Sarah Jane heads towards West Yorkshire in a bid to discover what aged a man to death and why someone is kidnapping homeless teenage boys.
Sarah Jane heads towards West Yorkshire in a bid to discover what aged a man to death and why someone is kidnapping homeless teenage boys.
SARAH JANE SMITH: THE TAO CONNECTION
While Big Finish should be given credit for dreaming up a successful spinoff for a popular companion and — thus far — keeping it free of Doctor Who continuity, the decision to give the first two scripts to Terrance Dicks and now Barry Letts seems questionable. Letts, in particular, does not have a good history with Doctor Who-related audio drama, his “Ghosts of N-Space” sitting comfortably as one of the worst stories of all time, and while “The Tao Connection” fares better than that, it’s hardly anything impressive. Fortunately, the story is free of the problems plaguing “Comeback” — with the characters introduced, the plot is able to progress from the first moment, and Letts’s pacing is excellent, sprinkling revelations throughout and holding the attention. However, the plot isn’t very interesting: it’s yet another Letts lecture on Eastern philosophy — this time on Taoism — with yet another character seeking to achieve immortality through unnatural means. And while Elisabeth Sladen is the best thing about the play for the second straight release — this take on Sarah Jane is fascinating, her time with the Doctor making her more proactive and less sympathetic — the rest of the cast fails to distinguish. Jeremy James gives an appealing performance, but Josh is sapped of his character, while I can’t even talk about Sadie Miller for as little as she was in the play. Moray Treadwell clearly enjoys playing mysterious philanthropist Butley, and clearly enjoys the taste of the scenery just as much. Lastly, while Gary Russell’s direction is a big improvement on the first release, David Darlington’s score features a bizarre ‘70s bass riff as the central theme. I’m not sure if I liked it, but since I noticed it, it was obviously effective. In short, “The Tao Connection” is a solid, well-made piece of audio drama, but with very little to distinguish it or make it worthy of recommendation.
5/10