All Hands on Deck review [Eddie Robson]

"A long time ago, you decided I was going to stay here. I didn't get a choice. I've had a good life on Earth but I'm making the decision this time." - Susan

Who are we with?: The Time Lady Susan Campbell.

Where are we?: The 2210s. For Susan this takes place some time after To the Death. For the Doctor, it's at some point between the end of the Doom Coalition series and The Starship of Theseus.

The Good:

• It's always a pleasure to return to Susan post-The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and even more so to see how she is after the death of her son at the end of the Eighth Doctor Adventures. There's very little continuity aside from Susan's hostility towards the Doctor but we do learn a bit about her life since then and there are a few sad notes, such as when we hear of how Susan didn't need so big a house anymore.
• The last few scenes with the Tesseracts and Susan being picked up by the Time Lords to join the Time War are very enjoyable and it's very satisfying to now know why the Doctor in the modern series assumes that she's dead. At long last this question has been answered.
• The final scene is an inversion of the First Doctor's farewell to Susan in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Susan has gone forward in all her beliefs and grown to become a strong character, leaving the Doctor behind as he once did to her.
• Susan is once again an excellent character in this story, beautifully written and wonderfully performed. Big Finish has given the character a whole new lease of life and developed her from the somewhat pathetic teenage girl of the '60s.

The Bad:

• Why wasn't this a full cast audio drama? The goodbye would be that much more poignant with Paul McGann opposite Ford.
• Shouldn't Susan be angrier at the Doctor leaving her to deal with Alex's death alone? That would have been an interesting nugget of their relationship to explore, but instead Alex isn't so much as mentioned. Perhaps it was to avoid alienating those who haven't listened to Lucie Miller/To the Death, but all the same it's a missed opportunity and one that's now unlikely to be returned to.
• The Doctor's distractions come across almost as filler until we get to the meatier ending. There is, of course, a good narrative reason for them but wouldn't it be more fun if the Doctor was staying with Susan ostensibly to help her cope post-Alex whilst actually being there to throw away any Tesseracts that arrive?

A Good Quotation: "Don't be afraid for me. It's the right time. That's why they came for me now. They know I've done all I can here. You go and do what you need to and I'll do what I need to. And one day we'll see each other again. One day." - Susan

This Reminds Me...:

• We first saw a Tesseract in The War Games, in which the Second Doctor uses one to contact the Time Lords.
• Susan tricks the Doctor in a reversal of what he later does to Rose (The Parting of the Ways) and Clara (The Time of the Doctor). Perhaps Susan's where he learnt it from.

I'll Explain Later: 

• Why doesn't Ian and Barbara's plaque have a date of death? 
• If Susan isn't her real name, why does the Doctor call her that in The Beginning?

Verdict: An okay story with a superb performance by Carole Ann Ford and a heart-breaking ending. It seems that this is the end of our visits to an older Susan, which is a huge shame, but perhaps we'll catch her in the Time War at some point. She did say they would meet again one day, after all. C.

Short Trips

A Heart on Both Sides  |  All Hands on Deck  |  The Ingenious Gentleman Aldric of Alzarius