Mistfall

"This has been a long time planning."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: January 2015

Series: Monthly Adventures 195

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis

Drawn off-course, the TARDIS passes through a CVE into a closed universe – a hugely improbably event with a tragically obvious cause. In order to escape inescapable E-Space, the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough are forced to venture in the wilds of planet Alzarius. 

But they're not the only unwanted visitors to this strange world. A Starliner has landed, captained by Decider Merrion – but why would Merrion risk rousing the Planet that Slept, and the monsters in its marshes?

Mistfall is coming. The Marshmen are coming. But while Nyssa and Turlough find themselves caught in the open, in the hands of fanatics who model themselves on the legendary Outlers, the Doctor and Tegan discover that the supposedly secure Starliner affords them no protection from monsters both within and without...

Verdict

Mistfall was an excellent story to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! I was surprised after listening to this to find quite a few negative reviews of the story which is a shame and part of that actually does seem to be because of the nostalgic element! I thought this was quite brilliant and the idea of sending the Doctor back to E-Space is tremendous. I'm well on board for that as a trilogy or even longer if it lasts that long. I think doing what is basically a loose sequel to Full Circle is a fantastic idea as that is a subtly iconic serial and the imagery of the Marsh Men is certainly one that lasts in the mind. So to have them return here is a fine idea and I think it works well on audio. The mist was presented very well and I loved the tone of the story. The atmosphere was absolutely there and that's a huge bonus when it comes to my enjoyment of the adventure. I think it's quite sad but extremely effective to have the TARDIS return to E-Space after the events of Earthshock with Adric having sadly passed away. The emotional toll of his death was felt once again here and it's incredible to think how often his death is remarked upon in a negative way. It's hard to find any positives in the way he did die, but his sacrifice to wipe out the Cybermen should be acknowledged. Here, we get to see that once again he did very well with some mathematical calculations and saw that the TARDIS would pass through a CVE if it got close. The Doctor not realising that Adric was using the TARDIS systems for his calculations seems like a slight oversight, but the Doctor quickly worked out what had happened when he was seeing Gallifrey on the scanner. From the way the TARDIS had reacted on its journey, he just knew they were on Alzarius. The collective reactions of the companions to hearing that name was good stuff but I did think Turlough was a little harsh in how forefront he was at mentioning the fact Adric was dead. I enjoyed hearing Jemma Redgrave in the role of the Decider Merrion and whilst I would have preferred to have Kate Stewart meet the Fifth Doctor, this isn't a bad substitute! I thought Nyssa had a strong story here and I liked how she was determined to put right the TARDIS when it came to the compensator that ended up with Solus. The fact that they needed to find his body at the end was a little daunting and horror-filled. I thought Merrion was a really strong character and learning of her past and why she was hated was interesting stuff. Little did the opposition know that their own council had understood her actions and agreed that the details should not be released to the public. I thought that was a good development and you could actually hear the shock in the facial reactions. It was brilliant stuff. I really enjoyed Tegan getting split up from the Doctor and I was surprised that when it was decided the TARDIS quartet would split off into pairs that she was the companion to accompany the Time Lord. They haven't always had the best relationship! Speaking of relationships, I think the follow on from Prisoners of Fate with Nyssa was really strong. That story was an incredible emotional toll for her with the twenty-five year gap away from her children, and now she was stuck in E-Space with no prospect of escape! She didn't want more separation! I thought the cliffhangers in the story were pretty strong and I particularly liked that Fem had a connection with the Marsh Man leader. Hearing one speak was portrayed very nicely on audio. That played nicely into how Mistfall and the Marsh Men were left, and the prospect of adventures moving forward was left in a pretty fun way with the TARDIS going haywire on take off without the vital component. I look forward to more adventures in E-Space! Overall, an excellent adventure! 

Rating: 9/10