Recap / Big Finish Doctor Who 091 Circular Time

Four standalone episodes starring Nyssa and the Fifth Doctor, themed around the seasons. "Spring" and "Summer" were written by Mike Maddox, "Autumn" and "Winter" by Paul Cornell.

Spring

The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa visit a paradise planet, on a mission from the Gallifreyan High Council. They're there to stop the leader of the bird-people, who's another renegade Time Lord... but he doesn't want to leave. The bird society has a system of punishment that involves harming the loved ones of criminals in their stead. The Time Lord, Zero, is well aware of who the Doctor is, and what here's there for — and while the Doctor discusses the intricate politics of regeneration, and the fact that Zero's TARDIS isn't so much in the great lake as it is the great lake, Zero confesses that he needs his TARDIS in order to stay alive. The bird-people's language is much too complicated to work with the inherent Time Lord Translator Microbes alone, and Zero's entirely dependent on his TARDIS' translation circuits (as well as some glued-on feathers) for survival. The Doctor, who's not happy with his job, confesses that he's been sent by the Time Lords to have a word with Zero about the conditions of his exile — particularly, the fact that Zero hasn't done his forced regeneration yet. And isn't planning to, since regenerating would render him unable to keep the trust of the bird people. Nyssa is shocked to discover that the Doctor was exiled to begin with, let alone that he was executed (a fact he'd neatly kept hidden from her). Zero has some rather more interesting plans: he frames Nyssa and the Doctor and makes it seem like they murdered him, and uses the process and some local poison to regenerate cross-species, into the mystical prophet of the bird-people. He plans to take them soaring into the skies again using zeppelins, to abolish their backwards laws of punishment and to become a God. Five and Nyssa high-tail it out of there.

Summer

Off to the Tower of London (again) in the 17th century for the Doctor and Nyssa, who've been arrested for forgery, of all things. The Doctor absent-mindedly gave Nyssa a handful of future coins to pay with at a bar, and the arresting officer was the Doctor's old friend, Isaac Newton. Sir Isaac is interested in the coins. Really interested. The Doctor is in no mood to try and explain that he's regenerated since his days of lobbing apples at Newton's head, and tries an appeal to kindness, then an appeal to religion (much to Nyssa's confusion). He also tries to wow the guard by quoting from Jon Pertwee's "Who is the Doctor?". It goes... badly. Newton, for his part, doesn't care much about the Doctor. But he does care about what's on the coins — noticing the years, the Tudor symbols, the long life of Elizabeth II, the unification of Europe, the position of the Irish harp, the material of the futuristic metals, the wear and grease on the ancient ones... and, through a truly magnificent and very elaborate Awesome by Analysis sequence, correctly deduces everything there is to know about future Earth and the TARDIS. Realizing that the Earth will eventually fall victim to an extraterrestrial invasion, he initially concludes that the Doctor has travelled in time to gloat over the moments of human history. Following a very tense standoff, Nyssa steps in and talks cold science to Newton, and with a little help from the Doctor, is able to placate him with the wonders of the future and tales of Newton's own legacy. Unfortunately, the excitement brings on "one of his funny turns," and Newton then collapses, giving the Doctor the opportunity to send Nyssa back to the TARDIS while he does his best to keep Newton's seizure from becoming terminal. Mollified by the Doctor's honesty concerning the future, Newton allows him to go free - before passing out. The Doctor then returns to the TARDIS, saying that Newton will be fine in a few days, and in fact will already be bored with what he learned of time travel.

Fall

Stockbridge, sometime in the early 20th century. While the Doctor larks about playing cricket in early fall, Nyssa tries to write a novel about her life on Traken. A young Englishman named Andrew takes an interest in her writing, and fails to understand why Nyssa's story doesn't have a villain in it, or anything evil at all. Nyssa boldly decides to explain life on Traken to him, and reveals her alien nature. Andrew doesn't believe her. But he's intrigued by what a strange girl she is, and kisses her... Nyssa's first ever kiss. She's shocked by how natural and sudden it was. All her life, she'd imagined the moment as a logical thing, something that might happen and that she would have to deal with as part of a larger process, but now the moment has come and gone and Andrew will forever have that part of her. But, since the Doctor is hanging around for a few weeks for the cricket tournament, she decides to give romance a go. The Doctor's closest friend on the team (and much of the rest of the group) turns out to be a racist bigot, and although Nyssa toys with the idea of staying with Andrew forever, she soon realises that he's just a rude bloke, and that's she's more intrigued by the idea of a relationship than by him as a person. The Doctor's friend passes away before the final match; Andrew starts behaving more and more like a "typical man" (in a deliberately exaggerated way), driving Nyssa away. She correctly diagnoses him with commitment issues, and leaves him quietly in the night, leaving behind her finished manuscript. It includes a villain now. Nyssa was intensely scared by the idea of a manuscript about her dead planet living on even after she would die, but found herself becoming more mature about the idea during the writing process. If nothing else, being loved for a few weeks helped her deal with what the Master did to her and her family, and made her significantly more realistic and mature about the existence of villainy.

