Doctor Who: The Judgement of Isskar

As is obvious from the title, this is the start of a trilogy of stories that form a sequel of sorts to the “Key to Time” arc in the 16th season of the classic show. The basic concept is similar, although the reasons for having to find the Key are different, and, judging from this entry at least, form a much stronger element of the narrative (something really only true in the concluding story of the original).

An interesting twist is that this time the tracer is a human being, artificially created to help the Doctor. This does necessitate ditching Peri, which is done in a somewhat perfunctory manner, but I did enjoy the portrayal of companion/tracer Amy. In particular, we can see her slowly becoming more human as the story progresses, and I, for one, thought this was handled well, both by Guerrier and actress Ciara Janson (of Hollyoaks fame, so I'm told).

There's also another team searching for the Key, and the rivalry and contrast between them adds further to the story. The story itself is perhaps not as strong as the arc it fits within, and might be fairly lacklustre if forced to stand on its own. Even then, though, I liked the scenes with the Doctor trapped inside one of the segments of the key - its an interesting take on the nature of the thing. On the downside, the identity of the fourth segment is supposed to be a big mystery, and yet is immediately obvious from the moment the Doctor and Amy step out of the TARDIS.

Such weaknesses easily stop this from getting a 5, but, especially given that a second quest for the Key is hardly an innovative concept (it's also been done in the comics, and, apparently, in a computer game), this does ring some fresh changes on it, and leaves one wanting to know where it goes next.