The Genesis Chamber [AUDIO/2016.9.6]

★★★☆☆

  I used to be head over heels for The Genesis Chamber. The first time I listened to it right after its release in 2016, I was swept away by its scope of storytelling and the passion behind it. Every actor seemed to give it their all, especially Louise Jameson (who's a very formidable actor,and when she does her best you sit up and concentrate) and Tom Baker. I thought the music was splendid (although I noticed that it recycled some old tracks from releases such as The Kingmaker) and the direction wonderful; in other words, I considered it a beautiful slice of Doctor Who, a six-part adventure that's both faithful to its era and daring enough to be something new.

  Regardless of my score, this opinion hasn't changed much. Philip Hinchcliffe's vision of this new world, divided by the modern city and the hunter-society commune, is detailed and bursting with life. It's one of those Doctor Who settings you can believe straight away exist on their own. Characters, from the sympathetic and lovable Ana to the despicable Grillo, jump out of the tracks and become real people (something that often happened in the superb Hinchcliffe era on telly), lending the fantastical story a very real, very emotionally resonant edge. It's a love story/tragedy, after all, and that's where both my greatest praise and my gravest grievances lie. See, I love adventures that wear their hearts on their sleeve, and The Genesis Chamber definitely qualifies as one with the stereotypical (but cute) 'city girl x country boy' relationship at the heart of the six-parter. I wish Hinchcliffe had fully committed to that, instead of feeling the need to remind us every ten minutes or so that they have a checklist of things to do and one of them is to introduce a cheesy villainous force. The latter three episodes are nowhere near as engaging as the first three because they have to resolve the Volor mystery (admittedly a fascinating bad guy) and the oncoming invasion. 

  Still, as it stands, The Genesis Chamber doesn't outstay its welcome (not too much, anyway) and presents us with some fantastic characterisation for both the Doctor and Leela. If there's any doubt that they were a fantastic TARDIS duo, pick this up and see how well they work together and how much they care for each other.