The Trial of a Time Machine [AUDIO/2018.11.15]

★★★☆☆

  As the tongue-in-cheek title suggests, The Trial of a Time Machine is a fun romp with an aloof and melancholic Seventh Doctor, a bundle of interesting ideas and one or two stylistic homages to the works of Douglas Adams. 

  I personally don't mind the slight shift in dynamics in the case of this TARDIS trio; sure, it may not be the most accurate depiction of the Doctor and his two Adjudicators as seen in the New Adventures novels, but the trio we hear is as good as any. Roz and Chris are an entertaining duo, always up for dangerous scrapes most less action-ready companions wouldn't so readily be. Chris is a dear, too, so wet behind the ears in an adorable way. Sylvester McCoy has always felt more comfortable in stories where his Doctor is allowed to be a bit lighter than the usual norm of Time's champion/chessplayer (not that he's bad at playing the dark and brooding mystery man at all), and he's certainly the shining star here; so many moments show how perfect McCoy can be as the Doctor, such as when he has intimate conversations with his TARDIS before and after the trial. A nice touch that Andy Lane brought was (among the bonkers notions of a sentient computer that decides all the crimes and punishments of a society, time travel being an underdeveloped and yet viable technology, and the TARDIS being put on trial) that one little moment when the Doctor asks (to both his old girl and himself) whether the TARDIS really wants to stay with him, or if he's taking it as granted. McCoy's pained voice really has to be heard to be believed — he's that good. The Trial of a Time Machine benefits from a rather ambitious script and confident performances from the main leads, but I bet my hat that it would've been even more brilliant if it had two more parts.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  I just love the Virgin New Adventures opening theme, don't you? I've fallen in love with it ever since Damaged Goods; it suits this run of Doctor Who well, having all the bombastic nature and sci-fi madness of the "too broad and too deep for the small screen" modus operandi.

(created by Megaplumfinity)