Doctor Who Review: ‘Minuet in Hell’ (Eighth Doctor Audio)
By James Aggas
The Eighth Doctor faces demons, amnesia (again), and Americans (again) in his first season’s finale, Doctor Who: ‘Minuet in Hell.’
Oh dear. ‘Minuet in Hell.’ You can probably tell already that I’m not exactly keen on this story. The big question is, where to begin?
If there’s one thing I can say about it, it’s that, like ‘The Stones of Venice,’ it tried to be different. It tried to give McGann’s Doctor a fresh, modern story that would make his “era” stand out on audio just a little bit more. But I think the problem is that, in many ways, it just tried too hard.
For one thing, there is the issue of how much it tries to be dark and “adult.” I love it in Doctor Who when there’s darkness and horror, and when it knows how to push boundaries without crossing them. I will admit, however, that there are times when a very mature story has worked really well. (The audio adaptation of ‘Damaged Goods’ is one brilliant example.)
But moments like the companion being present at an orgy (even one where she doesn’t get involved and leaves extremely quickly) really don’t suit Doctor Who at all. Especially when that companion is as young and wonderfully innocent as Charley.
‘Minuet in Hell’ is filled with other problems. At two and a half hours, it’s frankly far too long. It just doesn’t have enough plot to last the entire duration. The story does have some great ideas, such as how the “demons” are handled. There’s an interesting and very Doctor Who explanation for them. But the execution just doesn’t work.
More from Winter is Coming
- For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
- Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
- Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
- Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
- Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”
The American setting really doesn’t help, either. A lot of the characters come across as weak stereotypes. Honestly, there’s no good reason for the story to be set in America. Especially since, like ‘Sword of Orion,’ it’s another story that was based on a production by fan company Audio Visuals. From everything that I’ve read about it, the original version sounds a lot more fun. Set in 18th century England instead of modern day America, it sounds closer to a more effective Doctor Who story. (For anyone who’s listened to both versions, please comment below on how they compare.)
Perhaps the most frustrating part about ‘Minuet in Hell’ is just how important it is, and not just for being the finale to McGann’s first season. This story features the last time that Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, as played by Nicholas Courtney, meets the Doctor. While Courtney would later appear in fortieth anniversary story ‘Zagreus,’ it wouldn’t be as the Brigadier. He would play his iconic character again in the first season of audio spin-off UNIT, as well as appearing in the season 2 finale of The Sarah Jane Adventures, ‘Enemy of the Bane.’ After ‘Minuet in Hell’, however, he would never meet the Doctor again.
As expected from a true icon of the Classic Series, Courtney gives a brilliant performance. It’s a great shame that this would be his last performance as the Brigadier in Doctor Who, especially as he doesn’t share many scenes with McGann’s Doctor.
(Article continues below the next post link.)
Next: Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat Criticize Release of BBC Stars’ Salary Info