Go Your Own Way

"If only she would stop to look at the stars... she might stop wanting to burn them down."

Writer: Stephen Cole

Format: Short Story

Released: July 2024

Series: I, TARDIS: Memoirs of an Impossible Blue Box 09

Featuring: Twelfth  Doctor, Clara, Nardole, Bill

Synopsis

The Doctor has a unique bond with their TARDIS. They've always loved the 'old girl' for the way she's gone looking for trouble anywhere in the universe. The Doctor says they stole the TARDIS from Gallifrey. The TARDIS disagrees... she stole them. She hasn't always taken them where they want to go, but she's made sure to take them where they needed to be.

For the TARDIS is dar more than just a time machine crossed with a spaceship. Her life reflects the Doctor's life – a shared wanderlust and longing to explore. Now you can revisit the Doctor's adventures as seen through the eyes – or the flashing rooftop light, at least – of the TARDIS. From the time the Doctor stole her from Gallifrey to her latest adventures with the Fifteenth Doctor, the TARDIS reflects wittily on her epic, incredible history – past, present and future! 

Verdict

Go Your Own Way was an excellent short story to continue my way through the I, TARDIS: Memoirs of an Impossible Blue Box collection! Well it’s been a long time coming but this was a tremendous read and undoubtedly the best of the book so far! I liked how this kept things simple and didn’t go overboard with any unserious comedy or silly jokes. This was a fantastic recount of the Twelfth Doctor era that I thoroughly enjoyed delving into. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched on screen adventures for the Twelfth Doctor with me only watching each episode twice, and usually the second viewing was a year after the broadcast. So it’s amazingly not that far off a decade since watching the era! I am due to be starting my rewatch with my longtime girlfriend Gemma in the coming weeks and it was actually the Twelfth Doctor where she fell off as a fan temporarily. Thankfully I was able to talk her back in and actually bring her around to liking the incarnation. I thought it was fun for the TARDIS to also have some small reservations about the new personality following regeneration in The Time of the Doctor and this seemed to be a time of reflection for the time and space machine also. I thought it was good how the story touched upon the latter stages of the Eleventh Doctor with the TARDIS realising that she was becoming less of a home for the Doctor’s many strays. Amy and Rory had their own house by the time their fate was met in The Angels Take Manhattan and Clara grew to become a companion that wasn’t continuous. This is something I didn’t enjoy as a dynamic and whilst returning home for the companion works for me, having them stay there and have them choose their adventures in the TARDIS when they felt like it never sat well with me. This did allow a terrific reference here though as the TARDIS approved of the Doctor becoming the titular role of The Caretaker with it being at Susan’s old school. I also thought the use of the school as an academy by the time of For Tonight We Might Die being included in the Journey Log was a nice touch. Sadly the Class spinoff series is often forgotten but I love that it was made a part of things here. I loved the Remember That Time When… section focusing on Flatline as that’s an episode where the TARDIS really does go through the wringer! From its outer dimensions becoming incredibly small to then being incorporated into siege mode. It was good to focus on that as it absolutely was the correct choice. I liked how the story arc of Series 10 with Missy growing to become good was interesting from the perspective of the TARDIS, and I actually felt sorry for the time and space machine because this really showed how impacted she was by the time spent still at St Luke’s University as the Doctor was almost in another exile! I liked how the TARDIS linked that to the time of the Third Doctor. I thought the TARDIS touching upon Empress of Mars and Missy being the one to pilot her back to the Doctor was good and whilst she seemed quite neutral on the subject of her turning good, I liked how she understood why the Doctor wanted it. Who could blame him? I really liked how things concluded with Twice Upon a Time and after the events of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls triggering the Twelfth Doctor’s regeneration, I loved how she took credit for reuniting him with the First Doctor during the concluding events of The Tenth Planet. Both needed help with their respective regenerations and it was fun for the TARDIS to see her younger self! A comment on the early police box interior would have been good, but you can’t have everything! Overall, a fantastic short story. 

Rating: 9/10