Scenes From Her Life

"Your mind is a window to me."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: March 2016

Series: Doom Coalition 2.02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

Investigating the appearance of the Voord on Earth, the Doctor, Liv and Helen follow a trail which takes them to the other side of the universe. There they discover a mysterious and almost deserted gothic city lost in space and time, in which the grotesque inhabitants are conducting a vile and inhumane experiment. The Doctor and his companions must hurry to save the lives of those in danger before the experiment is a success and the unimaginable consequences become all too real. 

Verdict

Scenes From Her Life was an excellent episode to continue my way through the second volume of Doom Coalition! The Eighth Doctor Adventures really do seem to be heating up and whilst they've been great for so long now, this feels like another step up is coming and I'm absolutely ready for it! I loved the continuity we had from Beachhead with the Doctor and his companions visiting the very point in space where the Voord home world had stood, but was now simply gone. What could cause destruction on a planetary scale? I liked how Helen was a little cautious about the prospect of going after what caused that because of the obvious dangers, and whilst the TARDIS was big and the Doctor assured her of its protection, it wasn't planet level big. I am really enjoying the realism that Helen is bringing as a companion. Long may it continue. I loved the idea of the TARDIS landing within a TARDIS but this one had gone somewhat wrong! It had been exposed to the Vortex for far too long and had even lost its outer shell. No wonder the path following the artron energy was blocked! And it was expanding with a collision almost occurring. The description of the Gothic style was good and I liked how that seemed to match my image of early Gallifrey. This was a TARDIS even older than the Doctor's and its inhabitants in the form of Stormblood and Sepulchra were fascinating characters. They clearly weren't sane but they wouldn't let that be how they were looked upon! They firmly believed they were fine despite not really remembering their childhood and having been within the TARDIS since they could remember. There were a lot of things in play from since they could remember, but ironically they couldn't exactly remember how long that had been. I thought that was quite fun. The inclusion of the Eleven in a brief cameo flashback was good and it really helped make Caleera out to be a fine enemy. The twist regarding her was brilliant as it seemed she was being tormented and experimented upon, only for it to be her own experiment! I thought it was good to get an explanation regarding the Voord home world and Caleera using her incredible telepathic ability to destroy it as a test was quite incredible! It showed just how much power she wielded and it's no surprise that she was wanted to take suppressants. Her power could be dangerous. It's also then no wonder that the Eleven welcomed her visiting him. Strong continuity across the board here which I'm a huge fan of hearing! I thought Swordfish was a fun character and definitely one that was brutal. Injection of fear was not something short in this character and I like the quirky name. I'm surprised there wasn't more of a reaction to that! Liv and Helen ignoring the Doctor's instructions of staying in the TARDIS was a terrific moment too, especially with Helen being the one to suggest it and ask how long they would typically leave it after receiving such instructions. The Doctor enhancing Caleera's power at the end as the means to free was good, except things went a little far and the old TARDIS was breaking up and set for destruction. That was quite emphatic and I enjoyed Liv's rushing to get to a TARDIS that wasn't actually being destroyed. I must admit the little cliffhanger finish took me off guard, but the idea of bringing half of the older TARDIS back to real space was fun and definitely does indeed sound like a bumpy ride! I'm excited to hear where things go from here. Overall, a fantastic adventure! 

Rating: 9/10