In Memory Alone

UNIT #3.4

Released: 23 November 2016

Listened: 4/10/23

Throughout this whole story, it’s never been clear (to UNIT, anyway) exactly what the Silence want, mostly because the Doctor never told them. Which means that we haven’t been invited to think about what it’s been like for them, stuck on Earth for over 50 years with every single human programmed to kill them on sight. Basically, they’d really like to leave. Unfortunately, they also want revenge on humanity, which, again, is understandable, but it’s the Doctor who did this; humanity was just a tool. After the last story, everybody’s forgotten the Silence again, and even the UNIT staff who know about them were subliminally conditioned to think the threat was dealt with. Osgood and Sam have gone up to the UNIT space platform…because of course UNIT has a space platform. However, it’s not much more advanced than the ISS, so that keeps it within the realm of plausibility. Unfortunately, there’s a Silent on the station with them, who reprograms Sam and Osgood to its own ends. Jacqui McGee is back, and once again frustrated that UNIT is apparently ignoring her info about the Silence. Fortunately, she and UNIT don’t stay confused for too long, and Jacqui is able to contribute much more positively than she did back in “Extinction.” Josh has only a minor role this time, but he makes clear the confusion and frustration experienced by those who’ve been exposed to the Silence for a long period of time. On the whole, this boxed set is more about the plotting than anything else, which I think plays more to Dorney’s strengths than Fitton’s, but only by a little bit. The Silence on the whole are one of Moffat’s one-trick-pony monsters, who work really well for the story they’re in, but you can’t think about them as a society, or even as individuals, or they stop making sense. This set nicely walked the line of considering the aftermath of “Day of the Moon” without having to humanize the Silence all that much. Aside from some unintentional comedy, it works quite well.