The Sword of the Chevalier

"You try and put a price on life, you only expose how worthless you are."

Writer: Guy Adams
Format: Audio
Released: November 2017
Series: TDA 2.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

1791 and the Doctor and Rose get to meet one of the most enigmatic, thrilling and important people in history: The Chevalier d'Eon. She used to be known as a spy, but then she used to be known as a lot of things. If there's one thing the Doctor knows it's that identity is what you make of it.

Choose a life for yourself and be proud. Mind you, if the Consortium of the Obsidian Asp get their way, all lives may soon be over...

Verdict

The Sword of the Chevalier was a decent audio adventure to continue along the second series of the Tenth Doctor Adventures. Taking Rose and the Tenth Doctor back to the past was done a little during Series 2 so I liked that there was another dip into history here - I certainly appreciated it. The Doctor getting very excitable about going somewhere spectacular was wonderful and I just loved the sudden way he stated that Slough would be the destination. That wasn't quite where Rose had in mind. I liked the Doctor's eagerness to get a look through the telescope that discovered the sixth and seventh moons of Saturn and he really did seem like an excited tourist. David Tennant was magnificent throughout as the Doctor and I really enjoyed how he told the backstory of the Chevalier. It was done informatively but also in a way that didn't feel like an info dump for those who may not be educated in this period of History. I'm currently a third of the way through a Master's Degree in the subject and I'd never heard of her (him?). I could have done without the political correctness concerning gender as I don't think it was really necessary in an 18th century story but the whole concept of her actually being a man and the King accepting him to live as a woman was really intriguing. Speaking of which, I thought the Consortium of the Obsidian Asp were a rather enigmatic enemy and their delving in slavery was quite apt for the period in which they were in. The Doctor recognising their criminal logo when he just wanted some ice cream was quite saddening as he just couldn't relax. I thought Rose had a decent story and her aiding with the jailbreak was good, but I did think Billie Piper was still suffering a little rustiness in bringing the essence of the character back to life. I'm sure she'll get there though. The switch between male and female voice of the masked monstrosity was a nice addition to the mystery of the character but I wasn't overly fussed on the sound effect that went with it. Some of the reactions of the local people to that change in voice was quite humorous though. I quite liked the pace of the conclusion but this adventure was just lacking a bit of action. I think some would have certainly improved proceedings! The Doctor's very existence as a Time Lord was enough to send the Consortium packing as they had to obey a species they recognised as superior, but surely that could have been found out earlier? Nonetheless, it was still a very enjoyable audio! Overall, another good listen.

Rating: 7/10