Fatal Consequences

"The doomsday cult wants a doomsday weapon."

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: March 2006

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.03

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith has been attacked, stalked and shot by the acolytes of a doomsday cult.

When she tries to turn the tables, Sarah discovers the Crimson Chapter has a weapon that could claim millions of lives – and her own actions may have instigated their genocidal plan.

Verdict

Fatal Consequences was another very good story to continue the second series of Sarah Jane Smith! I really am enjoying this spinoff a lot more than I thought I would and that's strange to say because I don't really have anything to base my negative assumptions on! I'm a huge fan of Sarah Jane as a character and I thought the first series was good, and I'm glad to see the standard remaining high for the second go around. The mention of Wakefield again in the news bulletin at the start of the audio made me absolutely certain that he would play a role in the series, but I must admit I wasn't expecting him to be the Keeper of the White Chapter! That was a fun revelation and I'm intrigued to see how his illness will play into things as we head into the finale. The Mandrake medical facility at Pangbourne made for a unique setting and the issue of a virus outbreak was difficult listening given everything that has gone in the world over the last eighteen months. It definitely provided a new perspective listening to the plot of the Crimson Chapter here. The return of Maude was some good continuity from the first series and I enjoyed her relationship with Josh. Mandrake needing a high profile job to push the value of their IPO was excellent and I liked how Sarah realised that Dexter could lead her to the Crimson Chapter. Little did she know! He was with the Keeper and had provided the bait as the doctor to get Sarah where the organisation wanted her. Wakefield calling Sarah directly and telling her that she had the attention of the White Chapter was fantastic and I really liked how her position as the Herald was utilised. She had power she didn't even want. Dexter having used human protestors as the guinea pigs on the virus vaccine was horrific and using Will to provide that to them as a demonstration of his loyalty was brutal. Even more so when it wasn't actually the vaccine but a super variant of the virus. Emily being on the verge of death provided tension and excitement and the talk of the prophecy behind the Chapters was really intriguing. They both believed it would come into fruition in the year 2000 but when that prophecy proved untrue, it was found that the Herald had been missed and this is where Sarah fitted in. Sarah's reaction to Will being part of the Crimson Chapter could have been a little more impactful, but the threat of the Crimson Chapter creating their own apocalypse event made up for that in no time! The virus as the cause of that was very good. The authorities cordoning off the area instead of sending help left Emily in a bad predicament with them favouring stopping the spread. Will's murdering of Dexter to prove his worth to the Keeper and to try and save those infected was both awful and admirable, and the idea of a traitor amongst the ranks was fun eve if it wasn't Dexter. Yet he was killed anyway! Sarah's position as the Herald stemming back to Giuliano and events surrounding The Masque of Mandragora was delightful and really clever. I was a big fan of that and it was such a good and logical development. I wasn't so fussed on Josh being an agent of the White Chapter, though I did like the mental battle between he and Will. The cliffhanger was powerful with Sarah supposedly being shot dead, but of course we know she survives so I'll be interested to know where those bullets landed! Overall, a very strong audio to continue the series.

Rating: 8/10