More Tenant, More Daleks & a Defense of Jodie Whittaker: We Review ‘Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious’ #2

The Tenth Doctor and the Daleks continue their uneasy alliance, standing together against an ancient enemy of Skaro in Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #2. Bringing the title’s “Defender of the Daleks” two-part stop into Time Lord Victorious to a rousing and emotional conclusion, writer Jody Houser, penciler Roberta Ingranata, coloring team Enrica Eren Angiolini, Shari Chankhamma and Sabrina Del Gross, and letterer Richard Starkings deliver pure Doctor Who fun while setting the title and TLV crossover up for the next phase of their narratives. Gaze into the Vortex with us as we take a closer look at Time Lord Victorious #2.

Justin Partridge: Welcome back, ladies and Mechonoids, to Time and Relative Opinions in Space! I’m Justin “BENNYYY?!” Partridge. With me as always is my NuWhovian partner in crime, Tony Thornley!

Tony Thornley: Geronimo! This was quite an issue, and I’m glad to be back.

JP: And we are here to dive into the fun, Dalek-filled event issue Time Lord Victorious #2! Part two of two of “Defender of the Daleks,” Titan Comics’ entry into the massive, and massively insane, multimedia event Time Lord Victorious. This comic has EVERYthing! Daleks! David Tennant’s cheekbones! Crossover nonsense! What did you think, Tony?

TT: A lot of meat in this issue! My goodness, it was a fun read!

JP: IT bloody well was. Let’s not waste a second.

Personification of the Daleks

JP: So we pick up #2 directly after the debut’s cliffhanger. The Tenth Doctor and Dalek Prime Strategist are facing down a member of The Hond, the nihilistic, death-obsessed bog monsters introduced in the last issue. 

But after some trademark *EX-TER-MIN-ATION!!!* from the Strategist, neutralizing the Hond for the time being, the Strategist and the Doctor are once again left to bicker and delve deeper into the Dalek weapons vault. 

It seems one of the larger goals of Time Lord Vicky has been to really personalize the Daleks and provide them more solid defining individual characterizations. I have to say I REALLY like it. Houser gives these exchanges real teeth and introspection into the “soul” of the Doctor as well as providing her take on Tennant’s Doctor with a really neat, challenging foil as the issue goes on. What about you, Tony? What did you think about this stuff?

TT: This was interesting. We talked last issue about the Hond being kind of standard-issue big monsters (one of the most common sorts of monsters out there). But that isn’t the case at all. They’re monsters made of PRIMORDIAL OOZE. I mean, how cool is that?

Yes, that’s still a variation of bog monster, but probably the most unique variation I could possibly think of. I really can’t think of any other property that could pull off “primordial ooze monster” except maybe Cable or Booster Gold? It’s just an unreal twist.

Then we get a bit of interesting interaction between Ten and the Dalek Strategist. This goes right up with what you’re saying. This is real “soul of the Daleks” versus “soul of the Doctor” stuff. And when we were prepping this article, you said something that stuck out to me. The soul of the Doctor is about making things better. That’s why his title (whether you trust it’s a chicken/egg situation) is so important. He’s not the Warlord or Barbarian or Conqueror. He’s the Doctor — a healer.

JP: Absolutely! And I think those points really nail how and why Doctor Who as a whole works for me.

On one hand, you have an idea that is truly insane. Like the fact that the Hond are a roiling, hive mind of primordial ooze, which like you said, WHAT comic or character could commit to an idea like that? Much less actually make it feel REAL and genuinely affecting (but more on that in a minute). But Doctor Who can, and it DOES. Quite frequently, actually.

And then on the other hand, just like you said, the Doctor is committed to NOT destroying them, to NOT taking the easier way out and just killing them like the Strategist and Dalek Emperor want. That, to me, is what makes them such a compelling character. The need and want to ALWAYS try to understand first and fight second.

There is that great Stevie Moffat quote where he talks about how the Doctor wasn’t given an X-Wing fighter or some kind of gun or sword, he was given a screwdriver and a box and with that they can find some way to save the world and thus show you, the viewer, a better way of living and operating in the hostile world around you. I dunno, that could just be my quarantine-addled mind, but I will always take “The Triumph of Intellect and Romance Over Brute Force and Cynicism” instead of “Deconstructionist Superhero Riffs That Just Revel in Violence and Darkness” any old day of the week.

