The Deepest Tragedian

"I'm not a mystery to be solved."

Writer: Penelope Faith

Format: Audio

Released: Apri 2022

Series: Companion Chronicles: Second Doctor 3.04

Featuring: Zoe

Synopsis

Zoe is brilliant. Zoe loves to prove it, helping the Doctor and Jamie in their travels, coming to the rescue with a realisation or solving a puzzle. But she's about to meet a puzzle that's difficult to solve. A puzzle with a face. A puzzle with a heart. A puzzle that spells doom for the Doctor...

Verdict

The Deepest Tragedian was a great story to conclude the third volume of Companion Chronicles for the Second Doctor! Well, I say the Second Doctor but he didn't actually feature in this episode which was an intriguing twist. Zoe is brilliant as the synopsis states though so he wasn't missed and the mysterious Tom was still out for the 'travelling man' and to find the TARDIS which implied that the Doctor was wanted. I read after listening to the audio that Tommy was perhaps a Time Lord sent back in time to recruit the Second Doctor to the Time War, and whilst it does make sense with the sky trenches mentioned I must admit that this wasn't a vibe I got from listening. I think it would be fun if that's the case though given what happened with the Time War implications of the third volume of First Doctor Companion Chronicles as well. The theme of drama in this episode was fascinating with Tommy often performing words and scenes as a means of continuing the story and just communicating. It had a very weird feeling and that was definitely a positive! I like when adventures give an uneasy feeling and are just unique, which this one definitely had going for it. Zoe continuously seeing Tom as a puzzle was excellent and I liked how she was committed to solving it. Tom's reaction to constantly being referred to as a puzzle instead of a person was enlightening though and something I really appreciated being mentioned. Tom was clearly a troubled character and his shifting between different characters he had performed as was great and didn't make Zoe feel comfortable in the slightest. That definitely resonated with the listener too. Any mention Zoe made of the Doctor and the TARDIS were latched onto with aggression which just added to that uneasy atmosphere, although slightly more on why Tommy was out for the Doctor would have been beneficial. It did seem a little odd for Zoe to be on her own for much of the story, but with the cliffhanger mentioning the Doctor I was pleasantly surprised that it lasted. She was tremendous, and Wendy Padbury seemed to have some fun when it came to the improvised acting in a number of impromptu performances. Tom revealing that there was more than one of him that had been splintered in time did add to the potential of him being a Time Lord given the weaponry available in that temporal war, and it was no surprise that he was a little crazy especially with each remnant seeming to hold the combined memory. That was nicely done. I liked the nature of the story in how it literally seemed to just fizzle out as Zoe returned to the TARDIS. I was expecting a cameo from Frazier Hines as the Doctor and Jamie, but it probably worked better to not get that and really show that this was all Zoe's adventure, and what better for her than a puzzle? Overall, an uneasy but great listen to conclude the set.

Rating: 8/10