9 - The Watchers on The Wall
10 - The Children

And so another run of well-acted, sumptuously designed and thrillingly unpredictable fantasy stories comes to an end until next spring as Game of Thrones signs off with a reliably strong final pair of episodes. There is a lot of ground to cover, and these instalments for the most part manage to get the job done. Some details perhaps are left out which certain viewers would have wanted, but information is readily available online on specialist websites and indeed the original books are as good a fantasy read as any. The show may come across as slower-paced in this season, particularly the second half, but a lot of game-changers have either cropped up or continue to play out, and long-term fans will be more than satisfied. The double-edged sword continues to be the notoriously huge roster of players - both major and minor; and yet an excuse to re-watch episodes time and again for clarification is one of the more enjoyable scenarios available in this digital age.

‘The Watchers on The Wall’ does work more overall as a singular episode, and tells a solid story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It benefits from being so focused on the small number of Nights Watch and Wildlings concerned, and gives their characters proper room to breath with substantial dialogue and thrilling action set pieces. There has been plenty of good material for Kit Harrington this season, even if the excursion that almost saw him meet Bran was effectively a frustrating red herring, with barely any impact on the overall storyline. This episode is instrumental in delivering a finish to the Jon/Ygritte story and pay offs to other threads that have dangled for at least a season if not longer. Sam Tarley goes from being a noble youngster with a bumbling nature to a noble man with some real backbone in him. Thus despite his overt fear, he shows true heart. This cannot be said of the rather slimy Janos Slynt who was shown up quite some time ago by Tyrion as a rather hubristic and sulky individual, with a rather warped sense of his own importance and gravitas. Even more detestable however is the Thenn leader - Styr - who has exuded pure evil since first emerging on screen at the start of Season Four. His threatening words towards Yygritte on the eve of battle, and barbarous methods towards enemies or defenceless victims mean that his demise - through Jon's improvisation with blacksmith's tools - is richly satisfying.

The resolution of the Jon/ Ygritte story is done quite well if somewhat requiring suspension of disbelief as the battle around them allows them to have their final moment. ‘You know nothing Jon Snow’ is one of the great quotes of the saga and surely will resonate in Jon’s head for a fair amount of time to come. The original death of Ygritte was rather vague, so the show really does well to involve a fatal arrow shot by the young boy orphaned in the Wildling attack on an exposed village (from 'Breaker of Chains'). The survival of Torbund - such a wonderfully written and acted character is very welcome as he may have a political role to play even if his humour and hobbies in life are on the primitive side. Not all fan favorites get let off so lightly; with some rather shocking deaths for Pyp and Grenn that would not be expected by book readers who have 'read ahead' of the show's timeline. Nonetheless the set pieces, music, mood and all the little showcases of the show's hefty budget are wielded effectively to ensure that this is a fine companion piece to ‘Blackwater’ by returning director Neil Marshall.

* * * *
'The Children' is ever so slightly inferior on its own terms due to several areas not being quite up to full potential. But it is still by far the best closing episode to a season, with the other three being mere codas which just laid things in readiness for the next year. Stannis moving up North to settle the current battle between the Wildlngs and the flagging forces of Jon Snow is very welcome (and perhaps overdue) after all his skulking back at Dragonstone for the majority of two seasons. His 'divinely regal' arrogance versus Mance’s more down-to-earth form of pride is one of the better clashes of the series. It involves some intense body language with actors Stephan Dillane and Ciarán Hinds showing utterly excellent acting craft. Furthermore having Mance back on screen after such a substantial absence is very pleasing, and probably crucial for this story-line now that other key players have bit the dust.

Somewhat confusingly Arya was not detained at the Eyrie when she and Clegane met with the guards at the lower end of the Mountains. There is also no hint that she tried to check if Sansa was around - thus creating an issue of weak continuity that is rare for this show; excepting various recasts(!). Another issue I myself have is that the final scenes we saw of Littlefinger and Sansa really called out for some kind of development. In all fairness though Episode Ten has already so many different balls to juggle, it is almost acceptable and at least leaves some 'hooks' for next year. If HBO were perhaps a little more charitable we would have 11 or even 12 episodes a season, but the writers and producers still generally make the best of their resources,

So the Hound and Arya arc has operated splendidly as an intriguing sub-plot going back to Season 3 (and arguably back to the scene where she mourned the death of her friend Mycah). Clegane's stubbornness in not getting his wound treated has led to him becoming a shadow of the fearsome fighter he had been known as. When Brienne fails to persuade him of her credentials concerning Catelyn's wish for her children to be returned, there ensues a fight to the death. And this amazingly strong woman who has been ridiculed by so many men similar to the Hound gets to stand up and walk away when all is said and done. This unlikely union had to end eventually, and despite the Hound's amoral/immoral nature, we feel real pity for him as he writhes in agony on a jagged boulder. And Arya probably feels the same way too. The look both the performers give one another is utterly spellbinding and I will miss Rory McCann as much as any regular actor who no longer participates. However the lack of a truly conclusive onscreen death leaves a glimmer of hope; were we to follow the logic that GRR Martin himself maintains. The eventual escape of Arya to Braavos is well done and a very fine closing scene to the season. Maisie Williams is just so wonderfully natural and compelling as Arya and it scarcely seems credible that a single viewer can be indifferent to where this character's journey will take her, both literally and psychologically.

Having last seen their tribulations in the middle section of this season, we finally catch up with Bran's party as they locate the mystical tree which was hidden to most who brave the cruel regions North of the Wall. Despite seemingly getting some reward for their long struggles, there is a major twist in the tale that sees Jojen Reed perish. Rather grimly it was something he actually accepted all along, such were his clairvoyant powers. His sister Meera is seconds away from perishing as well, but manages to get to the safety of the heart tree with the others. And once again Bran's ferocity through the use of Hodor as his warg host is plain for all to see. A huge game changer appears as the crippled Stark boy now knows where his powers will take him next. We are all left to wonder just where this arc will go now, given the re-arrangement and new material that has distinguished Season Four.

Any review of Game of Thrones must however be mindful of the many intrigues taking place at King's Landing. When last we saw Tyrion it appeared he was but a hair's breath away from execution. Fortunately he has been allowed a little time left for an unlikely act of rescue. Jaime is the savior that we all anticipated - letting his brother out at great personal risk to himself. Rather less logically - for both long-term fans and for book readers - is the crucial aspect of Tysha being retconned out of this sequence. Originally there was a major revelation that she really was in love with Tyrion, and Tywin had manipulated the whole situation. That is to say that the dwarf's first wife was apparently a simple whore - bribed to make Tyrion experience intimacy with a woman for the first time. This would then be more than enough reason for the vicious actions that we end up witnessing, from the condemned 'murderer' of Cersei's son.

What instead transpires is a simple conversation where Tyrion is led to the route of safety - with Varys being the man to help him escape King's Landing safely by boat. Thus Jaime and Tyrion seem to remain on good terms and there is less obvious reason for the pragmatic dwarf to go into the 'lions' den' of the Tower of the Hand. Given the dramatic events that took place with Tyrion's courtroom trial, and his narrow loss in the trial by combat, there is some motivation to a small extent for him to seek out his father. Before that critical event can happen, Tyrion first discovers the worst thing possible: his former girlfriend Shae is now lying in bed waiting for Tywin to rejoin her. She realises he will try and kill her and takes action to finish him first. Tyrion is too quick a thinker though and uses the chain-necklace round her neck as a makeshift weapon to strangle her.

Rather more conventionally, he chases down his cruel father with a crossbow to hand. Although Tywin is still an able enough warrior and would have a very strong chance against Tyrion in a neutral situation, he is utterly exposed and defenceless when Tyrion finds him on the privy(!). This final sequence where father and son spew venom at one another, after Tywin feebly tries to suggest that there would be no execution for any Lannister is reasonably well-done, but could have been so much better. Dinklage and Dance both seem fine, but the intangibles that make the show really sizzle at times are curiously lacking. Nonetheless the ignominious death of Tywin Lannister is a pivotal moment in the show and will not be forgotten. There is thankfully some good pay off from the Tyrion and Varys conversations that occurred in Seasons 2 and 3. It feels absolutely right that these two misfits should depart for pastures new across the Narrow Sea. A rather uncertain and dangerous path awaits; regardless of the inevitable vengeance of Queen Regent Cersei.

And what of one of the shows' principal leads - Emilia Clake - and Daenerys' situation in Meereen? I will not add anything new to earlier comments of mine making out that these events are not exactly the hottest ticket in town. Yet with the departure of Ser Jorah Mormont and her frantic responsibility to now harness her three dragons – the fiercest of which has decisively evaded her clutches - she is not having an easy time of it in maintaining her rule of the slaver cities. The stylishly shot sequence where she chains her dragons so that they are confined to a cave with no light is however one of the most memorable moments of the show thus far. Dany's story has tenuously connected with other material but without giving too much away, Season Five should find a way to make events dramatically more relevant. Perhaps also we will find Emilie Clarke in better form again as she certainly has the screen presence, if not the range of some other principles, when everything is clicking around her.

So this season has been and gone some months now, and yet it is still all too long a wait for the next batch, as winter is coming for us in the real world. I had hoped that the 2014 sequence of the show would be the best yet, and it certainly is at least the match of last year's. There is a lot of consistently good elements - although Season 3 did have an utterly riveting twist in the form of The Red Wedding. The show is confident with various actors that have grown into their roles, and it has established its own path and voice now. Upcoming episodes now have the challenge of finding the best bits from the later books and getting a quite dense plot to make sense. This show must have looked almost impossible to pull off at one stage not so long ago, but is now a true global phenomenon and deserves every accolade it gets and more.

“Who better to turn to? The man who threatened the entire Federation with the most powerful ship in the sector at his disposal ...”
“You flatter me.”
“I meant Blake!”


The latest volume of The Liberator Chronicles is a precursor to the second audio series of full cast Blake’s 7 audio adventures due to be released by Big Finish, starting in November. After the events of The Armageddon Storm (Volume 3 of The Liberator Chronicles), the Liberator crew – comprising Avon (Paul Darrow), Vila (Michael Keating), Cally (Jan Chappell), Tarrant (Steven Pacey) and Dayna – have acquired a new addition to their ranks in Del Grant (Tom Chadbon).

Whereas previous Liberator Chronicles instalments have been more experimental and character-based than the full cast B7 audios, this trilogy of serials – Defector, Planetfall and Secrets – are closer in structure, style and pace to the full cast serials. The episodes continue to be narrated by key members of the Liberator crew but there are also many scenes acted out by the regular and secondary characters as if the story is a “live” adventure and not one simply being told in flashback. Consequently, the serials do not feel as intimate or as pensive as some previous Chronicles but this joint approach to the narrative means they have dramatic tension. It is no coincidence that this new style of storytelling coincides with the arrival of a new producer on The Liberator Chronicles in Cavan Scott who, along with regular writing partner Mark Wright, has penned this trilogy.

Scott and Wright have made it no secret that the trilogy is inspired by the spy genre, with particular attention to the James Bond franchise. Defector recalls The Living Daylights, Secrets the prologue to Tomorrow Never Dies and Planetfall just about every Bond instalment ever with its casino space station. However, the stories are not straight carbon copies and are still fresh and interesting, containing plenty of twists.

