Wild Animals

"The Baker Street homicide."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: June 2020

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures: Stranded 1.02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen, Tania

Synopsis

After weeks of London living, some of the TARDIS crew are finding it easier to adjust than others. 

Liv has found a new friend, but Helen is worried about the Doctor.

And when a tragic crime takes place, the Time Lord must learn the limits of his powers.

Verdict

Wild Animals was a great episode to continue my way through the Stranded series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! Well, talk about doing what it says on the tin! With the Doctor, Liv and Helen well and truly stranded in the London of 2020, I like how this episode stayed true and believable in that there were no science fiction elements present. This was just pure living in the moment 2020 London. An ordinary day where something very real happened and went wrong which was excellent. The real world threat of an armed robbery is arguably scarier and more relatable than anything else we have heard this incredible TARDIS trio go through from Doom Coalition to Ravenous and beyond, so throwing Liv into the thick of it was terrific. It’s really interesting to hear how each of the trio are settling into an ordinary life and Liv seems eager to get along with what’s happening and adjust. I think that’s impressive given she comes from Kaldor and it’s good that she’s knuckled down and got a job. She’s still getting to grips with being punctual and it was nice that Sanjit was understanding of that. His death as a result of the armed robbery was a powerful moment and Liv was just gutted and felt guilty that once again she was in the way where others had died. I mean, she did get shot too so I think she was a little hard on herself! I thought it was good how that allowed some alone time for her and Tania where they were really able to develop and have those awkward start of relationship conversations. The moment Tania reveals she is trans was presented brilliantly and I loved how it almost meant nothing to Liv. It just wasn’t a big deal. I think that’s really good to establish but sadly it’s clear that Liv is in for a wake up call being in 2020 London! I’m not sure it’s the most accepting of societies. It was nice that they had agreed to go on a date once Liv was recovered. Helen is really shining in how she’s adjusting to life in 2020 and she’s getting on with running Baker Street. She’s very pragmatic and I actually see a lot of myself in her which is good. I’d also be focused on where the money is coming from and how our bills are being paid. The Doctor on the other hand was claiming to be trying to fix the TARDIS but little birdies told Helen and Liv that he was spending a lot of time sauntering around Regents Park. He truly believes that this might be the end for the TARDIS and that puts him in a very vulnerable place! I’m looking forward to exploring that and it started in a strong way here as he was totally dissatisfied with the police investigation into Liv’s armed robber. He thought he could do a better job himself and well and truly let the Super Intendant know about it! So when he brought the wrong man to the police station three hours after the actual attacker had been apprehended - as later visually confirmed by Helen - the Doctor well and truly had egg on his face! Helen had to have a strong one to one with the Doctor as he was more interested in solving the identity of the attacker than seeing Liv in hospital once she had awoken. That understandably didn’t sit well with Helen and she had to explain how here in the ordinary world that being the Doctor doesn’t quite work. I don’t think that’s something he’s going to accept lightly, but I’m fascinated to hear where things move from here. I really enjoyed how the Doctor was reminded of his time in exile with UNIT and this episode’s title coming into play as he looked upon the animals at the zoo and feeling similarly trapped was starkly similar to the Walls of Confinement Short Trip adventure. That’s something that has always resonated with me for the Third Doctor and I like brining it back into a more mainstream series for the Eighth Doctor here. Really well done. Overall, a great story to continue the series! 

Rating: 8/10