1 episode. Running Time: Approx. 17 minutes. Written by: Nicholas Briggs. Performed by: Nicholas Briggs.
THE PLOT:
The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe are enjoying a much-deserved break on the Isle of Wight. It's a rare time when the beach is completely deserted: July 16, 1969, the day that Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the moon, with the entire world glued to television sets to watch.
Which means that there's no one to disturb the time travelers' fun. As Jamie and Zoe play on the beach, the Doctor impulsively decides to buy an ice cream. Just a tiny impulse that couldn't possibly lead to any trouble, now, could it?
CHARACTERS:
One remarkable thing about this extremely short story is how well the three regulars are captured. The Doctor is whimsical and compassionate. Jamie and Zoe are enjoying their break, playing and teasing each other on the beach. Zoe is more perceptive than Jamie, picking up on the Doctor's change of mood and worrying about him. Jamie is slower to notice, and Zoe has to wordlessly redirect him - at which point, he feels ashamed of having missed his friend's distress.
Writer Nicholas Briggs also does well in writing a conversation between an adult and a child when the Doctor runs into a small boy. The boy innocently directs jets of random talk in a way that anyone who's spent time around children will instantly recognize, with the Doctor trying to humor him while having no real idea how to respond to such things as a description of a cow's giant poo.
The audio version benefits from Briggs's excellent reading. It's surprising how well he manages to capture all three regulars. He successfully conveys Patrick Troughton's intonations and a reasonable hint of Jamie's Scottish accent, while also finding suitable voices for Zoe and the child.
THOUGHTS:
"Short Trips" tend to be best when telling simple stories, and One Small Step is the simplest of tales: a day at the beach, with a minor impulse by the Doctor leading to an unexpected consequence. It fills its time without demanding any extra time.
It's sometimes fashionable in Doctor Who fandom to sneer at Nicholas Briggs, but his writing here is quite good. The story opens and closes on scenes from the child's viewpoint, and those scenes feel correct for the thoughts and feelings of a small child. Briggs also describes the setting clearly and efficiently, and his recounting of Jamie's and Zoe's beach antics raised a smile from me just as they did from the Doctor.
This is a story that's particularly well suited to the Second Doctor, whose era was characterized by a certain innocence. Up until the unexpected consequence of his ice cream impulse, he is utterly carefree. Then he's stricken by events, with the change in his behavior effectively realized without being overdone.
The entire piece is thoroughly enjoyable and successfully emotional. Given that this story is a free download, which was re-released as the main feature of their June 20, 2016 podcast, I'd rate it as being well worth a listen.
Overall Rating: 9/10.
Set During: Season Six
2nd Doctor Audio Review Index
2nd Doctor Television Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment