Archeological Adventuress: Benny is haunted by cries from
her son which serves to remind us of her new mission in life to find him. Her
memory appears to have been fiddled with because although she remembers her
approach to Atlantis and the space port, she no longer remembers quite how she
found herself outside Acanthus’ property or the way back. Benny is awed at the sight
of the Acropolis, Greek civilisation brought to life before her very eyes.
Given her not inconsiderable knowledge of classical mythology Benny quickly
realises that the world she has found herself in is a hotchpotch of Greek
history and fiction. In the face of a creature the size of Kroll and twice as
ugly, Bernice refuses to run and cower but instead protects the children who
are nearest to her. That’s why she’s a heroine, you know. Keeping her head down
has never been Bernice Summerfield’s style and even if she says so herself, she
is good. Patience is a virtue that has long passed her by. I love the sequences
of her trying to mount the Pegasus because the director takes his time and
ensures that it’s a warm and amusing as it can possibly be.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Pure blind luck’ ‘Or stupidity. It’s a
fine line.’
‘Nicely evasive’ ‘Therein lies my talent.’
‘I can’t make you do anything Your Highness – you’re the
bloody Queen!’
‘The creature gazed right back at her. There was no malice
or anger in its eyes, just love. And with the gentleness of the gentlest lover,
the creature reached out a single giant finger and caressed the Queen’s
porcelain cheek’ – that’s rather lovely.
Great Ideas: At the heart of the Epoch box set there is a
really great idea that has never really been tried on this scale before and
that is having an entire planet to crack open and reveal its secrets. Its an
ambitious idea because usually we only get a surface examination of these
things but with Epoch there are four hours worth of material in this location
so it can be investigated in much greater depth than usual. By the end of The
Kraken’s Lament this planet already feels well explored which is a good thing
because things are about to start shifting. The whole concept of a planet being
constructed out of Greek mythology is inspired purely because for an
archaeologist like Benny exploring the architecture and being able to come face
to face with mythical creatures is a salivating prospect. The continuation of
the ‘history is outlawed’ theme is great because it automatically puts Bernice
on the defence and has her looking over he shoulder. Having Acanthus narrating
this adventure helps to give it the classical feel that it is reaching for,
especially effective during the Kraken attack because it allows for the scene
to be narrated whilst not feeling like characters standing about describing
events to the audience like the lesser audios have a penchant for doing.
Dumping Benny on a planet with no technology to be able to escape gives her a
fixed location to rediscover herself and her surroundings. Wright has some fun
with his plundering of Greek myths, the Minotaur showing up as the equivalent
of a gladiator in an amphitheatre. The Queen drops a Year Zero bomb which is a
relief because I thought that the whole concept of the rebooted universe was
going to be skipped over. Bernice’s assertion that Atlantis is a contradictory
is beautifully written by Mark Wright, highlighting that it is a culture based
on ages old tradition and myths but has only been around for half a century.
There’s a certain poetic irony to the Queen refusing to love her King as a
Kraken and ordering his destruction and in retaliation he destroys the Palace
and they fall into the sea together, embraced by its murky depths. Acanthus and
his house going missing is the first sign that things are amiss on Atlantis
(beyond the general nuttiness of a planet built on Greek mythology in the first
place) and Bernice has lost her only friend in the world.
Audio Landscape: Steve Foxon’s soundscapes are extremely
vivid throughout this adventure. The last few Bernice Summerfield adventures
have been minimalist and it is wonderful to be able to get back to some
ambitious audio landscapes. If you are cutting your teeth on audio then being
able to bring to life a Kraken climbing a mountain and reducing a palace to
rubble is a great place to stretch your talents. Foxon is a dab hand at Big
Finish stories by now and his work has reached a zenith of professionalism
here. If you shut your eyes and cut off your surroundings you will be whisked
away to Atlantis in seconds. Footsteps, dogs barking, birdsong, snoring, market
scenes, the sea lapping at the harbour, seagulls, applause, the sighing Kraken
raising from the waters, screams, people flinging themselves into the water,
spears and arrows flying through the air, Acanthus spitting out his wine, bees
lazily carrying on the warm breeze, Pegusi braying and kicking at the mud, the
wind rushing through the Queen’s bedroom, pouring wine, lashing rain, church
bells sounding, the Kraken’s lashing tentacles impacting as it climbs the
mountain, the creature sighing in pain, whinnying, the Palace being ripped to
pieces by the angry Kraken.