Winter

Nyssa, now many years older and happily married on Terminus, has a nightmare about the Doctor and realises that it's more than just a dream. Her husband, Lasarti, is a dream technology specialist, and Nyssa asks to be hooked up into his beta-stage experiment so she can replay her dream lucidly. In the dreamscape, she meets the Doctor — also happily married, old and by now retired. He's got a beautiful farm together with Peri, his wife, and Tegan and Turlough, his two young children. They enjoy their quiet life and watch the Master once a week on the telly. And he's quite convinced that Nyssa is his dream, not the other way around. Nyssa and Lasarti are eventually able coax him out of the fantasy, and the Doctor realises what's really going on: he's regenerating, and his mind and body are unable to cope with the spectrox poisoning. The entire dream is taking only a few seconds in real life, but the Master (with Kamelion's help) is trying to trick him into thinking he's a simple human who's happy living out his life with a family - so that he'll remain trapped in the dream and allow his body to die. Luckily, the TARDIS has created a zero energy sanctuary for him within the dream, and a little time there gives the Doctor the clarity to remember who he is: not even remotely suited for a quiet, retired life. He fondly remembers all his companions and gains the strength to complete his regeneration. While Lasarti burns down the house and finally puts Kamelion out of his misery, the Doctor gently takes Nyssa's hands, kisses her forehead and dashes off towards his Watcher. He mentions how colourful and proud his next regeneration will be, and jumps right into his Watcher, colliding with it and dragging them both back into reality.

---

Tropes:

• Arc Number: The Doctor, out of his mind, at one point muses how many children he's lost, he gets up to five.
• Awesome by Analysis: Newton does one of the most brilliant Sherlock Scan sequences ever.
• Batman Gambit: Zero tricks The Doctor into inadvertently causing his regeneration.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: In Winter the Doctor is trying to help his regeneration by reaching out to his companions, however the Master is trying to prevent his regeneration.

• Bird People: The Avian People, a flightless bird people in Spring.
• Bittersweet Ending: In Fall, the team wins the Cricket game, however Don dies during the last run.
• Body Surf: The Master's stealing Tremas' body gets a mention.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: The Doctor's dream house has animals and shelters down the field, and up the front a cricket patch. And in the old barn 'round the back there's a coffin.
• Call-Back: The Doctor wakes Zero up with a shock by shouting: "Look out! Vampires!"
  • In Summer he mentions he still hasn't made a new screwdriver.
• Call-Forward: The Doctor mentions his next self is quite a person, and the colours burn in his mind.
  • The Doctor mentions to Nyssa in Summer he'd like to visit the Council of Nicaea.
• Catchphrase: The Doctor says: "Sorry, must dash!" and later "Brave heart."
• Celibate Hero: Nyssa mentions never being able to imagine the Doctor with a wife.

• Continuity Porn: Paul Cornell went to town on this one:
  • The Doctor mentions if he had a rope and harness back on Earth on that telescope tower, he'd still be wearing a long scarf and handing out Jelly Babies.
  • Zero refers to the Doctor as a rebel president.
  • The Doctor mentions one of his regenerations was forced upon him.
  • Isaac Newton mentions that there was no apple that dropped on his head, there were several, and they struck him in his face. The Fourth Doctor mentions he's dropped apples on Newton's head.
  • Nyssa mentions the adventures up until Terminus and the Master taking over her father's body.
  • All of the Fifth Doctor's companions get a mention in Winter (Except Erimem.)
  • He also employs his Catchphrase.
  • Nyssa thinks the figure in white she sees in Winter might be The Watcher.
  • The Coffin turns out to be a Zero room.
• Counterfeit Cash: The Doctor and Nyssa, due to having coins from other time periods, are mistaken for forgers by Isaac Newton and arrested.
• Crapsaccharine World: The Avian world seems pleasant and murder is low, however this is because when someone commits a crime a loved one is punished in their place, even if they are a child.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: Isaac Newton hates Catholics.
• Dream Walker: Nyssa's husband's machine enables them to enter her dreams, and therefore the Doctor's.
• Dream Weaver: What is happening to the Doctor, though the Master is also attempting it.

• Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: While interrogating the Doctor and Nyssa, Isaac Newton begins by shooting their bed.

• Foreshadowing: When the Doctor is trying to remember his wife's name, he thinks it's Peri, but he slips up and thinks it's Kamelion.
• For Want Of A Nail: Newton fears that if he let the Doctor and Nyssa go they could change the course of his life, mentioning that if he hadn't been sold a book on alchemy when he was young he wouldn't have begun his scientific career.

