2 episodes. Approx. 65 minutes. Written by: Marc Platt. Directed by: Lisa Bowerman. Produced by: David Richardson. Performed by: Carole Ann Ford, Tara-Louise Kay.
THE PLOT
In the early days of his travels, when the Doctor is traveling with only his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), he decides to take the TARDIS into the fourth universe to explore. They materialize on the planet Quinnis, a world gripped by a years-long drought. Materializing in Bridgetown, which actually is a town made up of a series of half-finished bridges, the Doctor is quickly mistaken for a rainmaker by the desperate townspeople.
He is taken away to make rain. In theory, he's pretty sure he can do this. In practice, the lack of a single cloud in the sky seems to make his efforts hopeless. Meanwhile, Susan acts as his go-between, bringing him various items and equipment from the TARDIS. She is accompanied by a new friend, Meela (Tara-Louise Kaye), an orphan girl who survives only on what people give her, and "they don't give much." But Meela has a secret - one which will soon leave Susan bargaining for her grandfather's life!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: Writer Marc Platt proved as far back as the Geoffrey Bayldon/Carole Ann Ford "Unbound" stories, that he has a unique feel for the Hartnell Doctor and his era. Quinnis again sees Platt bringing the First Doctor to life, both in his intelligence and in his flaws. The Doctor admits near the end of Part One that he "got (them) into this mess." His arrogant response to the plight on Quinnis that "making rain should be no great matter" effectively sealed Bridgetown's view of him as a rainmaker. He is fiercely protective of both Susan and his TARDIS. He shows great ingenuity in dealing with the situation in which he finds himself, but - much like the Doctor of the first couple of televised stories - he doesn't display much compassion for anyone other than Susan. Carole Ann Ford does a good job in suggesting some of Hartnell's vocal mannerisms. She's no vocal dead ringer, but it's easy to visualize Hartnell, which is the most that can reasonably be asked of any reader.
Susan: Ford is also reasonably successful in recapturing the innocent, sometimes foolish young Susan. Susan's compassion is boundless, and she is too trusting of Meela - a mistake her grandfather doesn't make, as he warns Susan against allowing the girl in the TARDIS even before he is aware of her secret. Susan is very emotional, and her rapid attachment to Meela and lack of judgment is used by the story as an explanation for why the pair went to 1960's London and stayed there for so long at the start of An Unearthly Child.
THOUGHTS
In The Edge of Destruction, we were given the series' first-ever reference to an unseen adventure. Susan recognizes the planet Quinnis on the monitor, and mentions that they had briefly lost the TARDIS there.
Building a story around a throwaway line from a 50-year-old TV show could be considered the pinnacle of fanwank. But Marc Platt is arguably the best of Big Finish's regular stable of writers, and he seems to have a particular feel for the Hartnell era. In his hands, Big Finish manages to deliver a story that is effective as a prequel to the television series, while at the same time being a story well worth a listen simply on its own merits.
As is typical of Platt, the setting for this audio is strikingly visual: a city of half-finished bridges, with houses whose fronts resemble the bows of boats. The reason for that last comes clear at the Part One cliffhanger. The half-finished bridges overlooking a low plain creates a genuinely interesting visual element, as well, because there are levels. Lower bridges, higher bridges, the lowest point (the plain), an even higher point (the mountains). It's fun to make your brain "see" this setting. It's certainly more interesting than just having characters in a room, talking.
It's also structurally very sound. The second episode sees the city come under attack from a most unlikely and bizarre source. But enough is seeded into the first episode, with enough hints about the "hungry ground," that it doesn't feel like a bizarre left turn when it comes. The groundwork has been laid, so it all works dramatically.
The first episode is a bit slow, with little initial sense of threat. It's still absorbing, though, and Meela's warnings and some smart sound design and music choices build in a feeling that Something Ominous Is Going to Happen. The momentum builds considerable steam in the second episode, which sees a pretty decent amount of action that is very well-conveyed. And there's a good payoff to a haunting prediction about Susan not being able to tell the rain from her own tears.
Rating: 9/10.
Next Television Story: An Unearthly Child
Preceded by: The Alchemists
Followed by: Hunters of Earth
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