Buried Memories: Clear History

"You've been lied to."

Writer: Doris V Sutherland

Format: Audio

Released: September 2019

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 5.02

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Benny

Synopsis 

The people of Civitas-G have retreated into an idyllic recreation of their homeworld. And they're refusing to believe that it is now breaking down.

Verdict  

Clear History was a great story to continue my way through the Buried Memories fifth series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This was a really good episode and I’m enjoying the continuation of the theme that is referred to in the umbrella title for the series. Whereas we had a deleted and fake history in the opener of Pride of the Lampian, this time around we had an augmented reality where history was literally created to suit the deranged and childish antics of the Administrator. Before we got there, the exploration of the relationship between Benny and the Unbound Doctor felt a little different this time around which was good and it was actually quite refreshing for them not to be bickering or feeling rather testy towards each other! That’s actually been quite unusual since the third series of this range so I certainly appreciated a more normal Doctor-companion dynamic. I’m saying that though, I kind of hope it doesn’t stay that way as it is part of the charm of this unique pairing. I must admit that whilst I did really enjoy the episode, I think more should be being made of the fact the Unbound Doctor is in a different universe. He doesn’t seem to be too excited by the potential of exploring in a whole new universe which is surprising given the curiosity and just general travelling nature of the Doctor that’s shared across all incarnations. It seems lacking in a sense of adventure which just feels slightly off, but I’m hoping that we’ll still get there as the series continues on. I thought the setting of Civitas-G was very good and I liked that Benny had a history with the planet. She’d actually written a dissertation based on it so her knowledge was extensive given the amount of time and research she would have dedicated to its study. That would actually prove critical though as she knew that the supposed history of the planet was now wrong. With no real knowledge of the planet, it was nice for the Doctor to back her on this which was a very different take on the precious episode. I’m sure that is something she would have appreciated. I liked Zeta as a character and she would be another important piece in working out that the history on the planet was artificial. That’s a concept in of itself that is terrific and it was fun for the Doctor to not exactly be thrilled in dealing with simulations and the like. Anything that wasn’t reality was not exactly up his street. Zeta actually being somebody that was deemed not to fit into the Administrator’s desire history was very good and hearing her in limbo after being removed was excellent. That was another strong concept and maybe one I would have enjoyed exploring a little more. Lloyd was also a great character to see out the cast and it was good to have him being a servant but one that was perhaps a little too helpful. Of course this version of the Doctor would pick up on that! But hearing him come to terms with that and what he was made for a fascinating listen. He was just a really nice character though. Someone who wasn’t exactly nice was the Administrator and he made for a strong villain. I think part of his quality was the childish-like nature which made him sound particularly deranged and almost petty. It was appealing because trying to reason with him became a little difficult and he was certainly maniacal in nature which is always a good trait in a villain! His desire to have a better history was brilliant and I loved the idea of him creating an artificial one and deciding what would fit. He even went so far as to renouncing his given name as a child and deciding that he just needed a title now. I was hoping something from the Doctor would come here as that’s essentially exactly what route he had taken, but alas it wasn’t to be. His demise being brought about by himself seemed rather fitting given all of the removals he’d made from history too. Overall, a really strong listen! 

Rating: 8/10