Archaeological Adventuress: Bernice marvels at the thought
of living all of those centuries, imagining being a living chronicle of human
history. Dorian is there to make sure she is aware that immortality is a curse,
watching those people you love die, seeing the same mistakes play out again and
again from one world to another...
The Painted Man: What a fascinating exercise, listening to a
character as a part of a standalone story in the Bernice series that would go
on to have his own series down the line (although the writer didn't know that
at the time). It was really rather clever on Gary Russell's part, convincing
Handcock that this was an effective way of showing how this concept and
character could be made to work and work really well. And it worked a charm,
this being one of the more arresting Bernice tales of late. Dorian's panting is
found in a dilapidated house gathering dust but the brushwork a fresh as if it
were painted five minutes ago. As we experience his memories we learn that he
is a bored man with nothing left to do, he pokes his noise into anything that
piques his interest because he has nothing left to do and it passes the time.
He has seen and done it all and only occasionally does something surprise
him. As the story goes he has a
portrait hidden away which holds the secret of eternal youth. A secret so
sought after that people will lay traps for him in order to try and convince
him to part with it. Handcock cleverly sets the three sets of memories that we
experience in different time periods to show how long that Dorian has lived,
revealing to the audience that this man is immortal as long as he has the
painting and explaining why he was so tired in the far future. Dorian likes men
but isn't averse to the ladies either. For years he hoped that he would find
unrequited love after centuries of being flattered and sought after, he thought
it might make a nice change. The painting eats up all of his guilt, all of his
shame and remorse. Dorian genuinely loved Spencer and it broke his heart to
have to murder him in order to kill the parasite that was eating its way into
existence through his mind. In the future Dorian will lose his portrait and
wind up paying Bernice to try and track it down for him.
Standout Performance: Introducing the phenomenally talented
Alexander Vhalos as Dorian Gray, a masterful performance that I would like to
think had something to do with the series getting the go ahead after this was
recorded. If you want to hear me drool on about Vhalos then check out my
effusive reviews of the Dorian Gray series elsewhere on the blog. There is also
the chance for range regulars Lisa Bowerman, Ayesha Antoine and David Ames to
turn their hand to different parts as they experience the many lives of Dorian
Gray in a very personal way. Antoine as the psychotic patient was really
disturbing, a world away from sweet and innocent Ruth. Bowerman is similarly
authentic as the upper class hustler that traps Dorian, a sophisticated piece
of work who is willing to play a long con to get her mark. Topping off a
nourishingly good cast is Richard Franklin who makes an appearance as a villainous
sort who relishes the chance to spring traps and prey on the weak. Mike Yates
he aint.
'You mean you own it?' 'As much as it owns me.'
'The curious tale of Springheel Jack. The fabled Professor
Summerfield existing at both the start an end of time. And as for you Ruth...I
was there back when you were both revered and reviled and the very mention of
your name could make whole Empires flee. Your true name, I mean' - a wonderful
moment when Dorian, a man from literature, informs all three of our heroes that
they too have their place in mythology. Hinting at a dangerous reveal for Ruth
in the future...
Great Ideas: People used to claim that Triptic House
attracted nothing but evil whilst others believe there is a priceless work of
art secreted within it's walls. A long forgotten, powerful artefact and the
very thing that Bernice and her gang have been contracted to collect. Much like
the segment of the Key to Time in The Androids of Tara, it was never about
finding the artefact but what happens once they do. Like Romana, Bernice, Ruth
ad Jack stumble across the treasure in record time. A grotesque work of art,
painted in blood and fresh as a daisy. Like with haunted buildings, memories
captured, stored and imprinted on objects and there is a process that releases
them. I like the idea that the preternatural is just aspects of science that we
are not familiar with. It's touted by Bernice and again seems like something
that she might have picked up on her travels with the Doctor (the third Doctor
certainly favoured the science over magic solution). In the séance that Jack is
suggesting they perform the conscience should pass through each of them in turn
as they hold hands and they will experience its memories as though it happened
to them. Spectators in a very personal way. The imaginary friend of a little
girl made flesh after she has killed her host? Brought to life by a man who
wants to manifest himself and kill everybody in the facility that she is being
held in. A tapestry of great history, figures depicted in the threads from
different periods of different styles and fashions, generation after
generation, captured on a weave. It isn't an artists impression, it is actually
the people who have been touched by the tapestry. When they die, they're souls
are captured in the weft and the warp, looking out on the world outside but
unable to interact. Screaming their silent screams. What a marvellously
chilling idea. The art dealer wants the painting of Dorian and laid her head on
the chop by putting her tapestry on display in order to lure him out into the
open and trap him. The whole thing is a massive con, she isn't an art dealer at
all and Dorian is the mark. A presence, living in the dreams of others and
manifesting itself in the most chilling of nightmares. It can't exist until you
remember, until you will the essence into life. Until then it is just an idea,
a scratch in the back of your mind that you can't get at. A parasite, feeding
off thoughts. Dorian was the one who paid Benny to track down the portrait, his
portrait.