Musical Cues: There’s a gorgeous theme for the Kraken that
manages to be both exciting and surprisingly melancholic, the soundtrack giving
some clue to the creatures distress. The piece of music when Bernice tries to
mount the Pegasus and takes flight into the sky is beautiful.
Isn’t it Odd: Was this really the best place to kick start a
new marketing campaign of interest in the Bernice Summerfield series? I
remember before Epoch was released (along with the rather wonderful Dead and
Buried animated adventure that was completely out of place, situated before
Resurrecting the Past) there was something a buzz around the range. Gary
Russell was back at the helm after his time with BBC Wales, the series was
being rebranded with new cinematic covers, the stories were being released in
box sets of three or four stories rather individual releases and there was a
general feeling that things were looking very good indeed for our intrepid
adventuress. And then everybody listened to the thing. That’s not fair because
its nowhere near as bad as some people claimed it to be but its fair to say it
wasn’t exactly what people were expecting. I just have to question the decision
to push this series onto a new audience when the Epoch series is so far removed
from what is recognisable as the Bernice Summerfield series – it takes place in
one, undisclosed location, has disposed of the recurring cast and features
Benny alone and afraid and trying to figure out a universe of her own making,
How we meet Benny at the beginning of this story would elicit so many questions
from a newcomer that I can imagine them running away in sheer frustration and
never coming back. And that would be a shame because there is a great deal of
worth within this box set. Given the creatures distressing cries, its attempts
to reach the palace and Steve Foxon’s sad theme it becomes apparent very
quickly it is trying to reach the summit of the mountain for a reason other
than thoughtless destruction. As soon as the Queen discusses her missing
husband it would take somebody very special indeed not to put two and two
together.
Standout Scene: Almost justifying this approach in its
entirety, the sequence of Bernice galloping towards the heavens on the back of
a Pegasus is pure magic. Its unusual for this series derive its biggest thrills
through cheerful events so this is doubly charming.
Foreboding: The first appearance of Jack who seems to know
Benny’s name and exudes a certain camp menace. There’s clue as to his real
identity at this point, he just makes his presence apparent.
Result: Paradoxically frustrating (because it is so far
removed from anything that we might recognise as the Bernice Summerfield
series) and innovative (what better way for a series to re-invent itself but to
wipe away the old template and build itself up from scratch which is basically
what this box set is setting out to achieve), The Kraken’s Lament is strong
opening story for an arc that perhaps never should have happened. After two
economical and dark plays set in this new universe it is a relief to take a
breath and have something of a holiday experience and what better place to do
that than an imaginatively conceived destination constructed out of vivid Greek
mythology. Bernice gets a job, gets on the scent of a mystery, indulges in some
light relief and solves a puzzle that has a profound effect on the planet. She
might not be home but she is far more like her old self again, The Kraken’s
Lament being extended therapy if you like. There is some dazzling imagery
provoked (the palace standing proud atop a mountain, a Pegasus galloping into
the sky, the Kraken attacking the harbour) which is refreshing in a series that
often generates its imagination through a necessity of economy. Splitting four
stories across a box set has afforded the director a chance to assemble an
impressive cast and pour some real money into the post-production work. The
mystery of the Kraken’s identity is predictable but the Queen’s story and her
plight are only really a side issue. For now this is an effective re-branding
of the series, giving Bernice a place in this universe and plenty to resolve
and its a cinematic treat on the ears to boot: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment