Geronimo!: The Inheritance

"You brought a bomb to our house!"

Writer: Alfie Shaw

Format: Audio

Released: October 2022

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 3.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis

For Patricia and Valarie Lockwood, it was to be an evening like any other. Dinner with a few friends, a chance to unwind and forget the horrors of the world. However, their plans are disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger. A man who brings tragedy in his wake. 

Verdict

The Inheritance was an outstanding start to the Geronimo! third volume of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles! Whilst this is the third instalment of Chronicles for the Eleventh Doctor, this very much feels like a fresh start with the introduction of Valarie as a new companion! I'm all in favour of giving this incarnation of the Doctor a new companion because there is a lot of room for manoeuvring given the nature of Steven Moffat's storytelling during his tenure. We've already had Alice join for Titan Comics in an earlier gap, but this series and beyond looks set to utilise the gap between The Snowmen and The Bells of Saint John which is so fun. We even get a prologue titled Clara where we have the Doctor enlisting the help of some of his oldest and dearest friends including the Brigadier and River Song to try and find a Clara Oswin Oswald. She needs saving and to be found, and the Doctor is determined to find her which is lovely. He's not just sulking on a cloud anymore which is nice! I thought the humour of his arrival at the RYC Bar as the initials were the same as Run You Clever Boy And Remember was magnificent, and the Doctor's defeated reaction to it just being a bar for a yacht club was glorious. I was such a fan of that. I really enjoyed the 54th century setting and the punk rock vibe this episode had. It felt very much like Blade Runner which was cool and Valarie not being wholly organic will provide an added dimension to her character as a companion. This serves as quite the introduction for her as we experience the death of her mother Patricia which obviously makes her pretty vulnerable so it's a big task for the Doctor to keep her focused despite the emotional torment that would occur. The idea of Earth being plagued with an infection in its own currency was very intriguing, especially when it was all digital by this point in history! Arabella was a brilliant villain as the head of the Fulcrum and that whole organisation was fascinating. The idea of UNIT files being used this far into the future was delightful and the Doctor was still being tasked with answering distress calls. Even if he was very late! The very concept of a buy-to-live scheme was excellent and I loved that with Arabella unwilling to delete the currency from Earth, everyone had to spend it! That was exciting stuff. I liked how the Doctor was blackmailed into finding a cure with the TARDIS held hostage, but when he didn't have one he tried to fake his way out which was really good. The balance of life versus profit was brilliant throughout and it really highlighted where some people stood. There could only be one answer. I loved the Doctor's reply of 'always' when asked if he'd risk everything just for one girl and that was exactly true for Valarie. I was mightily impressed with Jacob Dudman's take on the Eleventh Doctor. It really was uncanny and could have fooled me if they put Matt Smith's name in the credits! It was that good. The outrage the Doctor felt towards Arabella for her lack of heart was incredible and a shining moment as he had no issues in adding her to his conscience considering he'd already wiped out his home planet. It's pretty rare we see the Doctor actually encourage someone dying, but that's how horrified he was by Arabella. I get the feeling she might be back in the future, but it was all about Valarie from there and her no longer being in the hospital and it being two weeks later for her when the Doctor returned was amusing. He's never been great at timekeeping! The irony. The cliffhanger of the TARDIS being hijacked after we had a lovely moment of Valarie stepping inside for the first time was nice and I appreciate the continuity and story arc I expect we'll get. Overall, a perfect start! 

Rating: 10/10