Things She Thought While Falling

"The train below was insisting on getting even closer."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: Short Story

Released: 25 March 2020

Series: #DoctorWhoLockdown

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor

Synopsis

Hello! We're living through some strange times right now.

With people staying home, and families stuck together, I thought maybe a few little presents from Doctor Who might help. Something to read, together or alone. New treats, from the people who make Doctor Who.

To start us off, I've written a few words about what went through the Thirteenth Doctor's head, immediately after she regenerated and was thrown out her TARDIS.

Stay safe.

Chris x

Verdict

Things She Thought While Falling was a lovely little short story! Well, as Chris Chibnall puts it himself, a very short story. It was a really good tale of what was going through the head of the Doctor after regenerating at the end of Twice Upon a Time. She had initially said 'Brilliant!', but then she was thrown out of her TARDIS and was falling to Earth after seeing her TARDIS dematerialise and go who knows where. Well, we've all seen The Ghost Monument by now so we know exactly where, but that's besides the point. I like the idea of encountering the Doctor mid-fall and post-regeneration. It must have been quite the experience for her with all of that going on so quickly after meeting her own first incarnation! It was quite the whirlwind. Chibnall writes the Doctor very well as I would expect with him being the show runner, and it's nice that even this early on there are noticeable traits of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor there. The little line where the Doctor refers to herself as a man was excellent as it isn't until she's on the train in The Woman Who Fell to Earth that she realises her gender has switched to female. She is of course proud of that, but at this point she is none the wiser. That was so simple but a lot of fun. This little story actually turns out to be the first chronological story of the Thirteenth Doctor era, assuming any logical person counts the previous Christmas special as the last in the Twelfth Doctor's run and exclusively that. I never imagined it being possible that there could be a Thirteenth Doctor story set before her first episode! But Doctor Who keeps on doing the seemingly impossible. I mean, there are quite a few Ninth Doctor stories set prior to Rose now which is just stupendous in its own right! Anyway, back to the falling and I really liked the interaction between the Doctor and herself. Yep, that's right! Regeneration does some crazy things and falling from your TARDIS must be quite lonely, but the Doctor was keen to not only interact with her own brain, but have a full on argument. I really liked the references to regeneration and as the Doctor was preparing herself to land on, or rather through, the train, she was able to recall the events of The Christmas Invasion and The End of Time where serious injuries were quickly healed. I thought that was a quite brilliant explanation of how she was quite okay when she popped up on the train in The Woman Who Fell to Earth and aided Yaz, Ryan and Graham. She already guessed she was in South Yorkshire, and now she had new friends. This was short and simple, but a really good lockdown treat. I mean, we must have only got a snippet of the Doctor's entire thoughts while falling as apparently she can have 3,007 thoughts inside three seconds. And she counts them! The debate she had with herself questioning whether the very thought of counting made it 3,008 was magnificent. I loved that. The inclusion of the Doctor's quick fact about Fintleborxtug was also perfect characterisation, but I didn't find the explanation of the way the planet was named all that amusing. Regardless, this was a really good little treat! A terrific short story to kick off the Thirteenth Doctor's run. 

Rating: 8/10