Starring Paul McGann, Hattie Morahan, Nicola Walker, Vincent Franklin, Emma Cunniffe & Jacqueline King.Written by John Dorney & Directed by Ken Bentley.
Investigating the appearance of the Voord on Earth, the Doctor, Liv and Helen follow a trail which takes them to the other side of the universe.
There they discover a mysterious and almost deserted gothic city lost in space and time, in which the grotesque inhabitants are conducting a vile and inhumane experiment.
The Doctor and his companions must hurry to save the lives of those in danger before the experiment is a success and the unimaginable consequences become all too real.
Following on from the initial mystery presented in Beachhead, Scenes From Her Life is perhaps one of the most bizarre bits of modern Big Finish. The premise of the story (odd psychic experiments taking place in an inside-out TARDIS) isn't an idea that springs to mind immediately, and it's thanks to the talent of writer John Dorney that it even works at all. Scenes From Her Life is an audacious piece of writing, especially on audio, and while it's not entirely successful, it's still one of the stronger Doom Coalition stories that really sets the stage for the rest of the box set magnificently.
The basic plot of Scenes From Her Life involves the Doctor, Liv and Helen finding themselves inside a wreaked and damaged TARDIS in the vortex, the outer shell of which has been ripped away, and so it looks like a gothic monstrosity. Inside, the Doctor finds two very odd people, who's minds have been affected by the time winds, while Liv and Helen find a whole load of prisoners, including one who's attached to a machine that amplifies her psychic powers. This has such a rich potential for imagery, and it's one that Dorney mines to good effect. The way the inside-out TARDIS is described has such rich, vivid detail, that it almost borders on non-naturalism. However, Dorney's skilful writing means that it never veers in that direction. It paints a picture, but it doesn't feel like characters simply eulogising for an hour. It's a shame that this isn't visual, although Tom Webster's cover does give us an idea of what it may have looked like, because I can imagine it being a rich landscape in the visual form. However, the one issue with a concept like that is that, for the first half of the story, it's a bit slow going, and there's not really much plot to keep us interested. It's an odd complaint to level at John Dorney, who is normally as tight as a drum with regards to plotting. I don't think it's necessarily his fault, however, just that due to the setting, the first half was more about setting out the geography of this place. I did think that, once we were introduced to Caleera, the plot picks up rather rapidly. The second half is much more interesting, as we see Caleera in pain and struggling to survive against the harshness of her captors. We also get to see flashbacks to Caleera's previous life on Gallifrey, and how her special power (psychic powers so destructive she is able to destroy a whole planet) was covered up and suppressed by the Time Lords. Now, I think these flashbacks are excellently written, however I'm not sure they're really structured very well. The flashbacks sometimes feel like they've just been inserted into the narrative because they need to convey information, rather than naturally allowing us to see Caleera put upon by Time Lords in high places. It's not terribly done, and it's a nice way to set up a probable future link between Caleera and the Eleven, but I just felt that, in terms of the way they fitted in the structure of this story, it was a little disappointing. It was just little things like hearing flashbacks about Caleera before we actually had met the character in the present that just kept this story from being as strong as it could. I also felt that, surprisingly, a lot of the humour in the story fell flat. I can see exactly what Dorney was going for, but I just felt that something was missing from the final product. Had the story tried to go for a darker, more post-Wonderland bent, it probably would have succeeded. However, because the comedy was so apparent at points, I just think it missed the best parts of the idea, and instead felt like it was trying too hard.
