The Canvey Angels

"The doors to Heaven slammed shut."

Writer: David Bailey

Format: Short Story

Released: April 2003

Printed in: Short Trips: Companions 15

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

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

The Canvey Angels was a pretty average adventure to continue my way through the Companions edition of Short Trips! This was not a good one for me with its stark religious theme and references and whilst sympathy was clearly intended for Father Hemmings after everything he went through, I couldn’t help but feel he was just a bit stupid for believing God would target him so personally. I thought the way things started was pretty darn gruesome with Marjory Kennedy being killed. The description was graphic in detail and that really set a tone of being uncomfortable. It felt like the entire story took place at night which was good in terms of atmosphere and feel, but getting full detail about the way Marjory was killed along with her unborn baby was devastating. I think anything that involves babies or young children now really haunts me after having two children myself in the last four years. I just felt sad! And that’s completely correct but that’s some way to open a short story. Learning more about why that happened felt very real and I think with a bigger duration this could have been extended and really flushed out in terms of anticipation and mystery. Tragedy sells and I could see this kind of thing working as a murder mystery, but the way Walter Seacombe admitted he’d killed Marjory felt a little strange. He did tell Peri that he would reveal everything if she came with him, but then he just went a bit crazy in telling her everything without much of a prompt. He was incredibly jealous of Father Hemmings in having an affair with his Marjory and he couldn’t accept that she’d fallen pregnant and the child wasn’t his. She didn’t think much of him as father material and obviously that would be tough to take when you’re in love with the woman, but denying her the rest of her life and ensuring that the child wasn’t born is just abhorrent. This felt very dark for a Fifth Doctor story and whilst it was good to get more of him alongside Peri, it seemed this incarnation was purely chosen for the stick of celery on his attire. That’s no bad thing, but this would definitely have suited a darker incarnation such as the seventh. Hemmings believing the alien corpses that he was bringing into the crypt from the beach were angels was disturbing and whilst I did understand his religious beliefs and being exposed to the radiation impacting his thoughts, it was just crazy. He was also riddled with grief after losing his lover and future child so he was practically begging for forgiveness. He was seeing things that weren’t there in the place of the ‘angels’, but he did seem to calm down very easily once the Doctor and Peri revealed themselves as he brought in a fourth corpse. I think it was a bit convenient that the saltwater of the sea was taming the radiation, but at least there was something to prevent the threat. It was just a bit strange for the Doctor and Peri to seemingly then be prepared to throw the corpses back into the sea and Hemmings going along with that. Peri provided him with the forgiveness he craved, but I question would that be enough? It’s not like he knew her extensively and she was a newcomer to the place. It also felt weird that Seacombe was annoyed at the talk of the town being that he killed Marjory when he literally did? Overall, some intriguing elements and a good atmosphere, but there was a lot to be desired. The ending felt off.

Rating: 5/10