A Long Night

"How could two well-respected teachers run off and desert their students?"

Writer: Simon A. Forward

Format: Short Story

Released: April 2003

Printed in: Short Trips: Companions 16

Featuring: First Doctor, Barbara

Synopsis

Adventures in time and space are no fun if there's no one to share them. the Doctor has taken along many people on his travels – humans, aliens and robots. Did he really care for any of them? What in their previous life fitted them for the role of companion – and how did they cope after they left the TARDIS?

These seventeen stories look at the Doctor's trusty companions, before, during and after their travels with the eccentric Time Lord. Discover the truth about Romana's regeneration, find out what happened when Zoe encountered the Doctor again, and learn which of his companions the Doctor cared for the most...

Verdict

 A Long Night was an excellent short story to conclude my reading of the Companions edition of Short Trips! At seventeen stories this has felt like a very long process and one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. It' been a wild ride for sure and I'm loving these collections. I'll move right onto the next one I have when I return to commuting to work weekly but I actually finished this one at home on some annual leave. Now, it was one of the shorter ones at only four pages in but it was one of the most meaningful in my opinion. Other than Arc of Infinity, I don't think the Classic era ventures too much into the personal lives of companions and what them being left behind means, but here we dealt immediately with the after effects of Barbara's departure in An Unearthly Child and it was magnificent. It was so powerful and whilst of the adventure actually focuses on Joan as Barbara's mother, this is fundamentally all about a companion. This shows the potential of what being a companion of the Doctor actually means! Now, not all companions had a life to leave behind and most of them would join him by choice, but Barbara doesn't exactly fall into that bracket! Now, her intentions were always to get back to 1963 which I can appreciate but of course we know from The Chase that this isn't when they get back. 1965 doesn't seem all that far removed, but imagine losing a daughter and reaching that anniversary date with absolutely zero contact? It would be incredibly difficult. This story can only work when we get the full story of Barbara's return which is wonderful, but Ian's line about a few years amongst friends suddenly doesn't seem to carry much meaning. It's a very long time as I'm sure Joan will attest to! I was intrigued to learn more of what the disappearances of Ian and Barbara were received like in the local community, and it was provided added tension with Susan also going missing. It's quite the threesome! Joan dismissed the idea of her daughter running off and eloping with Ian as whilst he was very nice, she hadn't much talked about him. That was something I did find a little surprising! They're so obviously the TARDIS's first love interest pairing. But I guess the idea of Susan going with them slams that idea shut. The mystery must have been a tough one for the police investigations and having Ian's car just left at the false address of Susan's at Totter's Yard is not something I've actually stopped to consider! It really would be an insolvable case but I love the idea of different theories popping up. The importance of The French Revolution book that Susan had in her possession during Doctor Who's very first episode was intriguing here especially considering Barbara was sent it back to her from a friend in the States! That's a long way for a historical book to travel. I thought the way the story shifted into the TARDIS and the First Doctor comforting Barbara as she awoke from a dream was a lovely moment, and his confidence in the fact he believes her mother also shared that dream was delightful. It was a heartwarming moment that we perhaps didn't get enough of from the First Doctor in particular. I loved it and it was really comforting to Barbara to get some semblance of communication with her mother, as I'm sure it was for Joan with her daughter! As a whole, this was an emotional tale that dealt with the loss that accompanies companions for their families and friends, but also provided a nice moment in establishing that there was still hope. Barbara will return, yes one day she will get back. And I have a new appreciation for that now after learning here all about Joan and how she was hurting from her daughter's appearance. I'm sure Barbara will tell her everything of the good she did, and that's lovely. Overall, a fantastic story to conclude a terrific little collection!

Rating: 9/10