Conspiracy of Raven: Catastrophe Theory

"All these missions have changed fixed points in history."

Writer: Mark Wright

Format: Audio

Released: July 2024

Series: Second Doctor Adventures 3.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

When the Doctor comes face to face with Zoe, can he be sure it really is his old friend? Jamie is lost somewhere in the cosmos, and the Doctor must find him. From a pleasure cruiser on course for destruction, to an alien world invaded by savage warriors, the Doctor faces catastrophe at every turn – but what has become of Raven?

Verdict

Catastrophe Theory was another great episode to continue my way through the Conspiracy of Raven third series of Second Doctor Adventures! After an eery opener in the form of Klippers, this still had a quite disturbing feel which is tremendous. I'm a big fan of just how uncomfortable the atmosphere is in this range and it really does give it a unique distinction. It does almost feel like this series shouldn't be happening as we are going far beyond The War Games now for the Second Doctor and the background music and sound effects helps contribute to that. It's intentional and I really like that. That feeling is exasperated by the fact we now have Jamie and Zoe joining him. They had their memories of their travels with the Doctor wiped by the Time Lords, yet here they are now a little older but with their memories restored. Just how? Well, I can't wait to find out. I thought the Doctor doubting Zoe's true identity was good but I loved the callback to The Mind Robber and the psycho transfer to prove that she was the true article. But how! I love that we have met Zoe now at a much older point in her life but she has memories of the TARDIS which just shouldn't be possible. The Doctor and Zoe being on the hunt for Jamie was a good direction leading into the finale and whilst he didn't feature much here, it was lovely for him to react to being reunited with Zoe. Their relationship is a charmed one so that was magnificent. I thought it was also really nice to just have a story where Zoe was the sole companion. We obviously didn't get that on screen but it was a nice touch here for her to have the Second Doctor all to herself. I thought the mystery deepening regarding Raven and the missions she has sent the Doctor on was fascinating and I can't wait to find out the true identity. The Doctor is pretty convinced it's not the Time Lords after all as we learned that the missions were actually changing fixed points in time which was unexpected! That's exciting though as things could unravel, as we saw in the TARDIS with the pages literally changing before Zoe's eyes. It was a little frustrating to only hear some sort of static when Raven was in touch with her superior, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of the episode and just keeps me wanting more. That's obviously a good thing and a fine selling point! Raven is still stuck on the spaceship with the Kippers and I'm intrigued by them as they seem like they're going to play a big part ahead with another present here. They're certainly a concern for the Doctor! The Chinzok made for a fun villain and whilst they did sound a little silly, they weren't around long enough for them to get childish so that was welcomed. The Doctor's reaction to learning about them and selling how much of a threat they were was good though. Jamie having a little relationship with Magrit was nice and I loved that he was able to save her life and that was a characteristic the Doctor could know him by. That certainly did sound like the Scotsman! As a whole, this was a really strong episode and I am really excited for what is to come in the finale. I'm not entirely sure what I want or what will happen, but I'm just so engrossed in what is happening. Who could it be behind the missions and to what end? Raven seems that the Doctor shouldn't be treated badly but she can still manipulate the timeline for him. So many questions! Hopefully we'll get some answers in the finale. I don't even need much of a plot, just give me all the dialogue. Overall, another strong showing to move the series forward. 

Rating: 8/10