Doctor Who review: The Lives of Captain Jack: Crush
By James Aggas
In the opening episode of Doctor Who spin-off box set The Lives of Captain Jack: Volume Three, Jack takes Jackie Tyler on a luxury cruise in space, but things don’t go according to plan.
Crush begins the third volume of Doctor Who spin-off The Lives of Captain Jack by reuniting Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) with Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri). A pair of characters that worked brilliantly together back in volume one’s Wednesdays for Beginners, Jack decides to do a favor for his friend by taking her on a luxury cruise in space. A nice treat for Jackie. Of course, things don’t exactly go to plan…
I must admit, Guy Adams’s story went in a different direction to what I was expecting. For most of the episode, it puts Jack and Jackie in a rather unusual setting. At least, for something in the Doctor Who universe. For many of us, it’s a situation that we can heavily relate to.
Perhaps the strangest thing about this episode is that, despite being in a setting constantly full of people, it almost feels like a two-hander. Paul Clayton has a great guest role in this story, but it’s Jack and Jackie that are the focus for this episode.
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Jack and Jackie
This is definitely a smart move. Particularly since their last story together was entirely a two-hander, and showed us what a brilliant pairing the two make. Jack and Jackie are such an unusual combination, but thanks to strong performances by both Barrowman and Coduri, as well as well-written scripts, it’s a pairing that you could listen to for hours.
What stands out is how the story highlights just how different these two are. While they get along easily and brilliantly, they have very different lives. Jack is adventurous and has seen so much of the universe already. Jackie’s life however is much more simple. She’s lucky if she’s able to leave the Powell Estate.
Exploring the differences between these two gives us some really great character moments. This is especially true of Jackie. There’s a fantastic speech she gives near the end on how she really feels about being the mother of someone who constantly sees the whole of time and space.
Crush is a great example of why The Lives of Captain Jack works so well. It’s a fantastic little character piece that opens up this latest volume nicely, and it’s a lovely reminder of why both of its two main characters are still loved by fans.
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What adventures should Jack and Jackie have next? Do you think they should have had adventures together on television? Let us know in the comments below.