The Line

"You can't save them. They're already dead."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: December 2011
Series: Graceless 2.01

Featuring: Abby, Zara

Synopsis

"The moment we stop, the moment we let the past catch up with us... We're done for."

Marek has brought Abby and Zara home to the city where he grew up. They're wary at first – they're meant to keep a low profile. But Marek assures them that everyone he knows is dead.

There's a Rune Festival approaching, an excuse for a wild party – and it's like there's something in the air. Abby and Zara are soon swept up in the crowd, but Marek hasn't told them the whole truth.

Why has he brought them here? What can they do to help? And why is everyone so terrified of Manchu Golding?

Verdict

The Line was a very good way to start the second series of Graceless! The first series was very consistent and I was glad that the second started at a similar standard. The initial overview recap of who Abby and Zara are was terrific and a nice reminder of their desire to help people. I still think their relationship with Marek is weird as he doesn't come across as the nicest kind of guy. His ability to somehow utilise the power of his, I guess, girlfriends was intriguing and he brought them back to his home city which was good. This story was noticeable as being markedly more adult with a number of sexual references which brought a good sense of realism to the series, even if there were probably a couple too many instances. The suggestion that Marek might want to settle down was good and the sisters still being on the run since the events of Series 1 and their referencing Persephone was really good. I do wonder if there's anything more to that. Abby also wanting a look around the city was nice as she wanted to do so for Joy's sake. Both Abby and Zara getting control of Marek and him only doing what they wanted was fun and probably could have been utilised more to be honest. I was surprised that they seemed to get bored of that! The suggestion of Abby to use sex to get all of the answers they wanted was intriguing and it shows that there has been some serious character development and growing up for the former Tracers. It is certainly a good weapon! Marek bringing them to a time in his home before a big disaster was very good and I liked how the Graceless series got to do its take on changing history. Abby knew from her days in the Academy on Gallifrey that history could not be changed and that was a sentiment echoed by Marek. Everyone he knew died, but they were alive at this point in time but it couldn't be changed. He genuinely didn't want to be here as it was just a thought that had been in his head. Nobody found out what happened so now was the chance to discover some answers. Abby and Zara trying to search for the cause and finding bad thoughts amongst the population was good and it does appear that their abilities are almost infinite! Manchu Golding made for an excellent villain for the audio and he was the thought inside everyone's head. The moment where everyone spoke as one and claimed to know the sisters was quite chilling, but the big moment came when we found out that Golding was actually Marek's father. I didn't see that coming and changed the dynamic of the story instantly. The possibility then being played around that the very presence of the sisters from the future resulting in the disaster was great and I was impressed with how Manchu deduced that something did indeed go wrong here during the Festival. Zara's efforts to use sex against Manchu to free herself was pretty unexpected considering she knew of the relation to her daughter's father! Manchu trying to convince Marek to stop the disaster and face the consequences to come was very good. We learned a lot about Marek's past and how he grew up as an orphan following the family death associated with the imminent disaster. The sisters found a way to save Manchu because that's what they did. Marek would remain an orphan until now, but his father would be safe. Except, somewhat surprisingly, Manchu declined the offer of survival as he couldn't live with himself knowing that the rest of the city would be dead. He wouldn't abandon his home. Marek and Abby then joining him and wanting to stay was an unexpected move and Zara's frustration was clear to hear. Abby and Zara wanting everyone to focus their thoughts on them was good and the idea of Marek being kept and saved was decent, but then Abby came up with some dark sexual thoughts about the idea of two Marek's going around. After the disaster was stopped and new consequences emerged, the disappearance of Marek and Joy into ghosts was fantastic as the past was changed. It almost seemed like it was Manchu's plan all along which played well into his subtle villainous nature. From there, I was surprised that Zara didn't fight the departure from the city but then we emerged into a great cliffhanger with the boat setting that turned into another disaster with the front being torn off and water moving in. Overall, a great start to the series!

Rating: 8/10