Messages from the Dead

"What use was sentimentality? 

Writer: Rochana Patel

Format: Audio

Released: February 2022

Series: Short Trips 11.02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, Adric

Synopsis

Adric wants to help the Doctor. The Doctor doesn't want Adric's help. Banished to updating the TARDIS logbook, Adric has to record the tale of the Hermes, a doomed freighter they found in E-Space. With Romana gone, and only the past as a guide, Adric needs to work out how to make this new dynamic work before it's too late for both him and the Doctor.

Verdict

Messages from the Dead was a great story to continue my way through the eleventh series of Short Trips! This was quite a touching adventure and I like the dynamic of having the narration by Adric during the point between Warriors' Gate and The Keeper of Traken in the aftermath of Romana and K9 deciding to stay in E-Space. That perhaps wasn't explored enough as having a detrimental impact on the Doctor because why wouldn't he be upset about a fellow Time Lord deciding to leave him? And not just leave him, but opting to stay in another universe so she could continue her travels away from the confines of Gallifrey. I think it's a powerful moment and unfortunately for Adric he was on the brunt end of the Fourth Doctor's bad temper. It is fascinating to think back on just how much this incarnation of the Doctor changes over time because this is not at all the personality we saw during the early Season 12 or 13. He's short and even though Adric is particularly annoying, I don't think it was really warranted here. I am far from being Adric's biggest fan, but I actually loved how he challenged the Doctor on wanting to learn and not just being a passenger. That was wonderful and I really did enjoy his enthusiasm to learn. I thought Adric being banished to TARDIS admin was quite funny but something the Alzarian would be up for. That served as a strong format for the narration to appear as Adric recalled the story as an event recently experienced in E-Space. I'm all for more adventures in another universe and we never really know how long they spend there. Filling any kind of gap is good with me! I thought the Hermes as the ship was an interesting plot point and it provided a really strong emotional attachment. The Doctor was a little frosty throughout the story but Adric was keen to learn. His lack of empathy when it came to finding a corpse was bang in line with his character at this point as he deals purely in logic. What's done is done and he takes the emotion out of things without even thinking. It's just his nature. There doesn't feel like any kind of warmth between the Doctor and Adric which is a strange as a dynamic, especially now as a sole companion at this point. I thought the importance of the messages on board the Hermes was really good and sold well. Just when it seemed like the Doctor was potentially shrugging them off and them only being significant when they reached the recipient, he's conjuring up worm holes to blend universes and ensure that they do get through! That was really nice. I think Adric having a feeling of attachment to those lost souls who had written messages was very well done and made sense given his predicament. The highlight of the adventure for sure was touching upon the message from Romana. I thought that was really neat and brought the entire episode full circle with how things started and the Doctor longing after his companion now lost. The only thing I perhaps didn't enjoy was the impression of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor by Matthew Waterhouse. It wasn't particularly bad but it just sounded so much like David Warner's Unbound Doctor! Once I got that in my head I found it difficult to visualise the Fourth Doctor because it just didn't sound like him. Overall though, still a really good story to continue the series! 

Rating: 8/10