Out of the Deep

"The sun and sand are enemies enough."

Writer: John Pritchard 

Format: Audio

Released: June 2020

Series: Short Trips 10.06

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven

Synopsis

Drawn to Mesopotamia in the late 1850s by an unknown signal, the Doctor and Steven cross paths with an archaeological expedition looking for one of the world's first cities, Eridu. Darkness sits at the heart of Eridu, an ancient evil that is stirring. 

Some things are buried for a reason. 

Verdict

Out of the Deep was a very good little Short Trips audio adventure! First of all I am a big fan of the artwork for this one and after taking things to Earth's oldest city of Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century, I liked it even more as it fit the feel of the story very well. The right tone was established from the off which I certainly think is an important factor for any audio. The Doctor and Steven being down to Mesopotamia was good and it is a unique setting which I really like. The fact it was rubble here in the nineteenth century was good and I really would love for a story to be set there during its prime. The concept of some sort of energy being buried beneath in the ancient remains of the city was great and I also liked how we got a brief history of the city and its importance. I think that was important to listeners who might not understand or be aware of its significance in human history. I liked the characters of Professor Wood and his daughter Jessica and I thought Peter Purves did a tremendous job with the narration. It definitely didn't feel like we had just one actor performing which is a huge compliment. The remains of a pyramid or ziggurat being found was good and the Doctor's curiosity being peaked once a potential passage to the city below was identified was magnificent. That's the First Doctor at his very best. Their journey below was great and I liked how there was something almost absorbing the light. The eery atmosphere created was very nicely done. The Doctor being interested in the earth was fun because to anyone else it was just ground. But for the Doctor, he'd located a distortion in the universe as we knew it. That was quite spectacular! I also enjoyed that Wood's watch had slowed to crawl as that was a good dynamic and the description of the figure of a man slumped in the stone chair was really good. I love playing with the idea of something being preserved and in this case the figure was also mummified. Pondering whether he was one of the first Kings of the city was a nice touch as well. The figure moving was good but probably could have been more impactful, but its effort to speak followed by the big booming and slow voice was intriguing. It had encountered the human race before but they weren't ready for the knowledge Zile had to share. He could offer the wisdom required to control the world. I liked how he talked of human conflict and war during this era of history and Wood proudly claimed that their wars were just and that his Empire would win. Zile's overarching figure was vey good and I liked how he invoked fear. The description was very apt with what appears on the artwork. The emergence of the Watchman was a good development if not entirely clear but the thwarting by ancestors and Wood being tempted to pacify the planet and enforce his will was great. The revelation that the depths below contained a buried alien was a nice development and a visitor from the prehistoric times was imprisoned by its own species, and now we had a Watchmen to keep it that way. I liked how there was a sense of an unseen void to Steven and he felt the pull and got a glimpse of the thing in the abyss rising. The threat of being stuck below the city was a very good one and after the Doctor brought the walls down, the image of the Watchman pondering going below to the prisoner was good, but our main characters had escaped to the surface. The alien was stuck in eternal punishment suspended in a lost section of space which was excellent, and I quite liked the ambiguity that came with the Watchman and the alien prisoner. Overall, a very enjoyable little listen!

Rating: 8/10