Run - Introduction (By The Genie)
SYNOPSIS:
On an empty planet in an unoccupied region of space, the Doctor has time to do something he hasn't done for a long time and for good reasons: philosophise. Why does the Doctor never stand still? And has he really recovered from the four years he spent in the Dalek camp? Without a friend to stop him, the Doctor finally addresses his own purpose in the universe. Will he come to terms with it? |
PREVIEW:
He pressed record. “My name is the Doctor…” His voice shook at first; the first distinct, purposeful sound in so many hours. He would get used to it. “…and this is my confession.” |
After Simon pulled out of his episode, I was left with a replacement story, and I took this one from its slot towards the end of the Eighth Doctor Adventures and moved it back in the schedule. As it was, it existed only as an idea: a one-hander for the Eighth Doctor. In the original, later version, the Doctor grew paranoid in his solitude, and thought over the Time War and his future. When I changed it to suit the specials, something else came out, and the episode moved its focus to the past and the trauma the Doctor experienced at the hands of his enemies in Extermination of the Daleks.
What was originally a creepy story full of exposition and mystery soon become an account of PTSD. Television likes to think it's good at handling post-traumatic stress, but sometimes it's a bit repetitive - characters wake up, breathless, from scary dreams, and go on to live ordinary days. Run is an account of how trauma changes your perspective of the whole world, right down to mundane or fundamental aspects of our existence, and how it leads us to question ourselves and our own purposes.
This was a challenge. I'll be amazed to see how Steven Moffat pulls off 45 minutes of it, since I only managed 2,880 words. I'd imagine Heaven Sent will be a different beast entirely - something I learnt writing this is that a one-hander looks very differently on-screen to how it does in prose. On-screen is largely about the visual - tailoring the scenery and direction to one central figure. Prose is more naturally introspective, so for those who prefer the sharp dialogue, this might not be your kind of episode, but try and stick with it because it will add to the series in some way.
What was originally a creepy story full of exposition and mystery soon become an account of PTSD. Television likes to think it's good at handling post-traumatic stress, but sometimes it's a bit repetitive - characters wake up, breathless, from scary dreams, and go on to live ordinary days. Run is an account of how trauma changes your perspective of the whole world, right down to mundane or fundamental aspects of our existence, and how it leads us to question ourselves and our own purposes.
This was a challenge. I'll be amazed to see how Steven Moffat pulls off 45 minutes of it, since I only managed 2,880 words. I'd imagine Heaven Sent will be a different beast entirely - something I learnt writing this is that a one-hander looks very differently on-screen to how it does in prose. On-screen is largely about the visual - tailoring the scenery and direction to one central figure. Prose is more naturally introspective, so for those who prefer the sharp dialogue, this might not be your kind of episode, but try and stick with it because it will add to the series in some way.