The Three Flames

"We've come this far in faith."

Writer: Fio Tretheway

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Series: Short Trips 12.03

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

Fleeing from a dying world, a family of Tenaborgs crash land on a strange planet. Their only hope of survival? A stranger called the Doctor.

Verdict

The Three Flames was a good little story to continue my way through the twelfth series of Short Trips! It's an easy way to go for Big Finish in exploring the solo adventures of the Twelfth Doctor because there is ample opportunity for it given the way Clara was using the TARDIS as a hop on and hop off sightseeing service and even with Bill she wasn't constantly onboard, but it did seem that this particular story took place early on in the run for this incarnation which was good. The events of The Day of the Doctor seem to be somewhat fresh for the Doctor as he recalls having his planet saved but it still being lost. It's good to know that he will get there in this regeneration but crikey he goes the long way around! It's a nice touch that this Doctor of all Doctors wants to specifically help save planets because he knew the feeling and I assume relief of finding his after so long and everything he had been through that saw it lost. The grief he's dealt with and carried through numerous lifetimes. He wouldn't want the planet of the Tenaborgs to suffer the same fate. I thought the theme of family was really important in this episode and it was fascinating to see that presented with what was essentially a beastly species. It didn't quite have the same loving feel which is probably prejudice of me as they weren't typically humanoid, but the same family dynamics were there. It felt a little weird listening to this one as I was rocking my seventh month old girl to sleep at a service station on the way back from a family holiday down in Torbay, as I felt awfully sad for Kaida as the child of parents who were bickering. I was only two when my parents broke up but I've seen the signs with my mum and step-dad who split after fifteen years of marriage. Luckily I was mostly away at university for the arguments, but I just looked at my girl and then my little four year old boy as well and I'm just grateful for the family relationship we have. We're so incredibly happy and I know how fortunate that is to have that camaraderie between us. Anyway, enough about me but it's just fascinating how I know my feelings towards this story would be very different if I listened in isolation on a train commute for example. I thought Vestyn an Dalia were intriguing characters and the paternal figure in Kaida's life being the one that was suspicious of the Doctor was always going to be the case. Kaida was actually very trusting of him and I mean he did save their lives so why wouldn't she be thankful for that? It made sense! The Doctor was admittedly a little abrasive and annoying with his sense of foreknowledge, but that almost led Dalia to trust him more! I thought Vestyn's anecdote about not trusting the Doctor but trusting her was powerful stuff at a time where the parents finally seemed to recognise the impact their bickering and arguing was having on their daughter. It must be so tough in times like that to be a single child. You'd almost feel responsible I imagine! I thought it was really mice that Vestyn seemed to come around to the Doctor because of the trust he put in Kaida. Age was nothing to him and he knew she could be relied on which was lovely. The planet was saved and the idea of this trio becoming the basis for a new story and iconography that would be passed down the ages was a good feel good factor in a story that had some strong emotional undertones. Overall, a good listen to continue the series. I just think Dan Starkey sounds too much like a Sontaran because he's that damn good! His Twelfth Doctor impression here was pretty decent though. It helped. 

Rating: 7/10