What's it about: The TARDIS materialises on a dying world circling a dying sun, where the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are welcomed to Sanctuary - an entire monastery carved out of a mountain. But little here is quite what it seems. Quadrigger Stoyn has waited through the centuries. And it is time for the Doctor to pay for his first terrible mistake.
Who's the Yahoos: Jamie was none too fond of ships and boats, he never seems to have much luck on them in his adventures. He knows if Zoe has to ask what the Doctor is talking about then he hasn't a hope in the world of understanding. Jamie has an unwavering faith in the Doctor, more so perhaps than any other companion.
Brainbox: Left Space station 73 2079, not as well travelled
as Jamie but she has traversed from the Galactic Rim. So many journeys, so many
destinations. In the temple Zoe is entranced by the equations that are
scratched into the walls, looking for the patterns.
Oh My Giddy Aunt: The eternal children, Jamie and Zoe are
ribbing the Doctor as soon as they leave the TARDIS. Much like his mock
boastfulness in The Seeds of Death, the Doctor announces himself as a scientist
of some renown. With his dishevelled, eccentric appearance and cutest pair of
students this side of the galaxy you might just be inclined to believe him too!
He has an open mind, too open a lot of the time. Whilst unnerved, the Doctor
isn't as concerned about reuniting with Stoyn as he was with the appearance of
the Times Lords in the War Games. Cleverly he told the TARDIS never to allow
Stoyn access a long time ago.
Technician: The problem I am having with the Stoyn trilogy
isn't Terry Molloy's performance, which is as polished as ever, but the
character himself. Beyond his anger at being torn from Gallifreyan society I
can't actually detect much of a character there. After two hours worth of
storytelling I have no idea who this man is, what sort of life he led before he
was kidnapped and why he is so eager to get back. That's quite an aberration
given this trilogy is asking us to invest time in his fate and care about his
curse to be stuck out in the universe at large. It is asking us to side with
him over the Doctor but that isn't a possibility when there is no personality
to the man. The Doctor is the reason that Stoyn is trapped on this world and he
has been waiting for a reunion ever since they last parted company, trying to
keep track of his (mis)adventures ever since. He considers himself a God from a
race of Gods and the Doctor defied them all by running from their world. The
Doctor considers him a self appointed policeman with no authority. The fall
from heaven is a long one and to be stranded in this hell of a universe is
almost unbearable. He is trying to put heaven within his reach once more,
unable to cope with this anarchy anymore.
Sparkling Dialogue: 'The timelines are thick around the
Earth and you had woven yourself around them so very, very tightly!'
'They're coming for you, Doctor!' - foreshadowing The War
Games...
Great Ideas: An impressive city clinging to a mountain on a
dead, dusty world - sometimes Doctor Who can choke you up with the potency of
its imagery. A religious retreat, a refuge for the stranded and the lost
travellers. Wind storms that whip flesh from your bones are a hazard on this
planet. They pull in ships from across time and space. Somehow Stoyn has
created a network of wormholes cast wide to catch the TARDIS and if they had
materialised where Stoyn had wanted then his equations would have been used to
drain the ship of power. This whole planet is an adaptive, highly evolved
organism, a promethean thing. It responds to the needs of those living here and
brings them their desires.
Audio Landscape: This is one of those audios where the
writing and the soundscape seem to be in perfect harmony. Nick Wallace has
dreamed up a vivid location and it is persuasively brought to life by the ever
reliable Yason and Fox. Wet footsteps, striking a match, a dry, warm breeze, a
sea of sand, the thronging monastery, water running, trickling, a scream,
echoing footsteps, there is a clap of thunder that might just scare the life
out of you, bells ringing, a ship screaming into the atmosphere, the ship
disappearing into the sea of sand, smashing a vase over a guards head, a
burning torch, a wall shattering, giant dust creatures forming and attacking,
electric crackles, squeaking ropes being pulled.
Musical Cues: Excitement levels raise during the climax but
not because anything particularly exciting is happening but because the pace
has finally picked up and the score is suddenly propelling the narrative
forward.
Standout Scene: As this is a story of ideas rather than
emotion, it is the reveal that the planet delivers on the desires of the
inhabitants that delivers the biggest blow.
Result: Contemplative and moderate, The Dying Light is one
of the more submissive companion chronicles and its appeal will depend on
whether your tastes veer towards melodrama or gentle science fiction. Since
Stoyn is a tragic character torn from his home and desperate to get home there is
no sign of a true antagonist to give this story a dramatic thrust. That's fine,
not every adventure has to be adversarial but you do need something beyond a
vividly described location to lock your attention. Stoyn is proving to be quite
a vacuous character despite Terry Molloy's best efforts. Whilst I like the
description of him as a God that has fallen from heaven, that is pretty much
the only detail of his character that you are going to unearth in this story.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Jamie and Zoe when I think it might
have been a lot more effective had Stoyn taken that central role, it would
certainly give us a greater understanding of the character and his desire to
return home. There's still time to do this in Luna Romana but after two hours
of material I still feel as if I don't know who this man is and have failed to
invest in his journey. It felt as though being shackled to the Stoyn arc denied
Wallace (one of the strongest Doctor Who writers as far as I am concerned) of
the chance to tell a more interesting tale in this location. Going against the
grain and delivering something that perhaps wouldn't have been made at the time
is one of Big Finish's greatest strengths in my eyes. The Dying Light is aiming
for something thoughtful and melancholic but this is coming on the heels of
Eddie Robson's The Apocalypse Mirror last season, a much more successful
attempt at this sort of thing in my eyes. It's not a bad story by any means, it
just isn't particularly exciting: 5/10
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