The epic 12-part adventure Hooklight, from the master storyteller Tim Foley, concludes…
Last month, the TARDIS found itself in the mythic realm of Morning and her crew began an epic 12-part adventure. Hooklight 1 split our heroes up across time and space as they grappled with the malign influence of Hooklight – a mysterious substance with the power to freeze time itself.
However, there was more to contend with than just the threat of hooklight and those who seek to control it. A mysterious figure sat in the background of the story, seemingly guiding the Doctor’s actions… and a shocking reveal in the final episode left us slack-jawed.
Heading into part two, the producers have decided to make that reveal on the cover art. We’re sticking with the placeholder cover here, but beware spoilers as you head beyond this point!
Hooklight 2
The second set begins with our players spread out across the realm, and it’s here that we begin to hear from the Oracle. We learn that the Time Lords took interest in hooklight during the Time War, but soon deemed it uncontrollable. Following them, the Eighth Doctor lost his TARDIS to it and took a wound, leading to him wearing an eyepatch, Travis-like.
Paul McGann’s Doctor doesn’t dominate though, and this very much remains a Fifth Doctor story, although the Eighth does get to encounter each of the companions at one point or another.
With the Oracle in play, the story threads slowly draw together across the remaining episodes, but there’s room for one wonderful excursion. If episodes had individual titles, number eight would surely be called “Whatever happened to Tegan Jovanka?” It picks up her story on a frozen world at the distant edge of the system. Stranded, she finds an ally and eventually a way to get a message out. It’s a terrific slow burn of a tale in its own right, as Tegan draws closer to Oskar (Shogo Miyakita) across the story.
In summary
If there was any doubt before, Hooklight is the proof that Tim Foley is a master storyteller. Across the wide canvas of twelve episodes, he weaves a complex tale which succeeds on multiple levels. There are distinct stories for all four leads, with opportunities for character growth, and a number of interesting guest roles.
Of those guests, Celia Imrie’s ill-fated Dr Kessica Myles is terrific and her relationship with the Doctor works particularly well. What is it about Peter Davison’s Doctor and older women? Davlin Crux (Kerian Bew) also sparkles, briming with dashing self-confidence.
the attention given to Adric across the story is great, it’s far more than he ever received on screen and proves what the character might have been. While some of the story’s events are inevitably lost to time, we know it’s coming and the reset is achieved in a fitting way. In fact, given this chance to shine, for Adric it’s quite the tragedy.
Through six hours of twists, turns and grand adventure, Hooklight is an absolute triumph! It’s also a tale that is sure to reward on multiple re-listens too.
Doctor Who – The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Hooklight 2 is out now. It’s available to purchase on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download), or download to own, from Big Finish.