Big Finish Audio, 2002
Not horrid but definitely not an auspicious start to this miniseries. The Doctor actually seems lost without a companion and his interactions with Iris are just kind of goofy. The zombies sure aren’t very potent as Grayvorn just waltzes right in with his big sword and takes the Relic. Sister Jolene is this powerful chick in hiding but she loses the Relic as well! I expected she would turn up later, just as the Mother Superior does (in additional audios) but nope. I don’t recall her reappearing at all. Iris ends up being the instigator of everything as her handbag contains all of heaven and hell. Oiy vey. That plot device is a bit over the top, even for Doctor Who. How does it know what souls to “take in”? Just the ones of the planet it’s on? Is it just a portal into the place where dead people go? It’s really unclear why or how the zombies got the Relic and what the whole point of this story is, honestly.
This adventure is just kind of bland overall. There’s really no threat from Grayvorn even when he’s threatening the Doctor and Iris. I just don’t feel the tension. I do like the beginning of the story with Iris interacting with the nuns, her bus careening out of control, Grayvorn and Mother Superior becoming one person. Good stuff. The rest of it is just kind of blah. I think the best of this series has to go to Excelis Decays with Sylvester McCoy, though the other two have some good stuff. This is just a boring audio adventure and the weakest of this series.
Peter Davison, Anthony Stewart Head, and Katy Manning
writer: Paul Magrs
director: Gary Russell