“Axos calling Earth. Fuel system exhausted. Request immediate assistance.”
Many years ago, the vast space parasite Axos attempted to suck the planet Earth of its energy. Now it’s all but forgotten – a dried-up husk, marooned in orbit, still stuck in the time loop it was placed in by Earth’s defender, the Doctor.
Forgotten, that is, except by space tourism billionaire Campbell Irons – who’s hatched a plan to solve the world’s energy crisis by reviving Axos, and transmitting its power back to Earth. But the crew of the spaceship Windermere aren’t alone aboard the parasite. The Doctor has returned, to correct an error of decades past…
And Axos is waiting.
THE FEAST OF AXOS
The “return of Thomas Brewster” trilogy continues with its second installment, Mike Maddox’s “The Feast of Axos.” And while it certainly accomplishes what it says on the cover, it’s not really about anything and it’s not particularly great – meaning I don’t have much to say about it!
Here’s a story synopsis: “Facing an energy crisis, desperate humans attempt to forge a deal with the alien parasite Axos in order to gain access to an apparently miraculous energy source. Axos betrays them and attempts to absorb the Earth, until the Doctor is able to stop them.” Read that to any Doctor Who fan and they’ll say “That’s ‘The Claws of Axos!’” It is, of course, but the problem is that it’s also “The Feast of Axos,” which differs from its parent story only in the superficial details. It plays as though its inspiration was the author realizing “Hang on, Axos is still floating around in a time loop in space! I wonder what would happen if some colossal idiot decided to fly up there!” The story progresses from that idea as you might expect; there are a few twists and revelations along the way, and at least one effective cliffhanger, but at no point does the story argue that it needed to be told in the first place.
It’s remarkably similar to Maddox’s “Legend of the Cybermen” in this way – it features a number of interesting set pieces but no cohesive whole, all seeming to stem from a “wouldn’t it be cool if” premise. It’s fantastic to have Bernard Holley back as the voice of Axos, sounding just like he did in 1971 and providing a new type of alien voice from the usual Big Finish standards. The problem, though, is that he doesn’t do much of anything, appearing infrequently to issue orders and commands. Most of the Axos directives come from a duplicate Doctor created at the conclusion of episode 1, giving Colin Baker an excuse to give a stilted, scenery-chewing performance as his own double.
The other problem comes with the companion characters. Brewster is as unpredictable as ever: what exactly is his motivation? He doesn’t seem to trust anyone, but he eagerly forges alliances, switching from side to side with, to quote Dan Aykroyd, the frequency of a cheap ham radio. Why does Brewster join Axos? Has he lost faith in the Doctor? Is he trying to manipulate the aliens? Some combination of the two? It’s incredibly unclear, and in a way that’s more frustrating than subtle. Evelyn, meanwhile, is treated appallingly. She rolls along amiably enough until episode three, when they venture onto the surface of Axos, and promptly transforms into a raving idiot. I like the idea that she’s never actually been in space, and that the Doctor hates spacewalking, but her reaction is less childlike wonder and more childlike stupidity. Credit to Maddox, though, as this leads to a wrenchingly effective cliffhanger that takes a rare, realistic look at the dangers of spacewalking.
I sound like I’m dumping all over the production – and I suppose I am – but it’s not terrible, it’s just uninspiring. The sound design, from Jamie Robertson, is excellent, recreating the details of the past with flair, and the score is equally effective. Nicholas Briggs directs well. The reason for human intrusion into Axos isn’t subtle, but it’s effectively pulled from the headlines. And even though it’s a standard runaround and a retread of a 40-year-old story, it’s at least reasonably successful. Unlike “Legend of the Cybermen,” there’s a plot and good character motivation here. I didn’t hate it while listening, but I did finish the play and wonder, “so what was the point?” I don’t have an answer, but I can also think of worse ways to spend two hours.
Meh.
5/10