Doctor Who review: Colony of Strangers is a dark Nordic Noir mystery for River Song
By James Aggas
The Doctor’s wife investigates a dark and chilling mystery in the opening episode of Doctor Who spin-off The Diary of River Song: Series Seven.
The seventh series of Doctor Who spin-off The Diary of River Song kicks off with a really strong start in Colony of Strangers by James Goss. The story opens up with an intriguing mystery for River to solve. Of course, she’s just trying to have a holiday.
Not that there’s much to do on the colony of Bondar. It’s a rather cold and unforgiving place. But for some reasons, the locals aren’t too keen to leave or explore, or at least find some way to escape. So it’s not long before she finds herself leading the investigation. An investigation that others may want to stop, at any cost…
What really leaps out about Colony of Strangers is that, despite the sci-fi setting and the fact that this story has monsters, James Goss tells a really solid and intriguing mystery. There are plenty of clues and red herrings, but he also embraces the Nordic Noir genre, too. He gives the story a sense of atmosphere, and makes the bleak colony of Bondar an easy place to imagine.
River has to use a more subtle approach when she investigates a rather strange mystery. Image Courtesy Adrian Rogers/Big Finish Productions
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A hint of horror
Along with a sense of mystery, there’s also more than a hint of horror to Colony of Strangers. Whether it’s the description of the monsters themselves, or even finding out what the monsters actually are, there are more than a few creepy moments in this story. At times, it feels very reminiscent of dark Eighties horror Dead and Buried, and that’s no bad thing.
Like many Big Finish stories, there aren’t many characters that feature, but the ones that do feel fleshed out. In particular, Charles Armstrong is rather likable as Karl, the only detective that Bondar has – and a bit of an ineffective one, as there’s hardly any crime to investigate. Until now, at least…
Wanda Opalinska also puts in a great performance as the Mayor of Bondar. Is she trying to help or hinder River in her investigations? The story really does leave you guessing with this character, and Opalinska knows exactly how to play all sides of this character.
Colony of Strangers is a very strong opening episode for River’s seventh series. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorite stories in a long while because it’s completely free of direct Doctor Who continuity. The previous volume was enjoyable, but it’s great to have a box set that focuses on River in her own element, and Colony of Strangers is great at showing off why. I’m already eager to listen to the rest of this series.
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Do you enjoy Nordic Noir? Do you think it’s a good fit for a character like River? Let us know in the comments below.