The TARDIS travellers take a break on the beach world of Vektris. Hot sun, cold drinks and all the time in the worlds. What could possibly go wrong?
A kidnapping, a spaceship heist and a desperate chase to a distant galaxy later, Turlough finds himself in a strange winter palace… along with a face from his past. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa, meanwhile, fight to escape its frozen catacombs, guarded over by a vast and deadly alien,The Morass.
But what connects Turlough to the ancient treasure hidden somewhere in the palace? And how far will he go to acquire it?
KISS OF DEATH
Following on the heels of “Heroes of Sontar,” Stephen Cole’s “Kiss of Death” is the fifth of the stories that reunite the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, and Nyssa. While “Sontar” provided a brief look into Nyssa’s life after departing the TARDIS, “Kiss of Death” dives into Turlough with both feet, offering a glimpse at his childhood and the background driving his personality. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do this in a particularly interesting or intelligent way, but it’s still more than we’ve learned about Turlough in any episode apart from “Planet of Fire.”
The central relationship around which the story revolves is the teenage romance between Turlough and Deela (Lucy Adams) at his family’s ancestral planet and manor. A secret dimensional vault could only be opened as the two young lovers kissed, and now criminal Rennol (Michael Maloney) attempts to reunite them to gain access to the apparently glorious treasure within. The twist, of course, is that Deela and Rennol are actually working together – but I’m not ruining anything by saying that because it’s literally given away in the play’s first minute. It’s so obvious, in fact, that the listener might well wonder if the twist is that she’s telling the truth – but nonetheless the entire third cliffhanger is built upon this. Unfortunately, this is representative of the general level of depth of Cole’s script – we learn that Turlough and Deela were in love as teenagers and virtually nothing else. There’s little exploration of why they were in love, what they saw in each other, what their plans were…
Fortunately, Mark Strickson is able to save much of this with a great performane, and Cole’s script almost seems to recognize its own flaws through Turlough’s eyes. Turlough never embraces his old love as he once did, pointing out that his time in war irrevocably changed him. Even when Deela rejects her romance with Rennol and tries to apologize to Turlough, he doesn’t even recognize the need for an apology – how can she betray something that no longer exists? After listening to this story, it’s easier to understand Turlough’s personality and behavior. Sad, then, that Big Finish feels it has to adhere so strictly to TV continuity: since the Doctor has to find out his back story in “Planet of Fire,” all the companions make a ridiculous pact never to tell anyone. Turlough declaring “I’m not going to talk to anyone about this ever again!” would work better as a character moment if the motive for it wasn’t so transparent.
Tegan is well-used here, placed opposite Hoss (Lizzie Roper) for the most part and shocked at the mercenary’s lack of morality and loyalty. She’s also allowed a bit of sympathy toward Turlough – but again, not much, as the TV show can’t be contradicted. The other regulars do less well – both Nyssa and the Doctor alternate being captured by the Morass and released, and the Doctor doesn’t accomplish much of anything until the final half of the final episode. The story treads water for the most part when not dealing with Turlough, a pacing issue to its detriment. The conclusion is sloppy for other reasons: Rennol, for example, shifts from a ruthless leader with questionable motives to an unhinged madman without explanation.
After the problems understanding the Witch Guard in “Heroes of Sontar,” you’d think future voices would be more intelligible, but the problem is even worse in “Kiss of Death.” The Morass is virtually impossible to understand – whether this is down to Ken Bentley’s direction, Steve Foxon’s sound design, or John Banks’ performance is unclear, but it irritates. The remainder of the production is solid, if unspectacular.
Overall, “Kiss of Death” is an unremarkable Doctor Who story. It attempts to add some depth to Turlough, but only does so on a superficial level. Apart from that, it’s a fairly standard runaround over a few static set pieces with a generic villain. Good enough for those who love this sort of thing, and certainly there’s nothing bad about it, but ultimately it’s uninspiring.
6/10