Buried Secrets Snow Blind Fatal Consequences Dreamland

Big Finish Sarah Jane Smith Season 2

Released

2006

Synopsis: Sarah teams up with Harry Sullivan's brother.

• A Review by Joe Ford

A Review by Joe Ford 16/10/07

A complete turnabout for the series and for David Bishop. If you had said that name earlier, I'm sure most fans would grumble something unpleasant about The Domino Effect or Empire of Death but with this series he has managed to refine his skills and produce something we all knew he was capable of. Don't get me wrong, this series isn't perfection incarnate, but as a standalone miniseries of audios, it is clearly one of the best Big Finish have attempted. There are a hell of a lot of developments and some risky ideas attempted and for the most part they are pulled of with confidence, style and excitement. I cannot think of a single miniseries where I have been this eager to listen to the next audio time after time after time.

What is especially good is that these CDs work as both standalone hour-long episodes and as a four part series. Arcs are not just "all the rage" any more, but integral parts of every single series on television, the new series of Doctor Who not excluded. And this arc is a real blinder, allowing its characters to develop and grow, twisting and turning to frustrate and delight the audience whilst continuing to tell a coherent and intelligent story. David Bishop must have worked long and hard on this series and it shows. It pleases me to see his hard work being praised to the high heavens on the forums by an excited fan base.

It is always dangerous to bring back old characters in a new setting; you have the danger of alienating the fans of that character and not living up to expectations. Fortunately, Sarah had already been introduced in the patchy (if promising) first series but what really rankled was how distant she seemed to be from her life with the Doctor, how nothing she experienced then seemed to have any effect on her life now, Hilda Winters not withstanding. So it is fantastic to see Bishop re-introducing elements from the series and rather than just mentioning them for the sake of producing a warm glow in fanboys' hearts, he actively works them into the plot of the series, intelligently using Sarah's time travelling days to develop some nasty surprises for the woman. I loved the idea of Harry's brother being involved, the best thing we can expect with the wonderful Ian Marter now departed. But rather than Sarah (and the series) ignoring the Doctor, Sarah talks about him, especially her time in Antarctica and Italy. Go and re-watch The Masque of Mandragora before listening to this story, because so much of that story influences events here. You won't regret it. Suddenly Sarah's series feel free of its Doctor Who roots because it recognises Doctor Who.

Another huge bonus with series two is how much more confident the storytelling and direction seems. That comes with a series finding its feet, I get that, but the performances of the regulars, the sound design, the pace and the excitement, they all seem to have been boosted this year. The first series felt like a reward for the fans, not something you would want to share with anybody who wasn't a Doctor Who fan, but series two feels like a dynamic new series in its own right, something you can listen to independently and gladly allow nonfans to listen to. My boyfriend bought me the CD the morning we were heading up to London and moaned when I put Snow Blind on. I saw him getting gradually more intrigued as the story went on, to the point where he made me pause the thing when he had to stop for petrol. Thrilled by the ending, he was determined that we would listen to Fatal Consequences on the way home later that night and was left dumbfounded by its climax. Proving Bishop and Ainsworth had truly got their claws into him, he kept an eye on the release of Dreamland and insisted we listened together the night it arrived! Hah! And he doesn't even like audio adventures...

Buried Secrets opens the series in great style, although I know some people have bemoaned the fact that it does feel like a season opener rather than a story in its own right. I couldn't disagree more and the story of Nat's deceitful lover is surprisingly poignant and leaves you torn between sympathising with Sarah who was being threatened and her friend who has lost her lover. Brilliantly, Sarah is acting like a normal human being, not seeing menace in every shadow and actually enjoying her life. With her friends around her and with some sparky repartee, it almost seems like an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The seeds are sown for all three of the following adventures and the backstory of the Crimson Chapter and their bizarre interest in Sarah is intriguing, whilst allowing Sarah to be right at the centre of her own series without feeling as though she is hogging the limelight from the other characters. Will Sullivan is an interesting addition to the mix and it is nice to see Lis Sladen get somebody a little older to act against; the dinnertime conversation between her and Tom Chadbon as Will is surprisingly touching. A much better theme tune and a bouncy score add much the proceedings. A great mix of The DaVinci Code and Alias.