In Defector, the two Dels – Tarrant and Grant – are sent on a covert mission to a Federation world to assassinate a rebel agent gone rogue. While this course of action does not sit comfortably with Tarrant, especially as his namesake in Grant seems to be following his own agenda, what ought to be a “standard job” goes pear-shaped. And just when you think our “heroes” will finally meet their maker (in the form of arch nemesis Servalan), they are as surprised as the listener by what happens next ... Defector proves itself as much The Manchurian Candidate as it is The Living Daylights.

Planetfall is B7’s answer to The Poseidon Adventure. The Liberator receives a call from another fugitive on the run from the Federation with vital intelligence data and Avon and Cally masquerade as a high roller and his mistress on the pleasure station Arcadia to meet with this individual. Once Cally establishes contact with the fugitive, who is revealed to be the former Martian governor and Federation Council member Solvin Tavac (SF genre veteran David Warner), the space station is suddenly racked by explosions and Arcadia begins to break up in orbit around its home world. Avon and Cally must then strive to keep the station afloat and Tavac alive until the Liberator can rescue them whilst also evading another Federation agent on Tavac’s trail. Although the identity of the agent is predictable (in fact, Avon is caught out twice in the TV series by the same ruse!), there are bigger surprises to follow: the identity of the individual behind the destruction of Arcadia and Tavac’s connection to the Liberator. In fact, the story ends on a cliffhanger that will astonish some long time, diehard B7 fans.

Secrets sees Vila, Grant and Tavac visiting an arms bazaar and auction to bid for the data that Tavac has promised Avon. It is inevitably a heist-type story with a few twists but it is also a deeply personal story for Vila and Michael Keating tells it with all of his character’s mockery and dry wit. Needless to say, it would be a spoiler in this review to reveal why the story is so important for Vila but the upshot is that there is more to the Liberator’s resident thief than just (in his own words) “lock, open”. Vila is still more resourceful, clever and courageous than so many allies and adversaries give him credit for – and he surprises even Tavac who has read up on the Liberator’s past and present crew and incorrectly drawn his own conclusions about the thief.

The performers across these plays are all solid. Pacey, Darrow and Chappell, and Keating all impress with their first person accounts while Chadbon charms and bluffs his way through two of the plays as Grant and Warner injects arrogance and pomposity into Tavac. David Warner has always been a fantastic actor, turning in magnificent performances on screen and in voice roles in a career spanning more than 50 years – from Jack the Ripper in the classic Seventies film Time After Time to his multiple roles in Star Trek (particularly as Gul Madred in The Next Generation) and most recently in the Doctor Who episode Cold War and in multiple roles for Big Finish (notably as one of the alternative Doctors in Doctor Who Unbound and as Steel in Sapphire and Steel). In Blake’s 7, he does not disappoint as the duplicitous Tavac and his scenes and exchanges with Vila are profound and powerful. You automatically know that as soon as you see David Warner’s name attached to any production that you are definitely going to get extremely good value for money.

The induction of Del Grant into the Liberator crew also creates fascinating ripples in this trilogy. This one-time character from the TV series (who first appeared in B7’s second season in the episode Countdown in 1979) is important because he is the brother of the woman that Avon once loved (and subsequently killed when he learned she betrayed him). Although the bad blood between Grant and Avon was resolved first in Countdown and then in The Armageddon Storm, it is interesting to observe Tarrant and Vila’s reactions to the newcomer. Tarrant is suspicious of the Liberator’s new “golden boy” and “gun for hire” and by the end of Defector warns Grant to watch his back. Vila similarly expresses his distrust of Grant at the beginning of Secrets, describing him as “a walking timebomb, waiting to explode in Avon’s face”, but by the end of the play, their relationship has developed into one of mutual respect. It will be interesting to see how Grant’s relationship with the crew is portrayed in the forthcoming second full cast B7 series and whether some of the reservations expressed by other members of the crew boil over.

In all, The Liberator Chronicles#9 provides us with three engaging, action-packed plays. While the serials may seem more like straight renditions of B7 episodes and not as clever, inventive or as insightful as some of the more recent instalments in The Liberator Chronicles (eg the episodes President and Spoils), this trilogy nevertheless makes very good use of its characters and places them into some very dangerous places and situations, thanks to the combination of high production qualities and the power of the spoken word.

Although Big Finish is now producing full cast audio adventures with the Blake’s 7 cast, it is pleasing that the company has continued with its Liberator Chronicles volumes. These plays offer dedicated listeners more experimental takes on their favourite TV series and in turn more intimate, introspective accounts of the characters than would normally be the case in a full cast audio adventure. While stories utilising only two or three actors and supported by music and sound effects may seem limited to first time listeners, it is impressive how Big Finish time and again manages to produce compelling stories with epic imagination, scope and moral threads.

Volume 8 of The Liberator Chronicles takes a different narrative approach in each of its three stories. President is performed in the present tense in the form of a conversation between Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) and Secretary Rontane (Peter Miles). Sea of Iron is the closest to a conventional first person narration, although it is mostly told in the past tense by Cally (Jan Chappell) and occasionally by Servalan. Spoils is the most surreal of the three episodes, as Blake (Gareth Thomas) experiences a lurid dream that is administered by the mysterious Dream Makers (played by Jemma Churchill and Dan Starkey). All three tales provide us with new insights into the key characters – both for better and worse.

