Written & Directed By: Nicholas Briggs
Featuring: Eighth Doctor & Charley
Release Date: April 2002
Hello, and welcome to this post reviewing the Doctor Who audio book Embrace the Darkness. The Doctor and Charley travel to the Cimmerian System to discover why its sun vanished. But, after being caught up in a rescue of a mining base, something is in the darkness with them…
This is the 31st audio book released by Big Finish Productions in their Doctor Who Monthly Adventures series. As the name suggests, this was a series of original Doctor Who stories released monthly between 1999 and 2021. These featured the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, new villains and companions, as well as familiar faces. This story stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and India Fisher as Charley Pollard.
As an aside, I have mixed thoughts about this run of stories featuring the Eighth Doctor and Charley. On one hand, it is genuinely intriguing to see where the main arc of these adventures will go next. The classic TV serials of Doctor Who limited their arcs to a recurring villain or setting. This is also true of the audio adventures featuring the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors. The series will jump between Doctors with seemingly no rhyme or reason, restricting continuity. The Eighth Doctor stories have an overarching arc, something that pre-dates the revival TV series by several years. I am enjoying this more contemporary story telling. But, as intriguing as this run of stories is from a storytelling perspective, I do miss the other Doctor-companion teams. The Eighth Doctor stories were later released separate from the Monthly Adventures, which surely provided more creative freedom.
Embrace the Darkness is available to listen to on Spotify or Audible. It can also be purchased from Big Finish, the link to which is below.
Big Finish | 031. Doctor Who: Embrace the Darkness – Doctor Who – The Monthly Adventures
Big Finish Summary
The Doctor and Charley travel to the remote Cimmerian System to unravel the mystery of its sun. But darkness has already embraced the scientific base on Cimmeria IV in more ways than one. In a fight for survival, the Doctor must use all his wits against a deadly artificial lifeform and an ancient race whose return to the Cimmerian System threatens suffering and death on an apocalyptic scale.
*Warning: This review contains spoilers*
Introduction
Embrace the Darkness is true to its name as far as the tone and setting is concerned. Doctor Who’s answer to sci-fi horror has chilling moments and a very effective setting. Though its ending isn’t as strong as its build up, this is still a very solid Eighth Doctor audio adventure.
Plot
“Embrace the Darknessss.”
The ‘Cimmerian’ as it attacks the mining base crew, Part 1.
This story’s narrative is at its strongest towards the start, when the listeners have more questions than answers. The opening attack on the mining base had an impact because we had no idea who the attackers were. The questions continue in the opening ten minutes. What were those slow-moving objects The Doctor and Charley saw extinguish the sun? Why was there a flotilla of TARDIS’s in the time vortex? What had happened to the crew? The tension slowly builds over the course of the first part, culminating in a shocking and terrifying cliffhanger. At this point, the story is a science-fiction horror which doesn’t feel safe in the slightest for our heroes. Part 2 is just as powerful, as the story reveals the psychological impact the events have had on the crew. This is all great material for a story set on a broken base in near darkness. I love a story that immerses itself in its setting and tone, whilst keeping the overall plot free from tangents. The Chimes of Midnight, an earlier Eighth Doctor story, is an excellent example of this. The first half of this story manages to match it in its quality of storytelling and build up of tension.
Unfortunately, the second half of this adventure doesn’t manage to reach the same heights. The answers we receive, whilst a good twist on the expected, don’t really compliment the first half. A perfect example of this is the identity of the alien race central to this story, the ‘Cimmerians’. I like the revelation that their injuries to the crew was due to their lack of knowledge of humanoid physiology. But, once they are established to be healers, the final part falls flat. The writers do introduce a new threat in the form of a fleet heading towards the planet. Again, I like that The Doctor misunderstood the situation and caused the attack to commence. But, the revelation of the identity of these attackers did not land, as the aftermath was off screen. I think the worst aspect is the impact it has on the tone. After a mysterious and dark first half with many questions raised, I had hoped for a more impactful climax. On that note, the final two lines between The Doctor and Charley are literally nothing, as flat as a pancake. Also, we only get the one scene of the history and culture of the ‘Cimmerians’, which is a shame. Condensing the first half, to make the secondary threat appear earlier, could have made the second half pop. Despite an anti-climactic ending, I think this is a strong premise with a fairly successful plot. These Eighth Doctor stories are really exceeding my expectations with their narratives.
We are just left with one question: why were Time Lords travelling in formation in the time vortex? I’m sure we will get an answer to this in a future story.
Characters
“I think it’s much more likely that you’re feeling guilty about making a mistake, and think you can make yourself feel better by making a grand noble gesture. Isn’t that nearer the truth?”
Charley admonishing The Doctor, Part 4.
Charley Pollard is one of the strongest companions in the Monthly Adventures series. India Fisher extracts so much personality in her performance, and I love that Charley is core to the season’s arc. Though this isn’t a story where Charley is front and centre, she is still given sufficient to do. She is integral to the horrifying reveal at the close of Part 1, the best part of this story. She is also integral in discovering the true nature of the ‘Cimmerians’, even forming a bond with one of them. Her relationship with The Doctor is challenged when The Doctor leaves her with the crew and attempts to sacrifice himself. Her anger at his character flaw of making noble gestures to make up for his guilt is justified and natural. Most intriguing is the reveal that Charley has carcinogenic cells in her system, which could lead to cancer. Will this will come to fruition in a later story? This episode doesn’t progress her narrative around her status in time. Whilst this led to great moments in past stories, this is nonetheless a strong Charley story.
Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, meanwhile, feels like he is constantly playing catch up with the events of the story. He arrives on the base after Charley, and spends much of the time thereafter in a power struggle. The Rescue Operation Security Module G723 (“ROSM”), essentially a strategic rescue robot, is a big obstacle for The Doctor. He spends much of the first three quarters of the story trying to override the ROSM’s logic. Out-thinking the enemy is a large part of The Doctor’s personality. One of my favourite things about the First Doctor is his ability to subvert his opponents’ power with cunning. But, in this story, the ROSM is more a hindrance to the main story. Apart from wanting to destroy Charley due to her carcinogenic cells, his main purpose is to get in the way. This makes The Doctor’s constant attempts to out manoeuvre this robot repetitive. Once the ROSM is finally deemed useless, I like what this story does with The Doctor. Having him get the situation wrong and then trying to make amends in a very human way is refreshing. Generally, the Eighth Doctor is portrayed as more human (though not half-human!), a change I like. It makes his decision to strand Charley in the wrong time understandable. It can’t be a coincidence that his stories’ overriding arc is the consequences of making a very human choice.
A smaller secondary cast definitely adds to how isolated The Doctor and Charley are on the mining base. The three crew members have moments where they add to the quality of the story, and detract from it. On the plus side, choosing to highlight the psychological impact on the crew was a great choice. The three crew members, Orliensa (Nicola Boyce), Haliard (Mark McDonnell) and Ferras (Lee Moone) all suffer in different ways. Orliensa is the most prominent of the three. For large parts she is an irritation, making snide comments every three seconds in her bitterness at her fate. I think the listeners were all agreeing with Charley when she said “shut up, Orliensa”. There was a moment in Part 2 involving Orliensa that could have gone to a very dark place. It’s almost a shame the story didn’t go in that direction. Whilst her character learns to trust The Doctor, I think her change of heart is too sudden. Haliard is The Joker for much of the first half, his echoing ravings quite unsettling. As with Orliensa, the switch to his default personality happens too suddenly and, as a result, feels unjustified. The third crew member, Ferras (Lee Moone) contrasts well to the bitter Orliensa with his faith in The Doctor. Unfortunately, he is practically a spectator with little to do.
Overall, I would describe the characters as mixed, with Charley being the most impactful and well written. The Doctor showcases a very human side to his character, which I hope will be explored further in future stories.
Listening Experience
[Sound of pod opening, followed by silence, punctuated only by Charley taking a step across the metallic floor]
“God, it’s dark.”
Charley arriving at the mining base, Part 1.
For much of the story, Embrace the Darkness is unnerving in its use of sound design. The backing track includes a sudden metallic clash, echoing against a silent backdrop. Silence, and the sounds that contrast with it, are used to great effect, especially in the first half. An escape pod door opening is uncomfortably loud, and the silence that follows rings in your ears. Voices and mechanical sounds carry across stretches of corridors in warped echoes. This, coupled with the flickering lighting, makes the Cimmeria IV base a very unsettling location. I love many uses of sound in the first half. The incident on the base, the crew’s subsequent descent into madness, and the creepy whispers from the ‘Cimmerians’. It all feels very Lovecraftian, which works very well. The further we progress in the story, the more the story moves away from the unsettling sound design. It nonetheless still retains a sci-fi horror element through the sudden loud sounds. The sequence of the artificial suns starting had such power due to its volume. The sound design definitely compliments the isolationist horror of the first half, and is one of this story’s greatest triumphs.
For the most part, this story feels slightly disconnected from the main Eighth Doctor arc. Nowhere is this more apparent than the omission of the Eighth Doctor’s narration. Seasons of Fear, the previous story, had a framing device of The Doctor recounting the adventure to an unknown person. I assume that this story did not utilise that device as it wasn’t concerning alternate histories. Looking at the premise of the next story, The Time of the Daleks, I expect this framing device to return.
Final Thoughts
Embrace the Darkness started with impact; its unsettling sound design and tight pacing evoked an isolationist space horror. Questions were raised in the first part that sustained the tension in the plot for the majority of this story. Its ending was something of a damp squib, as the answers to those questions left the story feeling hollow. But, overall, it is a fairly strong Eighth Doctor audio adventure. This is one audio adventure I would recommend, even if I wish some questions kept me in the dark.
Ratings
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Listening Experience: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Next Time: Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks
The Doctor has always admired the work of William Shakespeare. So he is a little surprised that Charley doesn’t hold the galaxy’s greatest playwright in the same esteem. In fact she’s never heard of him.
Which the Doctor thinks is highly improbable.
General Mariah Learman, ruling Britain after the Eurowars, is one of Shakespeare’s greatest admirers, and is convinced her time machine will enable her to see the plays’ original performances.
Which the Doctor believes is extremely unlikely.
The Daleks just want to help. They want Learman to get her time machine working. They want Charley to appreciate the first ever performance of Julius Caesar. They believe that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright ever to have existed and venerate his memory.
Which the Doctor knows is utterly impossible.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review of Doctor Who: Embrace the Darkness.
If you enjoyed reading this, please subscribe to The Blogging DJ to receive notifications when new posts are published. As well as my reviews of Doctor Who audio adventures, I also publish book and TV series reviews.
Every Doctor Who review on this site, whether that be TV or audio book stories, can be found here.
Have you listened to Embrace the Darkness? If so, what were your thoughts on this sci-fi chiller?
Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Also, if you have any recommendations or feedback, your comments will be much appreciated. Alternatively, please drop an email to editor@thebloggingdj.com.
Thank you again, and I’ll see you next time for my review of Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks.
The Blogging DJ 