• Genteel Interbellum Setting: Invoked in Fall, although it could take place anywhere in the 20th century. P. G. Wodehouse is name-checked.
• Ghostly Goals: The Fifth Doctor laments this when he's dying in his dream.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: When Isaac realizes all he's learnt about the future is true, he starts having a fit.
• Guile Hero: Cardinal Zero turns out to be one, manipulating the characters to help progress Avian society.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Actually a half Time-Lord Hybrid in Spring.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • Kamelion in Winter.
  • Though she doesn't appear in person during Winter, The Doctor is in mental contact with Tegan as well as his other companions as he dies. She has no idea what's going on and is more than a little annoyed at the intrusion, but is perfectly willing to give anything, including her life, if it will help.
• Historical Domain Character: Sir Isaac Newton.
  • Historical Villain Upgrade: Sir Isaac Newton is a total bastard and Bad Boss.
• Historical In-Joke: Sir Isaac talks about his only speech in Parliament. It sounds like a joke, but it's 100% true: the only thing Isaac Newton ever said in Parliament was a request for someone to shut the window.
• Insufferable Genius: Isaac Newton, a colossal jerk and genius.
• Internal Homage: Fall takes place in Stockbridge, an oft-visited little town from the Doctor Who Magazine comics.
• I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: Basically how Avian justice works. The person the perpetrator of the crime most cares for is punished in their place.

• Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Two squabbling aliens get sentenced and condemned by one of their superiors. Later Zero fulfils the same role.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: The Master traps the Doctor in one, where he is married and living a content life at a farm.
• Master of Disguise: Isaac Newton, who was described as an Algerian Juggler with a false chin when he had the Doctor and Nyssa arrested.
• Mythology Gag: Five quotes from Jon Pertwee's song "Who is the Doctor?" It falls flat.
• My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: The Doctor is dying in Winter.
• My Skull Runneth Over: Isaac Newton, when the Doctor and Nyssa reveal information to him about the future, goes into a fit, which the Doctor helps him get through.
• Nightmare of Normality: The Doctor is trapped in one of these in "Winter," later going on to lose his temper at being ensnared by something so trite as a vision of a normal life.

• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: The Doctor gets noticeably upset when Nyssa finds a love.
• Post-Victory Collapse: During the last run of the game Don collapses, and dies, his bat having made it over the line, winning the game. The Doctor says Don must have known this was happening but finished the game, as its how he wanted to go.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Lady Carrion, who is following the law of her society.
• Psychic Link: The Doctor and Kamelion have one, however Kamelion's mental link to the Master enabled them to attack the Doctor's mind.
• Revenge by Proxy
• Retcon: Winter changes the ending of The Caves of Androzani, and why The Master shouts "No you must DIE Doctor! DIE!" as well as Nyssa saying: "Doctor, you must not die!", in fact all of The Caves of Androzani visions are caused by this adventure.

• Running Gag: The Doctor keeps ending up in the Tower of London throughout Big Finish. This gets a literal mention by one of the jailers saying:
  "That guy what we had last week, 'e was a doctor!"
• Sharing a Body: The Doctor in Winter.
• Sherlock Scan: Isaac Newton deduces a lot just by looking at money that normal people wouldn't think of. And leads to the conclusion that the Doctor can Time Travel and he and Nyssa are Human Aliens. He even comes up with a theory regarding The Nth Doctor! He manages to predict an independent Ireland joining the EU from an Irish Euro, The American Revolution and The Space Race from an American dime and even the 22nd Century Dalek Invasion that hasn't happened to us yet! Realistically, he does get many details wrong, though - he thinks Ireland enters some sort of Catholic alliance against Britain rather than both joining the same group, and that Americans would "conquer" and live on the Moon.

Nyssa: All this from a handful of coins?

The Doctor: I'm so glad you didn't pay by debit card.

• Show Within a Show: The Master has his own show in the fake reality of Winter.
• Shout-Out:
  • The Lord of the Rings gets a mention when Nyssa is writing her book.
  • The Doctor mentions Lewis Carroll.
• Signed Language: The Avian language doesn't just consist out of sounds.
• Slice of Life: The Fall storyline.
• The Slow Path: Nyssa and the Doctor spend several days (probable weeks, if one takes into account cricket seasons, seeing as the Doctor plays for a team for a period of time) in a village.
• Suicide is Shameful: The view of the Avians. If someone commits suicide their flock is punished.
• Time Paradox: Isaac Newton mentions the Grandfather Paradox.
• Timey-Wimey Ball: Winter shows the last time Five would ever see Nyssa, but Nyssa would later go on and meet the Fourth Doctor (again) and then later join Teegan and Turlough for some more adventures such as made clear in Heroes of Sontar.
• Title Drop: When the Doctor is thinking about life and death (including his own and .. cricket's, for some reason) he mentions Circular Time.
  • This gets a Meaningful Echo later on, when Nyssa does the same thing in her book, without having spoken to the Doctor about it.
  • And again in Winter, when she's talking about the Fifth Doctor in the past tense. A story about heroes.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The Doctor and Nyssa don't bat an eyelid at being manacled and hung up in the Tower.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: The birdlike race in the Spring storyline punish crimes by torturing the criminal's relatives, resulting in a largely crime-free society.
• Winged Humanoid: Due to being poisoned by the Yoke of Darts, Zero regenerates into one.
• Women Are Wiser: In Fall, Andrew claims that as a male he won't be thinking much about the relationship, it's women that do that.

---