The initial basis of this episode was to explore what we may all be thinking if by some strange possibility we found ourselves in the past. We've all seen movies and TV shows that have utilised the concept of time travel. There are some unwritten rules that fiction has adopted that have almost become fact. The Butterfly effect for example or people meeting themselves.
Although I personally enjoy science fiction, maybe the average "Fame" fan doesn't and so I needed to establish what could potentially happen and that being back in the past wasn't without it's dangers. I needed a way to highlight some of these issues without being too heavy handed so I enjoyed the pop culture reference to "Back To The Future" and thought it was a nice touch to have Doris have been in a Sci Fi movie. I also thought that Sci Fi wouldn't really be Doris' thing so having her not fully understand some of the principles would add to the story and perhaps be the experience of some of the readers.
Doris just needed to worry about changing things and not being discovered. Her accidental encounter with Miss Sherwood, although written as a bit of fun was there to establish how difficult it could be to interact with people when you know things that are going to happen and how careful you need to be.
Having Doris alone in the music booth contemplating her situation and asking herself questions but having no answers was there to highlight how isolated she is in her real life and how that will become stronger the longer she is in the past.
It's all new to her at the moment so there is an element of excitement but ultimately she is alone. Having no signal on her phone and being afraid to draw attention to herself and talk to others is really a metaphor for how she was feeling in her life. Alone and isolated. Although as a reader we have yet to discover this, there are hints in the first two episodes that she feels old, with unfulfilled dreams and that life hasn't been kind to her.
No matter how confused she is in the past ultimately she feels at home. The sights, sounds and even the smells from the past flood her senses and bring back happy memories and feelings. Even the embarrassing ones like how she felt about Michael Harrison make her smile. Life was definitely simpler when she was a teenager, even if she didn't realise it. Life has taken it's toll on middle aged Doris and although she can't remember some of the events almost instinctively she feels happier in her current predicament than she has felt in a long time.
The title "An Echo In Time" which comes from "Shadows and Light" just references that happiness is just an Echo for Doris. Something she hasn't experienced in a long time but can remember it from her past. It also references Mrs Berg recognising her straight away. Doris is an Echo from the future that confuses Mrs Berg.
The final part with Mrs Berg is there to add some mystery and jeopardy. Having realised she must try to keep a low profile and almost getting a buzz out of fooling Miss Sherwood, Doris realises that Mrs Berg recognises her straight away.
Read "An Echo In Time"
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