The TARDIS arrives in the land of the Danes, where a young warrior seeks to rid the kingdom of Hrothgar from a cruel and terrifying demon. The brave young warrior is Beowulf; the monster is Grendel… or so his name will one day be written. But what’s written down in black and white is sometimes very far from the truth – as the Doctor knows, and his companions are about to discover.
BLACK AND WHITE
After a stunning opening story, Big Finish’s 2012 Sylvester McCoy trilogy rolls on with Matt Fitton’s “Black and White,” a story that answers several questions, sets up what should be an epic conclusion, and manages to tell the Doctor Who version of the Beowulf legend, all at the same time. As a result, the script is rather cluttered – it’s the sort of thing that could use the 2.5 hour running time of the Gary Russell era – but it manages to come out as an entertaining, rewarding experience nonetheless.
I’ve seen comparisons between this story and the “Klein’s Story” and “Survival of the Fittest” relationship, and they mostly hold up: episode 1 of “Black and White” is largely standalone, with Ace, Hex, Lysandra (Maggie O’Neill) and Sally (Amy Pemberton) locked in the black and white TARDISes and slowly deducing what’s been happening. Of course, they don’t find all the answers they seek, but it rapidly becomes apparent what the Doctor has been up to: recruiting soldiers to prosecute a battle against the Elder Gods. It was obvious something was going on under the surface during “House of Blue Fire;” this story’s implication, though, that “Robophobia” was borne from the Doctor’s search for warriors struck me as a massive retcon. Hex and Sally pair off almost too easily; their discussions of the future and the imminent threat of death virtually promises that one of them is soon to perish, but that could be a massive red herring. Ace, meanwhile, acts jealous with Lysandra, odd for a character that’s consciously being played older – but she’s having her faith in the Doctor challenged, and that’s a reference to only one thing.
Indeed, much of “Black and White” involves the companions following the Doctor’s trail, identifying the groundwork he’s laying for the final battle. The reason for the black TARDIS is beautifully told in flashback: the Doctor raises it from “childhood” and keeps it inside the “main” TARDIS to allow him to run side missions without Ace and Hex knowing. It seems he’s also creating the black TARDIS knowing it will be destroyed in its final journey. In short, we’re seeing secondhand some of the darkest actions in the Doctor’s life. And if he’s willing to stoop to these depths to accomplish his goals, it’s clear that the threat is grave indeed. One that’s seeded itself through a Nordic bloodline, one that plans to play one more game with the Doctor.
It’s either Fenric or the worst misdirection in history, is what I’m saying.
But with all that going on, the script also finds time to recount the legendary tale of Beowulf (Michael Rouse, Richard Bremmer), the warrior who slew the cruel monster Grendel – or, in this case, effete frog-like alien Garundel (Stuart Milligan). And even that’s not enough, as Ace and Lysandra meet the legendary king in his youth, while Hex and Sally encounter him at the end of his life. There’s some incredibly smart material from Fitton in here, mostly related to the relationship of fiction and reality and how a carefully told legend can enhance a community or even a kingdom. It’s not a coincidence that the other characters, Wiglaf (James Hayward) and Weohstan (John Banks), are storytellers. If I have a complaint here, it’s that Fitton doesn’t do enough to tie the myth vs. reality theme back to the arc plot; rather, it remains mostly self-contained within the Beowulf segments.
This is a huge cast for a Big Finish story. McCoy is barely in it, once again due to his filming obligations, but his flashback sequences are arguably the most compelling in the play. He’s always been my favorite Doctor, but he’s staked a claim for the title of “best Big Finish Doctor” over the past few years – amazing what an actor of his caliber can do with good scripts, isn’t it? Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier have to shoulder the load as the main characters once again, and they prove just as capable as the previous release. O’Neill and Pemberton are interesting – while Sally was always an appealing character, Lysandra was anything but sympathetic in “Project: Destiny.” Fortunately, O’Neill works into the listener’s good graces almost immediately, tough and uncompromising without being off-putting. Milligan’s turn as Garundel shouldn’t work – it’s too camp for a story with this tone – but he gives it just the right amount of subtlety to make it effective. And if Rouse goes over the top as the young Beowulf, Bremmer offers a stunningly touching performance as the elder equivalent.
The production is as good as ever, especially Jamie Robertson’s sound design, which manages to believably capture the multiple settings and times in which the story takes place. Ken Bentley’s direction is confident as ever – a story this complex can easily become bloated, but it rarely feels this way. Ultimately, there’s way too much going on for “Black and White” to be remembered as a classic, but Fitton almost pulls it off. He’s setting himself up as an author to watch, while the story is setting up the most anticipated conclusion in the main range in close to a decade. It’s incomprehensible if you haven’t been following the range, but quite effective if you have.
Recommended.
7/10