Jacob Licklider’s Reviews > Doctor Who: Decalog 2 - Lost Property > Status Update

Question Mark Pyjamas by Robert Perry & Mike Tucker: And we end on a high note with the House on Allen Road, sort of. The Doctor, Benny, and Ace are on top form here and it really is a shame that Perry and Tucker were never able to write for the VNAs: their style is already developed and there BBC Books do feel like they would work as VNAs.

Timeshare by Vanessa Bishop: That was excellent. Six and Peri are written so well and leap off the page, and having everything come down to a miscommunication (and the Doctor being wrong about something) makes for a really fun twist.

People of the Trees by Pam Baddeley: This one is fine. The Doctor and Leela are nice, especially considering Leela only appears in Lungbarrow in the VNA/VMAs. It's an environmentalist/conservationist story story but it doesn't actually add up to much.

Lonely Days by Daniel Blythe: Not good. It might be the best thing Blythe has written for Who, if only because it is short. It's basically Listen but less pretentious and with boring characters. 5 and Nyssa really make no impression.

The Nine-Day Queen by Matthew Jones: It's very weird to see the first work of Jones for Doctor Who knowing where he goes with the show. I do like a lot of what this does, but it feels like it's a bit too long.

Housewarming by David A. McIntee: That was decent. The Master with Sarah Jane and Mike Yates was fun, but it kind of feels like a comedown after the past two stories.

The Trials of Tara by Paul Cornell: Utterly brilliant. Cornell does a Shakesperean comedy with excellence, with plenty of in jokes and nudges to the audience. It should be performed.

Where the Heart Is by: Andy Lane: And there's a standout story! Absolutely brilliant with Jo, the Brigadier, and the Doctor having three parallel plots that really come together in the end.

Vortex of Fear by: Gareth Roberts: A great opening story that really focuses in on Zoe and shows that Roberts should have done a 2nd Doctor VMA at some point, would have been better than most of the 2nd Doctor VMAs.