[singlepic id=784 w=208 h=208 float=right]Sometimes I think I am entirely out if step with popular opinion. I seem to be one of the only people who thought Matt Smith was terrible, love Colin Baker and McCoy, adore River Song and Torchwood and was left completely cold by The Enemy of the World.
A similar thing happened to me when listening to Dark Eyes, I enjoyed it. It was a great performance by the magnificent McGann and Ruth Bradley as Molly O’Sullivan made a great foil and complete contrast to Lucie Miller, but I found the story lacking cohesion, it just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.
So it was with some anticipation, expectation and almost foreboding that I started to listen to Dark Eyes 2, would it live up to the incredibly high standards set by it’s illustrious and award winning predecessor the answer, dear reader is very much of a YES, but read on…
Doctor Who very rarely does epic well, The Daleks’ Master Plan, The War Games, The Trial of a Timelord, RTD’s season finales, but not much more, but boy, is Dark Eyes 2 epic. Set across a backdrop of Dalek occupation in the far future, to 1918 London, to the end of the universe, to the 1970’s, it’s scale is stupendous, and in being set over four distinctive parts, we get four distinctive styles of story telling. Part 1 – The Traitor us an adrenaline charged action movie, Part 2 – The White Room is a slow burning mystery, Part 3 – Times Horizon is a whodunit/horror in space, and part 4 – Eyes of The Master is a thriller.
Paul McGann excels as The Doctor, he is a changed man, more cynical and driven than his foppish TV persona. Ruth Bradley makes a great foil in Molly O’Sullivan (her of the Dark Eyes) whereas Nicola Walker as Liv Chenka may well go on to be a classic companion; she is well written, very human and very believable.
I am not a fan of “timey-wimey” storytelling. This story does hinge on time travel, however, unlike the TV series this isn’t used for a cheat ending and is woven into the narrative very naturally. There are cliffhangers galore, plots, counterplots, intrigue, heartbreak and, perhaps most importantly, the plot threads hang together as a tightly woven cohesive whole.
So was I impressed, yes indeed I was, especially since I was a little underwhelmed by Dark Eyes 1, Dark Eyes 2 is a triumph, ends on a cliffhanger, and left me counting the days until Dark Eyes 3.
Possibly the best McGann story of them all 10/10.
Written by Ed Watkinson
SYNOPSIS:
When the Doctor defeated the Dalek Time Controller and its Time Lord ally, the timelines shifted and events changed… but the danger is far from over. And new threats to the continued safety of the universe are emerging.
Molly O’Sullivan carried on with her life as a nursing assistant in World War One. She probably thought she would never see the Doctor in his ‘Tardy-box’ again…
From the Dalek occupied planet Nixyce VII through Earth’s history and to the very edge of the universe, the Doctor’s footprints across eternity are being tracked by foes old and new. But when did it all begin and when will it end? Living his life through the complexities of time travel, the Doctor can never be quite sure if he’s experiencing his life in the most helpful order. The only certainty appears to be the advance of the powers of evil and the oncoming threat of a fight to the death against forces that would destroy everything the Doctor holds dear.
[singlepic id=785 w=208 h=208 float=left]PART ONE: THE TRAITOR
by Nicholas Briggs
Nixyce VII is under Dalek occupation. For many, their only hope of survival is decent medical care, as slave working conditions under the Dalek regime are appalling. But when you help people to survive under the rule of the Daleks, are you actually helping the Daleks? Med-tech Liv Chenka doesn’t have the luxury of pondering these dilemmas. She must just do what she feels is right.
But then there are the soldiers of last resort… The freedom fighters left behind to cause maximum damage to the Dalek war effort, at whatever cost. To them, anyone who seems to be helping the Daleks is a traitor.
And when the Doctor arrives, his secret agenda throws him into conflict with everyone.
[singlepic id=786 w=208 h=208 float=right]PART TWO: THE WHITE ROOM
by Alan Barnes
Molly O’Sullivan is still trying to help people, but now she is back in London, staying in Baker Street.
But there are dangerous forces abroad. Where are the young deserters disappearing to? Who are the Huntsmen? And what is really going on at the Blackwell Convalescent Home?
Perhaps the mysterious ‘Surgeon General’ has the answers. To find out, the Doctor must tackle an old and baffling enemy.
[singlepic id=787 w=208 h=208 float=left]PART THREE: TIME’S HORIZON
by Matt Fitton
The Doctor and Molly find themselves at the very edge of creation. But something dangerous seems to be heading back into the known universe from the very end of time.
The crew of the cryo-ship Orpheus, including its medical officer Liv Chenka, have their mission parameters to adhere to; but the arrival of the Doctor and Molly changes everything. An ancient and terrible force is on a collision course with them all and the outcome seems to be a matter of divine destiny.
[singlepic id=788 w=208 h=208 float=right]PART FOUR: EYES OF THE MASTER
by Matt Fitton
The Doctor, Liv and Molly arrive back on Earth in the 1970s to investigate the Ides Institute. The timelines have shifted since the Doctor and Molly first travelled here and all is not as it was. Dr Sally Armstrong is still working for the Ides, but her associate has a devastating plan in mind.
Soon, Molly’s ‘dark eyes’ prove to be at the centre of a plot to seize control of all life in the universe.
CAST:
Paul McGann (The Doctor), Ruth Bradley (Molly O’Sullivan), Nicola Walker (Liv Chenka), Alex Macqueen (The Master), David Sibley (The Eminence), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks)
Written By: Nicholas Briggs, Alan Barnes, Matt Fitton
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs
Doctor Who director Christopher Barry has died at the age of 88.
Now on to the story itself. It’s a total joy to watch the story past the first episode after all these years, now we can see what happens next and it doesn’t disappoint. The story is well acted, well directed and the sets are fantastic, it really does have a very claustrophobic feel too it as the main characters are walking through the underground tunnels and the Great Intelligence’s evil web is closing in all around them. The story also has a sense of mystery to it as you never know who the Intelligence is controlling until the very end of the adventure and everyone is a suspect. The fourth episode is a great game-change episode as almost all the minor characters are killed off in a major battle sequence, staged and shot exceptionally well by the story’s director Douglas Camfield.
A shooting script from Doctor Who series four is being offered for auction to raise money for the