Doctor Who: Omega

A Fifth and Sixth Doctor story, told from the perspective of Peri.

Or, to be more precise, from the perspectives of Peri at two different points in her personal timeline. This is the second in what became an annual tradition of double-length (2 hour) Companion Chronicles, and makes good use of that extra time to tell the same regular length story from two perspectives. Of course, it not being a full-cast play does bring the usual limitations of a Companion Chronicle, but, here, it's hard to see how else you could tell the story.

Peri and the Fifth Doctor arrive in present day Los Angeles on the trail of a malevolent fish-alien. The story is best described as a comedy, much of the humour in the first half of which comes from Peri's interactions with her future self, as well as her wry '80s viewpoint of modern LA culture. However, the story livens up even further in the second half, where we discover, now from the viewpoint of future-Peri, what was really going on in the first half.

The story does this without too much repetition, the two Peris being apart for significant stretches, while the actual paradox - of how any of this is even possible - is sensibly glossed over until close to the end. While the first half offsets the comedy with some pathos, in Peri's despair at what kind of person she will eventually become, the second half not only adds further humour, but provides a real kicker as the truth of the intervening years is finally revealed.

In summary, this is an excellent use of what's normally a rather limited format, that's both funny and sad at the same time. If nothing else, it's a much better send-off for Peri than the one the TV writers gave her. It brought a tear to my eye, and if that isn't worth a 5, I don't know what is.