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Sarah receives a mysterious gift with a sinister message.
The London Underground will suffer a terrorist attack unless
Sarah can find and stop those responsible. She may have to
sacrifice everyone and everything she holds dear in order
to save the city...
Writer
David Bishop (who recently wrote for the character of Sarah
in his Doctor Who novel Amorality Tale) cranks
up the tension with his contribution to this spin-off series.
Tempers fray as Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen), Josh (Jeremy James)
and Natalie (Sadie Miller) confront issues of trust regarding
their dangerous lifestyles. Miller in particular benefits
from a meatier role during this episode, although James' character
remains his usual enjoyably sarcastic self. "Could you be
less specific?" he asks Sarah in response to some rather
open-ended instructions.
I have something of a fascination for disused London Underground
stations, so I was rather pleased to discover that the abandoned
Brompton Road station plays a prominent role in this tale.
From
the point of view of Who history, rather than rail
history, this CD provides strong circumstantial evidence as
to how this series might be reconciled with the continuity
of the novels. I had previously wondered whether these audio
dramas took place before Sarah's wedding in the late 1990s
(as mentioned by author Lawrence Miles in Christmas on
a Rational Planet and Interference). However, Natalie
seems to refer to the Nineties in the past tense, which means
that this series is almost certainly set in the Noughties.
We can assume, therefore, that the married couple are now
either estranged or divorced - maybe the damning allegations
made against Sarah in Big Finish's Comeback were a
contributing factor to the break-up.
The
more topical and less fantastical subject matter (germ warfare)
might have something to do with it, but I found this adventure
considerably more involving than the previous two. The gripping
conclusion proves to be surprising on a number of levels.
Easily
the best yet.
Richard
McGinlay
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