The Jigsaw War

"I would never make Jamie my assassin!"

Writer: Eddie Robson

Format: Audio

Released: May 2012

Series: Companion Chronicles 6.11

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

A cell. Four walls, one door. Jamie McCrimmon can escape, but it means unravelling a puzzle of extraordinary complexity. 

And there are more than just two players in this game. The Doctor is there. So is his opponent Side. 

As a hero turns killer, and a rebellion becomes anarchy, the lines between good and evil are blurred. And so does the distinction between cause and effect...

Verdict 

The Jigsaw War was a fantastic audio adventure and took on a unique style for the Companion Chronicle format with the story playing out in full cast fashion with no narration. Frazier Hines was magnificent reprising his role as Jamie and his impersonation of Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor was just incredible, as I remembered from Helicon Prime. The story was very interesting and the concept was absolutely brilliant. It may sound rather confusing in my verdict but if you get the opportunity to listen to the Chronicle then you'll understand it no problem. On paper it's confusing but in audio it was fantastic. I really liked how Jamie was witnessing events in a cell in the completely wrong order and had to sequence the scenes in the order of which they should have been. The code would then open the exit door. Dominic Mafham was tremendous in accompanying the familiar actor and his parts as Moran and the devious Side were fantastic. Side was a good villain and although his agenda wasn't completely revealed, I adored how he was a five dimensional being and was at wager with the Doctor. With this story set before The War Games, which is rather obvious, I liked the references to the Doctor not being human and where he came from. Jamie's refusal to believe the Doctor stole the TARDIS was irony at its peak. I also liked that Jamie believed the Doctor built the TARDIS himself, as the First Doctor sometimes claimed. I liked how the Doctor spoke through Jamie but it was clear there was some truth in Side's comments that the Doctor didn't always tell Jamie the truth about his whereabouts or what's going on. The use of the physic plane was terrific and Jamie's absolute belief that the Doctor always wins was just excellent. His use of gaining the code in order to exit the door was superb and I liked how by asking for chalk or where the situation regarding chalk was so Jamie could see where the scene fit was clever and fantastic! The reference to The Highlanders, a story which I'm yet to watch, was lovely. The human and Unheld disagreements and babbling was very intriguing and I liked that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe had arrived and within a short amount of time had caused havoc, something the humans couldn't achieve in 89 years! The climax was very good with Jamie winning after working out the alternative agenda and exiting the door, being reunited with the Doctor and Zoe. Overall, brilliant and with no narration the story could be told in a much easier way! The limited appearances of the Doctor and Zoe allowed Jamie's brilliance to shine, which I guess is the aim of this format! 

Rating: 9/10