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A 1940s bio-warfare scandal takes Sarah to a remote island
in the Indian Ocean. But why won't she contact her friends
in the UK? Can it be that Sarah has spent so long looking
for pursuers in the rear-view mirror that she hasn't noticed
who's now in the driving seat...?
I was expecting great things from this instalment - the last
in the series, at least for now - following the dramatic build-up
over recent episodes regarding the return of an old enemy.
However, Peter Anghelides' script is not nearly as thrilling
as any of the excellent novels he has penned for the BBC's
Doctor Who range.
Perhaps
it has something to do with the fact that these CDs are always
set on present-day Earth, but in general I haven't found this
series as exciting as Big Finish's Doctor Who, Dalek
Empire or Benny Summerfield audios. Somehow Sarah Jane's
adventures just don't seem as "big".
However, I am gratified that the status of poor old K9 has
finally been resolved - sad fans like myself care about such
things! He is not referred to by name, but Sarah (Elisabeth
Sladen) does mention a certain box of broken machinery in
her attic... machinery that is presently beyond repair because
suitable replacement parts haven't yet been invented. This
ties in well with the robot's deactivation in the short story
Moving On (from the Decalog III anthology),
although the two-part novel Interference states that
K9's innards have been replaced by contemporaneous devices
(perhaps a few crucial parts could not be substituted).
Guest
star Louise Faulkner, in the role of Sarah's accomplice Wendy
Jennings, sounds remarkably similar to India Fisher (alias
the Eighth Doctor's companion Charley), so I did a double
take when I first heard her. However, the snide tones of Peter
Miles, as the unethical scientist Brandt, are as unmistakable
as ever.
Elements
of the series' ongoing storyline, including the defunct K9,
have been left open with plenty of scope for continuation.
Even though this hasn't been my favourite series, I would
still be interested in hearing more from Ms Smith some time
in the future.
Richard McGinlay
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