Piece of Mind

"I'm the new Doctor, here to save the day!"

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: June 2019

Series: Lives of Captain Jack 2.01

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Captain Jack

Synopsis

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

When the Sixth Doctor falls dying into his arms, Jack must carry on in his place. Is the universe ready for a whole new kind of Doctor?

Verdict

Piece of Mind was a great and fun start to the second volume of The Lives of Captain Jack spinoff! I'm a huge fan of Captain Jack and him having his own spinoff range outside of Torchwood is such a brilliant idea because he really has lived so many lives. And after a century of waiting for the Doctor after being left behind in The Parting of the Ways, Jack was finally reunited with the Doctor. Except it wasn't the one he was expecting! The idea of Jack meeting a Classic Doctor seems impossible because it's so clear that in An Empty Child it's the first meeting between the pair, with the Doctor being in his tenth (technicality) incarnation. So here we have the Sixth Doctor dying in Jack's arms after exiting the TARDIS with a plea to 'save them'. That was a terrific start to a story. The image of Jack wearing the Sixth Doctor's coat has long intrigued me and it looks magnificent because it just shouldn't be possible. I must admit, I was initially taken aback by how mockingly and campy Jack was playing the Sixth Doctor, but it definitely grew on me even if I'm not sure I was ever fully on board with that approach. What made me chuckle and almost audibly send me into hysterics on the train back from football was hearing Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor imitate Captain Jack. That really was tremendous and the levels meant that the impression was so awfully bad that it was fantastic. Baker sounded like he was having so much fun and that really shone through in the performance. I must mention as well how much I loved the mash up of the opening themes of the Sixth Doctor era of Doctor Who and The Lives of Captain Jack spinoff arrangement. That was really well done. Jack playing the Doctor and getting embroiled in the politics between the Sofia and Janovar was a lot of fun, especially when he was ended up arranging a wedding to the entire former species. How very Jack-like! The constant themes of sofas was a little odd I have to admit but it was so whacky that it kind of worked without being logical. Zor being the enemy was fun purely because of the comments about his name as a villain. Hayat was another terrific character and I thought her sacrifice provided some incredible emotion and it was really moving to hear how much Jack cared for her. I think the fact she was saved at the end took away from the moment as I'm not a fan of deaths being corrected for a happy ending. Just look at the different feelings towards Adric in Earthshock and Clara in Face the Raven! Callista was a really good character and I liked how it was appealed to her on the inside once the Sofia turned and channeled the souls of the Janovar to consume through them. I liked the focus on the Memoriad and how that was what was being saved, and Hayat ending the story as the new director of it was a nice way to bring things to a close. But I have to save the best for last, and that's the 'you're a rail replacement bus!' line which had me in stitches from the Doctor and Jack. Magnificent stuff. Overall, a great adventure! 

Rating: 8/10