Entanglement [AUDIO/2018.11.14]

★★★★☆

  Dusty old traditions and even dustier old men fighting over the silliest of things in an old university... for some reason, these please me to no end as parts of a Doctor Who setting. It's hard to explain, but ancient universities always had a foreboding quality in my mind, and it's quite a natural fit for the otherworldly shenanigans of Who to happen within their secretive walls. Robert Kahn and Tom Salinsky have proven themselves to be formidable writers, especially when it comes to historical settings; the story marches on in just the right pace (not too quick, but not exactly sluggish either), and the atmosphere is allowed to soak listeners in effortlessly. It's all such a delightful experience, and Lisa Bowerman makes sure that we get the most authentic (I swear Big Finish nails the scores for the First Doctor stories every time) and riveting experience with her beautiful hand at direction.

  Atmosphere takes the cake here; as I said before, universities have that intimidating ambience by default, a history within the walls that is unknown to us -- who knows what might've happened throughout the centuries? -- and the proctors and the bulldogs and what not running around and maintaining an oppressive hierarchy for doe-eyed freshies to follow. It helps that the mystery is patient, not immediately thrusting key clues to the audience but rather letting their own minds wander and figure things out as they casually drop hints that something unearthly is up with Cambridge. The Doctor gets to do what he does best: cause an insurrection, upheave the order, and confront the perpetrators with a stern glare and an indignant expression. Peter Purves' First Doctor voice may not be accurate in terms of actual tone, but it's the heart within that screams Hartnell to me. I can imagine the Doctor acting the fool, the eccentric professor from another university, figuring out the secret of the mysterious professors and their futuristic equipment. Like many Hartnell adventures on telly, these are about villains with quite simple moral boundaries and goals, but it's not an impediment at all to enjoying your time with the adventure. Quite the contrary, the plot's complex enough for you to be intrigued and caught by its web, but it allows the atmosphere and the tiny details in performances to win over it sometimes. The plot knows its place as merely a component of a whole thing, not its backbone (something I say about all works of art). I had so much fun with Entanglement, and I hope you do too.