President is, of course, unique for featuring Servalan and not the Liberator crew at all. When the play opens, it appears the Federation’s Supreme Commander may have finally bitten off more than she can chew. This is Pearce’s moment to shine and she does not disappoint. She is ably supported by SF stalwart Peter Miles as Secretary Rontane, a close acolyte of the Terran Federation’s President. Miles effortlessly reprises the role that he played in two episodes of the original B7 TV series over 35 years ago. Of course, the scenario that author Simon Guerrier paints isn’t as obvious to the listener as it seems and the twist at the conclusion shows that Servalan is almost as masterful a manipulator as Guerrier is! Indeed, this episode works precisely because it beautifully exploits the audio medium. On television, a glance at the scenery of the conversation between Servalan and Rontane would immediately reveal the truth of the matter. On audio, the listener makes deductions from the dialogue and forms a picture in their own mind, both rightly and wrongly.

Although you might expect President to focus on the character recently played by Hugh Fraser in Big Finish’s first series of full cast B7 audio adventures, this is Servalan’s story and only features the title character indirectly. It is revealed that this is the same man who survives an assassination attempt on Mars (first mentioned in the B7 full cast audio Cold Fury) but as with the full cast plays, we only ever get a sketchy description of the President at best. Although Servalan describes him as a wiry, middle-aged man with a penchant for fine food, wine and “pretty young things”, he remains as anonymous and remote as he was in the TV series.

In fact, President focuses more on the internal power struggle in the Federation Council and the political situation across a host of Federation worlds and moons. Although we’re not meant to sympathise with the regime’s inherent brutality, the story gives us some insight into the geopolitical problems the Federation has to contend with, eg rationing, starvation, overpopulation, a failing welfare state, a corrupt bureaucracy – all good reasons why some Federation citizens could identify with the ideals of Blake’s crusade and take up arms. It is clear that the President, Servalan and Rontane have no interest in the people they are meant to serve – they will show the populace they care through a series of well staged PR exercises yet will do nothing to solve society’s ills.

Sea of Iron is a more conventional B7 story than President and probably the “oddball” in this trilogy of audio plays. That isn’t because it’s a radical or odd story, merely it is bookended by two stories with overtly political themes and is more of a typical B7 adventure. Marc Platt’s script focuses predominantly on Cally and her estrangement from her home world of Auron, with some devious shenanigans from Servalan on the side. Although it’s a story ostensibly set in the second season of the TV series (with Blake and Jenna still aboard the Liberator), it could just as easily fit into B7’s later run. Servalan, again performed with relish by Pearce, takes centre stage as the villain in this episode, much as she did in B7’s third and fourth seasons, and the story itself serves as a prequel to the third season episode Children of Auron.

What probably makes Sea of Iron fit in this boxset is the loose theme of betrayal that underscores this trilogy of tales – Cally must wrestle with the truth that her mentor is not the man he once was while the Auron government is also revealed to compromise its strong beliefs of isolation, much to Cally’s horror (it was this isolationist policy, of course, which persuaded Cally to leave her world in the first place).

Spoils is the most intriguing of the three plays. B7 in its TV run never tried stories featuring alternate timelines or parallel universes – scenarios that are a staple of the likes of Doctor Who, Star Trek and even Stargate. While it’s fascinating to take a sneak peak at what could have been or never was, these series have always run the danger of frustrating their audiences if the outcome of a story set in an alternate future negates the very purpose of the story! Fortunately, Spoils author James Goss skilfully assures the listener from the outset that there is a purpose behind the story – to show Blake through a virtual reality dream-like scenario that winning the peace after the fall of the Federation will be more difficult than winning the war. In turn, it is later revealed that it is not just us as the audience that is privy to Blake’s dream but someone else with an agenda ...

All the same, Goss provides us with a fascinating picture of what could have – or would have – happened if Blake and the Liberator crew had succeeded. Like in President, we catch glimpses of a Federation that is so systemically corrupt that no amount of goodwill on the part of any one politician can change it because he/she will always be frustrated or betrayed by other factions. Even though he sets out from the beginning of his presidency to do all the right things and to honour the trust that the Federation’s adoring citizens bestow on him, the task for Blake proves insurmountable – he finds that for every political spot fire he tries to put out, an even bigger one burns brightly in its place. By the end of the play President Blake, both through his own faults and due to external factors, has succumbed to absolute power and become as tyrannical as Servalan or Hugh Fraser’s President.

Gareth Thomas clearly enjoys the opportunity to play an older, wearier and embittered Blake, probably in accordance with his own age today (the conclusion of the play occurs only five years after his apparent victory but it would have been more realistic if it had been set 10, perhaps even 20 years later). Thomas is ably complemented by Dan Starkey (better known as Doctor Who’s Strax!) and Jemma Churchill who portray the mysterious Dream Makers and also double as a host of characters including regulars Avon, Jenna, Cally, Vila and Zen. No doubt for Starkey’s inner fanboy it would be a dream come true to be playing iconic parts like Avon, Vila and Zen. Sadly, as competent as Starkey and Churchill are, I think the narrative would be more convincing if Paul Darrow and Sally Knyvette had played Avon and Jenna respectively and doubled as the Dream Makers and some of the other characters. Starkey and Churchill’s portrayals of Avon and Jenna are horrible caricatures (far from being “jaw-droppingly” accurate as Goss recently told Big Finish’s Vortex magazine). Churchill and Starkey do enough at certain times of the narrative to make you believe they could be Avon and Jenna (or at least the Dream Makers masquerading as them) but otherwise their performances will grate on the listeners who know these characters best.

Nevertheless, the story, the production and the performances produce some powerful images that homage the TV series, particularly in the second half of the play. We see President Blake lead a massacre similar to the one he witnessed in the TV series opener The Way Back. He is then thrust into a final confrontation with Avon and the Liberator which echoes the TV series’ final climactic moments (indeed, I count this as the third time Big Finish have homaged the final moments of the series finale Blake — the B7 audios twice, together with the novel The Forgotten). Unfortunately the surprise twist is spoiled by Churchill’s hammy acting (“Maximum power!”).

