The Tip of the Mind

"He seemed to be offering lots of information but in fact he was asking all the questions."

Writer: Peter Anghelides

Format: Short Story

Released: April 2003

Printed in: Short Trips: Companions 01

Featuring: Third Doctor, Zoe

Synopsis

Adventures in time and space are no fun if there's no one to share them. The Doctor has taken along many people on his travels – humans, aliens and robots. Did he really care for any of them? What in their previous life fitted them for the role of companion – and how did they cope after they left the TARDIS?

These seventeen stories look at the Doctor's trusty companions, before, during and after their travels with the eccentric Time Lord. Discover the truth about Romana's regeneration, find out what happened when Zoe encountered the Doctor again, and learn which of his companions the Doctor cared for the most...

Verdict

The Tip of the Mind was a good little start to the Companions anthology of Short Trips prose from Big Finish! It seems to have been a hell of a long time since I have delved into a collection of this sort but after finding it online for a very good price, I couldn't say no and I'm now excited to have started these ventures into the lives of the Doctor's companions. The synopsis intrigues me greatly and with Jacqueline Rayner as the editor, a writer who is a favourite of mine, I think I have somewhat high expectations for this collection of adventures. I thought the use of first person was rubbish though as I am not a fan of that writing style in the slightest. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if that perspective was from the point of view of a familiar character like was the case with Ian in Doctor Who and the Daleks, but here I just didn't care because I didn't know who Sandra Urtiman was and that meant I didn't really care about her. I think the nature of the format in being short also prevents a lot of difficulties in getting to know her and as soon as Zoe was mentioned, she was all I was interested in. I loved the idea behind this story though and having the Doctor encounter his former companion after the events of The War Games for both of them was intriguing given how things ended for the companion with her having her memory wiped by the Time Lords, ensuring that she forgot everything encountered with the Doctor except her first meeting. I thought it was nice touch to have Zoe recognise that this 'John Smith' was similar to the Second Doctor whom she met in The Wheel of Space and referenced those events nicely. The Doctor feigning being sent by an institute when t was actually the Time Lords was very good and I loved how that fitted in with the era of the Third Doctor. The description of his hair and blue velvet jacket was also really good and the characterisation for his appearance was very well done. Tobik and Xafta were decent characters but I think the main focus should have all been on the Doctor and Zoe. It was nice to know that they were discussing scientific theory and in particular having extensive conversation about time travel was delightful. I can imagine the Third Doctor being a perfect match for Zoe. The trouble being caused by her having all of her research and findings in her head rather than by publishing a paper was really fantastic and something new which I liked. Unfortunately, in such a small format there was just too much about Urtiman which got to a point of being somewhat annoying. I didn't care much for his messages from her mother that he she was putting off and the highlight for her definitely came when she was challenged by the Doctor and he challenged her with his influence and going to Director Sheerstock. The Doctor explaining that he had been instructed with a task by the Time Lords but later realising that it was all a ploy for them to ensure that Zoe's eidetic memory was rid of the dematerialisation codes that the Doctor so desperately wanted. His reaction to that was quite sad, but his words about Zoe were terrific. It was really nice for him to talk fondly of her. Sandra bringing Zoe to the TARDIS after the Doctor explicitly said that it would be troublesome was horrible and her fainting was a sad development because the Doctor had to quickly leave as her memories were already damaged enough. Overall, a great idea at the heart of the story but I didn't care much for the perspective.

Rating: 7/10