The Suffering

"All men shall feel my pain."

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Audio

Released: February 2010

Series: Companion Chronicles 4.07

Featuring: First Doctor, Vicki, Steven

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises in England in the year 1912, a time of great social change. The Suffragette movement is lobbying for votes for woman, and the skull of the so-called 'missing link' has been discovered in Piltdown.

While Vicki falls victim to a strange influence, the Doctor and Steven investigate the fossilised remains. The Suffering has been unleashed. Can the travellers survive its rage?

Verdict

The Suffering was a good Companion Chronicle adventure, if not a little too long for the format. I think if this was streamlined a little then it would have gone down as a really great story! However, it went on slightly and I realise already that I sound negative when I really ought not to be as this was still very much a good adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed the start and the explanation as to how the story's recording and narration came to be with Vicki and Steven inside the TARDIS post the events that we would come to listen to over the course of the two-and-a-quarter hours or so. That was really clever and enjoyable and the self-mocking of Vicki not sounding like Steven and even later at the start of part two where Vicki basically tells Steven off for repeating the cliffhanger was tremendous. That was so much fun and it's no surprise to me to find Jacqueline Rayner was the author. That sort of quickness is exactly what I would expect of her and it didn't let me down. I was a big fan. I thought the pairing of Vicki and Steven was actually brilliant in this audio and it was a really nice insight into their relationship. It was still relatively early days for them as established by The Time Meddler reference and how Steven hadn't eaten since 1066, with his days as a prisoner as seen in The Chase still being felt as well. The companions' lack of historical knowledge of the twentieth century was amusing and their incredulity at the fact that women didn't have the vote here in 1912 was excellent. I like the dynamic these two bring as companions with them both being from the future. The links Vicki had with the Suffering and particularly harking back to The Rescue and her failed trip to Astra which resulted in the crash we would see the aftermath of was fantastic. I really liked the use of Vicki's voice and the mental aspects of them as an enemy. The gender theme was a powerful one at times and the Suffering wanting its namesake to apply only to men seemed apt for the adventure to be set at the time of the Suffragette Movement. That was a clever choice. I loved how it was Vicki that stood up for men and used the likes of the Doctor, Ian and Steven and their care and compassion for her as evidence that not all men should suffer. Sure, society at this time was predominantly man-centred and discriminatory towards women, but that wasn't a time Vicki knew. The Suffering's links to the fourth galaxy was something that really intrigued me and I like to think that they have some sort of links to the Drahvins, although at this point the trio hadn't encountered them. I thought the explanation of the Suffering's home world and what men did to women and then centred them on pain was very harsh and obviously bad, but it did go on a little when it came to the story. I also thought the way the Suffering was actually defeated lacked a bit of excitement and action whilst going long, although I appreciate the difficulties associated with the format and having just two actors. They did a fine job though and at its heart, I thought the story was a good one that just perhaps went a bit too long. Still, a more than enjoyable listen!

Rating: 7/10