Wednesdays for Beginners

"I've got a stalker."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: June 2017

Series: Lives of Captain Jack 1.02

Featuring: Captain Jack, Jackie

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness – time-travelling con-man, saviour of the Earth, and intergalactic adventurer. He has lived many lives...

Jack and Jackie Tyler must unite to rescue the Powell Estate from a force whose name Jackie can never say.

Verdict

Wednesdays for Beginners was a great little story to continue The Lives of Captain Jack's first series! It was a really nice adventure and a good insight into Captain Jack's time on the Powell Estate as was hinted at in Utopia. Of course, this was set during a time where Rose was off travelling with the Doctor which was good and I loved the continuity following on from the fate at the end of The Parting of the Ways with Jack hoping to find a way back to the TARDIS and the Doctor and Rose. It was pretty powerful stuff hearing how much Jack wanted to reunite with them and at this point in time I thought that was particularly intriguing given his connections to Torchwood. Pairing him with Jackie Tyler was a wonderful move and they gelled really well together. This was definitely a lot of fun and a lot of that had to do with Jack and Jackie's interaction. The latter believing the former to be her stalker was excellent and the way Jackie revelled in an American hunk checking her out, or so she thought, was terrific stuff. She was soaking it in and I wouldn't have expected anything less from her. Jack actually moving in on the Powell Estate was very interesting and I wonder if he does still have ownership of the property! His comments about finding the right Doctor were brilliant and I liked how that pointed to the possibility of him having encountered previous incarnations, or at least looked on from afar and been denied the chance to pick up his travels. It was quite an emotional tale for Jackie hearing how much she was missing Rose and feeling lonely so it was nice for her to get some company here. Hearing how much she wanted a gossip about Jack was great and having the entire population of the Powell Estate disappear around her was not ideal. There was nobody in and the fake postman routine she pulled on Jack was delightful stuff. Jackie at her best. The fog was a good element for the threat of the Harvesters and Jackie's continued comedic reaction to their name was a lot of fun, even if it went a little too long. The Powell Estate moving into its own reality bubble was very good and the concrete within crumbling because of the sheer amount of power needed to be converted to keep the reality going worked well. Everyone being out of phase was good and something I like when it happens and Jackie's memory and desire to want them to exist allowed Jack to see them after he initially couldn't which was intriguing. Jackie's efforts to put on a spread for the estate despite nobody being there was excellent and I loved how she was just getting on with things. The memory prism was a fun element and Jackie's annoyance at Jack giving it a name was terrific. She liked to keep things simple. Her continued comparisons of Jack to the Doctor were wonderful and I liked how they were able to talk about him. Jack also admited he knew Rose and Jackie wanting to know what her daughter was like in space was really touching. I liked how everything turned out to be a trap and when Jackie was close to solving things but not quite able, she called upon Rose which meant the Harvesters could soon have the Doctor. That was also tough for Jack as the TARDIS was heard but he had to urge Jackie to call off its arrival. From there, it was a little quick to have the Harvesters dealt with just by the TARDIS not showing, but hearing Jack and Jackie sat in the reality bubble waiting for it to dissipate and return to N-Spasce was lovely. Overall, a really good little audio!

Rating: 8/10