THE PLOT:
All is not well in the dreary council estate known as "The Slab." It's suffering not just from the usual problems of poverty, neglect, and urban decay - It is the site of a most peculiar alien invasion. An insect-like species the residents have dubbed "Caretakers" are bleeding through from another world, a desert planet with two suns that is only visible from one specific window within "The Slab" - the window of sculptor Roger.
Indigo has an undefined but strong relationship with Roger. She is also drawn to the view from that window - enough so that, despite her fear of the Caretakers, she continues to visit every day.
Much to her annoyance, Roger has become obsessed with his latest work of art: a depiction of an innocent-looking young woman the artist insists on naming "Zoe." He speaks about her as if she is alive, which only increases Indigo's ire. But still she goes to that window, where a stranger known as The Doctor, who had promised he would sort everything out, is engaged in a confrontation. She can't make out the details of the struggle, but she can tell that it's a matter of life and death...
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor/Zoe: Sometime before the story's opening, the Doctor promised to "sort out" the problem of the Caretakers. In the story's present, we see through Indigo's eyes that he's in dire straits while locked in conflict with (presumably) the Caretakers' leader. Zoe is also in some form of danger, with Roger seeming convinced that accurately sculpting her will result in him saving her.
Indigo: The story's viewpoint character. What little we glimpse of the conflict is entirely through her eyes - leaving us very much at a remove from the action. The focus is more on her trips to The Slab, despite her fear of it, and her general resignation to the idea that her life will never deliver anything good. She is concerned for Roger, particularly as he refuses to pause his work to eat, but she is also jealous of the attention he pays to Zoe the Sculpture.
THOUGHTS:
A Stain of Red in the Sand is a rather odd piece. There is a Doctor Who story going on - but since we are locked to the viewpoint of a character who is only peripherally involved, we only catch glimpses. At the end, we are told that the Doctor "won" - but we are left with very few clues as to what happened to create this situation, who the Caretakers are, what happened to Zoe or how Roger's sculpture helped, or what the Doctor and Zoe did to resolve the problem. We only see what Indigo sees... and that is extremely little.
For some listeners, I suspect this was annoying. Truthfully, though, I'm not sure this was a bad approach. What we can glean of the story boils down to: aliens invade; Zoe is put in danger; the Doctor confronts the lead alien; with Zoe's help, the Doctor wins. Which is to say, the actual conflict is a "Who-by-numbers" runaround that would be entirely uninteresting if presented traditionally. Never mind that the scant 14-minute running time would be woefully inadequate to telling it traditionally.
Writer David McEwan instead focuses on Indigo and her emotions involving the building, Roger, the Caretakers, and even the Doctor. This approach allows him to create a strong sense of setting and atmosphere. McEwan's prose is effectively descriptive, whether describing the smell of urine hanging in the air of the lift, the color and texture of the clay Roger uses, or the hues of the sand on the other world that Indigo sees from Roger's window. Her overall attitude of resignation to what we can presume has been a hard life also makes it effective when, near the end, she begins to feel a faint sense of hope.
The story feels entirely controlled in a way that isn't always true of the briefer "Short Trips," and I enjoyed both the writing style and performer David Troughton's narration. Still, I will admit that this is an odd piece that won't be to all tastes. Even at the end, we're kept determinedly at arm's length from the actual conflict, left to piece it together from the scraps seen by someone who only observes a few key moments. No explanation is forthcoming at any point, and I can't blame anyone for feeling frustrated by that.
I will say that within the confines of its running time and format, this story worked for me. I think the end result largely meets the writer's ambitions for it, and I found it atmospheric and engrossing. As a result, within the confines of its very restrictive format and running time, I'm awarding a solid score.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Set During: Season Six
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