However, while the main plot of Scenes From Her Life might have issues, the character work that Dorney does is fantastic, possibly some of the best that the Doom Coalition series has offered so far. I'd like to start with Helen, since, let's face it, she's not the most developed character Doctor Who has ever created. In The Red Lady, she was presented as a strong character who was able to stand on her own two feet, and was put upon by the society and the world she was living in. But since her introduction, I've not felt she's really been put in situations that have allow her to develop as a character, and in stories like The Satanic Mill and Beachhead, she's often just faded into the background. Here, however, Dorney gives Helen a sizable chunk of the action, as she is the one to empathise with Caleera. Sure, the Doctor and Liv both want to help Caleera, but Helen is the only one who takes time to empathise with Caleera, and get to understand her. It's nice as well that Dorney paints a comparison between the two characters: because Caleera as put in the same position at the Archive that Helen was at the National Museum, the pair of them are able to bond. It's only a little detail, but it's very well executed, with some fantastic dialogue between the pair. This is aided by excellent performances from Hattie Morahan and Emma Cunniffe. Cunniffe, in particular, is fantastic as the tortured and powerless Caleera, and she gives a subtle, involving performance. When you reach the final ten minutes, it's because of Cunniffe's work in particular that means you feel as betrayed as Helen does. I was also really impressed with the characterisation of the Doctor and Liv throughout this story as well. I've felt that John Dorney is possibly the best writer on the current staff for the eighth Doctor, character wise, and I feel completely justified by Scenes From Her Life. Throughout it, the eighth Doctor hasn't sounded so 'eighth Doctory' since the Mary Shelley trilogy, because Dorney captures that magic that the eighth Doctor had in spades. He's joyful and he makes mistakes and he looks for the best in people, despite the fact that, often they'll let him down. Paul McGann is fantastic in this story, really taking the material and running with it. Nicola Walker is fantastic as Liv, and, despite the fact she probably gets the least to do out of the three characters, she still manages to shine, in spite of her limited role. The remainder of the guest cast are standout: Jacqueline King, Vincent Franklin and Hamish Clark are fantastic as two very different characters each, and the way that their roles in the flashbacks key into their roles in the main story is very interesting and very skilfully handled by Dorney. I did think that, at times, there was a little bit of overplay from the actors in question on a couple of lines of dialogue, but, for the most part, they were excellent in their roles. John Banks and Janet Fullerlove fill out a few bit-parts in the episode admirably, and Mark Bonnar has a cameo as the Eleven, which is sutibly menacing and atmospheric, although puts him in a bit of a similar position as he was in The Eleven.
The production on this story is as strong as it was in the previous instalment. Ken Bentley's direction is as strong as it is on every Doom Coalition story, and the level of actors he's working with is fantastic. His work on every scene is really strong, and his direction on this range shines through. Sound designer Benji Clifford has a bit of a harder job with this release, as the story isn't set on a recognisable Earth, and couldn't be further from Beachhead if it were at all possible. However, he acquits himself admirably with a strange, yet haunting soundscape that has hints of the darkness underneath. This is the same for Jamie Robertson's score, which is very subtly employed at just the right moments, It starts off rather light, but becomes darker by the end of it. Finally, Tom Webster provides a fantastic piece of cover art, as he gets to visualise the inside-out TARDIS. It's a fantastic piece of work, with it's dark reds and burgundies really reflecting the dark nature of the story in question. It's as fantastic as all of the artwork for this set, but, if I was pushed, it's probably my favourite of the set. The boundless imagination on display is fantastic, and the realisation of the inside-out TARDIS is fantastic.
Overall, Scenes From Her Life is a story that does have some mixed elements. While the plot and pacing aren't as perfect as it could have been, the really strong character work and production elements do make up for that deficiency. To be honest, if this had chance for one more draft, these problems probably would have been fixed. Nevertheless, Scenes From Her Life is still a very good story that's just kept out of the highest echelons of Big Finish stories due to these flaws. However, I would say in it's defence that it's the best Doom Coalition story since The Red Lady, and is still a very strong piece of work.
Rating - 8/10
Other Reviews of Big Finish Products:
The Innocent - COMING SOON
The Thousand Worlds - COMING SOON
The Heart Of The Battle - COMING SOON
Legion Of The Lost - COMING SOON
A Thing Of Guile - COMING SOON
The Neverwhen - COMING SOON
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