Gemini: Twin Piques

"They had fought to save the people from a tyrant."

Writer: Mark Michalowski

Format: Short Story

Released: March 2002

Printed in: Short Trips: Zodiac 03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie

Synopsis

Take a TARDIS trip through the constellations, as the Doctor travels to twelve thrilling tales inspired by the mystical zodiac. 

Telepathic fish, miniature lions and twin planets are the least of his problems, as the Doctor – all eight of him – faces the Capricorn Killer, endures a mind swap with the Machiavellian Master, and dances with Death herself. 

And that's not the half of it – as the two K9s can attest.

Verdict

Twin Piques was an average story to continue my way through the Zodiac edition of Short Trips! This was a really intriguing story to say the least and I found it almost baffling at times despite being a unique adventure. I think the pairing of the Second Doctor and Jamie is marvellous and I like how these prose adventures and the expanded media can fill the gap between Fury From the Deep and The Wheel in Space between Victoria and Zoe as companions. The dynamic between the Doctor and Jamie was excellent and I was really impressed with the characterisation of both. The chemistry was terrific and that was a delight to read. It was undoubtedly the highlight of the story for me as the plot itself was rather problematic. I like the idea of the Doctor and Jamie being serenaded after helping King Gavin ascend the throne and send his brother packing into exile, but then things initially felt like they were venturing into The Ark territory when the TARDIS departed only to seemingly arrive at the same place but at a different time. That concept is fun but it’s such a rare chance that I can’t accept it happening twice in successive regenerations. Now, it essentially didn’t happen but it felt like it did at the same time. This is the problematic issue I had with the story and the title comes into play there. I think the idea of a doppelgänger planet is good and it’s not actually anything new as we’ve seen in The Tenth Planet. But the presentation here was a bit iffy. I liked that the difference between the worlds was just the brother in charge but what got me was that the Doctor and Jamie were remembered on the second world. It had been ten years since Conrad was helped to the throne and the reaction of the Doctor and Jamie in seeing the statue bearing the wrong face in blocking the Tower was amusing. I thought the realism in the story was welcomed and it’s no surprise that Jamie was getting involved with the king’s daughters! He had a wail of a time. I could see that and it’s just natural that stuff like this would happen in the world of travelling the universe. The Doctor found it a tad awkward to acknowledge what Jamie had been up to but he knows he was a young man and this was normal. He could do what he wanted. I don’t think the use of the fast return switch was actually utilised correctly here. It was a logical step to use it to go back to the initial world where they had helped bring Gavin to the throne, but it is supposed to take them right back to where and when they were. That last part is important because they seemed to jump ahead in time on that world too which I didn’t agree with. They found the correct ruler as the statue’s face, but I don’t think the timing was right there. It took me out of things a little there. I did like the idea of the Doctor getting the two kings from different planets together, but what was the real aim? To then have them be nice and peaceful with their true sibling? I thought finding out the conflict between them was due to stupid stuff like the way they eat with their mouth open or breath was an audible sigh from myself on the train commute. It was just rubbish. I didn’t like it all and whilst it was nice for the brothers to slowly get somewhere back on good terms, what then on their respective planets? It didn’t make sense as a doppleganger version. It should have gone the parallel universe route. Jamie’s reaction to the suggestion there was another Doctor out there was a nice way to end though. Overall, probably a bit too convoluted for its own good. 

Rating: 5/10