False Coronets

Eleventh Doctor Chronicles #1.4

Released: 15 August 2018

Listened: 1/4/23

This is pretty much the only audio story so far in this project where Clara figures as a character. We also know from later stories that Clara admires Jane Austen quite a bit, so it’s nice that they get to meet in person. You can’t say they get along immediately; they seem to like one another, but Clara’s arrogance and stubbornness is on full display here, acting on her own, getting into trouble, and eventually getting in over her head. The plot involves an alternate timeline where history has gone off the rails and the monarchy was overthrown in the 19th century. As an American, it’s a little hard to sympathize with the idea that a republic would be an obviously bad thing, but there it is.The baddie in this story isn’t so much evil as simply amoral, not caring about humanity or what happens to history; they just want to get off the planet and go home. Which isn’t that different from others the Doctor has helped, but this time around he’s furious. I guess this story would go down better if I were more interested in this period of English history – or in Jane Austen – but this one didn’t click for me. Which is a bummer, because it’s the end of the Eleventh Doctor’s tenure in this project.