The Liberator Chronicles Volume 8 is therefore a mixed bag of stories. President and Spoils are by far the better instalments, with overt political themes (one of B7’s strengths), while Sea of Iron is the weakest link (sadly reiterating a complaint of many long-time B7 fans that Cally-focused stories were often the dullest!). Again, you could construe betrayal as the underlying theme of these stories (it was definitely a recurring theme in the TV series) — that’s certainly the case in President, in the deeply personal revelations for Cally, and in Blake’s reaction to his dream-like experience. The characters in each of the stories learn something new about their place in the universe — and for Blake and Cally in particular, each revelation rocks them to the core of his and her being.

Big Finish’s range of Sherlock Holmes audio dramas which began in 2009 with the releases of adaptations of David Stuart Davies’ stage plays The Last Act and The Death and Life starring Roger Llewellyn, before 2010 saw the audio debut of Nicholas Briggs as Holmes and Richard Earl as Dr Watson in Holmes and the Ripper has seen a mixture of faithful adaptations of Conan Doyle’s stories and new adventures set during the various gaps within the established ‘canon’.

Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Barnes made his Big Finish writing debut with 2012’s The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner, set during the period of Holmes’ retirement in the aftermath of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 and prior to his final canonical adventure His Last Bow. Barnes was therefore a natural choice to write this latest offering. The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes is an ambitious box set of four new adventures set over the course of forty years of the lives of Holmes and Watson.

The opening story The Guttering Candle is set in the summer of 1880 prior to Holmes and Watson’s first meeting relates Holmes’ first encounter with Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard whilst investigating the mystery of a body pulled from the river Thames, whilst simultaneously presenting an account from Watson from his time serving in Afghanistan of an unusual encounter with a wounded young Englishman named Christopher Thrale, very well played by Blake Ritson. The inter-cutting between the two stories is well-handled and both set up events which are paid off later on.

The Adventure of the Gamekeeper’s Folly finds our heroes some fifteen years later, following Holmes' return from exile in The Empty House. It presents an adventure which Watson is clearly unwilling to be sharing as the outcome for Holmes is not entirely satisfactory. It does however pick up several threads from the first story and the central performance by Amy Ewbank as Eliza Hinderclay is a particular highlight.

The third story, The Adventure of the Bermondsey Cutthroats, moves events on to 1903. In The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner a mention was made of a terrible event which had caused Holmes to retire early despite still being at the height of his deductive powers. This is story of that event and it contains some genuinely surprising twists to the extent that the listener may be deceived into thinking that the ongoing mysteries from the first story have been tied up.

The final adventure, for now at least, The Sowers of Despair, is a dark tale set in 1919. Holmes himself is forced to act as narrator as he has dragged his “faithful Boswell” Dr Watson into danger, seemingly for the last time. Briggs clearly relishes the opportunity to take over from his co-star Earl as narrator, however Barnes’ script remains very much in keeping with Conan Doyle’s style of first person narration. This story sees the welcome return, from The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner, of the delightfully villainous Tracey Childs as Mrs Curbishley, a worthy adversary about whom many mysteries remain. Having seemed to bring events to a climax in the previous story this is a pleasing finale in which the revelations and surprises as to what has really being going on in the shadows for the last forty years are brought to light and concludes the ongoing mystery with an amusing coda.

Overall, this box set was certainly not an ordeal but rather a delight and this listener will be very much looking forward to the next box set release of four brand new adventures by Barnes, The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes, due in December 2014. This promises to inform us of the mysterious period of Holmes’ life following his apparent death at Reichenbach Falls.

“You must think I’m as stupid as I look!”
Vila Restal, Cold Fury

Although it began with a bit of a misfire (with the opening instalment Fractures), Big Finish’s first micro-season of Blake’s 7 full cast audio dramas has for the most part delivered some strong, exciting storylines. The six episodes have all strongly evoked the spirit of the original TV series, especially of the time frame in which they are set (midway through B7’s second series) yet Big Finish’s stable of writers have not shied away from experimenting with the key characters and even testing the program’s conventions.

We’ve already seen from this “season within a season” that the Liberator is indeed an extraordinary ship, that supercomputer Orac (voiced by Alistair Lock) is more conniving than we’d previously thought and that the relationship between Blake (Gareth Thomas) and his crew is more delicate than was hinted at on TV (yes, Blake and Avon, again portrayed in these audios by Paul Darrow, were by the end of the second season at loggerheads but it was not as evident that Jenna and Cally, played again by Sally Knyvette and Jan Chappell, could be just as rebellious). The stakes for the crew hit standard by ten with the final two instalments Cold Fury and Caged.

In the cliffhanger to the previous instalment Mirror, Vila (Michael Keating) was a captive of Blake’s arch nemesis Space Commander Travis (Brian Croucher). In Cold Fury, the Liberator crew is led to the icy world of Horst Minor in search of their comrade – only to fall into an elaborate trap which sets the scene for a confrontation in Caged between Blake and not just Travis but an unconventional, wily foe in the form of the Terran Federation President.

In the B7 TV series, the Federation President was mentioned in dialogue but never appeared on screen. It was revealed on television that he was the mastermind behind the manufacture of the illicit narcotic Shadow (and therefore controlled both sides of the law absolutely - the Federation and its criminal underground). By season’s end, this mysterious figure was deposed and replaced by Supreme Commander Servalan. With Jacqueline Pearce unable to reprise Servalan in this series of plays, the President, played by Hugh Fraser, finally steps into the limelight and proves to be an excellent foil for Blake and his crew. Fraser’s portrayal as the still anonymous President (we never learn his name) is outstanding – and in turn steals the acting honours from the regular cast.

