Time and Again, Reviewed by Kathryn Sullivan
FRIENDS OF DOCTOR WHO Volume 11, Number 2 Fall 1999
Mendicant Productions/Flying Colors, Ltd, a fan group from the La Crosse, Wisconsin, area, produced "Time and Again", a 105 minute video.
The ninth Doctor is informed that the Master has been killed–again–and is sent to retrieve various items from the Master's vault. But a team of Vardans arrive first at the Master's former stronghold, and the would-be thieves get more than they planned. When the Doctor and his companion Sylvie arrive, the two find all traps de-activated and an empty vault. While the Doctor attempts to solve this mystery, the Vardans first start collecting humans from Earth, then take one step that guarantees this Doctor will pursue them.
The video has good original music by Dennis Kuhn, some very nice computer-generated sets along with good outdoor locations (the bluffs along the Mississippi River are beautiful), an interesting console design and a believable-looking TARDIS. The costume designs are very good, and it's nice to see the Doctor in several different outfits for once.
Several authors (Jeremy Nienow, Dennis Kuhn, Ryan Glasspoole, Jeremiah Lynch and Ryan Thorson) are responsible for the script, which includes action, angst, the Doctor's memories of Gallifrey in the days before his friend became the Master and some secrets of the TARDIS. The plot has fast-paced action and several unpredictable twists.
The ninth Doctor as portrayed by Dennis Kuhn is excitable, moody, funny, caring, exasperated and stubborn. He's not someone you want to cross–this Doctor can (and does) carry a grudge and go seeking revenge.
Leah Kuehmichel plays Sylvie Lydon, a historian, who is the Doctor's current companion. The two make an excellent team and the viewer can believe that they have been traveling together for some time. Paul Christopher turns the Master back into more than a match for the Doctor. The rest of the cast–Jay Melchior, Brian Allard, Jackson Kissling, Victoria Trapp, Jeremy Nienow and Krista Allard–also turn in several good performances, making this a very nicely done fan production. Recommended.
The video includes the 1 hour 45 minute movie and 15 minute blooper reel.
The web site is (was) at
http://www.fflax.com/~doctor9/drwho.htm
To order, send a $15 donation to:
Dennis Kuhn
1612 Libert Street
La Crosse, WI 54603-2264
Links
Patricia Wrede's Worldbuilding
SFWA articles on writing
Strong Women, Strange Worlds
Broad Universe
YA Authors You’ve Never Heard Of