The Yearn

"We tried to resist."

Writer: Angus Dunican

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 4.02

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis 

The people of Medruth are under siege. Forced into underground bunkers, the Medruthians are desperate for a way to escape. When the Doctor and Valarie arrive, it seems like they've finally got everything they wanted. Except, that's when the nightmares really begin.

Verdict 

The Yearn was a decent adventure to continue my way through the All of Time and Space fourth series of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles. I liked the mystery of how things started with the arrival on Medruth and the discussion about windows and Valarie realising they may not be needed showcased her companion credentials. She has really settled in quickly and I think she’s pretty great so far! I’m certainly a fan. The recycled air pointed to there being arrival on a spaceship, but that wasn’t the case which was cool. The disappearance of the TARDIS was fantastic and I liked how that coupled with eighteen people having also vanished recently. The Yearn were an intriguing race to start with and I liked the description of them being like panthers and composed of unrecognisable energy. Roanna was a tremendous character and I loved the development of her relationship with Valarie. They immediately hit it off and the comms listen in where the companion heard herself described as beautiful was great. The Doctor was his usual awkward self when it came to situations like this. Wyler was a pretty good character but I was more interested in Hoster with him being suspicious of the new arrivals. The line from the Doctor relating to a number of friends settling with people they’d just met was a lovely nod to several companions departing for love interests they barely knew. Valarie didn’t seem interested in following suit though. The Yearn effect being psychokinetic was unique although I felt things did get confusing when the three crew members seemingly died before quickly being resurrected as Wyler found them. The Doctor devising the trap for the Yearn was pretty good though I can’t pretend I understood the science behind it which was a tad frustrating. I thought the origin story that Roanna believed was really quite beautiful with the story of being at one in the circle and all life splitting off to then become one again after splitting. That was one hell of a way to get a kiss from Valarie! It certainly succeeded but things soon shifted when the Yearn seemed to literally emerge from within Roanna. That was a disturbing image. Hoster being taken again was decent and I liked that the Yearn were all trapped in the Doctor’s gizmo, but it did happen a bit quick. He was then taken and reunited with the TARDIS which was fun as Valarie was left behind hoping for a reset. The hint that Roanna knew she’d been taken once before fed into the truth nicely. The discussion the Doctor had from within in finding that the Yearn were born this way and poured some of themselves into the crew was interesting as we learned of their efforts to become physical form. They hadn’t intended on being evil all as one and that was clear when they asked the Doctor for genuine help. The Yearn traps overloading was a logical development and I did enjoy the reveal that the origin story of them all splitting and becoming one was actually true. I loved that Valarie had worked it out. She really is rather good. The Yearn had put them in living hell but now the Doctor used the TARDIS to free them and keep the crew alive in a neat and tidy conclusion. Roanna asking Valarie to stay was a lovely moment and whilst the companion declined, she did provide the TARDIS phone number which was a nice consolation. Overall, a decent adventure to continue the series!

Rating: 7/10