BUT I DIGRESS, the real meat of these scenes are the moves and countermoves the Doctor and Strategist engage in here, which Houser uses to dole out some more choice character bits about the Strategist. 

Bits like their increasingly damaged casing, given a dramatic new scar in this issue, is a PUNISHMENT given to them in retribution by the Emperor thanks to one of their battle plans failing. Houser also reveals that the Strategist is an OLDER caste of Dalek than the Emperor, confirming my theory and the visual cues that the Strategist is an original Chrome and Blue Classic Era Dalek like the footsoldiers. Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, that it was THEIR idea to seek out the Doctor (ANY Doctor, which lightly sets up the next Big Finish audio arm of the event) to help regain their seat of power in the universe.

What did you think about this Dalek intrigue, Tony? I know you are more of a Cyberman Person, but do these add anything more to the experience for you? Having Daleks that have defined separate looks and personalities?

TT: This is a story that I really would love to see continued, even outside of the context of Time Lord Victorious. This is the first time outside of Asylum of the Daleks that I’ve not only sympathized with Daleks but understood any of them as individuals. It’s a fascinating touch that Houser and Ingranata give to these Daleks. It’s hard to make faceless cyborgs sympathetic, but they do it.

JP: Just WAIT until we meet the Dalek Time Squad. That’s some straight up Kamen Rider shit there, but we must move on, or else this will just be another thousand words about the Daleks we love.

“Just this once, Rose! EVERYBODY LIVES!”

JP: And even though this is a big crossover issue and it’s a finale, Houser still ends the story in the most “Doctor” way possible; by turning the death weapons of the Daleks into instruments of healing, realizing that the Hond are obsessed with death because they CRAVE it in order to end the constant pain of their very existence.

Like the twist of their genetic makeup, Houser plays this moment to the absolute hilt, using the rapid-fire voice and barely contained emotionality of David Tennant and recreating it on the page, building to a beautiful moment in which the Doctor fully lives up their chosen name and turns away the “invading” Hond not with ancient and powerful weapons from the heart of Skaro, but with the dual hearts beating within their own chest (and, yeah sure, a few thousand lasers).

I have to admit, I am kind of a sucker for “big” stories like this that take a more unexpected and empathetic avenue toward their denouement, and this issue just absolutely smacks of that. Which is ALSO just SO Doctor Who.

How did this stuff grab you, Tony? Houser really makes a meal out of his realization that the Hond are in pain, but also keens it with some neat duplicity from Ten as he works in secret to carry out his plan of “attack,” right under the eye-stalks of the Daleks. Did you dig any of this stuff?

TT: I really enjoy how big and hopeful this was. The Hond’s problem being constant pain was a classic twist on a fantasy trope that I don’t think gets explored enough. Giving an antagonist something they want, but in a way that doesn’t backfire? That’s cool as hell. Then add the metaphysical aspect of it being relief, and hope… It’s very cool.

Seeing the Hond feel relief as their pain washed away? Sure, they’re monstrous and scary, but that’s awesome to see them at peace. Their mucky bodies were suddenly contented (great job with the visual there by Ingranata!), and they washed away. It was great!

But of course, the Daleks use that to their advantage. After such a wonderful moment, they just continue to be despicable, which is so typical of the Daleks. So what do they do?

They turn on the Doctor.

Just like the Daleks always do. They scheme, they hate, they destroy. It wasn’t a gut punch because it was expected, but the Doctor’s betrayal is tough to take.

JP: ABSOLUTELY! And I think this scene in particular is very emblematic of the heartfelt actions and plans that Houser wants to engage with here in the title. Not ONLY is the Doctor hoping beyond hope that his plan will WORK and release the Hond from their eternal torture, but also, being the loving dummy that he is, he also hopes that somehow, someway the Daleks can be turned into a more compassionate and empathetic race, if only for a few moments.

Obviously we know that they can’t, even though Houser has given us hints of a face turn maybe in the Strategist’s dialogue and the way they in particular seem to be listening to the Doctor more intently than their new, dome-headed master (not that one). And I think the DOCTOR knows that too, which is why he built in the fail-safe explosions into their weapons block for their sudden and inevitable betrayal once The Hond are not the obvious, more immediate threat.

But that doesn’t take away from the unexpected tenderness of the Doctor/Strategist scenes, nor does it sap away the altruism and eternal hope for a better universe that the Tenth Doctor strives for. 

And it’s also like…you somewhat expect, since this is a big, whacking great crossover event, that there is going to be this huge titanic showdown in the final pages. And for the most part, it kind of is! The Doctor and the Daleks are standing on this huge orbital weapons platform orbiting Skaro as The Hond bare down on the planet in a massive, roiling hive. And the art team REALLY makes a meal of this, giving us a neater cinematic point of view of the scene, awash in glorious colors and lighting schemes.

But instead of a fight, the Doctor just…helps them. WITH the technology of his most deadly and ancient of enemies. It might be a letdown for those expecting some kind of big, honking set piece, but for me, it’s precisely the kind of humanist and emotional turn that I really want from Doctor Who. Even in the bigger scheme of this big event. 

TT: Yeah, exactly why I would LOVE a follow-up to this story. I really feel like this relationship between the Doctor and the Strategist is too rich to just be a throwaway made exclusively for this story. I hope Titan’s deal to use the Daleks is long term so we can get that.

Also, behind the scenes I would love to learn more about the legal snarl involving the Daleks. It would be fascinating to talk to an IP attorney that’s intimately familiar with that.

JP: I SMELL AN INTERVIEW. Are there lawyers that specialize in Skaro legislation? 

The Tenth/Thirteenth Conundrum

JP: So once The Hond have been dealt with and the Daleks are in hot pursuit, our Doctor is, naturally, forced to beat feet back to his TARDIS to make one of his trademark escapes.

But this time he gets a little help from his friend…The Thirteenth Doctor! Arriving in a quick cameo to scarper Tennant off just in time, allowing them time to reunite for the new #1 that will “relaunch” the title after Time Lord Victorious comes to an end.

SO, a few things about this scene and ending.

For one thing, I think it’s fine. I actually have really enjoyed the energy and patter that Houser has found between the two Doctors, and I feel like she has captured their voices really well on the page in a way that other Titan arcs and creatives haven’t when handling their respective Doctors.

TT: I think I like it because Ten and Thirteen have a very similar sort of manic energy. You can always tell which Doctor was a modern Doctor’s biggest influence (Tennant drew a lot from Baker and Davison, Capaldi was VERY Baker with a lot from the first three Doctors). It’s interesting to see Whittaker’s performance drawing a bit from another modern Doctor. I think Houser does a great job of not only putting that on the page, but ensuring the two incarnations feel distinct and unique from one another.

This is really why I struggle with the “Not My Doctor” crowd. The only thing that really feels different about Thirteen is her gender. She’s very much the Doctor, in every way, both on the page and on the screen. Did Whittaker have a rough first season? Sure, you could say that, but the first season under a new showrunner and lead actor is GOING TO BE ROUGH. But that season still felt very “Doctor Who.”

JP: Absolutely, and you run into that with most any first seasons of science fiction. We all know that most first seasons of Star Trek are pretty spotty, and with every regeneration there is a bit of learning curve that you run into, both as a viewer and with the scripts, where everything needs a bit of time to gel fully. Like The Christmas Invasion isn’t a GOOD episode per se (do NOT @ me), but it’s a fine enough introduction to Tennant and the new tone of his incarnation.

BUT I bring all this up because we are currently seeing a bit of a fracas that is unfolding in the darker parts of Twitter and Facebook that these pairings with Tennant have been “proof” of the BBC’s “displeasure” with Jodie as the Doctor and the Chibnall era overall. These iditoic flames have been further stoked recently by the announcement of the new video game The Edge of Reality, a console game in which players take on the roles of Whittaker’s and Tennant’s incarnations (cheekily teased in the announcement trailer with Tennant coyly giving us the “I’m The Doctor…but probably not the one you were expecting” line as the end button).

So a few things…

One, multi-Doctor stories have been a thing since the CLASSIC era, so that’s stupid. Two, the idea of Tennant being a “brand ambassador” of the property has ALSO been a thing since he announced he was going to leave. He clearly was and still is a fan of the show and in the last few years, especially with his work at Big Finish, has taken back to the role pretty well and been publicly supportive of Whittaker and her episodes, having also worked with her a fair amount on Broadchurch. 

TT: Yup- like his brilliant appearance as the Doctor alongside the Muppets when they did their live show a couple years ago. That was concurrent with Whittaker’s run. Doctor Who meets Pigs in Space, go look it up. [Ed. note: Be right back.]

[Ed. note: OK I’m back. That was delightful. Anyway, you were saying?]

JP: Peter Capaldi also takes his station as a “former Doctor” very seriously, jumping at the chance to represent the property, both in the press and just in his DAILY LIFE, literally playing with children at the long missed Doctor Who Experience museum exhibit just because he was there and they were there and he was the goddamn Doctor, so that was his duty of care.

But I think the MAIN, truly idiotic thing is that these team-ups and the TLV event OVERALL (which is largely just focused on the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth incarnations) are somehow “proof positive” that the suits and “loyal viewers” are “sick of Jodie and want her out.” Like the idea itself is a fallacy because, do we REALLY think the BBC would shell out millions and millions of dollars, commission multiple creatives, engage countless publishing aspects and recruit FORMER actors…just in pursuit of tanking their OWN television property? With an INSANE multifronted Classic/Wilderness Era-steeped crossover, no less?

TT: Ignoring that Thirteen is involved in the crossover in several spots, while Eleven and Twelve are not. But do go on. 🙂

JP: I’M BLOODY SAYING! Not to mention the fact that Whittaker has been VOCALLY SUPPORTING TLV and the show, along with her castmates, in the various “Comic-Con At Home” things we’ve seen AND in the press in general. Do you HONESTLY THINK she would then be DOING press and reading scripts for the incoming Christmas or I Guess Holiday Special if she knew there was a multifronted effort to show her the door happening AS she SPOKE?!

Like…am I crazy? Are THEY crazy? I mean, they CLEARLY are, but I feel like we needed to at least address a bunch of this stuff since this event has somewhat become a weird flashpoint in the nOtMyDoCtOr idiots’ ongoing effort to be as shitty as possible about every conceivable aspect of the show that they supposedly “love.” It is very frustrating and wildly exhausting, but I want Xavier Files on record as saying that’s bullshit and Jodie Whittaker rules and multi-Doctor team-ups are fun.

[Ed. note: PREACH, Brother Justin!]

This argument is basically like saying that the recent Big Finish release Out of Time, which pairs Baker and Tennant, is proof that Big Finish is tired of working with TOM BAKER and wants to supplant him with Tennant because he’s the “most popular Doctor.” It’s truly baffling, and it sucks. THEY suck and are dumb. How’s THAT for “canon,” ya jerks?!

TT: Yeah!

So in the end, I think this was a very successful mini. I think my biggest issue was that the ties to Time Lord Victorious weren’t SUPER obvious, but it’s enough to make me want to dip into all the other stuff from the crossover to get more out of it!

Short Trips

• The Origins of “Intellect and Romance Over Brute Force and Cynicism.” This, to me, Justin, is one of the single best examples of Doctor Who fandom I always go back to. Watch to the end for a cameo from the then current Doctor who a guest star once described as a “flop-haired wuss.”
• PAUL McGANN ALERT! We didn’t get into it much above, but McGann’s roguish and devastatingly handsome Eighth Doctor is the very last panel in this issue. Which makes sense as the next run of the event is taking place over three audio adventures at Big Finish.
• It’s a trilogy apparently starting with the just released “He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not,” which is…just a wonderful title.
• On the comics side, we have a new #1 coming for Jodie and the Fam. It apparently has Sea Devils and Rose Tyler in it. VERY exciting. The first TLV novel The Knight, The Fool and The Dead has also been released, but weirdly enough us Yanks can only get a digital copy. We are Print Boys here at Time and Relative Opinions in Space, so if any of you lovely British readers wants to send a copy to the XF HQ, we wouldn’t say no.
• Also holler at us on the socials and in this review’s comments if there is stuff you want to hear us scream about. We have been talking about what’s next for the TAROIS among ourselves, but we would love any suggestions y’all might have.
• Finally, just to say again, we fucking love Jodie Whittaker. We don’t say it nearly enough.