Keepsake

"I prefer the more refined lines of a classic model."

Writer: James Swallow
Format: Audio
Released: September 2008
Series: Main Range 112b

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

Sifting through the technological junk of Reclaim Platform Juliet-November-Kilo, the Doctor discovers evidence of a personal tragedy involving some friends of his. Where will the story of their fate lead?

Verdict

Keepsake was a tidy little audio adventure but it was just a little too short to be worthy of getting a higher rating and one that I would consider to be in the category of 'good'. There wasn't anything wrong with it per say, but it just wasn't all that enthralling and I don't think it was helped by the absence of the Doctor for its majority. I was really intrigued at the start with the Doctor conversing with an examiner regarding the TARDIS and his need for a fluid link. I thought we were just going to get a whole story about the Doctor's love for the TARDIS and his affection for the outdated Type-40 model which just sounds fantastic. Sadly, that was not to be the case as we actually went right back into the world of the Orion War and we heard a recording of Temeter and Sara following from the events of Kingdom of Silver. Where one-part stories are concerned on a release alongside another three-part adventure, I think it is definitely positive to go with a linked adventure as the memory will obviously be fresh and there is already a big basis to work with. It's so hard to captivate a listener in just twenty-five minutes or so and create a great story, as the early Short Trips audios go to show. Whilst I agree with the logic, I really would have just much preferred a four-part adventure! I cannot comprehend the desire for a release being formatted in this way, but I always try and make sure that doesn't have any bearing on my rating and enjoyment for the story. It was good to hear some aftermath from what was an eventful story and getting some empathy for the androids was really enjoyable, if that can said for a subject that turned out to be rather emotional. I think some more interluding comments from the Doctor would have been beneficial, but it was just nice to hear Temeter and Sara again as I never thought I would after their first appearance. But here they were! The interrogation was interesting and I'm always a fan of the Doctor's negative impact on the aftermath of a story being explored, and there was a lot of potential for a full sequel here if time allowed. I think it would be interesting to explore, but then I do think that could be said for pretty much any adventure from any format! Imagine going back to Androzani or Skaro after the Doctor's involvements in The Caves of Androzani and The Daleks, for example. It would be sublime. The Doctor wasn't actually involved with Temeter and Sara which was a shame, but I was intrigued that where he was now was 2,000 years after those events so the Orion War was long gone. I also found it interesting that things had clearly moved on for the Doctor despite the release chronology, and I loved that the gothic TARDIS theme was mentioned! I almost forgot that it was actually the Seventh Doctor's design because I just always associate it and The Movie with the Eighth Doctor. I liked that a lot and it shows that the Seventh Doctor really does have a lot of room for story development. This was another addition to that, and whilst it wasn't incredible, it wasn't bad at all and filled its time adequately. Overall, a decent little listen.

Rating: 6/10