Doctor Who review: Two Doctors conflict over the fate of a friend in Daughter of the Gods

Two Doctors and four companions clash in Daughter of the Gods, a wonderful tribute to two distinct eras of Sixties Doctor Who.

Daughter of the Gods is an extremely special story from Big Finish. Imagined as the kind of story that Doctor Who could have made to celebrate its fifth anniversary, Daughter of the Gods features two Doctors, four companions and the Daleks at their deadliest! However, it’s also about far more than that. Because in this case, one of the companions isn’t meant to be there…

It’s pretty bold that Big Finish are telling a story with Katarina, mainly because there isn’t any room to tell her story. She joined at the end of The Myth Makers, which lead directly into The Daleks’ Master Plan. A few episodes into that particular epic, she was shockingly killed off. Big Finish have given us stories with another companion who died in the story – in this case, Sara Kingdom – but unlike Katarina, there was a clear gap where other adventures could have taken place for her. No such gap exists with Katarina, however. So how is she alive in this story?

Don’t worry, Big Finish aren’t suddenly trying to do what Steven Moffat did with Clara (and several other companions) and bring Katarina back from the dead permanently. Instead, the core of Daughter of the Gods‘s story is that Katarina’s existence is only a result of time going wrong. But how? And how will the First Doctor react when his immediate successor tries to “fix” it?

Fellow companions

Before we get to the multi-Doctor portion of the story, David K Barnes very cleverly builds up to the meeting from two different viewpoints. Part one focuses on the Second Doctor and his companions, while part two builds up to exactly the same cliffhanger, but from the First Doctor’s perspective. It’s a great use of the serial narrative, and helps to add some great structure to the story.

On top of that, along with the two Doctors meeting each other, we also get some great interaction between all four companions, too. Zoe gets to show off how clever she is to Steven, who pretty much just takes it in his stride. (It probably helps that he’s gotten used to both the Doctor and Vicki showing off, by this point.)

However, the real highlight companion wise is the pairing of Jamie with Katarina. These two companions share a lot in common due to coming from historical backgrounds, and so they find the worlds they see much stranger than their friends do. They do have some key differences, particularly in what they believe in. But they also seem to be genuine kindred spirits. Hearing them together is a delight, even when we (and of course, the Second Doctor) know that it’s very temporary.

Doctors and companions clash in Daughter of the Gods, a multi-Doctor story like no other!

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Opposing sides

We’ve had multi-Doctor stories before. We’ve also seen different Doctors argue and bicker many times. (Especially the Second and Third Doctors.) But, while the different Doctors may have different personalities and different experiences, they do share the same core moral values. So it’d be silly for them to be on opposite sides in a situation, right?

Not in Daughter of the Gods. David K Barnes has given us this fantastic moral dilemma, one that the two Doctors feel entirely differently about. And it happens in a very believable and natural way, too. The First Doctor is wise, but he’s also arrogant and even irresponsible compared to his successor. It’s fantastic how this story explores that, and reminds us that, while the Second Doctor often plays the fool, he still has a strong sense of responsibility.

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Also, what really helps to raise the stakes incredibly high for both Doctors is that the threat they have to face in this story is big. The Daleks are back, and they’re more powerful than ever. The way this story connects back to Master Plan is so satisfying, and not only increases the stakes for this story, but reveals just how high the stakes were in the original Dalek epic, too. This only helps to add so much more weight to the moral dilemma that both Doctors have to face.

Ever since its announcement back in March, I’ve been really looking forward to Daughter of the Gods. It didn’t disappoint. Like his earlier story The Dalek Occupation of Winter, David K Barnes brilliantly captures the spirit of this era while giving us plenty of fantastic drama. Daughter of the Gods is a multi-Doctor story like no other, one that’s far more focused on character exploration and moral dilemmas than on nostalgia, and therefore works beautifully well as a result. A thoroughly enjoyable release.

Will you be listening to Daughter of the Gods? Are you a fan of multi-Doctor stories? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.