Aquitaine

 

Aquitaine by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris

Once in a while you find a Doctor Who story that truly, completely gobsmacks you. Something that while it isn't anything groundbreaking, is just so inately attuned to your own personal taste. Something that isn't doing anything universally new or never been done before, but just tells it's own simple story remarkably and astutely well. Similar to The Middle, Aquitaine is hard sci-fi, and certainly a tale that has you set up and take attention, where the characters are more auxiliary to the ideas, the mood. Forgive the hyperbole, but Aquitaine feels like it was written by Douglas Adams. That level of pure magic is present throughout it, it's a piece that is quietly clever and witty, and uses it's basic plot to the ultimate advantage, telling a lovely average episode of Doctor Who- except the result is completely faultless. While it is no Heaven Sent, or Caves of Androzani, not having that level of emotional depth, Aquitaine holds a prestigious location next to Robots of Death or Mummy On The Orient Express in that it just tells the story really bloody well. Five, Tegan and Nyssa feel perfectly balanced, and the constant character of Hargreaves that is present throughout is a phenomenal foil (somehow to all of them) and one of the best side characters present in a Who story I've heard in ages. I was begging Fivey to take up his offer to travel with him at the end. The mood in Aquitaine is stellar - using repetition to it's advantage as the initial monologue by Hargreaves that sets this delightful atmosphere, the imagery of the empty chairs and tables - and the also brilliant repetition of Hargreaves offering tea - and even time itself repeating - all are just done so damn well. When a story takes the very barebones concepts of "Something is wrong with time, oh no," "Dimension stuff," "evil plants," and "mad scientist," you'd expect something trite and contrived, but Aquitaine just absolutely and completely nails it in nigh every regard. Another Triumph for Barnard and Morris - next to The End of The Line, Bad Habits and The Enchantress of Numbers they're four for four in my book. Not many writers can claim that - and I haven't even mentioned the line about Tegan being spiky. God this tale is great - 10/10