Review: Doctor Who - New Adventures w/ the 11th Doctor #4

Previously in issue #3

I’m not sure what to make of this issue. The premise was promising: The TARDIS takes The Doctor and Alice to the scene of a security breach aboard some sort of research spacecraft. People have been murdered there, and The Doctor uses his psychic paper to convince the head of security that he’s from the government and sent to investigate the events. The head of security just happens to be Hart - who The Doctor and Alice met before, but not yet in their timeline - from SERVEYOUInc. This is his first time meeting them, though. Confusing? Yeah, I know.

Oh, John’s there, too. Remember: He’s the musical idol of Alice’s deceased mother. When they went back in time to witness his first show, they discovered he was pretty bad. He goes unnoticed a lot, which is how he was able to sneak aboard the TARDIS last issue. Now, he’s still traveling with them.

Alice wants to go back home to deal with her landlord issues. Well, she really doesn’t want to, but she knows she shouldn’t take The Doctor’s advice to just keep traveling and putting it off. We get some great sepia flashbacks to her mother telling her that running from your problems is never a good thing.

The Doctor figures out that the murdered crew members aren’t dead. They’re in a coma with plenty of brain activity. Figuring out whodunit might help him piece together how to get them back. When he realizes that Hart is hiding something, he frees Hart’s only suspect (a scientist who had a disagreement with the crew members who were attacked), and he learns this research station belongs to SERVEYOUInc.

And whatever it is that has attacked the crew is about five seconds from attacking John.

Thoughts and Questions:

• What’s up with the person from Gallifrey The Doctor spotted back in issue #1?
• I need to know SERVEYOUInc’s purpose already? They still have amorphous being at their HQ.
• As much as I want this storyline to go somewhere, I fear that also means the end of Alice’s run as The Doctor’s companion. I hope I’m wrong about that. I really like her, and this issue she has a great bit as she wonders if The Doctor’s companions are truly his friends or does he view them as pets. Or both?