7.X - Landbound

During his exile on Earth, the Third Doctor runs into a Sea Captain who has been forced into retirement and now owns pub. The two form a believable friendship. When the Doctor gets his ship back, he decides to help the Captain get his.

This isn't a surprising story, or a grand tale, but it is a good story that's pleasant to listen to and gives you the type of story you'd expect and want to hear. Overall, a satisfying and very nice listen.

In a small seaside town, Ronald Henderson owns a pub and lives a lonely life. He used to have a grand life captaining a ship on the open seas but was stripped of his rank and set upon the land to wander in thought and in loss. But when a strange man wanders into his shop in a very similar position, it seems that Mr. Henderson might have an opportunity to move forward with his life. But in order to do so, both have to come to terms with who they are with their past.....In the same vein as the Seventh Doctor short story "Forever Fallen" which I covered in a previous entry, 'Landbound' serves as another tribute to assistant Paul Spragg of Big Finish Productions who tragically passed away in 2017. Written by submission and chosen by the company itself, it takes a similar approach and tone and is an interesting, action-light, quiet, and very comfortable story that tackles surrounding consequences of a Doctor we don't often get to see looked at in that regard. Voiced and narrated by Nicholas Briggs, this time it's the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. While Briggs is not a good Third Doctor in voice at all, the story does bring a strong exploration of a sometimes forgotten struggle of this incarnation in a particular moment that appears to have shaken him more than the show ever let on. It doesn't feel quite as deep as 'Fallen' in exploring its themes but it's still a fascinating listen with a very well written side character in Henderson. I really enjoyed him as a person and you really sympathize with him and his struggles. He and the Doctor feel like old souls who need and help each other to get through that moment. It's somewhat predictable in plot and story but it's still very well written especially for essentially a fan submission story with a gorgeous little moral and ending that fits for what it was meant to be. As a whole, 'Landbound' isn't quite the masterpiece as its predecessor but it's still a very worthy half an hour listen especially for fans of the Third Doctor.