Connections: The Love Vampires

"She longs to be completed."

Writer: James Kettle

Format: Audio

Released: December 2022

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 10.02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

Regret can follow people everywhere – even out into deep space, in the shadow of a dying star.

When the Doctor, Liv and Helen meet the terrified crew of a space station, all are haunted by faces from the past. But these lost loves are more than mere memories – and they want to feed...

Verdict

The Love Vampires was another excellent episode to continue my way through the Connections series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! This is shaping up to be some boxset if the finale is anything to follow the first two stories, and it has all the credentials to do so. But let's not get ahead of myself because I had a lot of love for this episode. I'm a big fan of diving into the lore of Time Lords and the Vampires are certainly a strong way to do that. It's a brilliant villain to have the Eighth Doctor encounter and I love that the mythology surrounding vampires in societies across the cosmos seemingly does date back to the ancient enemies of the Time Lords. Liv and Helen being somewhat surprised at encountering actual vampires was a slight shock given everything they've been through, but there was almost a sense of excitement. The theme of love was very strong in the story which was perhaps unexpected despite the title, but the concept of a vampire feeding on that emotion was intriguing. It was certainly unique and I liked that. We saw both Helen and Liv nearly give into the temptation when they heard the apparitions of Jean and Petko respectively and things certainly did become emotional. It was the love interest of the Doctor that was fascinating though and his apparent history with the Realist was extraordinary! I was almost disappointed that she turned out to be something false he conjured up to draw out the vampire, but there's got to be something original in there? The idea of the Doctor being besotted by a woman is so parallel to everything we usually know and expect about him, but we know he has a grandchild so by definition he has children as well. Might the basis for his false Realist be who he was thinking of here? It's a really intriguing backstory and one I would love to touch upon further. He wasn't exactly willing to spill details to Liv and Helen which was a shame even if completely understandable. I thought the crew of the space station were strong characters although it did take a little bit of time to get an attachment with them as their names were simply numbers. That felt very impersonal which I guess is the point, but it did help in establish the scale of the problems they were facing in researching the white dwarf star with a quick numbering of those who were no longer around. The way they were looking out for each very intently for the first signs of hallucination was uncomfortable at times and the atmosphere amongst the crew was frightening in how uneasy it was. I liked that a lot and it really set the tone. It was good that they were all surprised that their fellow crew mates could see the Doctor, Liv and Helen. Liv being in her element when it came to the medical supplies and technology and actually being able to help was delightful as she continues to shine as companion. The Doctor being one step ahead of the game with his fabricated love was good and there almost felt like continuity with Dalek in how sunlight was used. It was simple and having Fifteen and Twenty-One as a big part of the action in the concluding sequences was nicely done. There was genuine trepidation and excitement which is obviously a positive thing! In a story as complicated and deep rooted as this one with mythology and ancient Time Lord history apparently coming to light, the simple resolution was actually most welcomed. Overall, a fantastic episode to continue the series! 

Rating: 9/10