STORY PLACEMENT

 THIS STORY TAKES

 PLACE BETWEEN THE BIG
 FINISH AUDIO DRAMAS

 "THE DEATH

 COLLECTORS" AND

 "KINGDOM OF SILVER."

 

 PRODUCTION CODE

 7Z/C

 

 WRITTEN BY

 STEWART SHEARGOLD

 

 DIRECTED BY

 KEN BENTLEY

 

 RECOMMENDED 

 PURCHASE

 BIG FINISH CD#109

 (ISBN 1-84435-318-7)

 RELEASED IN JUNE 2008.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

 BLURB  

 It is the eve of battle

 and the Martial

 Princesses are

 hosting a royal ball.

 But there are NASTY

 visitors in the garden

 and a sequence of

 events spiralling out

 of control...

 

 PREVIOUS                                                                                  NEXT

 

 

Spider's

Shadow

JUNE 2008

(35-MINUTE EPISODE)

 

 

                                                       

 

 

Spider’s Shadow is a compelling little drama, all in all. It’s an interesting new twist on the old ‘time loop’ idea; no more, no less. By its very nature, the plot of this episode is repetitive (albeit in a cumulative sort of way) and so it was crucial that the actors’ performances’ were sufficiently engaging to keep the listener hooked. Thankfully they were.

 

Carol Fitzpatrick and Katarina Olsson are both superb as the two backbiting Keldafrian princesses, and Sylvester McCoy matches their game throughout. I must say, Olsson is really establishing herself as the bedrock of the Big Finish troupe – she is in practically

every release, yet somehow she seems to make each new character that she plays sound so distinctive. I should also say here that I like how the writer portrays the Keldafrian princesses as being shades of grey, despite them being teamed-up with the Doctor. It made the play much more remarkable than it would have been had they been pegged as out-and-out goodies.

 

Kevin McNally’s pan dimensional Spider also impresses, both conceptually and practically. This episode features some great dialogue between the Doctor and the Spider; the Spider anticipating the Doctor’s analogies works especially well. And McNally seems to relish getting his teeth into a much meatier role than The Twin Dilemma offered him. To look at, he might still be recognisably the same man as he was back in Colin Baker’s day, but his Spider’s voice is nothing like that of the pusillanimous Hugo.

 

On a final note, I think that I’m right in saying that Spider’s Shadow is the first of Big Finish’s bonus one-part adventures to be just that – a bonus one-part adventure as opposed to part of the Virus Strand arc or a continuation of the CD’s showcase three-parter. I must stress

the words “I think” though as the word virus does crop up at least the once here…

 

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Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2008

 

E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988

to be identified as the author of this work.

 

 

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