‘SPECIAL WEAPONS’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

War Time in Pax Lucis with the Seventh Doctor and Mel

This story called ‘Special Weapons’ is by Paul Leonard. It features the Seventh Doctor and Mel. I enjoyed checking out this ‘Doctor Who’ short story, which is divided into seven staves (mini-chapters). In this short story, the Doctor and Mel visit an English village during the Second World War.

Considering the story is meant to take place during Season 24 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, it’s quite unusual to find the Seventh Doctor and Mel in a perilous situation like World War II. Usually, they’d be having light-hearted adventures, so it’s welcome to have this story in Season 24. 🙂

Mel ends up being separated from the Doctor, as he’s captured and taken to be interrogated by the Nazis who have invaded the English village of Pax Lucis. There’s no specific date given as to when this story takes place during the Second World War, so it’s open to interpretation once you’ve read it. 🙂

In an attempt to rescue the Doctor, Mel teams up with a teenage boy called Oliver. Oliver has just lost his girlfriend Ellen when the Nazis invaded Pax Lucis. He does everything he can to help Mel find and rescue the Doctor, but it’s clear he’s not exactly in control of his emotions throughout this story.

This is clearly evident by the story’s end when, to Mel’s dismay, Oliver decides to join up in the British army and kill Germans. I quite like how Mel walks away without saying a word, as she enters the TARDIS to join the Doctor. Mel, as a character, is well-handled and not screamy as in TV series. 🙂

‘Special Weapons’ rating – 8/10