Wink [AUDIO/2022.6.8]

★★★☆☆

  Wink proves to be the best of the Out of Time trilogy with one small advantage: it actually does something interesting with the monsters it uses. Whereas the Daleks and Cybermen of past releases were little more than stand-ins of the week, something to make the plot move along while the two Doctors did their multi-Doctor things, the Weeping Angels here are menacing, clever, and they're actually given space to utilise their abilities to terrifying ends. For once, the monsters add flavour to the overall result.

  The Sixth and Tenth Doctors are definitely less of a match-made-in-heaven duo and more of two old acquaintances with mildly clashing personalities secretly enjoying each other's presence, but that doesn't mean Colin Baker and David Tennant aren't a joy to listen to. Here they are, making nicknames for each other and criticising their counterpart's TARDIS console room design. They bicker sometimes (but not too much, thank the stars), but they always prioritise saving the day and the innocents with their lives at stake, and the second half benefits greatly from Baker and Tennant bouncing around the place being heroic and terribly clever. I could tell that Lisa McMullin wanted to craft a much more interesting narrative than your typical 'event adventure'; the planet setting, and its unique inhabitants and culture, are explored well enough, adding yet another bit of flavour. I commend her very much for this extra endeavor; I wish more multi-Doctor stories in the future would take a few leaves from McMullin's book.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  There is an inherent entertainment value in multi-Doctor stories, and the Out of Time trilogy seems to put that notion in the forefront more than anything — at least, that's what I gathered from the fact that two out of these three installments did nothing particularly interesting with the iconic villains. While I have to say that these three stories aren't outstanding in any major regard, they're all generally enjoyable stories that won't ruin anyone's day. Since this is a review of the third installment, I'll mention again — Wink is definitely the best of the trilogy. 

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