Every so often I'll encounter one of those rare, special releases that, within the first few minutes, all but grabs my shoulders firmly informs me that the story I am listening to is, in fact,
great. Do you know the feeling? Sometimes you can just
taste it in the air -- that the story you've just started wading into is going to be a remarkable ride, a true classic.
Such was my earliest reaction to
The Crimes of Thomas Brewster. I knew going into it that Evelyn Smythe featured, and for that fact alone I would probably rate this release higher than otherwise, but I was not expecting to see another one of my favorite characters pop up, too. The moment DI Menzies came into the scene, that was it. Evelyn and Menzies? 5/5. No notes.
Okay, okay, so maybe that's
just a tad hyperbolic. But, I mean, can you blame me? DI Menzie's down-to-earth, sarcastic approach to the usual array
Doctor Who's supernatural shenangicans is always fun, and I swear to god that every time Maggie Stables is in a scene the sheer gravity of her presence elevates the performances of the other actor(s) significantly. You get that, sometimes, with these elder actors who possess such a mountain of experience -- everyone they act with cannot help rise to the occasion. It's a lovely thing to see on screen, and just as lovely to hear.
And then there's the presence of a character named Flip, who I
think is the same Flip that will later become a 6th Doctor companion, alongside Constance Clarke? I haven't listened to many of those later MRs, so I could be misremembering the name, or this could just be a coincidence. But if she
is a future companion, well, that gives this story a wonderful layer of fanservice: Evelyn, the companion from the past (only two stories with her left to go!); Brewster and Menzies being sort-of-present-sort-of-not companions; and Flip from the future.
I generally tend to argue that stories need more than just
fanservice to be good, and thankfully
The Crimes of Thomas Brewster understands this, too. While lacking the thematic depth of other great fan-pleasers, like
Doctor Who and the Pirates,
Crimes still manages to tell a very fun story with a number of unexpected turns and delightfully absurd comedic moments. Who didn't love Evelyn immediately deducing that Brewster's Doctor was an I posted, only for the scene to cut immediately to the Doctor and Menzies, with the former being very oblivious to the latter's (very obvious) lies. Little touches like this ensured that a smile never left my face throughout the entire runtime -- I just sat there, grinning like a mad fool, until the credits rolled, and then for a bit more after that.
And then after seeing Brewster pretend to be the Doctor in the first half of the story, we get to see Menzies pretend to be the Doctor in the second half, with the Doctor himself -- the genuine article -- forced to play the part of companion. I fail to see how any 6th Doctor fan could view this reversal as anything short of delightful.
But, lest you think from this deluge of praise that I'm being a bit too uncritical of this story, I should probably hasten to point out some of the elements that didn't work as well as the could have or should have. The big one, the elephant here, is Brewster. He just... doesn't really work for me as a character. I find he's just too shallowly presented, so I don't really care what happens to him. He comes across more as a caricature than anything else -- a cardboard cutout, fulfilling his narrative role very functionally, but never coming across as a genuine
person. And the annoying thing is that I think Brewster's story here could have been improved greatly by a few minor adjustments.
First, there's the
fridging. When last we saw Brewster, he'd met a girl in the 21st century (I think... 2008?) and decided to settle down with her in the modern era. An ending where they made clear that Brewster barely knew the girl, and that the relationship might not work out. That not knowing, as Brewster said, was the point.
But then in
Crimes we learn that Brewster's love did end poorly, with his girlfriend (apparently their relationship did work out, after all) being involved in an automobile accident and being rendered comatose. It is suggested, but not outright stated, that she was then taken off life support at the hospital and passed away. It's an ugly trope, yes; it is also a very
boring trope. If Brewster truly needed to be
unattached in this story (and, as an aside: did he?) then why not simply allow them to have had an amicable break-up? You don't need to kill women to get them out of the story!
And then there's Brewster's epiphany: the modern world, as it turns out, is no place for him -- he belongs back in the past, in abject poverty. It is as though the writer of
Crimes wants to punish Brewster for
getting ideas above his station. It's a really, really depressing note to end this character's story on. Why?
Fortunately the flaws with Brewster's story fail to detract much from the overall experience here thanks to just how much Evelyn and Menzies wind up stealing the show. This is
not the only time we've had a timely-wimpy story with Evelyn encountering the Doctor's future companions, and it works so beautifully here I cannot help but lament that Big a finish never had the opportunity to do more. Can you imagine Evelyn meeting Leela? Or Ace! Ah, for what could have been.
.... .... .... ....
And then there's the BTS track. I don't always listen to these, but when I enjoy the story
this much, I must. And the revelation that Brewster's character was inspired by the original premise for Adric -- of all people, Adric?!? I am flabbergasted. Adric was supposed to have been our "cosmic artful dodger?" You mean to tell me, after all this time, Adric could have been
interesting? Oh my.
And finally, when I right out my thoughts on these stories, I often like to single out a particularly memorable line as the "quote of the story." You may have noticed this habit, and thought I'd simply forgotten to do so here, or perhaps found no one line especially worthy. Not so, my friends! There is indeed one astonishing quote in this release I feel I must highlight, but it comes not from the mouth of the Doctor, but from Colin Baker himself.
Quote of the release: "Evelyn is such a perfect foil and companion for my Doctor. And Maggie herself is even more perfect. She's one of the best people in the world, our Maggie. She's lovely."
So he says -- and I agree most emphatically. As I slowly move through the
Monthly Range, I edge closer and closer to that awful moment where I will have no more Evelyn stories left to listen to. As much As i couldn't but smile while listening to
Crimes, that giddy joy was always tinged with melancholy, as I knew that number would soon be reduced by one. And now... only two Evelyn stories left to go.