Audio Landscape: From the off it is clear that director
Scott Handcock, sound designers Matthew Cochrane and Robbie Dunlop and musician
Daniel Brett know exactly what they are doing when approaching a haunted house
story. Immediately the music is running its fingers up and down your spine, the
sound effects are coming when you least expect them and the usually unflappable
characters are on edge. If you are a fan of things that go bump in the night
and enjoy an unnerving atmosphere there is a good chance that you will enjoy
this story. Creaky door, lightning, beeping equipment, whispering, electrics
banging and fizzing, sliding door, party atmosphere, typing on keyboards,
alarms, birdsong, doorbell, horse and cart, handing over coinage, crackling
fire, snoring, clock chimes, ducks quacking, splashing in water, birds
screaming.
Isn't it Odd: More of a fault of mine than of the audio but
when I first heard this story I was ready to declare it the most confusing and
out of place of all the Bernice adventures, one which made little sense to me.
I was running at the time and was taking out a Benny for an hour long jog every
morning and I could not get my head around its complexities whilst gasping for
breath and avoiding dogs yapping at my ankles. That's because this isn't one of
those Big Finish stories that plays out like a soundtrack to a missing TV
story, all action and no brains. It is a sophisticated piece of storytelling,
layered and intelligent and one that requires concentration and a little effort
to yield all of its rewards. Oh what a fool I was. If the story ends a little
abruptly then take some comfort that the adventures of Bernice, Ruth and Jack
will continue on into the next set of Benny adventures and that you can follow
more of Dorian's exploits in the incredible first season of The Confessions of
Dorian Gray.
Standout Scene: The first memory, the one where Ruth is
living the life of an imaginary friend made real. That really freaked me out.
Result: Genuinely unsettling in a way that these audios
don't usually get to me, Shades of Gray is another sterling adventure in what
turning out to be an extremely accomplished box set. I love a good horror but
so many of the best ideas have been tried and tested and turned into cliché and
there is a dearth of original notions that really get under your skin. Whilst
Handcock does rely on some horror tropes (the haunted house, the séance, the
imaginary friend), he exploits them masterfully and when it comes to the
beating heart of the story it is the psychological horror of what Bernice, Ruth
and Jack experience that really creeped me out. Astonishingly this works
extremely well as a standout Bernice Summerfield in it's own right and an excellent
backdoor pilot (although it was never intended as such at the time) for the
Dorian Gray range, the two meeting effortlessly without either feeling as
though it is being short changed. On the one hand you have the Bernice cast
being exploited to the full, playing a range of roles that really challenges
them and pushes them as far away from their regular roles as you can get. On
the other you have all the required information about Dorian, his immortality
and world weary attitude after so many years of living and the means in which
he manages to stay so young and beautiful. It helps that the Bernice range has
been able to turn its hand to pretty much any genre and tone and the skin
crawling terror, layered storytelling and innovative ideas are enough to make
any fan of the series sit up and pay attention. It is little wonder that Big
Finish green lighted a Dorian Gray series on the strength of this tale. Compare
Shades of Gray to The Stone's Lament (another horror story) from the second
season of the Benny range and see just how far this series has matured over the
years. My only complaint (and the only reason it doesn't get full marks) is
that ends a little too abruptly, not giving the story the climax it deserved
and never answering the question of what happened to Dorian once he was
reunited with his portrait. But then perhaps we shouldn't know how this story
ends before the range has even begun. Shades of Gray is a terrific achievement,
but don't listen to this one alone in the dark.: 9/10
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