The Five O'Clock Shadow (poem): Difference between revisions
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{{ | {{retitle|''The Five O'Clock Shadow'' (poem)}} | ||
{{real world}} | {{real world}} | ||
{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
| | |name = ''The Five O'Clock Shadow'' | ||
|doctor= | |range = Short Trips (series) | ||
|companions=[[Susan | |series in range = Short Trips: A Day in the Life | ||
|setting= [[The Doctor's TARDIS]] | |series number in range = 13 | ||
|writer= | |number in series = 4 | ||
|anthology= | |doctor = Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks){{!}}Dr. Who | ||
|prev=Undercurrents (short story) | |companions = [[Susan (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Susan]] | ||
|next=The Sooner the Better (short story) | |featuring = [[The Doctor]] | ||
|enemy = [[Five O'Clock Shadow]] | |||
|setting = [[The Doctor's TARDIS]] | |||
|writer = Nev Fountain | |||
|anthology = Short Trips: A Day in the Life | |||
|release date = 7 July 2005 | |||
|series = [[Short Trips (series)#In print|Short Trips short stories]] | |||
|prev = Undercurrents (short story) | |||
|next = The Sooner the Better (short story) | |||
}}{{prose stub}} | }}{{prose stub}} | ||
'''''The Five O'Clock Shadow''''' was the fourth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: A Day in the Life]]''. It was written by [[Nev Fountain]]. It featured an [[The Doctor ( | '''''The Five O'Clock Shadow''''' was the fourth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: A Day in the Life]]''. It was written by [[Nev Fountain]]. | ||
It featured an [[The Doctor|unspecified Doctor]] and saw him create fictional doppelgängers of himself and [[Susan Foreman]], who were none other than [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Dr. Who]] and [[Susan (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Susan]] as they appeared in the theatrical film ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'' and its sequels. As such, the story presented a potential origin for those two characters within the mainstream [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]]. | |||
The story was mostly written in rhyming couplets, deviating between patterns of ABAB, AABB, and ABABCDCDEE. | |||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
Dr Who tells a bedtime story to his young companion Suzy. | Dr Who tells a bedtime story to his young companion Suzy — of how they came to be. | ||
== Plot == | |||
It's five o'clock once more. [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Dr. Who]] comes sit by the bed of [[Susan (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Suzy]] and tells her a bedtime story in rhyme. As [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] was flying through time, it hits a metaphorical "snag", getting stuck in one instant of time: five o'clock. | |||
As Dr. Who and Suzy wonder how to put things right, the [[Five O'Clock Shadow]], an incarnation of all of the Doctor's repressed angst about facing reality, is released and starts to torment them while monologuing about its eldritch nature. It reveals to Susan that she is nothing more than an artificial construct, a [[Block Transfer Computation|mathematical projection]] based on the [[companion]] the Doctor would like to have — and that the Doctor made thousand more such constructs in the past to stave off change and loneliness, including, once, two at a time, [[John Who|John]] and [[Gillian Who|Gillian]]. | |||
However, the Doctor standing alongside Suzy opposite the Shadow reveals himself as actually being Dr. Who, and just as much a construct as Suzy; the ''two'' of them were a distraction prepared by [[The Doctor|the real Doctor]] while he managed to get the TARDIS working again. | |||
Dr. Who's bedtime story to Suzy ends on the TARDIS taking off, leaving the Five O'Clock Shadow behind, headed for some wondrous location to drop off Dr. Who and Suzy. | |||
== Characters == | == Characters == | ||
* [[The Doctor ( | * [[The Doctor]] | ||
* [[Susan | * [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Dr. Who]] | ||
* [[Susan (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Susan]] | |||
* The [[Five O'Clock Shadow]] | * The [[Five O'Clock Shadow]] | ||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* [[Dr. Who (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Dr. Who]] brings [[Susan (Dr. Who and the Daleks)|Suszy]] a [[glass]] of warm [[milk]]. | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
''to be | * The story suggests that [[John Who|John]] and [[Gillian Who|Gillian]], like "thousand other" [[companion]]s of [[the Doctor]], were actually created by the Doctor using a functionality of [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to create sentient simulacra based on sheer ideas. | ||
== Continuity == | |||
* The Five O'Clock Shadow refers to [[John Who|John]] and [[Gillian Who|Gillian]], ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Klepton Parasites (comic story)|The Klepton Parasites]]'', ''[[The Therovian Quest (comic story)|The Therovian Quest]]'', ''et al.'') who are once again revealed to not quite be all they seemed. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Conundrum (novel)|Conundrum]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[The Land of Happy Endings (comic story)|The Land of Happy Endings]]'') | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{dwrefguide|whotrip16.htm#4|The Five O'Clock Shadow}} | {{dwrefguide|whotrip16.htm#4|The Five O'Clock Shadow}} | ||
{{ST prose}} | |||
{{TitleSort}} | |||
[[Category:Short Trips: A Day in the Life short stories]] | [[Category:Short Trips: A Day in the Life short stories]] | ||
[[Category:Stories with unknown or disputed Doctors]] | [[Category:Stories with unknown or disputed Doctors]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set entirely in the TARDIS]] | [[Category:Stories set entirely in the TARDIS]] | ||
[[Category:Dr. Who stories]] | |||
Latest revision as of 22:36, 29 August 2024
The Five O'Clock Shadow was the fourth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Day in the Life. It was written by Nev Fountain.
It featured an unspecified Doctor and saw him create fictional doppelgängers of himself and Susan Foreman, who were none other than Dr. Who and Susan as they appeared in the theatrical film Dr. Who and the Daleks and its sequels. As such, the story presented a potential origin for those two characters within the mainstream Doctor Who universe.
The story was mostly written in rhyming couplets, deviating between patterns of ABAB, AABB, and ABABCDCDEE.
Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
Dr Who tells a bedtime story to his young companion Suzy — of how they came to be.
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
It's five o'clock once more. Dr. Who comes sit by the bed of Suzy and tells her a bedtime story in rhyme. As the TARDIS was flying through time, it hits a metaphorical "snag", getting stuck in one instant of time: five o'clock.
As Dr. Who and Suzy wonder how to put things right, the Five O'Clock Shadow, an incarnation of all of the Doctor's repressed angst about facing reality, is released and starts to torment them while monologuing about its eldritch nature. It reveals to Susan that she is nothing more than an artificial construct, a mathematical projection based on the companion the Doctor would like to have — and that the Doctor made thousand more such constructs in the past to stave off change and loneliness, including, once, two at a time, John and Gillian.
However, the Doctor standing alongside Suzy opposite the Shadow reveals himself as actually being Dr. Who, and just as much a construct as Suzy; the two of them were a distraction prepared by the real Doctor while he managed to get the TARDIS working again.
Dr. Who's bedtime story to Suzy ends on the TARDIS taking off, leaving the Five O'Clock Shadow behind, headed for some wondrous location to drop off Dr. Who and Suzy.
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The story suggests that John and Gillian, like "thousand other" companions of the Doctor, were actually created by the Doctor using a functionality of the TARDIS to create sentient simulacra based on sheer ideas.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Five O'Clock Shadow refers to John and Gillian, (COMIC: The Klepton Parasites, The Therovian Quest, et al.) who are once again revealed to not quite be all they seemed. (PROSE: Conundrum, COMIC: The Land of Happy Endings)
