"I need to confess."
Writer: David K Barnes
Format: Audio
Released: March 2024
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 4.03
Featuring: Eighth Doctor
Synopsis
In search of solace from the Time War, the Eighth Doctor is caught between rival criminals and the law in the city of Sunset.
Who is the mysterious Priest with the key to ending the violence? And if the Doctor really has visited Sunset before, why can't he remember?
Verdict
The Silent Priest was another excellent episode to continue my way through the Broken Memories fourth series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! I really like the idea of this being the first of two stories with the Silence to conclude what has been another brilliant series thus far and these are a monster that is an obvious choice for the range. They've already returned for Big Finish in the UNIT spinoff range but it's good to get an encounter with a different Doctor to what we saw on screen. There are some similarities between the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors but the fact there was only one member of the Silence here was terrific. It was all that was required and given their very nature of not imprinting themselves on the memory of any onlooker, there was nothing to explain regarding why the Eleventh Doctor didn't recognise them in Day of the Moon. It's clever. I thought the setting of Sunset was strong and I loved the political dynamic of an ongoing criminal war between Nalah Massi and Albion Graves. They were both really strong characters and this almost felt like an intergalactic version of the Wild West. Graves in particular with the accent had that kind of vibe. His cronies of Carl and Shacket were amusing characters and they fulfilled their role. Both criminals wanting to find the answers regarding the apparent mystery of the church and why anyone who went in had no memory but felt relieved and relaxed. Of course, the truth was that its priest was a Silent so confessing was a big weight off one's shoulders, but they couldn't remember doing so. The investigations ongoing there were fun and it really would be an endless hunt for the source! The prospect of profitability in a Silent is intriguing and rather audacious, and the way things were set up at the end was fascinating! The push from the Silent priest to get Carl to confess was good and whilst it was clear what he was hiding, the moment he revealed that it was actually him and not Massi that had killed Graves's brother was excellent. Graves was disgusted and in his brutish nature didn't waste much time in disposing of Carl. The Doctor was obviously annoyed by this and blamed himself for yet another person he hadn't saved, as for him this was during the Time War. I liked that placement and I loved how the Silent knew about it and asked after how it was going. That peaked the Doctor's interest right from the off! I thought it was rather amusing for the Doctor to get Massi and Graves to meet in public together by promising the information regarding the secret of the church, but only if they heard it at the same time. And then he had nothing. His attempts to stall them were comical and the delay in Kay getting there was great. For Massi, the meeting couldn't have gone much better really as Graves still believed that it was her that instructed Carl to kill his brother when that was far from the truth. So the Silent could see that nothing was resolved and for the war on Sunset to end, Graves was killed in brutal electrified fashion. That really did leave Massi with a lot of power as despite the claims of the police force, it was actually her and her cronies now in control. The Doctor returning to his TARDIS without even knowledge that Graves was dead or the identity of the priest was fascinating, as surely for him there was unresolved business? But that's the beauty of the Silence in eliminating the memory. The Doctor could blame his old age and the need to get back to the Time War. I like that and it seems his previous self may suffer the consequences in the finale! Overall, a brilliant listen.
Rating: 9/10
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