Running Time: Approx. 65 minutes. Written by: Rory Thomas-Howes. Directed by: Bethany Weimers. Produced by: Noga Flaishon.
THE PLOT:
The Doctor and Yaz scramble to save the peaceful planet Velazaar from invasion. They are assisted by Talpa (Will Kirk), a Zaarian orphan. The Doctor's plan to save the day requires the boy to put himself in the line of fire. The plan works... but Talpa is injured, sparking a rare flash of anger from Yaz toward the Doctor.
After they take the boy to the hospital, the Doctor is ready to head off on their next adventure. Yaz insists otherwise, demanding that they make sure he will be all right. The Doctor agrees to hop forward to check in on him. Then Yaz touches the wrong control, pushing them forward not by the week the Doctor had intended, but instead by a full ten years!
In the intervening decade, Velazaar has descended into turmoil. The capital city is in ruins, and the previously peace-loving Zaarians in a state of constant conflict. Everyone the time travelers meet has clouded eyes, and their anger is focused entirely at the Doctor.
An alien presence known as "The Whisper" has infected the population. It's invaded Yaz's mind as well, broadcasting its simple yet compelling message:
"This is her fault!"
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: The story puts some focus on the Doctor's flaws. She is slightly hypocritical, tearing into Taav (Stephan Bessant) for putting Talpa in danger when she's guilty of the exact same thing. She all but flees the planet after saving it, insisting that she doesn't want people to learn to depend on her. She shows moments of callousness; and as the Whisper gloats, her actions do everything to shake Yaz's trust in her. This plays beautifully on aspects of the Thirteenth Doctor that were glimpses in Series 12 and 13, and Jodie Whittaker's performance is excellent in scenes in which the character becomes a little too pragmatic for comfort.
Yaz: Her anger at the Doctor endangering Talpa seems to give the Whisper the foothold it needs to gain access to her. Her faith in her friend allows her to keep that voice at bay. Too bad the Doctor's own actions keep shaking that faith. When the Doctor wonders if the now-grown Talpa's resentment is a sign of alien influence, Yaz points out that he has valid reasons to be angry - and I'm pretty sure that's "real Yaz" speaking, not "whisper Yaz." This story gives Mandip Gill some strong material, and she rises to it, both when Yaz is legitimately angry with her friend and when she is finally possessed.
THOUGHTS:
The Return of the Doctor presses on the fault lines of the otherwise tight-knit Doctor/Yaz team. "The Whisper" is a well-chosen enemy, a vehicle that exposes the differences between the two leads while still telling a good Doctor Who story.
Never minding other aspects of their relationship, Yaz has a chronic and long-standing case of hero worship toward the Doctor. It was in Arachnids in the UK - only their fourth episode together - that she dubbed her "the best person (she's) ever met." That's why she's so upset to see the Doctor putting teenage Talpa in danger. She calls the Doctor on it, snapping that she was trained to never put civilian lives in danger. The Doctor protests that she isn't police, which Yaz cuts off flat: "No... You're better."
From that point, each act of either recklessness or callous pragmatism pushes them further apart. "The Whisper" may influence the strength of Yaz's reaction, but it doesn't create the sense of disappointment and even betrayal. This draws out the best in both Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill, both of whom have rarely been better in these roles.
The episode runs about 65 minutes, rather than the more standard 50 minutes, and that extra time is well used. The major guest characters all get a hint of depth, with each of the Doctor's allies haunted in various ways by their pasts. There's plenty of action, including a couple of nicely-executed audio set pieces. The extra length also gives the narrative the freedom to slow down for a few moments of quiet, which helps the major guest characters to gain a hint of added depth. Because we get to know the guest cast, it's more than a little unsettling when the Doctor makes a cold and abrupt choice around the two-thirds mark.
OVERALL:
In both this story and Vampire Weekend, I've been impressed by how seamlessly Whittaker and Gill have made the jump from television to audio. Their original performances were often visual, with movement and facial expression providing a lot of their characterization. Somehow, they've both managed so far to work those layers into purely vocal performances.
While I know it's not a point of universal agreement, I actually enjoyed The Return of the Doctor more than the first story. It delivers one of the things I really want from this range: A deeper dive into the characters, both as a team and as individuals. I love seeing the Doctor and Yaz turned against each other; and though "the Whisper" feeds on and magnifies the tensions, it doesn't seem to create them, instead just exploiting differences that are already there.
It's a fine story, and I find it very promising that both the characters and the actors are working this well in only their second Big Finish release.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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