The Destructive Quality of Life

"The Machine has done its work."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2017

Series: Charlotte Pollard 2.01

Featuring: Charley

Synopsis

Charlotte Pollard. Space-time traveller. Former emissary of the mysterious and terrifying Viyrans.

Now she's cast adrift and finds herself and unlikely adventurer Robert Buchan brought right down to Earth – but an Earth which is changing rapidly.

Why and how have they crash-landed in the London Underground? Who are the Identical Men? And why is human behaviour starting to change in starling and unexpected ways?

Charley, Robert and their friend the Rogue Viyran must find out if they are the solution or the cause.

Deep underground, something is stirring. Fragments of an alien design are coalescing...

Marooned on an alien world, a 'concentration camp' in Slough, messaging through space and time.

Verdict

The Destructive Quality of Life was a very good adventure to round out the second series of Charlotte Pollard! As it stands, I believe this is the final chronological appearance of Charley within the Doctor Who Universe and what a journey she has had! I'm a firm fan of hers and I don't think that has changed since I listened to Storm Warning many years ago. Two Doctors and now two series in her own spinoff, it's been quite the run for our Edwardian Adventuress! This one followed on from Seed of Chaos in a good way and really shifted the feel of the series as we were in a mysterious web-like domain for the most part, at least as far as Charley and Rob were concerned. They had a disconcerting arrival after narrowly escaping the Identical Men on Earth and travelling through the Prolixity was good, even if it meant they were literally stuck above a planet. Bertram was going through same changes in the new environment which was interesting and he was reverting to become the creatures within the domain. The shift back to present day with the Prime Minister and Woking was good and the former really wasn't happy with the latter after a number of soldiers didn't make it out alive. Bertram joining them was unexpected and I liked the mystery of the claim that Charley and Rob were dead. The death toll on Earth stemming from the seed of chaos implanted was over a million now which was a frightening concept and said a lot about the scale of the series! The Machine had done its work now and would only cause continuing problems from those already impacted from Embankment Station. Charley retelling her memoirs as heard at the start of Embankment Station was a nice way to circle things around and Naomi picking up the message was terrific. Sadly, I don't think she had enough of a role in the finale as her character warranted. I'd like to hear more from her. NATO having a plan in action to bomb London, be that a normal or nuclear style, was brilliant and such a good real life threat. The Viyrans being in the domain with Charley and Rob was intriguing and I liked the revelation that they were Viyrans from a time before civilised life. They were enacting a cull of the unhealthy and the substance that Charley and Rob had spent a decade helping extract from the sea was the raw material needed for organic machines, one such that was later located in Embankment Station in the future, that could enact subtle changes in life after assessing the best course of action. The objective was to minimalist the destructive qualities of life and the Earth population would be slowly reduced, not destroyed, by careless mistakes. A great concept! I just didn't fully enjoy Bertram playing a part, even though the time factor was accounted for. Charley sending messages from the past was good and I liked the potential of a paradox. The ending came quite abruptly and left me wanting more and even though it's been a good few years now, I would like a third series as the PM approving the bombing of London and then the Prolixity apparently saving Charley, whilst it being ambiguous of whether Rob was saved, is slightly irking! Overall thought, a great story in isolation.

Rating: 8/10