Natural Regression

"I have work to do."

Writer: Justin Richards
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2015
Printed in: The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who 09

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis 

The Time War is in its earliest days and the Daleks have finally launched the Time Destructor. What havoc could this wreck across time and space? The Doctor doesn't want a part in fighting, but it seems that he might not have a choice...

Verdict

Natural Regression was another good little story to continue along my reading of The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who! I really am trying to race through this collection as whilst it is a thoroughly enjoyable set of stories, I do want to continue moving onto bigger and better things. This time around we had an outing for the Eighth Doctor during the Time War which is a little bit of a rarity and it was good to add to the aura of the battle against the Daleks. It can be quite easy to forget that the Time War began before the Doctor regenerated for the eighth time (well, that’s me going along with numbers pre-The Timeless Children airing!) and revoked his name. I do think that the story might have been better served by having the War Doctor feature, but alas it was to be the eighth incarnation. I didn’t think the characterisation of Paul McGann’s Doctor was overly brilliant which was a bit of a shame and whilst I appreciate that he only managed two televised appearances in The Movie and The Night of the Doctor, surely with the Time War setting the latter story would have been the perfect one to base the writing upon? It just seemed a bit generic. It didn’t have the excitement or enthusiasm that I’d usually associate with the Eighth Doctor. The Time War setting was pretty well utilised but given the significance of The Daleks’ Master Plan in the ethos of the show’s history, I couldn’t believe how underwhelming the use of the Time Destructor was! I was amazed that after its initial mention of being set off, a monumental feat in of itself, that not much more was made of it and didn’t seem to be as devastating on the scale that was implied it would be way back in the 1960s. Or rather way forward in the 4000s. The use of the Nihilism Chamber was very good though and I loved the reaction of those within when the Doctor just materialised his TARDIS out of nowhere. Nothing was supposed to be able to get in and there he was asking for mercury! That was wonderful. The harking back to the era of the First Doctor with the fluid link needing refilling after the exertions at the hands of the Time Destructor was just marvellous and I really do enjoy some nostalgia like that. His speed and somewhat sneakiness in eventually getting that mercury when all was going haywire was really good. Definitely a story highlight there! The regression of Kornick to a bear-like state and devolving was quite the image and I liked how that was matched by the evolution into an ethereal being. Would humanity’s evolutionary fate really be to become a consciousness and nothing more? I somehow doubt that but I of course won’t be around to know if that does end up being the case. I liked how the pair cancelled each other out and it allowed the Doctor to escape in the TARDIS with the students in tow and protected as the Time Destructor’s effects were felt. I do wish we got to have a bit more with the impact of the Time Destructor, but I do appreciate that there isn’t much space to play with given the short format. Overall, still a decent story but some elements didn’t quite live up to the potential. 

Rating: 7/10