The President for the most part encapsulates composure in contrast to the ever impatient and zealous Blake and the brutish yet obtuse Travis. On the surface, he is an intelligent, refined man who exudes self-confidence and enjoys the trappings of luxury, including fine wine, food and women. At one point, the President even remarks that “You rebels are just so angsty!” – as if he cannot truly understand why Blake and his crew are waging a campaign of rebellion against him! It is particularly bizarre at one point in Caged to hear the President and Blake debating the merits of the latter’s campaign against the Federation as part of a casual dinner side chat, not exchanging blaster fire at 20 paces – but it reflects an adversary that is completely self-assured and has come to believe in his own invulnerability.

However, even after this two-parter, it is still hard to entirely get a handle on who the President is. It is clear that he is a puppet master and a schemer. What is not so clear is the darker side alluded to in his character – in Cold Fury, it seems the President has no qualms resorting to bloodshed if it will achieve his ends and he also displays bouts of paranoia (granted, there is an explanation for this apparent instability but to reveal that here would be a major plot spoiler!). Also, if the President is so omnipresent (as these episodes suggest), then how does Servalan manage to oust him at all? Nevertheless, you don’t really come away from these episodes with a sense that you know the President any better than Blake and his crew do – and I suspect that is a very deliberate tactic by writers Cavan Scott and Mark Wright. Fraser’s performance is memorable and it would be a pity if Big Finish does not revive the character in future B7 instalments.

The other standout performance in Cold Fury and Caged belongs to Michael Keating as Vila. After Jenna and Cally’s rebellious streaks in Mirror, it is Vila’s turn to surprise. Indeed, his whole loyalty to the crew is thrown into question – and Keating embraces this apparent turnabout in his character with relish, finally dishing it back to his comrades for failing to take him seriously (“Jenna, I’ve wanted to say this for a long time – shut up!”). The exchanges between Vila and Travis in Cold Fury are quite compelling as the jailer manipulates his prisoner through a combination of drugs and persuasion.

What isn’t so convincing, despite Keating’s performance, is Vila’s eventual return to the fold. Cally senses the confusion in Vila’s mind at the start of Caged – but by the end of the serial we are expected to believe that it has all been a complex ruse and that the crew will reluctantly (if not gladly) welcome him home. Scott and Wright in the CD extras at the end of Caged argue that this illustrates how canny Vila is and that B7’s heroes and villains too often underestimate him. Be that as it may, Vila’s behaviour lacks plausibility, especially as it underpins the whole story. Scott and Wright even clumsily try to explain away Vila’s justification by tying it back to events in the B7 Season 1 episode Bounty. Needless to say, that just implies that the events in Big Finish’s dramas are meant to take place in the same universe – but it doesn’t necessarily make Vila’s motives any more credible.

This gripe aside, the two episodes as a whole are impressive, thanks to the performers, sound effects and incidental music which successfully convey the environments portrayed in the stories, eg the howling winds of Horst Minor, transmissions from the Liberator to Federation pursuit ships, the docking of the Liberator in the Federation’s Cage. B7 as a TV series relied more often than not on music, sound effects and the power of well written dialogue to give its limited model effects and dodgy sets and costumes conviction. The program’s format therefore makes it ideal for audio where by the same token it is possible to evoke travels through deep space in the form of communications between vessels and to convey torture and conditioning through defiant dialogue and supporting sound effects – all without being undermined by the accompanying visuals.

As with the earlier instalments in this micro-series, the performances of the cast members, coupled with dialogue, music and sound effects, help to ground Cold Fury and Caged ostensibly in the era in which they are meant to be set. Avon’s taciturn ripostes, Blake’s zeal and fortitude, Orac’s over-inflated sense of self, Jenna’s coolness under pressure, Cally’s comforting tones and Vila’s humour all help to create the illusion that these could be recordings of recently recovered B7 episodes that have gathered dust in the BBC archives.

Cold Fury and Caged provide an entertaining and mostly satisfactory conclusion to Big Finish’s first season of full cast Blake’s 7 audio adventures. Although Big Finish are working within the tight confines of the TV program’s continuity and are planning to set the second series with the Liberator crew post-Star One, I would welcome more opportunities to hear the original cast in future audio adventures – and for a rematch with Hugh Fraser’s Federation President no less.

6 - The Laws of Gods and Men/ 7 - Mockingbird/ 8 - The Mountain and the Viper

''If you want justice you have come to the wrong place'. Tyrion Lannister addressing Prince Oberyn Martell.

Tyrion is caught between a rock and a hard place and events only further decline for the diminutive quipster in these three segments of the epic fantasy adaptation. Outside the confines of King's Landing, quite a few other events play out in the wake of the Battle of Black Water Bay and The Red Wedding; as the denizens of Westeros struggle to adjust.

A lot of ground is covered in episode six, progressing various notable storylines. Since his heavy loss in attempting to capture King's Landing, Stannis Barratheon has been licking his wounds. Now he seeks new provisions and capital via the bank of Braavos (featuring a typically memorable cameo from Mark Gatiss). Having mentioned Braavos before, as well as featuring several characters from there, the show now transports the viewer properly. Another bonus is that loveable rogue Salladhor Saan briefly returns - still as shameless and promiscuous in lifestyle as ever.

Then the long-awaited reappearance of Yara features as she attempts rescuing Theon/Reek from his captors. However she is simply too late to connect with any remnants of the brother she once knew - he denounces her as a mirage and so she leaves empty handed. There is a rather curious moment where a bare-chested Ramsey turns his back on Yara and threatens to unleash his wild dogs. It strains credibility and indeed overall the set-piece is rather redundant.

Across the Narrow Sea we catch up with the latest challenges facing Daenerys as she tries to preside over her subjects in Meereen. She must accept that her dragons are regarded as being loose cannons and even her crucifixions of the seemingly malicious slave-masters is not met with universal acclaim.

Before Tyrion can face his long-dreaded trial some interesting political machinations appear on-screen first. Varys, who has been inactive for much of the season, tells Oberyn how his lack of romantic desires - even pre-castration - allowed him to focus on bettering himself in the wider scheme of things. Then there is a small council scene featuring Tywin, Pycelle, Mace Tyrell, and Cersei - along with Varys and Oberyn. Welcome mention is made of Daenerys, and also of the Hound being a rogue element since Blackwater. There is also a reminder of Jorah spying on his Khaleesi for the late King Robert which becomes important eventually.

At last former 'Hand' Tyrion is brought into the courtroom bound in chains but appearing to not be one to meekly accept a sad demise. He is formally charged with regicide and must accept his own father is doing his best to make the trial damning for him. Nonetheless he cross-examines Ser Meryn on his evidence but is told to maintain silence by Tywin. Later on he requests just the one question of Varys concerning a conversation they had. The answer perhaps is a rather neutral one but Tyrion can't blame the eunuch for looking out for his own interests first. However the testimony of Tyrion's unhinged sister Cersei certainly is ominous. Tyrion is portrayed as malicious in his method of defending King's Landing from Stannis' forces. The actual facts cannot be disputed. He placed Joffrey at the vanguard of the city's defence - having previously told the Queen Regent that her 'joy will turn to ashes in [her] mouth'. Of course we all know how boisterously Tyrion's nephew declared his intentions of cutting Stannis down personally, but that is glossed over.

There appears some hope for Tyrion when before final proceedings he has Jaime visit his cell with a potential compromise: Jaime will leave the Kings-Guard and resume his status as heir to Tywin, and in return Tyrion can be granted banishment to the Wall for admitting his 'guilt'. However, what seemed like an 'out' for the defendant is dashed to the rocks when Shae of all people sells him out - and also demeans their truly heartfelt romance.

This leads to possibly the best ever speech in a show full of quotable material. Peter Dinklage has not been called upon to do his very best work more recently, but the brazen confession of 'being a dwarf' and declaring his right to trial by combat is truly majestic. Fans of the show are all too sympathetic with Tyrion for brilliantly outwitting Stannis in combat and can only smile when he unleashes a terrific insult towards the city's inhabitants wishing that they perished after all.

**

'Mockingbird' is the very best episode all-round this season; featuring first-rate acting and character development.

Tyrion receives a trio of significant visitors who each care for him to some degree: his older brother, then Bronn and finally the effervescent Prince Oberyn. This is his time of greatest need for someone to lift his spirits and these scenes are very intimate and moving for such an epic fantasy show, 'Thrones' doesn't always require money to be put up on the screen for it to cast its spell on the audience.

It is clearly established that despite their firm friendship Bronn ultimately sees the status quo as a Lannister providing him money (and a title) for personal protection. In that regard Tyrion has never taken a risk that compares enough to facing the Mountain. Despite this disappointing and inevitable confirmation, there are no grudges between the two. However were Tyrion to survives into season five there is a sense that these two characters have come to a parting of the ways.

Cersei -typically immoral - forces peasants to try and fight the Mountain to the death with the odds firmly stacked against them. He is a remorseless titan who cannot be brought down with conventional swords or punches, and effortlessly rips the smaller men with his blade. Gregor has been recast twice now but still is an imposing figure that will prove difficult to best to 'prove' Tyrion's innocence. Thus when Oberyn tells Tyrion of his own sense of loss and how he seeks retribution for Gregor' Clegane's murder of Elia Martell and her children the audience is thoroughly spell-bound by the determination of a clear underdog who just oozes personality.


There is a fine section featuring Brienne and Podrick as they continue to bond together. They meet Hot Pie - who previously travelled with Arya Stark - and happens to mention his friend when being told of the search for Sansa Lannister. Brienne has not forgotten her promise to the late Catelyn, who wanted both daughters to come 'home.' A little later on the duo are back to following the trail and there is good character development as Pod's more practical and analytical qualities emerge. He identifies the Eyrie stronghold as the likely place Arya would head and Sansa may also be finding refuge in.

Indeed the Littlefinger/Sansa storyline is developed strongly once again and another relative/ally of the Stark household is silenced forever. Excellent visual work showcases Robin Arryn, Sansa Lannister and Littlefinger congregating in the snowy Eyrie courtyard. Despite having to grow up fast since her betrothal to Joffrey, Sansa still has a childish side to her as she constructs a striking 'snow-castle'. There is a hint of stability in Robin as he enquires about his cousin's handiwork.. until the spoilt and maniacal persona takes full force. He spits out all his dark obsessions about killing people he dislikes through the 'Moon Door' and proceeds to obliterate the snow-castle before stomping off.

Almost immediately Littlefinger provides his brand of comfort'. He kisses Sansa full-on knowing that Lysa is bound to see him, and is rather creepy - more so having called out the word 'children' moments earlier. Littlefinger is one of the smarter villains of the show; he can be as influential as even the most shrewd monarch or regent, despite his lowly roots. Yet he also avoid the spotlight and can stand back as major events envelop the relevant areas of the globe.

