Critical Mass

"I don't think I can fix this."

Writer: James Moran
Format: Audio
Released: February 2011
Series: Short Trips 2.07

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

Ghosts are appearing in the halls as a war machine is primed for devastation.

Verdict

Critical Mass was a really great little audio adventure! This was definitely one of the better Short Trips from the first four volumes and it just fitted perfectly into its era of the late-Seventh Doctor (on screen at least). The incidental music was perfect and so resemblant of what we got on screen with the Seventh Doctor and Ace and that was just magnificent and made this audio a real joy to listen to. I thought Sophie Aldred did a great job narrating the adventure and for me it always helps when the actor or actress is actually playing their own part in a story. Ace was good within the story and I liked how her own past ingenuity, or lack of, went some way to providing the resolution for what was happening on this planet. One thing I've noticed a lot regarding these Short Trips is that they have so much potential but on times there just isn't enough length for it to have been fleshed out. Everything comes so quickly, which I can very much enjoy, but there's also something quite beautiful about a build and I think that might have been lacking a little here if I was to say a criticism. It seemed that in a matter of seconds the impending devastation went from having an effect on the building the Doctor and Ace were within to the whole solar system the planet was within! There needed to be a little bit more believability there, but I did really like that the Doctor wasn't sure that he would be able to put things right. That is quite a scary prospect! It is always nice to have the Doctor genuinely worried and I did get that feeling here, although I'm not sure why given that this was his seventh incarnation. This version of the Doctor is renowned for not letting his companion in on the whole picture, particularly Ace, and he knew from early on that his plan was guaranteed to work. With there being no evil or alien menace at work on this occasion, Ace could let it slide even though she was noticeably annoyed which I thought was pretty good. Louise Ryan was a good character and I liked how she provided some confrontation from the Doctor. He wasn't at all happy with the critical nature of the mass and the issues that it could provide, and he would make sure she would feel guilty. When the Doctor had fixed the situation, the concept of him pretending that everything went wrong just to give Louise that moment of despair was extraordinary I have to say! I absolutely loved it. It was fantastic and definitely the best moment of the audio adventure. I have no qualms in saying that it was not going to get the rating it has without that moment, just because of how quick everything happened despite the good ideas, as it really was that good for me. It was great writing for the Seventh Doctor and I liked how he wanted them to hold onto that feeling of despair. It was fantastic. Overall, a great little audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10