1.5 - Phobos

I'm surprised to see this one rated so poorly. There's literally nothing wrong. Some people complain about a lack of originality, but frankly, originality is over-rated. All fiction is derivative, and it has been for thousands of years. A so-called "original" story is just one whose antecedents you aren't familiar with. Yes, "Phobos" is a collection of several familiar tropes that we've all seen before, but never arranged together quite like this, with these characters, in this setting, with these themes, and that's as original as any "Doctor Who" story needs to be. What makes a story good is whether these elements are used well together in service to the overall story, and in this case, they are.

So yeah, the idea of a alien entity feeding on fear sounds like "The Fearmonger" (and lots of other sci-fi stories), but connecting this to extreme sports gives "Phobos" a fresh and contemporary take on a very old idea. That plus a good cast of characters, a workable plot, and an interesting setting is all you need for a really good story. And "Phobos" has all of that.

I especially love this story's take on the Doctor. The idea that he enjoys the dangerous situation he often finds himself in is quite interesting. Again, it's not an entirely original observation, but it fits well with the themes of the story.

Phobos is a story that falls to a problem much of the new series falls to that its conclusion comes out of nowhere and this doesn't allow the story to be as good as it could be. This is because the ending to anything is the most important aspect of the story because it is what will make the thing worth experiencing and Phobos rushes it. Saying this must mean Phobos is bad, which isn't really the case, because the acting is extremely strong. After their rather boring turns in Immortal Beloved, Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are back on form with some of the wittiest dialogue between them. It really feels that the Doctor and Lucie have the relationship of sort of mild acquaintances nearing friendship which gives way to some fun dialogue between them. The supporting cast is also great to listen to especially Nerys Hughes. I also like a little joke at the very end concerning the Headhunter who has been trying to capture Lucie.

This is an oddly maligned story, but I have to admit I rather enjoyed Phobos. It features some great concepts as the Doctor lands on Phobos and finds it's been turned into a key resort for "drennies" adrenaline-seeking extreme sports nuts. Personally, I liked the concepts and the characterization of Paul McGann's Doctor was strong and the way he handles the final encounter is classic. I also like nature of the threat and what's behind the warnings of the old man.

There are some slow parts and at times, it feels like there were a couple side characters too many to be perfect, but mostly Phobos manages admirably. My one big annoyance was a statement that implied that the only reason that a man would be close to another man, travel with him, and take interest in what he does is because of hidden homosexual attachments. As if it male friendships weren't awkward enough.

Still, this is a good story that I enjoyed quite well.

A good solid Who but its let down by a few cliches and a lack of originality - we've had robots built to scare people away already have we Colony in Space? What's impressive about the McGann audios is the guest artists coming in and another two acting greats in this. Good but nothing special.