Sarah makes a new friend and takes a trip to Florence to help an old one, which leads to the unearthing of a murderous conspiracy.
Sarah makes a new friend and takes a trip to Florence to help an old one, which leads to the unearthing of a murderous conspiracy.
SARAH JANE SMITH: BURIED SECRETS
Five years after the first Sarah Jane Smith spinoff “season,” and with the new Doctor Who series (and Sarah Jane herself) back on television, Big Finish launched its second, and to date final, “season” of SJS audioplays. Rather than a series of loosely-linked plays by different authors, the second season consists of four closely-linked plays by “Test of Nerve” author David Bishop — and the first of these, “Buried Secrets,” is so unlike its predecessors it’s almost unrecognizable. This play is miles beyond the first season, with an impressive level of confidence on display: right from the new theme song, “Buried Secrets” almost feels like a completely new program. A new mythology is introduced, revolving around an ancient apocalyptic cult and the arrival of their prophet — naturally, this involves Sarah, who finds herself in Florence with Josh to help Natalie through some legal difficulties. Elisabeth Sladen takes a step back from the hard-bitten character we saw in the first season: here she’s a bit more cheerful, despite living as a near-recluse. Jeremy James and Sadie Miller are on good form as well: Miller in particular gives Nat more character development than she had in five previous releases, sounding here like a person with an actual life. Tom Chadbon, best remembered in Doctor Who as Duggan in “City of Death,” plays Harry Sullivan’s brother Will, and highlights the play with a wonderful restaurant conversation with Sladen. Backed by Steve Foxon’s expert sound design and John Ainsworth’s assured direction, David Bishop’s script inspires: the characters feel dynamic and real, the international flavor is present and believable, and the threat, while necessarily a bit perfunctory, is nonetheless compelling due to its impact on the characters. “Buried Secrets” is a very strong start to the second SJS season, and with the same creative team behind all four plays, I expect great things.
8/10