Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Volume 3 – The Fountains of Forever

The Doctor and his companion, an artist named Gabby, are having a rather strange few days. They do battle with the TARDIS’s laundry, try to explain their bond to Gabby’s nosy friend Cindy during a bit of downtime, and encounter an ancient cult with ties to a peculiar auction, an aging movie star, and one of the most famous adventures of a former Doctor.

The Fountains of Forever is ambitious as hell. It tries to encapsulate the charm of Tennant’s Doctor and the inherent weirdness of life traveling with the Doctor when applied to a real world where people would miss you while you’re gone. And it gives us all of that wrapped up with a proper Earthbound conspiracy and a galactic threat with ties to one of the most beloved stories of the classic era of Doctor Who.

Unfortunately, it’s a disappointment. There’s so much talking, and ninety percent of it is much ado about nothing. Characters, both villainous and semi-villainous, ramble on and on while the plot rolls on around them. There are twice as many characters as needed, but instead of feeling madcap, it just feels bloated.

I appreciate what the writers were going for, but it simply never comes together.