Doctor Who review: Dreadshade explores a universe after the Time War

The Eighth Doctor and Bliss return to Gallifrey, and the universe has forgotten something important, in the second episode of Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor: Time War 4.

The second story of Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor: Time War 4 explores an interesting scenario. Following the events of Palindrome, the Eighth Doctor and Bliss return to Gallifrey with an extremely important message. There’s just one problem: they can’t quite remember what that message is…

When Dreadshade begins with some significant amnesia for our two characters, I was ready to roll my eyes. After all, the Eighth Doctor has had amnesia countless times already by this point, going right back to his very beginning in the TV movie. In fact, both he and Bliss completely forgot who they were back in Time War 2, specifically in the episode In the Garden of Death. So I was understandably wary when Dreadshade begins with the Doctor and Bliss forgetting several important things.

However, as the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that it’s not as straightforward as that. The Doctor and Bliss haven’t forgotten who they are, just something extremely important. Something that carries on from Time War 3, in fact. (Spoilers for that box set follow.)

Screen and stage legend Julia McKenzie plays the Twelve in this story. But is she as cooperative as she once was?

(Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images)

Forgetting the Time War

During The War Valeyard, it was revealed that the Time War had ended. Due to the Valeyard’s actions, the Daleks had been completely wiped from everyone’s memory – and wiping them from existence in the process.

It was a huge twist – one that we know will be resolved by this box set’s end – but it does present an interesting idea: what would have happened if the Time Lords had truly won the Time War? How would they have reacted? And, just as interesting, what if they couldn’t even remember which enemy they had been fighting?

This is the real highlight of Dreadshade. Exploring what happens when the winners of a war can’t remember anything about it. How do you treat the enemy’s allies? How can you be sure of who or what you were fighting? Seeing the characters deal with these problems is fascinating to look at. On top of that, in a strange way, it’s exactly the kind of story that should be told in something like the Time War: revealing what happens when one side completely forgets the other.

However, at the same time, Dreadshade isn’t perfect. The Dreadshade itself is rather uninteresting as a character. While Suzanne Procter tries to do her best with the character, she’s not given a whole lot to do. As a result, the Dreadshade fails to stand out on its own terms.

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The Twelve

But honestly, what’s perhaps more disappointing is the return of the Twelve. In Time War 2, they stood out as a truly brilliant character, one that was extremely different from her other incarnations like the Nine or the Eleven. She wasn’t exactly heroic, but she was certainly far less villainous than most of her previous personalities, all of which are still inside her head. How Time War 2 explored her ongoing conflict with her previous selves made her an extremely interesting character.

So it’s honestly disappointing that in this episode, she’s presented as the clear villain of the story. While Julia McKenzie is great to listen to, it feels like a step back that honestly comes out of nowhere. There’s not even a sense of a struggle or her fighting back against her previous selves, which could have been great to listen to if handled right. So what should have been the episode’s most exciting element instead becomes one of its weakest.

Overall, Dreadshade explores an interesting scenario. If it had explored that scenario further, it could have been as strong as the other two stories in this box set. As it is, it stands out rather too easily as Time War 4‘s weakest story.

What do you think of Dreadshade‘s central idea? Do you think it’s worth exploring right in the middle of the Time War? Let us know in the comments below.