Doctor Who review: The Quintessence is a fresh look at the Cybermen

Last year saw the Third Doctor reunited with an old friend in The Return of Jo Jones. Taking place between Jon Pertwee’s last two seasons of Doctor Who, the Doctor and his close friend Jo are brought together again only a short while after saying goodbye in The Green Death.

But while it was only a short time for the Doctor, it’s been a lifetime for Jo. She’s been married, has kids, and even grandkids. She’s explored the world and has enjoyed an exciting life. But in recent years, she’s also suffered heartbreak too. The reunion with “her” Doctor happens only a short while after the death of her husband Cliff. As a result, she’s a very different woman to the young girl that the Doctor once knew, something established in The Return of Jo Jones and further explored in The Quintessence.

While Return was a trio of two-part stories, Quintessence is a full-length six-part story. I must admit, I have a soft spot for these. While there’s always a risk that the story moves too slowly or is dragged out, a good six-part story feels like an essential part of the Third Doctor’s era, so I’m very glad that Big Finish has brought these back in recent years. Especially for a story like this one.

Dark and stormy night

The Quintessence begins with the Doctor and Jo arriving at a Victorian manor called “Always”. The family they meet, the Pepperdines, appear welcoming, but there’s also something strange about them. Why is their manor on a distant world far from Earth? What is wrong with their daughter Emmeline? And who are the mysterious “angels” that want to help them?

Writers Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle do a great job of building up a strong sense of atmosphere and mystery with this story, particularly in the first two episodes. We gradually get to know the Pepperdines better as the Doctor and Jo ask more and more questions, as well as find out how dangerous the threat really is.

The plot may move a little too slowly at times, but thankfully Mooney and Pringle know how to spread out plenty of twists and continually shake things up. Not only do the Cybemen play a major role, but the story also heavily explores their origins and their homeworld Mondas.

The Mondasian Cybermen are still arguably the most terrifying version because there are still clear physical elements of humanity left. So it’s great that this six-part story explores some of the darker and more horrific elements of that.

Atmospheric horror

Amplifying the horror is the fact that this isn’t a typical Cybermen invasion story. Instead, it’s a story of how the Cybermen affects a small family. We grow to know the Pepperdines well over the course of six episodes, and as the story develops, the horror of what the Cybermen inflict on the family grows.

The story also explores themes of mortality and grief. Of how much the promise of immortality can appeal, and how much it costs. There are some rich and interesting themes featured in The Quintessence, and Mooney and Pringle do an excellent job of exploring those themes.

The Quintessence is another strong story in The Third Doctor Adventures. While slow to begin with, it handles the six-part format extremely well, and it’s a wonderfully dark take on one of Doctor Who’s greatest monsters. A very easy story to recommend, especially to fans of both the Third Doctor and the Cybermen.