The Second Doctor and his companions encounter a terrifying force back in World War 2…
The second of Big Finish‘s current season of Doctor Who: The Early Adventures focusing on the Second Doctor, ‘The Forsaken’ is an interesting mix of war story, supernatural horror, and time travel drama.
The Doctor and his companions, Jamie, Ben, and Polly arrive on an island just off of Singapore. They very quickly realise that they have three major problems: one, they’ve landed during the Japanese invasion of 1942. Two, there’s something else on the island that’s killing people, something that isn’t human and bears an uncanny resemblance to the Grim Reaper. And last but not least, the Doctor and his friends have to help some soldiers stuck on the island to survive. One of these soldiers is Private James Jackson, Ben’s own father.
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Once again, despite having only two of the original cast members playing the four classic characters, I’m continually impressed by how well the team completely makes you forget that fact while you listen to the episode. Frazer Hines’s dual role of not just Jamie but also Patrick Troughton’s Doctor is as brilliant as ever, and newcomer Elliot Chapman continues to impress as Ben. It’s even more impressive this month, as his character is given the added drama of meeting his own father as a young man.
I must admit, I was quite surprised that the drama came not from Ben trying to change history and save his father’s life (as is usually common in stories when someone travels back in time and meets their parents), but actually from ensuring that his dad survives the adventure, especially as Ben hasn’t been born yet. The source of the drama is closer to Back to the Future than to the episode ‘Father’s Day,’ with Ben getting to know his old man back when he was Ben’s age. It allows the story to remain focused on fighting the threat while still keeping a touch of human drama for a great companion.
There’s a deliberately slow pace when it comes to the main focus of the story with the monster, but the plot still unfolds very nicely. We get time to know some of the supporting characters well before they’re horribly killed off, one by one. There’s a really great sense of atmosphere and dread, and remains as a rather effective horror story throughout.
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‘The Forsaken’ is another great entry in The Early Adventures range. A brilliant mix of drama, science-fiction, war story, and horror, it plays to the Second Doctor’s era’s strengths while still managing to add something fresh.