and does so by listening to speech after the Doctor shows understanding towards it.
This feels weirdly fast-paced, and there’s no real sense of danger before everything is quickly wrapped up.
Seeing ARC become a new companion at the end is definitely interesting. I hope they use it in interesting ways.
