Day of the Vashta Nerada

Classic Doctors, New Monsters #2.4

Released: 27 July 2017

Listened: 1/12/22

This time around, the “new monsters” are the Vashta Narada, which does qualify nicely as “new series.” However, they’re invisible, hide in shadows, and don’t talk (the ones from “Silence in the Library” were an exception), all of which makes them tricky to capture on audio. Even more astoundingly, they’re in two stories in this box: the Fourth Doctor story that started the box had them on Funworld, and this story transplants the same colony to a research station. It’s not really a direct sequel, just a link, and nothing really comes of that. The Vashta Narada are being engineered for a variety of benevolent purposes, but of course they could also be a weapon, and surprise, the Time Lords are subsidizing that for the war. Specifically, Cardinal Olistra is overseeing the program, which means the wonderful Jacqueline Pearce is in this story, and she’s amazingly snotty and dismissive throughout, even when her life is in danger. Because naturally one of the human scientists decides to pull a Jurassic Park, and then all hell breaks loose. There really isn’t a lot more to the plot than a standard run, hide, run some more story, but the tension is kept up pretty well, given that the antagonist can’t verbally menace anybody. The Doctor’s attitude toward the war hasn’t changed any, but Olistra is already getting sick of his dodging. At the moment, she just wants him out of her way, but that will change. It’s a decent story, but that’s about all.