Hungry Thirsty Roots

"You're angry because no one remembers you."

Writer: Alex Paknadel
Format: Comic Strip
Released: November-December 2017
Printed in: The Eleventh Doctor #3.12-13

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Sapling

Synopsis

The Doctor and Alice must finally face up to the Sapling's true nature... but has their influence managed to calm his destructive instincts? Or will they find themselves at his terrifying mercy? With the Scream hot on their tail, intent on using the Sapling for his own nefarious purposes, the Doctor and Alice must make an impossible choice...

Verdict

Hungry Thirsty Roots was a sublime comic strip adventure! It was quite incredible really and a worthy finale to the third year of Eleventh Doctor comic strips. I really did enjoy this one and the year-long arc concerning the Sapling was finally concluded in quite epic style. It followed on from the end of Strange Loops very well and I really liked that the Doctor and Alice were searching for a console room that wasn't effected by the Sapling's growth. Growth that wasn't really stopping! The TARDIS managed to help the Doctor by shifting her internal organs and they found the very first console room which meant some serious reminiscing of the past. I loved that the Doctor named some of the adventures he had from this room with lovely references to The Keys of Marinus, The Ark and The Krotons. Alice's reaction to hearing the latter's name was quite funny but I loved how important that story turned out to be here as it jigged something in the Doctor's memory. He could use the H.A.D.S. to separate the TARDIS and the Sapling. It seemed a genius idea but the Scream was on a similar wavelength and could anticipate the Doctor's action. Just as the dematerialisation would occur, the Scream merged with the Sapling and we had a giant Scream at the TARDIS console's centre! It was an unbelievable sight. I thought it was really interesting how Alice had so much sympathy for the Scream because he just wanted to be remembered. It was understandable because being forgotten all the time can't be a nice feeling at all. The cliffhanger was excellent and then seeing some action on a planet made from the Doctor's memories was superb! The sonic screwdriver skyscrapers were quite something and I loved that the artwork allowed us to see the likes of Axons and Cybermen looking a little more human. The performance of Jones to unite the memories of the Doctor and Alice was wonderful and a great nod to the past of this comic strip, and that also occurred with the appearance of a Kharitite which was a lovely nod all the way back to After Life. The Eleventh Doctor as a homeless man didn't actually look too unfamiliar but the mention of Nyssa was great. The Doctor and Alice joining together to remember each other and work together was brilliant and they managed to convince the Scream not to kill them because then it would have nobody left to remember him. But he had merged with the Sapling and that meant he could make copies of himself. That's what he did from the advice of Alice but just as many were made and the plan for millions across the universe was proclaimed, he turned his back on the copies and forgot himself. I thought that was a magnificent way to finish. It was emotional but absolutely brilliant. Very clever. The Sapling having grown up was good as well and I liked how Alice's narration finished the story and year. I do hope we get more adventures with this trio. Overall, a stunning story!

Rating: 10/10