Echoes: Birdsong

"You have driven her to despair."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: May 2024

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 13.01

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

The TARDIS arrives on an empty world where two scouts await the rest of their colony. Except this world may not be as empty as everybody thinks. There's a figure in the woods – and a strangely familiar sound...

As the Doctor and his friends learn more about the planet's inhabitants, the birdsong they hear becomes a deadly chorus.

Verdict

Birdsong was an excellent episode to kick off the Echoes series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! Returning to what many label the dream team of the Eighth Doctor, Liv and Helen, this was a really powerful story that gripped my attention almost immediately. The concept behind the colony world was great and I thought the character work was exceptional. Bex was initially a really likeable character and you genuinely felt sorry for her plight. She was a scout sent forward ready for the colonists and she was twenty-three months into a three-year wait for the rest of the party to arrive. She was so close yet so far. She was delighted to see new people as you might expect and that soon became even more understandable when revealed she wasn't alone. Myra was something of an uncomfortable character with her croaky old voice and it was clear immediately that she wasn't all there mentally. Nearly two years alone on a planet will certainly do that for you! Except things weren't quite as they seemed and the way the episode paced the true nature of what was happening was really impressive. It was perfectly done over the course of the hour and each shock came at a moment where it was almost expected but also still a bit of a shock. Helen initially being protective of Bex was a nice moment and she was really unhappy with the way Liv talked to her. I thought that was an interesting little dynamic and it was good for Liv to be the one challenged as that's usually her own role. I thought the humour that came from the Doctor explaining with complete sincerity that he talked barcode was incredible but it actually does seem to be an important plot point moving forward as he fed the lines into the TARDIS at the end. That really is spectacular and you could actually hear the smile from Liv as she asked the Doctor if he was having them on. Was he? It would appear not and that's just glorious. The very idea is just bonkers but it perfectly suits the playfulness of this incarnation. I thought Liv explaining to Bex how she travelled around in a gothic library was a fascinating description of the TARDIS interior for the Eighth Doctor! I thought the twist of there actually only being one scout was brilliant and even more so when all signs pointed to that actually being Myra, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that she wasn't the original. It turned out nearly everything was all part of perception and that was maybe just slightly a step too far and why the episode doesn't get a perfect score from me. The atmosphere throughput was magnificent and the moment that Myra spurted out what was really controlling her was uncomfortable listening for sure. But even Bex herself being part of the perception and Myra being the form of her mother added to then emotional impact, but it felt slightly like cheating. Maybe that's just me. The title of the episode after listening felt very strong and I liked the simplicity of something like birdsong being so important in establishing things. It really added to the feel of the episode which was a huge selling point of this one's quality. I think the way things concluded with Myra being overpowered and the perception breaking was good, and I like that there's a lead into the next episode. I'm excited for the echoes kind of vibe to continue across the boxset, and for now this was a superb start to the series! Overall, a marvellous listen. 

Rating: 9/10