1 episode. Running Time: Approx. 57 minutes. Written by: Eddie Robson. Directed by: Ken Bentley. Produced by: David Richardson.
THE PLOT:
In the Death Zone on Gallifrey, while playing the forbidden Game of Rassilon, the Doctor has taken away the Master's transmat device - only to find himself inside a pocket dimension made up of spaceships from various times and places. He meets several old friends, all of whom are confused about why they are there: Nyssa, Ian Chesterton, Steven Taylor, Polly Wright - and, impossibly, Sara Kingdom!
Just like the Death Zone, however, the Doctor's friends are not the only ones to have been abducted. Dinosaurs roam the corridors. Sontaran warriors attempt to capture him to find answers. And a squad of Daleks strives to break through the dimensional barrier keeping them trapped in this place - while at the same time plotting to make sure that the Doctor never leaves here alive!
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: He is happy to see his old friends again, and Eddie Robson's script makes sure to give him at least one moment with each of them. He expresses his disdain for guns in practical terms, observing that they rarely help a situation and mostly just give enemies even more of a reason to shoot. Peter Davison is on good form. This story is purely a romp, and he plays it with a lighter touch than usual to match that tone.
Nyssa: Was captured by the Daleks to try to find a way to break through the dimensional barrier, which allows her to act as the Deliverer of Exposition. Her technical expertise makes her almost as important as the Doctor to the story's climax, which is appropriate since she's the only Fifth Doctor companion on hand. The script manages to fit a couple good character moments for her around exposition and plot device duties, such as when she reflects that everyone eventually leaves the Doctor simply because no one other than him could continue living such a dangerous life indefinitely.
Ian: He's paired with Steven early in the story and with Nyssa in the second half. He doesn't have as much knowledge as either of them, but his leadership abilities show as he keeps them focused. I particularly enjoyed his scenes with Nyssa. When she frets about using a device to send dinosaurs toward the Daleks, who will surely wipe them out, he responds with compassionate pragmatism, softly pointing out that she is not to blame for the Daleks' actions and that they have to prioritize their own survival.
Steven: He's relieved to encounter Ian, a familiar face, in this strange environment. He is startled to run into Sara Kingdom, not only older but alive. He spends the second half mostly paired with her, and they share some amusing scenes opposite the Sontarans. Steven's sarcastic streak shows as he mocks the Sontarans' claim to have capabilities equal to those of the Daleks.
Sara Kingdom: I believe The Five Companions is the only audio story to follow on from the Companion Chronicles's excellent Sara Kingdom trilogy. Sara briefly explains to the Doctor and Steven that she both is and isn't the person they remember, but so little detail is given that the reference would probably just confuse those who haven't listened to the earlier stories. She's otherwise the same as her television counterpart, unsentimental and both able and willing to use enemy weaknesses against them.
Polly: She gets the least to do in terms of plot, but the script makes up for that by giving her the single best character scene. She confides to the Doctor that, during her time with him, she often felt like more of a burden to him than a help. He vehemently refutes this claim: "I still remember you facing up to the Cyber Leader, demanding to know why he didn't care... What he said was logical, but what you said was right! She reveals that she and Ben are still together, and she giggles at the recollection of introducing the rough sailor to her family.
Sontarans: They are very much in the style of the New Series Sontarans, played mainly for laughs. Steven mocks them to their faces, and there is no sense that he's endangering himself by doing so! I could bemoan how unthreatening they are... except that I found myself laughing at several moments. They regard the Daleks as arrogant to the point of weakness, but it's the pride of the Sontaran leader that destroys a potentially formidable Dalek/Sontaran alliance.
Daleks: They are in a position of weakness, their power ebbing steadily throughout. Their need to conserve power explains why they don't simply scour the area and exterminate everything they see, and the same plot device makes sense of their willingness to even consider working with the Sontarans. Their presence as the primary antagonists of a story that's tied into The Five Doctors somewhat helps to make up for their (or rather, one lone Dalek's) pathetic cameo in that story.
THOUGHTS:
The Five Companions, Big Finish's special release to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, has been crafted as a companion piece to the televised 20th anniversary story, The Five Doctors. Not only does it take place during that story, it echoes it: Like The Five Doctors, this is really an excuse for fanservice; but also like The Five Doctors, it's enjoyable on those terms.
Eddie Robson has written his audio script like a screenplay. Scenes are short and direct, with frequent intercutting between threads. This keeps things moving quickly, though it's a double-edged sword. Early on, in particular, I had difficulty visualizing the story. I only started to connect with it once it slowed down for the character scenes.
Rather than try to keep his large cast together as a group, Robson splits them into pairs, which simplifies the character banter. A mid-story "breather" is used to shuffle the initial pairings, which helps to refresh both action and characterization for the second half.
This shuffling creates new dynamics among the cast. For example, Ian is initially paired with Steven, but the second half allows Ian to show his protective side opposite Nyssa while Steven settles into familiar teamwork with Sara. As for Sara, she takes charge in her early scenes, protecting Polly, but is more collaborative with Steven.
OVERALL:
The Five Companions is a fast-paced, efficiently constructed piece of fanservice. There's plenty of humor, and the character interactions are enjoyable throughout.
Originally released as a subscriber-only special, The Five Companions has been re-released as a free download from Big Finish's website. At the price of "Free," I cannot think of a single reason not to give it a listen.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Set during: The Five Doctors (not yet reviewed)
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