Travels With Charley

I've been good about listening to the 8th Doctor adventures. I'm listening to them in order and not throwing in a story featuring another Doctor. I finished Invaders From Mars yesterday and started The Chimes of Midnight. I really do like Paul McGann as the Doctor and his companion, Charley, is quite a good foil. Invaders From Mars involves aliens coming to New York on Halloween 1938. It's really neat how Orson Welles and the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast got thrown into the mix. Plus there was a line that we films geeks can really appreciate. As The Doctor and Charley are saying their goodbyes and readying to get into the TARDIS to take off, Welles leaves the room and the Doctor yells after him, "DON'T let them cut Ambersons! Oh no! I musn't interfere."

The Chimes of Midnight is one of the best 8th Doctor episodes as well as one of the best of all the Doctor Who audio dramas. It begins with The Doctor and Charley landing in the larder of an Edwardian mansion. Stepping out of the TARDIS, it is completely black and completely silent. The Doctor goes back into the TARDIS to find a light and, while digging around, he encourages Charley to use her other senses. She remarks that it is totally silent and that the scent of fruit pervades the air. The Doctor says, ""Silent and fruity - sounds enchanting!" What a wonderful line! Chimes is truly a great episode. While not strictly necessary, it helps to have heard the preceeding episodes with the 8th Doctor and Charley as some of the dialogue and situations relate to past events. But what really distinguishes this story is the claustrophobic atmosphere. The action takes place solely in the mansion. Eldritch events unfold, spectral voices mysteriously break the silence, and the Doctor is often times rendered helpless. The creepy mood of the story is established right away with a ticking clock that is joined by a sprightly melody that sounds as if it were from a music box. The melody ends and a menacing wash of darkness takes its place while the ticking gives way to a heartbeat. Finally one of those ghostly voices moans as if in agony. Not only does the action take place in the mansion but, because of a time anomaly, events are repeated. It's kind of like watching A Man Escaped by Robert Bresson. Actions and dialogue are repeated, sometimes with only minor variations.

A couple stories after Chimes is Embrace the Darkness which is another incredibly creepy one. It is followed by The Time of the Daleks which involves The Bard! Then the whole epic drama of being in that alternate universe begins with the Doctor feeling the repercussions of having saved Charley. Then BAM! I can listen to August's release, Terror Firma, the first story to feature the 8th Doctor since December of last year.

Did I mention that I met one of the writers of Hayward Sanitarium at GenCon? Hayward Sanitarium is a Lovecraftian/X-Filesy audio play. I went out for a smoke one day and saw a guy with a t-shirt that I swore said "Hayward Sanitarium". I stopped him and asked. Sure as shit, it was and he turned out to be one of the writers! He was really cool and related how, on one night, they did some taping at a real graveyard only to have the police come to find out what the hell was going on.

Ye gods, do I feel dorky!