Doctor Who review: Bernice Summerfield: Clear History explores virtual reality
By James Aggas
Bernice Summerfield and the Doctor explore a rich virtual world. But something is going wrong, when someone keeps trying to Clear History…
"The people of Civitas-G have retreated into an idyllic recreation of their homeworld. And they’re refusing to believe that it is now breaking down."
“History is written by the winning side.” It’s a phrase that, as an archaeologist, Bernice has constantly lived by. Even her own diaries have often been filled with edits and revisions. The second story in last month’s Bernice Summerfield box set, Buried Memories, is an interesting take on that idea.
But Clear History by Doris V Sutherland explores that idea in a very different way. For a start, the main setting of Civitas-G is an entirely digital world. A world like that could have a lot of benefits. But it could also be exploited, too.
That’s what Benny learns in this story, when history is being constantly re-written at a moment’s notice. When everything she’s seeing of Civitas-G doesn’t match up with the history she knows. When people start being deleted from the system…
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Key characters
Alongside the Doctor and Benny, there are three key characters in this story. There’s Zeta, a young woman trying to rebel against the system and change things – in the most literal way possible. We’re essentially introduced to the key problem in the story through her eyes, and we experience the unique dangers of this world as soon as she’s introduced.
The main antagonist of this story, the Administrator, is a rather pathetic sort. But then, in this case, that’s kind of the point of the character. He’s someone who wants everything to be perfect, who wants everything to go his way.
He’s a spoiled brat, and while that makes him a frustrating character, it doesn’t make him any less threatening, either. Because we all know how dangerous someone like that can be. Gavin Swift puts in a really great performance as the character, and the Administrator becomes someone very easy to loathe as a result.
On the flipside of that, one character that’s extremely easy to like is Lloyd. He’s a rather helpful character, almost suspiciously so, at times. But the more you learn about him and why he is the way he is, the more likable he becomes as a result. The character gets a very satisfying resolution, and that’s true for the rest of the story, too.
I’ll be honest, Clear History didn’t grab me quite as much as previous Bernice Summerfield episode Pride of the Lampians did. I think I just didn’t feel quite as emotionally invested in the story by comparison. However, it’s by no means a bad episode, especially for a debut script, and it’s an extremely fresh take on the virtual reality genre. An episode with a lot of interesting ideas to explore, which certainly makes it worth a listen.
Next. Doctor Who and The Phantom of the Opera. dark
What are your favorite stories, in or out of Doctor Who, that explore virtual reality? What grabbed you about those stories? Let us know in the comments below.