In the event it is Lysa that falls prey to the Eyrie's most rapid method of reaching 'ground level'. Littlefinger has secured his position of Lord by marrying and bedding her and now can actually enjoy himself. The climax to 'Mockingbird' features Littlefinger step into the fray as Lysa accuses Sansa of going after her man and threatens her with the full meaning of falling outside. Baelish first reassures Lysa that all is well in their marriage, before crushing her ego by declaring he only ever loved Catelyn. The final push of Lady Arryn to her certain death is treated as a mere formality, and no doubt many viewers cannot help a feeling of 'Schadenfreude'.

The Hound/Arya 'teamup' continues to be supremely enjoyable. Once again longer term continuity is relevant as Rorge and Biter - former prisoners of Yoren - resurface with malicious intent. Sandor Clegane suffers a neck wound, but is still more than a match for his assailant Biter - breaking that neck clean through. Rorge is not the first grown man to underestimate Arya, and pays the price for cruel threat made some time ago; facing the 'pointy end' of Needle. These events are engaging and also make the earlier episode's Small Council meeting doubly effective. Clegane faces steeper odds of living on as a renegade. He doesn't help matters by refusing to have his neck wound cauterised by Arya - such is his vanity.

**

The eighth installment is somewhat weaker independently. Certain subplots have little relevance overall, and I will not mention them here. Nonetheless the payoff for all the talky scenes is more than satisfying enough. The fallout of Lysa's death is well handed as Sansa places her trust in Baelish and makes him out to be an unwilling witness to Lysa's 'suicide'. Three important nobles with ties to Lysa hold an inquest into what exactly happened, they being Yohn Royce, Anya Waynwood and Vance Corbray. Strong acting helps make these scenes work, as in lesser hands things would feel rather stagey. Littlefinger is the person who gets 'grilled' but Sansa expertly defends him by blending some truth with a selective portrayal of Lysa's irrationality. Now it is obvious that Sansa is a willing player of the game, and will seek further advice from Littlefinger.

The effect of Lysa's 'suicide' also leads to a moment of humour when the younger Stark daughter laughs at the bad luck of hearing of her aunt's death before she and Clegane could claim refuge. Rather oddly it would appear that the two sisters are to miss meeting each other - an echo of the Bran/ Jon Snow 'near-misses'. Then a rather eyebrow-raising moment features Sansa casting aside her dowdy and innocent image by dressing in black clothes that are borderline-risqué, yet complement Baelish's attire as they walk down some steps together.

Although Theon Greyjoy fell down a slippery slope making redemption near-impossible the saga has made him into a tragic and pitiful protagonist with a major part left to play. The systematic emasculation - in all senses - of last year has paved the way for a shell of a man who is now an agent of the vicious Boltons. Dark humour sees Theon imploring his fellow Iron Islanders to surrender peacefully from their base of Moat Cailin. Of course there is no mercy from sociopath Ramsey and the bastard of Roose gleefully reminds Theon of 'tradition' as he pokes one of the dead flayed soldiers in the chest.

For those viewers that grew to like Ygritte as she bonded with Jon and later spared him from fatal harm, recent events have perhaps portrayed her as rather cold-blooded. Again chaos ensues as the workers and clients of a brothel/ pub are attacked by her core group of Wildlings and the Thenns. Nonetheless Ygritte shows spares a single mother and baby. We of course know these two survivors - they are Gilly and the infant she conceived with Craster. Sam's carelessness in depositing his female friend will not be punished on this occasion and one wonders where next Gilly will reappear.

Although I have mixed feelings about the Daenerys storyline I will praise the long-running dynamic between her and Jorah. Despite all Mormont's best efforts in trying to get her to reciprocate his feelings for her, he will always simply be an 'uncle figure'. But now comeuppance for lying to her has arrived, with a pardon-scroll from the late Robert Barretheon reaching Meereen - and Selmy has intercepted it first. Barristan Selmy allows Jorah to prepare for the inevitable by giving him notice of the truth being divulged to Dany. In the event the queen chooses to banish Mormont instead of executing him. The sequence as he departs the city into the unknown is suitably disheartening, not least because Iain Glen is a classy actor.
As Jaime comes to see Tyrion potentially one last time, the younger of the brothers reveals his regret in making his rather impulsive decision. Although Oberyn has a just cause and a reputation for fighting smart and decisively the odds seem poor. Then a rather unexpected conversation ensues where the brothers' late relative Orson is mentioned - unsurprisingly he was yet another sadist who smashed beetles for fun. This conversation threatens to slow the episode down, yet it demonstrates the show's willingness to portray the unusual bond between two very different Lannisters.


Martell prepares himself for the deadly fight, rather bizarrely choosing to wear minimal armour, eschew a helmet, and take a good gulp of wine. Tyrion is petrified and yet the opening events would seem to point to an 'innocent' verdict. The well-staged fight simplifies the original book-version somewhat but works perfectly for television - with good reaction shots of those either supporting 'Viper' or 'Mountain'. Just as it seems that the ogreish Mountain is beaten, 'Game of Thrones' reminds us that likeable and/or charismatic characters are still mortal. By standing alongside his fallen and impaled opponent, the 'Viper' allows himself to be brought down suddenly and lose his teeth and eyes before having his head crushed in a horrendous manner. To add further dismay, Clegane makes it clear that he knew who Oberyn was after all and that he enjoyed committing rape and murder. Although the Mountain is close to death himself, Oberyn perished first. Tyrion is now facing imminent execution - but the camera lingers on Jaime looking thoughtful, perhaps hinting at another way out...

The final two episodes of the show will continue to feature the myriad other storylines - including the Bran subplot which has been put to one side for a while now. Having now seemingly played out the bulk of major developments in King's Landing this very impressive epic now has a sizeable task on its hands to do something with the Wildlings/Night's Watch plot thread which has brewed steadily for over two series now. Based on the consistent quality of the eight episodes in this current run, I think I am not alone in being confident about the execution.