The Gift

"Tomorrow is the end of the world."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: March 2016

Series: Doom Coalition 2.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

The TARDIS deposits its crew on Earth in San Francisco, 1906. There they find an actor-manager desperate to stage his definitive production of King Lear. But a real storm is headed their way when he becomes the possessor of a mysterious psychic 'Gift' which is hungry for power and intent on wreaking havoc and destruction. But exposure to so much psychic activity has the Doctor becoming increasingly erratic. Can he battle his demons and save the world?

Verdict

The Gift was another great episode to continue my way through the second volume of Doom Coalition within the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This one felt a little more detached from the opening two episodes which was absolutely fine, but we did get immediate continuity from the cliffhanger finish of Scenes From Her Life with the TARDIS enduring a very bumpy ride indeed. I liked playing with the idea of the TARDIS being without power as that presents a good sense of vulnerability, and the Doctor even needing to manually open the doors was good fun. I loved that we took the Eighth Doctor back to San Francisco because as he mentioned, this was essentially where he was born. Except this was ninety-three years into the future. It's intriguing the connection this incarnation has with the city and the 1906 setting was very strong. I was a big fan actually although I was quite amused by Helen describing it as pre-history. It was only five or six decades prior to her own time! She bowed to Liv's superior experience in travelling with the Doctor and numerous times which she did embrace rather well. I thought the presence of the titular Gift was strong and playing with desires and power is always something that works pretty well. The Doctor suffering showed just how powerful the Gift was, although his solution of getting a haircut was not exactly what I was expecting! He was clearly not in the right state of mind and the image of him running around San Francisco with only half a completed haircut was tremendous. It was quite something! I must admit I was a little surprised with how long it took for Caleera to actually show up as the power behind the Gift, partly because it was just so predictable. Given that the TARDIS was on the hunt for her and had followed the trail, who else was it seriously going to be? She was strangely willing for the Doctor to take the Gift from McLean who was rather dismayed at being ordered to give it up. He was a decent character throughout and I liked the ragtag bunch of men we got to meet as part of the Gift being passed around. That was a unique little part of the Gift that added a different twist, but it meant people got greedy and selfish. There was certainly a strong sense of entitlement in the episode. Mr Deluca using the companions as hostages was good and made him a pretty unlikeable character as intended, but the Doctor never seemed worried and I liked how he clearly had a long laid out plan. The use of the Gift to actually recharge the TARDIS was clever and really did backfire on Caleera! I wonder what role she will play in the finale as it seems everything points towards a reunion given her connection and history with the Eleven, but it also appears that the Doctor and his companions will have some unexpected help! The little cliffhanger finish of the Doctor receiving a note in the TARDIS proclaiming 'hello sweetie' was so exciting! Whilst River has met this incarnation of the Doctor before, he was unaware of who she was way back in the first series of The Diary of River Song, but we're bound to get more interaction now in this finale which is hugely exciting. Overall, a fun little visit to 1906 San Francisco but now I'm all set up and excited for what should be an explosive finale! A great listen. 

Rating: 8/10