An Ordinary Life

It's London in the 1950s and the TARDIS makes an emergency landing. The Doctor is unwell and Steven and Sara find themselves locked out of the TARDIS with no idea how to care for him until they are taken in by the Newman family. The Newmans are recent immigrants from the West Indies and face their own challenges as newcomers in an age where racial tensions are high, so taking in three strangers would be the last thing expected of them when they have themselves to look after. But without the Doctor and the TARDIS, Steven and Sara must learn for themselves what it means to be strangers in a strange land.

There is of course a sci fi story in there eventually, a very much Invasion of the Bodysnatchers inspired plot in the background, but the original intent was to actually remove science fiction from the plot altogether and make a purely modern historical tale out of this one. While listening to the tale I did not know it was coming, and when there were muttered chants of "we are coming" from mindless masses at the climax of episode twoI thought this was somehow linked to a Torchwood episode, but that was set in 1965 so no go. There was indeed something else coming, which although as I said was not exactly an original concept was still a good one and realized quite well on audio. If this had been a simple Companion Chronicle release then it could have easily been a tale of racism in a not so distant past in two episodes but it would hardly have warranted the full cast treatment and something would have been lost in that. No, this worked out best. I'm just a bit wary of how this is the second tale in this era of Sara with the crew where the TARDIS is once again malfunctioning to such a degree as the crew need to abandon it as a premise.

Steven and Sara only have brief knowledge of the Earth in this time, and Sara's is only what she experienced recently when the TARDIS made a series of short stops over Christmas in Liverpool and Hollywood, and she is not entirely keen. There's a bit more about Sara here now that there's more chance for her to act independently; it is revealed that when she signed on for Space Security detail she waived any notions of having children (whether this is voluntary sterilization of a vow of chastity is not revealed), and she gets to show an unexpected gentle side when caring for the Newmans' baby girl. Steven is getting to know Sara a bit more as the threat of the Daleks has lessened a bit, but the notion of being stuck in the past on Earth (and he knows that they are not exactly alone - Ian and Barbara are not far away geographically but not in the right order) has replaced it. Still, he muses about what it might be like to stay here. The two of them. Yes the unlikely romance is still there in the background - I suppose since it happens in the new series it needs to happen here too? It was brushed on in The Anachronauts and I had hoped it was going to be a fleeting thing.

The new team of the Doctor, Sara and Steven is turning into quite the ensemble, even if they know they will have to face the Daleks again as long as they are carrying the Taranium core of the Time Destructor. If nothing else it cements Sara as more of a companion now than before with only two visual episodes left to see her in; the Big Finish material is expanding nicely on her mythology. Next year there's a further collection of Early Adventures from the Hartnell era and there is one slated with Jean Marsh as Sara and Peter Purves as Steven (and doing an excellent turn once again as the Doctor) but alas not in time to be included in this journey... otherwise we would see how the clone race called Sontarans would have fared against the crew.

But with the supplemental material finished, it's time to rejoin the television series after some time has passed...

NEXT EPISODE: THE DALEKS' MASTERPLAN (episodes 8 - 12)