Doctor Who review: The Lives of Captain Jack: What Have I Done? explores Jack in World War One

The second episode of Doctor Who spin-off box set The Lives of Captain Jack: Volume Two takes the character into darker territory, as we’re thrown into the trenches of World War One in What Have I Done?

Wow. That was definitely a huge shift in tone. After the extremely light and fun episode Piece of Mind, we move onto something considerably more grim in the second episode of The Lives of Captain Jack: Volume Two, What Have I Done?

Guy Adams’s story takes place deep in the battlefields of Gallipoli in World War One. Adams is keen to explore the history and the brutality of this unique setting, but he does it in a rather interesting way.

The story is essentially a two-hander between Jack and a soldier he rescues, Ata. There’s not much that they have in common – in fact, they’re from opposite sides. Unsurprisingly, this makes trust between the two difficult, certainly from Ata’s perspective. But there are a couple of things that they do share in common, at least. First, they’re both deserters. Second, they both have a lot of demons to face…

Captain Jack Harkness is usually shown to be a pretty light and fun-loving character. But the trenches of World War One show a very different side to him…

Image obtained from BBC Press

A different look at Jack

This is an extremely grim story, perhaps the most grim episode I’ve heard in The Lives of Captain Jack yet. While I’ve heard plenty of dark stories before, this is something very different. The stories generally have at least an aspect of lightness.

Oh, they can also feature plenty of darkness and despair, especially when focusing on Jack’s vulnerabilities, psychologically, at least. But they also mostly fit his cheerful demeanor and love for adventure really well. They’re basically a balance between the tone and styles of both Doctor Who and Torchwood.

What Have I Done? is something different. Very different. The story depicts the brutal horror of war very clearly, as well as the nature of fear. It’s a hugely bold choice for a series like this. But it works, particularly at giving us an extremely different look at Jack while still remaining true to the character.

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Jack and Ata really help to drive the story forward. Essentially, they are the story. We learn a lot about both characters, particularly Ata, and both John Barrowman and Atilla Akinci give great performances as their characters.

There is a “monster” in the story, in the usual Doctor Who sense. But Adams knows to keep this one really low-key. It is a threat, but perhaps not as much as the war itself. More importantly, it feels more like a metaphor for Jack’s and Ata’s fears than a fully fleshed-out threat, which works nicely.

What Have I Done? is one of the most unusual episodes I’ve listened to in The Lives of Captain Jack. It’s not the easiest of listens, but then, given the subject matter, it really shouldn’t be. A tough but rewarding piece of drama.

Do you think the Doctor Who universe should explore the setting of World War One more often? Do you think Jack can work well in such a setting? Let us know in the comments below.