The Yes Men

 

The Yes Men by Simon Guerrier 

There's something hard to quantify about The Yes Men, because I essentially liked everything about it and what it was doing and still didn't actually feel at the end of it like it was anything amazing. There's just something about it that isn't outstanding. I can't truly say what it is, because I was entertained, fascinated throughout. It's good. And I can't truly say what I'd do different if I wrote it, no, Simon Guerrier does everything right here. It's just a story that I can't explain why it's not really amazing. The Yes Men is a classical 60s-esque sci-fi tale about mechanical rights and how we treat appliances, machines, naturally extrapolated into a really good allegorical plot. I was impressed by how far the story took it, at one point a character moans that the robots have to be treated like people now. They say it with such distaste that it really put me in mind of how real people respond to political issues. This sort of thing is where The Yes Men shines, how it does the political allegory whilst being subtle and also wonderfully unsubtle. It feels like how the 60s would handle such an idea, and it is some rollickingly good Doctor Who. Jane Slavin is the main guest star, playing the main villain, if she even can be called that, in a way far off from her character in the 4/10DAs, but she embues her with a lot of real characterization that makes her quite sympathetic in a good way, while still making her other vile actions as equally believable as her good - her relationship with The Doctor is a real highlight, the scene at the end of the two of them make damn sure the play ends on a high note. All things considered, the plot is lovely, everything's lovely. My only criticism is that I've heard companion chronicles and lost stories with Frazier Hines previously, and while he's really damn close in the companion chronicles, in the early adventures, I don't hear two at all. Shame. Regardless, that's not a spot on the production, it's just a thing you need to get past. As it is, The Yes Men is really good, I just? It's good. But it doesn't really bowl you over, and honestly, although I like everything about it, I'd probably just slot it under just... fine, a lovely little adventure that probably won’t stick in the memory much, but is evocative of the era, and it’s not shit, so you’ll probably find something to enjoy here: 7/10