‘PAIN MANAGEMENT’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

San Francisco in 1994 with the Twelfth Doctor, Bill, Nardole and Missy

‘Pain Management’ is a story by a writer new to ‘Doctor Who’ – Beverly Sanford. It features the Twelfth Doctor with Bill, Nardole and Missy from Series 10. I must admit, Series 10 was a mixed bag for me when I saw it on TV back in 2017. But I was looking forward to reading this story by Beverly. 🙂

The story has the Doctor, Bill, Nardole and Missy visit a rock gig at Diamond Park Arena in San Francisco in 1994. The Doctor even plays there with his rock guitar. Very soon, at Good Heart Hospital, Missy tries curing people with influenza by experimenting on Matron Wanda before it goes wrong. 🙁

This is during the time Missy tried to redeem herself for the Doctor’s sake in Series 10 before the events of ‘World Enough and Time’/’The Doctor Falls’ occur. I wasn’t a fan of that story arc in Series 10, but then again, I’m not a fan of Missy. At least Beverly had a decent try at this concept though.

For the most part, ‘Pain Management’ is Missy’s story. The Twelfth Doctor gets knocked out for most of the story, hence why we ended up at Good Heart Hospital from the Diamond Park Arena. Bill and Nardole also become active in the story, as they try to stop whatever Missy has done in being ‘good’.

I liked it when the Doctor made an appearance at the story’s end to confront Missy and the zombiefied Wanda controlling her zombie-like army. Missy ends up pushing Wanda off the hospital roof for the sake of saving people. The Doctor doesn’t approve and Missy’s ‘goodness’ is in doubt. 😐

‘Pain Management’ rating – 7/10