Greetings people of the internet, and welcome to Big Finishing Move. This happens to be the section granted unto me in the vast One Of Us empire where I get talk about and review the Big Finish audio dramas. It’s my job here to let you know if a release is any good or if that chunk of change burning a hole in your pocket is better served splurging for the fancy toilet paper on your next shopping run.
On the docket today is the penultimate (always looking for an excuse to use that word) release of The Fourth Doctor Adventures for 2015, The Fate of Krelos. What dangers await good Savage and Scarfy? Let’s roll on in and find out.
TARDIS Team: The Fourth Doctor, Leela, and K-9 Mark I
Anybody whose seen the classic The Androids of Tara knows that the Fourth Doctor likes to fish, and that is exactly what has brought him to Krelos. Atop some mountains are pools that are some of the best fishing spots you could imagine and the Doctor is itching to soak them in. Leela as a hunter on the other hand is less than impressed with this idea as the Doctor plans to only do catch and release fishing (fish is food after all). And what of the good K9? Well our faithful tin dog has been keeping himself busy playing with the control room architecture. Seems he’s even managed to conjure up a previous version of the TARDIS’ control room. But all is not sunshine and rainbows, K9 is acting funny, some might even call it a breakdown. Can the Doctor figure out what is going on with K9 and how this all ties into Krelos’ destruction before things get even worse?
This story is just a lead-in to the next installment, but thankfully that doesn’t mean everything here is mindless filler. Nick Briggs dug in and wrote some really great character interactions between the Doctor and Leela. It’s true you can see that these moments are setting things in motion for the next release, but Briggs slows things down and lets the characters have a very detailed conversations that are easily that are easily the highlights of the whole thing.
If one thing has been made clear by The Fourth Doctor Adventures it is that Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are still magic. This series has taken to expanding and fleshing out the Doctor and Leela’s odd relationship and the chemistry between the two is undeniable. They can be a comedy double act one minute and then flip things in an instant and deliver heartfelt drama. The pair start this tale in about as jovial a mood as either ever gets, but as the the story goes along things really take a turn for the somber and melancholy. I could keep gushing about the pairs performances, but I think you get the point.
And lest you think I’ve forgotten poor John Leeson, let me just say that this is a real highlight for his talents as well. The ways he is able to do new and surprising things with the K9 voice truly boggles the mind. Seriously, what Leeson can pulls off here is nothing short of astounding.
When you break it all down, The Fate of Krelos is an excellent set-up, but that is all it is, set-up. It doesn’t have any natural sense of completion to and cuts right at the point where the story is about to kick into full gear. The meat of the story is being held until the next installment leaving we the hungry listening audience with some exquisitely tasty yet unfilling appetizers and a sprig or two of parsley to gnaw on. In the end, The Fate of Krelos can’t quite stand on its own so as much as I enjoyed it I say you should hold out on this one and wait to see the response to Return to Telos, because if that installment sucks it will retroactively make this one a waste as well.
Purchase Doctor Who: The Fate Of Krelos Here:
Next time we’ll be with the Seventh Doctor to finish out the Drashani trilogy:
In the mood for even more audio goodies? Well we just may have something for you. We here at One of Us have our own audio drama series Infinite Variations, and this is also the home of the spin-off from The Intergalactic Nemesis, the one and only Salt. Now, all this is stuff happens to be 100% FREE here, so hop to and go get your listen on.
Check out my previous reviews:
Phantasmagoria, The Fearmonger, The Light At The End, The Spectre of Lanyon Moor, Storm Warning, Blood of the Daleks, The Chimes of Midnight, Seasons of Fear, The King of Sontar, White Ghosts, Dark Eyes II, The Crooked Man, Project: Twilight, The Evil One, The Harvest, The Last Of The Colophon, The Council Of Nicaea, Destroy The Infinite, Afterlife, The Abandoned, Zygon Hunt, Revenge Of The Swarm, Philip Hinchcliffe Presents Box Set, Dark Eyes 3, Mask of Tragedy, The Fourth Doctor By Gareth Roberts, The Exxilions, The Darkness of Glass, Dark Eyes IV, Requiem for the Rocket Men, Signs And Wonders, Death Match, Suburban Hell, The Burning Prince, The Cloisters of Terror, The Acheron Pulse
