The Union

Once and Future #7

Released: 25 October 2023

Listened: 10/8/23

The Doctors this time around are the Eighth and Fourth, splitting time more or less equally. And the timey-wimey elements are Susan and River, from relatively late points in their respective timelines. Susan remembers River as one of her teachers at Coal Hill, and doesn’t wig out too much when River reveals a lot more about her relationship with Susan’s grandfather. The action takes place on the Diamond Array, which is a fairly blunt reference to the 60th anniversary. The baddie turns out to be The Union, another renegade Time Lord, but one we’ve seen before. She’s played by Maureen O’Brien, and I certainly wouldn’t have known it was her if not for the credits. It's a Matt Fitton story, so relationships are at the forefront. Not just the Doctor's relationships with River or Susan, although those are promient. It's also the Doctor's relationship with themself...or selves, really. Although the Doctors sniping at each other is fairly standard in multi-Doctor stories, the Doctor asserts here that he's at peace with his past and future selves, leading all of them to turn up for a line or two. Except, well, it turns out that there is one Doctor that the others don't accept, and that's why this story appears at this point in the chronology. As with several other stories in this collection, I wish there had been a bit more plot. Finding an excuse to put all the Doctors together is the main thing, but the plot contrivance was a bit weak.