The storyline of The Doctor and Rose constantly being pulled to the Powell Estate comes to a close with “Thirteen O’Clock”, and can I just say: boy that wasn’t worth it. Six stories over a year and we end with a sequel to a story from just a few years ago that was okay but not particularly memorable? Same writer so I’m sure he loved bringing back his old creations like they were beloved characters, but for me I was just left wondering why this was the big pay-off and not just a one off thing… Oh well, let’s take a look…
The Doctor (Christopher Eccsleton) tries to take himself and Rose (Billie Piper) away from the Powell Estate and the mid-00s but instead they get drawn back anyway, this time though the estate is nearly empty and full of mysterious fog. We also hear the, um, “long awaited return” of Saffron Windrose (Indigo Griffiths) who arrives on the estate due to it suffering from similar issues that she dealt with at the railway station during her previous adventure and it doesn’t take long for her to meet up with The Doctor and Rose. They’re all on the run from the classic cackling old hag stereotype Mrs. Crook (Sophie Thompson) who talks in riddles about “Room 13” and needing The Doctor and generally killing people. At one point The Doctor, Rose and Saffron are separated and all three are visited by Crook, who tries to use their fears and insecurities against them but it doesn’t work. The experience does confirm to The Doctor that the cause of all this chaos, and indeed the chaos of the past five adventures, is the returning, ugh, Grimminy-Grue (Dan Starkey), who wants a rematch with his old foe…
Overall it’s fine, but just a bit cliché and the returning characters just feel like a writer having a good time with their own creations rather than returning well-loved ones. Due to his annoying name and the fact he’d already been defeated having the “Grimminy-Grue” be the big bad of this six story arc was the biggest let down though.
The Continuity:
Nice cover again, although Saffron looks bored to death. Could they not have snapped a few other pictures of her?
As well as being the final part of the loosely linked series of six stories that have been released so far it’s also a direct sequel to Ninth Doctor solo audio “Station to Station”.
Overall Thoughts:
“Thirteen O’Clock” is a perfectly fine story with creepy nursery rhyme elements but it doesn’t rise beyond “fine”. It’s predictable, safe and a sequel to a story that made little to no impact on me, other than remembering disliking the name “Grimminy-Grue” a lot. Oh well, at least now we can explore some other things with The Doctor and Rose going forward…
The Doctor and Grue meet face to face and Grimminy has seen better days, still suffering from the effects of their last encounter. Grue decides on a game where they have to guess the motivating force behind each other’s actions, with Grue’s life on the line but he doesn’t accept The Doctors, so Rose puts her life on the line instead, much to The Doctor’s horror. The two trade guesses, each incorrect guess hurting them a fair amount, until The Doctor realises that Grimminy doesn’t seem to be trying very hard, so guesses his motivational force is the wish for death, and wins the game. The Doctor apologises to the evil force for not having realised sooner and Grue is destroyed for good, much to its relief. Saffron leaves, not interested in becoming a regular travelling companion, and The Doctor and Rose finally head off for pastures new.