Phobos review [Eddie Robson]

The Doctor and Lucie land on one of Mars's moon, Phobos, which is home to an unfinished ski resort that attracts adrenaline-seekers. But there are things lurking in the snow. Things that Kai Tobias warns everyone about. Things that have killed.

When and Where: The year is 2589 and the location is an incomplete resort on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. This story takes place after Immortal Beloved and before No More Lies.

The Doctor's Case:

• A Good Quotation:
• "You're telling me this is natural?" / "Everything here is. That's why we come. You can't get a properly authentic experience on Earth anymore."
• "If it's not a really rude question, what is he?"
• "I've seen entire species destroyed, civilisations left in ruins. I've witnessed solar systems vanish in the twinkling of an eye. I've seen things that would freeze your blood, so don't threaten me. Don't ever threaten me."
• It's the future and the Earth has been urbanised and built upon so much by humans that you have to go to a Martian moon to get an authentic experience of adrenaline-seeking. It's this sort of fascinating idea that Doctor Who can explore but doesn't too often, like with the mood pills in Gridlock.
• There are some hints of Paradise Towers in this story. The adrenaline-seekers are drennies and the setting, rather than a forgotten residential block, is an unfinished resort inhabited by squatters.
• The funniest moment of this story is easily when the Doctor confronts Kai, saying, "Kai, I'm in a bad mood and if you say 'what are you talking about?' during this conversation then I will break something." Later on in the conversation, Kai inevitably feigns ignorance and we hear an object smash on the floor.
• After Cribbins and McNeice, this week's big star is Timothy West, who gives a great performance as the well-meaning killer Kai Tobias. 

The Valeyard's Case:

• A Bad Quotation:
• "I feel the need for speed."
• "I don't know what you're capable of anymore."
• The cool kid drennies are sometimes the victims of embarrassing attempts to make them sound hip. One half of the gay couple uses the word "cool" a few times too many, and delivers the line "I feel the need for speed".
• The Doctor and Lucie spend another audio almost entirely apart from one another. Having them apart and following different plot strands make for more varied storytelling but doesn't a great pairing make. Ninth and Rose were together for most of series 1, allowing us to get to know the two, enjoy the chemistry and explore their relationship. This is what was done with the Eighth Doctor and Charley, which made them a popular and successful duo. The Doctor and Charley, of course, had longer adventures but Ninth's and Rose's were just as long as the Eighth Doctor Adventures and managed it.

Witness Protection: The Headhunter shows up at the end again, swearing that she'll get Lucie next time.

This Reminds Me...:

• A creature that feeds off of fear also appeared in the Seventh Doctor story The Fearmonger, although with a very different M.O.
• Nerys Hughes also played Rhys's mother Brenda Williams in Torchwood.
• The Doctor says that he has known savages with better manners than Lucie, perhaps referring to Leela.
• You can tell that the Eighth Doctor Adventures was written during the Russell T. Davies era, with a rare appearance of a gay character and an alien-human relationship, just like in Gridlock.
• The Doctor defeats the entity in a similar way that the Eleventh Doctor tried to defeat the villain of The Rings of Akhaten. Before Clara saved the day with her leaf, of course.

The Inquisitor's Judgement: Phobos is very much a New Who story and a good one at that. The Eighth Doctor, who hasn't yet been explored very much in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, shows signs of darkness and weariness whilst we've learnt little more about Lucie's character or backstory. The twists are satisfying and the idea about adrenaline sweetening fear for the entity's survival is an original one. There isn't very much new or exciting about this story but it's good, and that earns it a B.

Eighth Doctor Adventures

Immortal Beloved  |  Phobos  |  No More Lies