For the Collection to survive the war between Mim and Draconia, Benny must fathom the motives of the Draconian ambassador.
For the Collection to survive the war between Mim and Draconia, Benny must fathom the motives of the Draconian ambassador.
The Judas Gift
At the end of the preceding play Bernice and Braxiatel are back on the Collection, albeit via some precarious means. They got back to the message; things have changed…
Here, one day later, Bev is out. Nick Wallace starts proceedings with a recorded testimony, explaining who she is and why she is fleeing. As a framing device it gives this political drama just enough focus to remain relevant and interesting at all times. It’s a study of her character that reveals details that she’s been sorely lacking to this point, and a proper examination of the absurdity of an art thief becoming proprietor of the universe’s largest collection.
We go about this with one solitary addition to the cast: Kothar, played by Michael Fenner with icy precision. After making such an impact in their previous appearance the return of the Draconians to the main range is more than welcome, as they are one of the races with plenty of depth to explore. Michael Fenner plays a very light version of the accent, which is both a major plot point and perhaps a blessing because it allows him to concentrate on getting his delivery just right.
Miles Richardson is unusually muted as Braxiatel, the character admittedly here under duress. He walks through the play with his hands in his pockets, dragged in by other character for his expertise, all the while protesting he’d rather be anywhere else.
Also returning are Harry Myers as Adrian, Steven Wickham as Joseph, and Hass and Doggles as their relative alter-egos. Adrian goes through some perfect moments although Harry really shines here when playing a brand new character with the ominous catchphrase ‘Butterfly’.
The Judas Gift wonders briefly into the territory formerly occupied by the Gallifrey audios, in that not a lot happens whilst several characters bicker back and forth about moot plot points. This story however keeps things focused with the attention constantly on Bev Tarrant and Kothar, searching for the unknown connection between them.
It’s fantastically written, clear and precise throughout, and finally the series starts to give payouts for all the subtle stuff going on behind the scenes last year.
9 / 10