A Stain of Red in the Sand

                                      

"She recognised the emotions behind those eyes. He was a man that had lost a lot during his lifetime."

Writer: David A. McEwan
Format: Audio
Released: November 2010
Series: Short Trips 1.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Zoe

Synopsis

Indigo lives in a world without hope on a council estate so gloomy its residents call it 'The Slab'. On the 13th floor lives a sculptor named Roger, a man she'd think of as her boyfriend, were he not so obsessed with his art. She returns to his flat again and again, despite his inattentiveness, to peer out of his kitchen window into another reality, where a man named the Doctor is fighting the Caretakers on a sandy world with two suns. And then Roger decides to sculpt a girl named Zoe...


Verdict

Ahh sadly this Short Trip audio fell short of expectations. It was similar to Blink in being Doctor-lite but this wasn't usual in Classic Who, disregarding the format. It was just boring throughout and hardly anything happened sadly. Indigo seemed a bit of clingy and desperate girlfriend whilst Roger just seemed art-obsessed! But mysteriously, there was a portal in the kitchen window through to another world in which the Doctor was on, fighting the alien Caretakers. The only positive of this story was the revelation that Roger's sculpting with memory meat was of Zoe. How could he know of the Doctor's companion, and why was he trying to save her? Sadly, it was never answered. There wasn't even a mention of Jamie, and for Zoe to be appearing (technically), that's almost impossible! I really disliked how the story ended with nothing confirmed at all! It was revealed that the Doctor had defeated the Caretakers and the red stain left in the sand was obviously not his. But you can't just have the Doctor victorious via saying so! You have to show it. Everything was left open and it was just all a bit sloppy. A bitter disappointment, I hope the next Short Trip, whichever that may be, is a lot better!

Rating: 4/10