Back to familiar territory with Snow Blind with a claustrophobic thriller set in Antarctica. Just when you think you have a hold on this story, it twists into something different, right up to the last scene. It's all the more impressive to be surprising with such a small cast and an isolated location, but me and Simon were arguing between us to who the traitor is and who is out to kill Sarah. The sound design is superb in this instalment, conjuring up the hopeless wastes of Antarctica with effortless ease. The second half up tension considerably, especially when Josh and Will start biting at each other. More questions are posed: just what on Earth could the Crimson chapter want with a multi-million dollar uranium operation? What could they need that sort of cash for? Whilst overall I think this is probably the weakest of the four, it is still very well put together, acted and scored. And when I heard Jacqueline Pearce's voice I squealed with joy!

Fatal Consequences was my favourite and is what in television terms would be called an "event" episode. Whilst it would be easy enough to hook the numerous shocking revelations on any old plot, David Bishop writes his most terrifying plot yet, dealing with the very up-to-date fear of an infection spreading into a major population. The scene where we learn that humans have been tested upon like lab rats is one of the most uncomfortable audio scenes ever. Elisabeth Sladen pulls out all the punches for this story, going to hell and back to find the answers behind the Crimson Chapters obsession with her. Honestly, she shows astonishing range. The twists never stop, but better than discovering people's allegiances is how the story deals with twists revealed in the last story, namely Will's mission to kill Sarah. This is worked effortlessly into the plot and develops his character far beyond what I thought he was capable of, especially when he realises what his allegiance to the Crimson Chapter will lead to. When Sarah turns on him, realising his betrayal and says, "I'm glad I met you" I was impressed with the emotional layers the story was taking. The climax is extremely busy and matches Bishop's Test of Nerve last year for most exciting run of scenes: fights, gunshots, revelations, drama... To wait a month to hear the result of the cliffhanger is unbearable! A fantastic piece of drama on any level.

Dreamland matches the drama of Fatal Consequences but doesn't feel quite as important. It's still a great piece of theatre with a very memorable first ten minutes as our motley gang (Sarah, Nat and Josh) have to come to terms with what has been revealed and try and pick up the pieces. Who ever thought these characters could work this well? Who thought we would care enough to feel when they are close to splitting up for good? There are more revelations in store as we learn the identity of Josh's father, which prompts Sarah to agree to a trip into space to fulfill her destiny. Further atmospheric sound design as we pop over to America and experience a space flight first hand. I'm not too sure where Big Finish get these FX from but by golly gosh it sounds realistic. I shut my eyes and was sailing in space! What impressed me most here was the emotions brewed between the three regulars, Nat's devastated reaction when she finds out it was Josh who killed her lover, Sarah cradling Josh as he bleeds to death with a gunshot wound to his stomach, Nat screaming through the speaker as Sarah is trapped in space, asking what is she going to do without her. I wanted them all to be happy again but life doesn't work that way and Bishop refuses to take the easy way out. "Shit happens, deal with it" seems to be the motto and the cliffhanging finale is frustrating and perfect in equal measures. Part of me never wants to see it resolved and the other part wants a new series next year!

Have I not convinced you yet?

John Ainsworth deserves mighty credit for taking on such a mammoth audio task and pulling it off with such fashion. I was already convinced that Ainsworth was one of Big Finish's leading talents (Storm of Angels anyone?) but this series has confirmed as the most consistent and reliably snazzy director. He doesn't show off with slick techniques, he lets the performances do most of the work, adds music only to heighten the tension, hits the right pace between slower dialogue scenes and adrenalin-soaked actions set pieces, and makes sure that the revelation scenes feel important. He clearly has great rapport with the actors because they all do their best work this year and there are loads of brilliant set pieces. Big up John.

Sarah is a fabulous character and deserved a second crack at the audio whip. I am extremely pleased with the results.