The Rocket Men

Companion Chronicles #6.2

Released: 10 August 2011

Listened: 1/31/20

I’ve been looking forward to this story for a while, because I’ve heard other Rocket Men stories, but I hadn’t heard the original. Plus, I love a John Dorney story. This is one of his earlier ones, so it’s relatively straightforward, and not as twisty as his later stories. The storyline is split in two, though, alternating between different time periods within the story, before catching up at the end. That serves to preserve the suspense of the cliffhanger before it happens, but there’s no narrative reason for the story to be split like that. Unlike the older Companion Chronicles, this is just a straight story, without a frame of an older Ian telling a story. While the cliffhanger is very dramatic, and probably would have looked amazing on TV, I was able to figure out the resolution, which takes a little bit away from it. The focus of the story is mostly on Ian, with Vicki in a minor role, and the Doctor mostly off-screen. Specifically, it’s about Ian and Barbara’s relationship finally moving forward, something that the extras imply they felt confident doing because The Sarah Jane Adventures had stated that they end up together. It’s emotionally satisfying, and appropriate that this story takes place late in their tenure. The Rocket Men may not be to everyone’s taste, since they’re modeled on 50s movie-serial villains, but I like them. They’re a legitimate recurring threat, and because their goals are relatively simple, they just have to be stopped when they appear, not completely crushed.