What's it about: Disgraced
soldiers Ruth Matheson and Charlie Sato are called back into action by Captain
Mike Yates, when the UNIT Vault is mysteriously locked down by a deadly force.
Together they must infiltrate the Vault and get those trapped out alive. But
what enemy are they facing?
Mike Yates: We haven't spent a great deal of time in the
presence of Mike Yates with Big Finish beyond a handful of companion chronicles
and one Lost Story but the few occasions they have dealt with the character he
has proven to be a surprising hit. I think the relative rarity of the character
comes down to his involvement in the Nest Cottage audios, to avoid any
confusion between his modern day timeline in the Audio Go 4th Doctor series.
Since that company has now gone into administration there is no longer a
conflict of interest. Richard Franklin has proven to be a fine narrator and
whilst you might think that Yates was something a cardboard character on
screen, his ousting from UNIT and subsequent humiliation have turned out to be
great dramatic points in his life that has warranted further exploration. Yates
has returned to service now. There is a mutual link between Yates and the two
Vault employees, they have all been considered a security risk by UNIT at some
point. He understands the suspicion they must be under and the scrutiny they
must be facing. Mike has effectively come out of retirement to go on this
suicide mission into the Vault but then he never was the sort of person to sit
back and do nothing. He has personal reasons for doing so which he is keeping
close to his chest. Walking around the Vault brings back all kinds of memories
for Mike, seeing plastic daffodils and stone gargoyles that link back to alien
incursions during his time serving with UNIT. One of the missing officers is
called Lucas and she and Mike had a relationship when she was a new recruit and
he was a training officer. A career in UNIT and a personal life don't really
mix and it didn't work out but his connection with her is enough to draft him
in to rescue her. He was clearly quite the ladies man behind the scenes since
Yates alludes to nights spent with Corporal Bell too. He went along for the
ride with the Doctor and Jo to Karfel (pre-Timelash). He tries his damndest to
keep his affiliation with the Doctor a secret from Rees but he has been such a
dominant figure in his life it is impossible to scour his past and not find his
footprints imprinted all over it. Jane genuinely was in love with Mike and when
he was discharged she tried to help him but he pushed her away, perhaps too
strong a reminder of everything he had lost. It is hard for him to ask UNIT to
shoot to kill Jane, even though she is dead already.
Standout Performance: Franklin commits 100% to every audio
he is working on. His performances in the past decade have been so much more
impressive than he ever was on television.
Musical Cues: After the ghoulish version of Ding Dong Bell
used in Mind Games and the more percussive version in The Reesinger Process, it
seems very appropriate that the same nursery rhyme should be adapted for the
more action packed and modern world of a UNIT story to something much more
cinematic and bombastic. There is an exciting, militaristic bent to the
soundtrack in this release that made diving into the story and being dragged
along in its wake quite effortless.
Standout Scene: I want to be above the giddy excitement of
wandering through the corridors of the Vault and discovering items that have
taken part in previous Doctor Who adventures...but I'm not.
Result: What an unexpected delight. This was the story I was
expecting the least from (because it doesn't have the weight of an entire range
behind it) and what it achieved was quite unforeseen - that I wished there was
a spin off series to follow. Don't get me wrong I have thoroughly enjoyed both
Vault stories from Jonathan Morris (especially Mastermind, which still ranks as
one of my favourite companion chronicles) and it was great that further
opportunities have been handed to Ruth and Charlie. Drafting in Mike was a
stroke of genius and Franklin, Ashbrook and Tso make quite the trio of UNIT
misfits heading off on a dangerous mission that could potentially allow the
organisation to wipe their hands of their previous disgrace. Having Mike and
UNIT involved makes this feel more like a Doctor Who story than the first two
instalments of the Rees saga and The Screaming Skull is packed to the gills
with continuity references from the TV series, previous audios and even the
AudioGo series that Mike has defected from. It's deliriously enjoyable to be
steeped in the past like this, such is the nostalgic opportunities that the
Vault offers. Despite the fun, this is quite a claustrophobic story and the
closest this box set has come to an out and out horror. Rees is taking on the
survival methods of the Master, a new body at last and the way he is going
about it is quite macabre. Tying together the worlds of Jago & Litefoot,
Countermeasures and the UNIT Vault should have the adverse effect of making the
Big Finish universe feel smaller by containing all of them within but bizarrely
it had the reverse effect on me. Pulling them all into a cohesive mythology
left the impression of a expansive, diverse universe that allows for many
different types of storytelling that strides across decades and having them all
referenced together in this tale gave me a genuine thrill. The strongest
segment yet, with typically snappy Jonny Morris dialogue, some great ideas, an
excellent pace and a trio of UNIT characters that are begging to be explored
further: 8/10
1 comment:
I also loved the wax cylinder they found of Jago & Litefoot. It was not only a nice cameo but it sounded incredibly authentic.
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