The Young Lions

"You can't just creep up on a soldier."

Writer: Alice Cavender

Format: Audio

Released: September 2017

Series: Short Trips: Rarities 2.05

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

The Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller have stopped off in Little Morton for a fry-up. It's not the healthiest way to start a day, but better than some: the Major from then local barracks has just fallen to his death. Or has he? A visit to the hospital highlights the surprising levels of health in the soldiers. There's clearly something going on beneath the surface at Little Morton: and it's about to come to light...

Verdict

The Young Lions was a pretty average story to continue my way through the Rarities spinoff range of the Short Trips series. I don't think this one was inherently bad by any means as despite it being rare for me to give this low of a rating, it's still not terrible. This was a fine listen and I think it just wasn't for me as a whole. I'm not a big fan of the military so I didn't have the connection there and it was all just slightly mundane for large chunks which was a shame. I've really enjoyed my recent blogging of a number of stories from this range and I'm still so delighted to have found it as I really did think they were just readings of stories from the Short Trips prose range which I'm also quietly making my way through. Alas, this is the last of the batch I purchased in the sale from Big Finish a couple of months ago but there's at least another quartet within an Eighth Doctor collection that are on my radar amongst others so my experience with this range is far from over. I'm glad about that because I wouldn't want to finish in a slightly lower quality mood. I was excited to hear that this story would feature the pairing of the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller because they're an iconic duo and it's been an incredibly long time since I have blogged anything with them. That's down to the fact that I've nearly blogged everything in which she features! That's exciting and also a bit of a shame because she's such a strong companion. That comes across here as the TARDIS arrives in 2005 which is a fun setting as just a couple of years prior to her contemporary time. Her reaction to being inside a pub and the smoking ban not yet being in place was fascinating and that really is something that feels an awfully long time ago. I was only nine in that year but I'd often accompany my dad to watch the football in the pub loving life with a packet of crisps and a J20 or something, but the fact that it was just commonplace for people to smoke indoors is almost barmy. I'm so glad that has been eradicated. It's such a small element of the story but it resonated with me. It's a shame not much else did. I thought Little Morton was a typical British setting that we've had so many of before and Lucie's knowledge of the cup final was amusing as I'm not sure describing a penalty shootout as a thrashing is the right lingo, even if it did go 3-0 or 4-1. I thought the soldierly theme was fine but just not perfect for me and it should have dealt more with the trauma. The Major falling from the barracks was presented adequately and whilst I don't have the answers, I do think more could have been done there. The threat posed by the Quitoxins was just fine but nothing that immediately captured my attention. I am always a tad let down when the resolution is for the Doctor to take the alien menace away because I'm not wholly convinced that counts as a victory. Joe was a good character element in the story but it almost did become like there was too much going on for a Short Trip. It was easy to get lost with just the one actor and that's a bit of a shame. Overall, not bad but not enthralling. I just don't think one was up my alley and there's nothing wrong with that. Still a worthwhile listen.

Rating: 6/10