Big Finish Audio, 2002
There are some very good parts to this audio but overall, it’s just good. Colin Baker’s Doctor lands on Excelis by accident during a robbery of the Relic. Attempted robbery, I should say. Then the death’s begin as Reeve Moupassant shows his true colours as he is Grayvorn. Hasn’t slept in over 1,000 years and is merged with the Mother Superior. That’s enough to make anyone loopy! It’s a bit mysterious that Minister Pryce is on the side of the Doctor, trying to keep him from being taken away by the Reeve within such a short time. Inquisitor Danby is definitely an interesting character and the most interesting one in the whole story! I like the ultimate destiny of Grayvorn and the Mother Superior—trapped for who knows how long but since he’s lived for a thousand years, I think being trapped in a building won’t help his sanity and keep him alive even longer!
As crowded as Artarus is getting, you’d think that gold lame purse would be bulging at the seams by now! People die but go nowhere as the Relic keeps them around. Don’t they bother with reincarnation? The world will be smothered with ghosts in a relatively short time if they can’t leave! At least that’s what I think. What if the Relic’s taken off-world? Then they’re really in trouble, eh! The plot line is just there and once again, the Doctor is dragged in without too much concern for why. He’s there by accident, of course, and the thieves won’t ever admit that they know the name of the bad guy. Don’t they think he could and would just dispose of them when they become useless or expendable? Guess it doesn’t occur to them and they certainly all pay the price for it as half the people at the scene of the crime die. And so these are the most important artifacts on the planet and only two investigators show up? Huh.
Well, for all these things and the lack of tension in the tale, it only gets a three jelloid rating. The Excelis stories just don’t get into the strange and weird enough for me, I tell ya!
writer: David A McIntee
director: Edward Salt