Someone is attempting to resurrect the past – and they need a Time Lord to help them achieve it.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 9:55 PM
SISTERS OF THE FLAME
“The Brain of Morbius” has always been a compelling television story: it hints at the mysterious past of the Time Lords, it gives the Doctor an opponent more powerful than himself, and there’s the matter of the mysterious “old Doctors” that has spurred generations of fan debate. Frankly, I’m surprised Big Finish waited this long to go to the Morbius well — though Terrance Dicks’ abominable “Warmonger” may have poisoned the waters. Taking up the pen is Nicholas Briggs, who last resurrected a classic series villain in “Frozen Time.” Briggs’ “Sisters of the Flame” is only the first of two parts, so it’s difficult to judge its effectiveness as a whole, but as an opening episode it’s excellent.
It would have been easy to make a Karn/Morbius story boring: I was afraid that I would be subjected to endless Gallifrey sequences, with Time Lords arguing in hushed tones over the latest disaster to strike our universe. And the opening is the weakest part, with the TARDIS power going out yet again, the Doctor panicking, and Lucie sounding uncharacteristically timid and scared. I’m getting tired of this plot device: I can’t count the number of stories, whether on TV, audio, or in the books, that start with oh-my-God-the-TARDIS-is-really-dead-this-time, and it’s impossible to take seriously at this point. Then we get a time scoop coming at the TARDIS, and some “What is it, Doctor? It looks like a ______!” awful descriptive dialogue out of Lucie.
Fortunately, things improve drastically from there. Big Finish doesn’t do many “Doctor-lite” plays, for obvious reasons, but Briggs does a fantastic job of keeping the story moving without McGann’s presence. Everyone, it seems, is looking for the Doctor, from Lucie to the mysterious businessman Zarodnix (Kenneth Colley) to the titular Sisters Haspira (Nicola Weeks) and Orthena (Katarina Olsson). This strategy was used to great effect in the NAs — maintain the Doctor’s presence and influence, even if he’s not “on screen” — and Briggs’ script seems to involve the Doctor on almost every page. Briggs also makes effective use of continuity elements: the revelation of the Cult of Morbius is striking, even if predictable, and the chants of the Sisterhood that follow Lucie are genuinely unsettling.
I particularly enjoyed the character work between Lucie and Rosto (Alexander Siddig). Lucie is unsettled by the Doctor’s absence, and Sheridan Smith’s performance portrays her stress and distrust, especially of a character described as a “ten-foot centipede.” Siddig, brilliant in Deep Space Nine and now building a Hollywood resume, is just alien enough, and the ERS-generated insect effects on his voice work especially well. It’s good to hear Nickolas Grace return as Straxus, and his amusing inability to deal with Lucie picks up where it left off from “Human Resources.” Lastly, of course, there’s the cliffhanger: why do the Sisters want to remove the Doctor from history? What is Zarodnix planning? What will be the fate of Rosto and Straxus?
Briggs, as usual, directs his own script: perhaps due to the two-part format, “Sisters of the Flame” seems to be paced slower than the other “season 2” McGann releases, but this allows for a building sense of mystery. ERS contribues an effective, subtle orchestral score, even if it isn’t distinctive in its own right. As described above, the supporting cast is excellent — my sole complaint, though, is that Katarina Olsson is a bit overused, and a listener could be forgiven for wondering why the Headhunter was in the Sisterhood and/or a giant centipede!
I’ve been asking for a more “serious” story in the McGann range for the entire second season, and my wishes have finally been granted. “Sisters of the Flame,” after a weak start, becomes an excellent setup for the conclusion — and continues the run of high-quality McGann stories. Will “Vengeance of Morbius” reach expectations? Time will tell…
SISTERS OF THE FLAME
“The Brain of Morbius” has always been a compelling television story: it hints at the mysterious past of the Time Lords, it gives the Doctor an opponent more powerful than himself, and there’s the matter of the mysterious “old Doctors” that has spurred generations of fan debate. Frankly, I’m surprised Big Finish waited this long to go to the Morbius well — though Terrance Dicks’ abominable “Warmonger” may have poisoned the waters. Taking up the pen is Nicholas Briggs, who last resurrected a classic series villain in “Frozen Time.” Briggs’ “Sisters of the Flame” is only the first of two parts, so it’s difficult to judge its effectiveness as a whole, but as an opening episode it’s excellent.
It would have been easy to make a Karn/Morbius story boring: I was afraid that I would be subjected to endless Gallifrey sequences, with Time Lords arguing in hushed tones over the latest disaster to strike our universe. And the opening is the weakest part, with the TARDIS power going out yet again, the Doctor panicking, and Lucie sounding uncharacteristically timid and scared. I’m getting tired of this plot device: I can’t count the number of stories, whether on TV, audio, or in the books, that start with oh-my-God-the-TARDIS-is-really-dead-this-time, and it’s impossible to take seriously at this point. Then we get a time scoop coming at the TARDIS, and some “What is it, Doctor? It looks like a ______!” awful descriptive dialogue out of Lucie.
Fortunately, things improve drastically from there. Big Finish doesn’t do many “Doctor-lite” plays, for obvious reasons, but Briggs does a fantastic job of keeping the story moving without McGann’s presence. Everyone, it seems, is looking for the Doctor, from Lucie to the mysterious businessman Zarodnix (Kenneth Colley) to the titular Sisters Haspira (Nicola Weeks) and Orthena (Katarina Olsson). This strategy was used to great effect in the NAs — maintain the Doctor’s presence and influence, even if he’s not “on screen” — and Briggs’ script seems to involve the Doctor on almost every page. Briggs also makes effective use of continuity elements: the revelation of the Cult of Morbius is striking, even if predictable, and the chants of the Sisterhood that follow Lucie are genuinely unsettling.
I particularly enjoyed the character work between Lucie and Rosto (Alexander Siddig). Lucie is unsettled by the Doctor’s absence, and Sheridan Smith’s performance portrays her stress and distrust, especially of a character described as a “ten-foot centipede.” Siddig, brilliant in Deep Space Nine and now building a Hollywood resume, is just alien enough, and the ERS-generated insect effects on his voice work especially well. It’s good to hear Nickolas Grace return as Straxus, and his amusing inability to deal with Lucie picks up where it left off from “Human Resources.” Lastly, of course, there’s the cliffhanger: why do the Sisters want to remove the Doctor from history? What is Zarodnix planning? What will be the fate of Rosto and Straxus?
Briggs, as usual, directs his own script: perhaps due to the two-part format, “Sisters of the Flame” seems to be paced slower than the other “season 2” McGann releases, but this allows for a building sense of mystery. ERS contribues an effective, subtle orchestral score, even if it isn’t distinctive in its own right. As described above, the supporting cast is excellent — my sole complaint, though, is that Katarina Olsson is a bit overused, and a listener could be forgiven for wondering why the Headhunter was in the Sisterhood and/or a giant centipede!
I’ve been asking for a more “serious” story in the McGann range for the entire second season, and my wishes have finally been granted. “Sisters of the Flame,” after a weak start, becomes an excellent setup for the conclusion — and continues the run of high-quality McGann stories. Will “Vengeance of Morbius” reach expectations? Time will tell…
Recommended.
8/10