Now we’re caught up with the Ninth Doctor releases it’s time to catch up with the Thirteenth Doctor, starting with “The Violet Hour”. Set in 1920s London and featuring predominantly women fighting back against the old fashioned (or then current I guess) dismissal of women as equal to men it certainly fits the bill as a Thirteenth Doctor story, sadly more of the TV side of things that these audios have tended to thankfully back away from. Still, there is a good story tucked away here regardless, so let’s take a look…
As mentioned the story is set in the 1920s with The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Yaz (Mandip Gill) arriving and finding out that a local Medium has gone missing, the latest in a line of mystics, psychics and other supernatural showmen to have vanished. Sounds like a fun and exciting case if it weren’t for the cold open where we hear the medium in question, Esther (Liv Andrusier) being experimented on by scientist Colonel Maltravers (David Robb) and his assistant Dr. Kidney (Joseph Arkley), where their attempt to up her psychic abilities end up burning her mind instead. So while we know what’s going on The Doctor and Yaz find out slowly, eventually meeting Esther’s sister Miriam (Olivia Marcus) who is determined to find out what happened to her sister when she saw Esther’s body “glowing blue” and therefore tipping her off to the idea something was up. She puts herself on stage as a spiritual act hoping to get the attention of the same people who took Esther, which ends up working.
After connecting the dots The Doctor and Yaz head to Maltravers’ lab to save her and find out that the corrupt scientist “only” wishes to use the Mediums to see his wife and child who died due to Spanish flu, but The Doctor recognises that what he’s trying to reach is a creature called an Idolon, and releasing it could destroy all of London…
The Continuity:
And we’re back with the “Doctor and Yaz on either side of a thing in the middle” covers! …Hooray?
With the exception of callbacks to previous audio adventures there isn’t anything to speak of here, beyond links to setting and themes but I don’t go that deep!
Overall Thoughts:
“The Violet Hour” was fine. Miriam and Esther were well realised characters, the villain had a compelling reason to be one rather than just moustache twirling evil (though I do always like a bit of moustache twirling!) and The Doctor and Yaz are still on fine form, it’s just everything felt a little… samey. Nothing here took me by surprise and the Victorian/early 20th century period is a little overdone in Who to say the least. In other words, it was good, but I doubt I’ll listen to it again…
Miriam is strapped to Maltravers’ machine and things start to go wrong, The Doctor recognising that Miriam seeing Esther’s body glowing meant she had actual supernatural powers and therefore the Idolon was actually able to latch onto her and try and pull through. The Doctor connects herself to Miriam’s mind and in her mindscape she not only meets Miriam and Esther but also The Tourist of previous stories fame, who claims to be looking for The Doctor because she loves her so much but she can’t control where she appears, so she begs for her help. As all looks bleak Miriam manages to control her grief and gain temporary power over the Idolon, showing Maltravers his family and then says goodbye to Esther as she closes off the Idolon for good.
Oh and The Doctor didn’t wake up afterwards so Yaz gives her a peck on the mouth to bring he back round, a little light-hearted moment that some parts of the Who fandom lost their shit over, for some reason… Miriam is happy to see Maltravers arrested, saying she’s learned killing in revenge would do no good. With all sorted The Doctor and Yaz head back to the TARDIS, the Doctor now determined to track down The Tourist and get to the bottom of it all…