WARNING MY REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
First off here is a little episode list I guess- I’m just putting this here in case this thread because longer and people wants to jump around:
Season 01
Episode 01 - The Marian Conspiracy
You are here! :3
Episode 02 - The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
Season 02
Not yet…
Season 03
Not yet…
Here we go at last my journey through time and space with Evelyn and Sixie begins today! I am very excited about their journey because there are a handful of stories I have to go through but anyways enjoy my journey! We are starting this whole journey with…
Season 01 Episode 01 - The Marian Conspiracy REVIEW
Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing.
The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn’s life. But there he meets the Queen of England and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman’s block…
Part One (24:22) & Two (28:19)
Right from the start Evelyn is just so easily clicks with the Doctor. She’s like a not too mean and not too sweet grandma and she’s also a history teacher. I guess more than a teacher- but what after Barbara it’s probably been a while since the Doctor had another history teacher as a companion.
The story starts with the Doctor investigating or following a Nexus point and disturbs an academic class. Obviously teacher doctor Evelyn Smythe calls him out after dismissing the class and the Doctor realises that she IS the Nexus point.
Now the Doctor gets himself invited to tea and gets more information about Evelyn’s ancestors because according to the Doctor he hadn’t met them before. Something truly terrible is going on because while Evelyn is trying to show him pictures and stuff about her family they just start fading away. Basically Evelyn’s family start to cease to exist.
Obviously the Doctor starts investigating even further by going to the past to change this Nexus point and you know what Evelyn’s reaction? She just goes with it like ain’t no shit I am skipping this. So she packs up her toothpaste and toothbrush and they go for an adventure in the past. Just. Like. That. She doesn’t even think about the possibility of time travel she just goes with it. She even criticises the TARDIS not being more technological.
So they arrive at somewhere around Elizabeth I’s era and the first thing Evelyn wants to do is just go and meet the queen. Not so easy! Some timey wimey things happen because Evelyn’s existence is trying to hold itself together, it’s trying to exist and cease to exist at the same time so she gets a timey wimey… stuff that she needs to have it at all time.
They separate because Evelyn is just going in a tavern with the clothes she has on and the Doctor visits the queen to find out more stuff. The Doctor gets there, gets mistaken for A Doctor and now he’s about to deal with a pregnant queen. Evelyn gets in the bar, confuses the ■■■■ out of everyone and gets kicked out because oh uh plot twist number one: they are actually in Mary I’s era!
I did get surprised even though the title literally said “MARIAN”. Should have guessed that one. That’s where part one ends and so far it was past faced but not with action but with a lot of comedy and so far it has been a brilliant companion introduction. Best 24 minutes of my week.
Plot twist number two: they actually don’t want to hurt Evelyn because they also want Elizabeth I on the throne and kinda want to do a conspiracy. For me it’s still a bit unclear what they want to do. I do know the third guy does want to use violence against the queen.
The Doctor finds out it’s Mary I and they become besties over the span of 30 minutes then some French guy comes in and ruins the day. Meanwhile Evelyn teaches three guys how to make cocoa. Absolutely fun character, just amazing and overly kind.
The Doctor sends someone to get Evelyn and so they rush to the queen because Evelyn told them that the Doctor is chill but oh uh Evelyn is disappear because she left the purse at the place they were and that’s where the timey wimey stuff was! Very interesting cliffhanger that’s for sure.
Some thoughts before continuing
I wanted to check the religious sides for the story in between part one and two and also read about phantom pregnancy and literally they also started mentioning it in part two. Unbelievable. I try to do resource when the story is actually so good historical that it can teach you some historical stuff.
I also really like Evelyn so far and she feels a lot more unique and different from other companions. Not only because of her age but her witty personality also adds a lot of icing to the cake. She’s brilliant and she definitely has a lot of companion potential and this time it’s probably the opposite where Evelyn will ask the Doctor to come with him and not vice versa.
Part Three (25:03) & Four (29:00)
After this horrible cliffhanger Evelyn does eventually return because the other guy return her purse but him and the French guy plan to actually accuse her of poisoning the queen which leads to nowhere cause the Doctor leads to nowhere. The Doctor gets a gift from the queen for making her headache pass away which is the beautiful world of marriage! Well obviously the Doctor does not like that-
There was also an interesting conversation between Sarah and the Doctor where the Doctor gets hypothetical and asks if he would kill an entire race would she still trust him or serve him… did Jacqueline ■■■■■■■ kneeeew??? Did she just foreshadow the WHOLE of RTD era?! This story was written in 2000 or I assume even earlier so how in the ■■■■ did she know? After the whole Time War story arc this feels even more impactful.
While the Doctor and Evelyn reunite they realise that Evelyn told a bit too much about history to the conspirators and told them that Mary is actually not pregnant and gave them an idea of poisioning the queen. Plot twist number three: Sarah is actually related to Evelyn and the Doctor is actually Evelyn’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather and here comes plot twist number four… according to history he was killed by Queen Mary I!
After twists left and right they get arrested and brought to the Tower of London but very cleverly (punching a guy with a chair) they escape and try to warn the queen about the conspiracy. We actually find out though that Sarah was unknowingly helping in this conspiracy and Thomas was using her (also his last name is Smith-). Sarah survives because she was pregnant and Mary actually spares her. They also save George and William and move their families away from the country.
First impressions
So far I really like Evelyn. She’s really fun and really kind like how she asked the Doctor to save George and William and their families and obviously the Doctor goes along with it. Also I was right and Evelyn without a question wanted to stay without even asking the Doctor. Jacqueline Rayner wrote a brilliant companion introduction for Evelyn and a really cool historical stories with actual NO aliens for once and I am very happy about it. It was really just a classic time travel story where you have to find why is Evelyn disappearing and obviously if Sarah would be dead then the whole family tree would cease to exist. It was a fascinating story and I am excited where our adventures with Evelyn will take us next. 9/10
NEXT UP: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor