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Big Finish: Monthly Range #184
Doctor Who: Scavenger
Thursday 28 May 2071: the day the Anglo-Indian Salvage 2 rocket launches. Its mission: to clean up space; to remove from Earth’s orbit over a century’s worth of man-made junk...
From the viewing window of a nearby space station, the Doctor and Flip have a unique view of Salvage 2 as it sets about its essential task – and of the disaster that unfolds when Salvage 2 encounters something it’s not been programmed to deal with. Something not of human manufacture...
Back on Earth, the Doctor fights to save Flip from becoming part of a 500-year tragedy being played out in orbit, hundreds of miles above. And millions will die if he fails.
From the viewing window of a nearby space station, the Doctor and Flip have a unique view of Salvage 2 as it sets about its essential task – and of the disaster that unfolds when Salvage 2 encounters something it’s not been programmed to deal with. Something not of human manufacture...
Back on Earth, the Doctor fights to save Flip from becoming part of a 500-year tragedy being played out in orbit, hundreds of miles above. And millions will die if he fails.
Audio CD
First published March 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 5, 2018
The Doctor and Flip arrive in 2071 just as an unmanned spacecraft is being launched to help clear up Earth's orbital space junk. Naturally, the mission soon goes wrong as a mysterious alien object becomes involved.
The action is divided between Earth orbit and Mission Control, with a lot of the events consisting of satellites and the like maneuvering about in space. This actually works rather better in audio than one might expect, forcing the focus of the actual story onto the conversations between the various characters, rather than on more traditional, visually-oriented, action.
One of the main sub-plots is based around the fact that this isn't a NASA mission, but an ISRO one, backed by British funding that causes evident strains with the Indian operators. There are some digs at Britain's colonialist past in here, as well as an indication that alien spaceships have just as much reason to materialise in the skies over New Delhi as they normally do over London. Notably, the play features Anjli Mohindra, formerly of The Sarah Jane Adventures, as a journalist - it's one of those moments where you think "that character would make a good companion", although that's not the way the story goes.
Some of the orbital mechanics do seem rather dodgy, and perhaps some of the tensions in the operations team are a little overplayed. One of the main characters also has a somewhat implausible backstory, albeit one that's very relevant to what's going on. But I did like the fact that the main antagonist remains a disembodied voice (something that works better on audio than it would on TV) rather than just another odd-looking alien. And, while there are surely many countries that have received even less attention on Doctor Who , it's good to see India being in the spotlight for a change.
The supposed plot arc that kicked off a couple of releases back still doesn't properly materialise, although that fact doesn't impact this story, when taken on its own. Indeed, it would likely draw attention away from Flip, who received some good characterisation here, with her daredevil side particularly coming to the fore.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, but, as it's at the end of its loose trilogy, it's one that doesn't get resolved for quite a few releases to come.
The action is divided between Earth orbit and Mission Control, with a lot of the events consisting of satellites and the like maneuvering about in space. This actually works rather better in audio than one might expect, forcing the focus of the actual story onto the conversations between the various characters, rather than on more traditional, visually-oriented, action.
One of the main sub-plots is based around the fact that this isn't a NASA mission, but an ISRO one, backed by British funding that causes evident strains with the Indian operators. There are some digs at Britain's colonialist past in here, as well as an indication that alien spaceships have just as much reason to materialise in the skies over New Delhi as they normally do over London. Notably, the play features Anjli Mohindra, formerly of The Sarah Jane Adventures, as a journalist - it's one of those moments where you think "that character would make a good companion", although that's not the way the story goes.
Some of the orbital mechanics do seem rather dodgy, and perhaps some of the tensions in the operations team are a little overplayed. One of the main characters also has a somewhat implausible backstory, albeit one that's very relevant to what's going on. But I did like the fact that the main antagonist remains a disembodied voice (something that works better on audio than it would on TV) rather than just another odd-looking alien. And, while there are surely many countries that have received even less attention on Doctor Who , it's good to see India being in the spotlight for a change.
The supposed plot arc that kicked off a couple of releases back still doesn't properly materialise, although that fact doesn't impact this story, when taken on its own. Indeed, it would likely draw attention away from Flip, who received some good characterisation here, with her daredevil side particularly coming to the fore.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, but, as it's at the end of its loose trilogy, it's one that doesn't get resolved for quite a few releases to come.
February 18, 2021
3.5 Ends on a cliffhanger.
March 16, 2024
Kinda bothered me that it ended on a cliffhanger.
May 6, 2015
Scavenger is the sixth episode with Flip Jackson as the Doctor's Companion (arguably seventh if you include her introduction in
The Crimes of Thomas Brewster
), and while it might not be the best Flip episode, I was surprised to discover just how much I'd come to enjoy her presence in the Tardis. For awhile she felt like the writers' failed attempt to recreate the sparkling chemistry that the Doctor had with Lucie Miller, but slowly I'd come to accept her on her own terms. After all, Flip is not Lucie, and Six is no Eight.
Her six stories frequently showed her to be an unusually brave risk-taker (for example, piloting an ultra-light across a sea of Wirrn), and she was often left to her own devices while the Doctor was dealing with other plot elements. (Or in one case, not even really himself.)
So there were times where the Doctor really seemed to be treating her like an unwanted tag-along. Over the course of this second trilogy, every mention of Peri (on the Doctor's mind because of the events of Antidote to Oblivion ) seems to verify for Flip that she's playing second fiddle to the memory of Peri.
Okay, that's a deep reading, but I think it's there. And I think it fully informs the final scenes with Flip's message to the Doctor and his reaction.
Oh, the story!
The story itself is pretty simple: a joint British/Indian project to clean up space junk goes awry when a Borg-like space probe appears and attempts to assimilate stuff. The episode might be padded out a little too much, and the solutions might border on Deus Ex Technobabble, . . . but it does grab your attention.
Presumably, this episode is followed directly by The Widow's Assassin , and until I hear otherwise, I'll assume that's where it fits.
Her six stories frequently showed her to be an unusually brave risk-taker (for example, piloting an ultra-light across a sea of Wirrn), and she was often left to her own devices while the Doctor was dealing with other plot elements. (Or in one case, not even really himself.)
So there were times where the Doctor really seemed to be treating her like an unwanted tag-along. Over the course of this second trilogy, every mention of Peri (on the Doctor's mind because of the events of Antidote to Oblivion ) seems to verify for Flip that she's playing second fiddle to the memory of Peri.
Okay, that's a deep reading, but I think it's there. And I think it fully informs the final scenes with Flip's message to the Doctor and his reaction.
Oh, the story!
The story itself is pretty simple: a joint British/Indian project to clean up space junk goes awry when a Borg-like space probe appears and attempts to assimilate stuff. The episode might be padded out a little too much, and the solutions might border on Deus Ex Technobabble, . . . but it does grab your attention.
Presumably, this episode is followed directly by The Widow's Assassin , and until I hear otherwise, I'll assume that's where it fits.
April 30, 2014
When the Doctor takes Flip to see Earth from a new perspective, the pair become separated and caught up in a centuries-old love story…
July 12, 2014
A computer is protecting the earth but needs humans to live.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews