The First Wave

"Our actions are like a wave."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: November 2011
Series: Companion Chronicles 6.05

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Oliver

Synopsis

Caught in the inevitable path of its own history, the TARDIS arrives on the planetoid Grace Alone, where the Doctor, Steven and Oliver expect to face their fate. What they don't expect to find is a massacred crew – and a race of alien invaders known as the Vardans.

When the Doctor is apparently killed, his companions attempt to survive against the odds. But those odds are narrowing. Their borrowed time has expired.

Verdict

The First Wave was a very good conclusion to Oliver Harper's trio of adventures alongside the First Doctor and Steven! I must admit that I was not expecting him to depart in a sacrificial way and I was a little surprised that this occurred. It just adds to the loss that surrounds the Doctor and Steven at this point in chronology following on from The Daleks' Master Plan, but now that can be firmly put into the rearview and they can move forward together. They will soon meet Dodo and happier times are ahead, but for now we said goodbye to a short-lived companion in the TARDIS. Whilst I liked the story as a whole, I felt that Guerrier went a bit overboard with the jumping around from different parts of the story. I think the flow was hurt here by going back and forth from differing events and maybe my listening of these stories in such quick succession made that more noticeable, but I just didn't think it was really necessary. It worked really well in The Cold Equations with Oliver pondering over telling Steven his secret, but even with the apparent death of the Doctor, it just wasn't required. In saying that, I still really enjoyed the adventure and the fact that this was the Doctor's first chronological encounter with the Vardans. They're an underrated enemy in my view and I have loved the two stories they have featured in with the Fourth Doctor that I've blogged. The Invasion of Time and Wave of Destruction are superb and whilst this one was a good addition, it didn't quite live up to those expectations, but that was absolutely fine. I still very much enjoyed the story! I was surprised by the apparent death of the Doctor and I must say it did seem pretty definitive. That was a big shock, but I liked thinking about how he could survive. He was the Doctor though, and he would always come back! Steven's reaction to losing the Doctor, or so he thought, was quite heartfelt. Oliver was intriguing in this story and I was quite surprised that he seemed tempted by the offer from the Vardans for immortality! I didn't see that coming but that showed how little time he had spent travelling in the TARDIS. The Doctor may not have rubbed off on him just yet! I loved the moment where Steven requested a TARDIS key from the Doctor, and our hero didn't seem so willing to provide him with one. That was a nice little moment. The pace of the story was decent and whilst the cliffhanger could have been much improved, the big shock factor came from Oliver sacrificing himself to take out the Vardans and save the Doctor and Steven. His becoming a non-physical entity was an intriguing move and I like how he held onto the TARDIS and was able to see Steven move on in The Savages. I must quickly mention the moments discussed concerning events prior to The Chase with Steven confident he could always escape the Mechanoids, but until the Doctor he had nowhere to escape to. I liked that a lot. The story ending during the events of The Tenth Planet with the Doctor on the verge of regeneration and seeing his old companion was a little surprising and I would have liked it mentioned that Katarina and Sara were there too given the theme of loss that has accompanied these three stories. Alas, it was not to be. Overall though, still a great little story!

Rating: 8/10