Outback

                                      

"No one comes back. No one ever has."

Writer: Sarah Grochala 

Format: Audio

Released: July 2021

Series: Lady Christina 2.02

Featuring: Lady Christina 

Synopsis

In need of respite, Christina seeks out her Great Aunt Eugenia, and finds herself looking for answers in the Australian outback. Has her aunt really been abducted by aliens? What secrets lie within the Jajutuma crater? And why are Sam Bishop and Jacqui McGee of UNIT on Christina's trail?

Verdict

Outback was a great adventure to continue the second series of Lady Christina! I thought this one started with immediate interest with the UFO crash and I liked how the titular outback setting of Australia was established with the funky jungle music sound effects. It felt like I was racing on a Donkey Kong course on Mario Kart which was wonderful. Christina's arrival on the bus was fun and her interaction with the native animal furthered the unique setting and the natural threats around. Sam and Jacquie McGee also arriving from UNIT was great and I really liked the continuity from The Wreck with Sam concerned about Alfred and believing Christina was after her father and needing to stop the infection. John being introduced and involved with Eugenia was interesting and I liked the connection of her being Christina's great aunt. The continued theme of endangered animals really established the setting and I thought it was fun to have the idea of them being pets, showing just what kind of person John was. Eugenia having been abducted by aliens seemed humorous on paper but the crash site being a crater and permits required to entry gave some credence to it. I loved the family connection with Eugenia being a famous tomb raider and she'd signed over the outback land to the state, at least vocally.  Jacqui being petrified of the native wildlife was very humorous, as was her search for Christina in the cafe that Maisie worked in. John being her grandfather and Maisie not believing that he could have killed Eugenia provided a nice connection between all of the characters. I was intrigued that there was no sign of the planet at the crater crash site and it was also great for Jacquie to discover the mystery door leading to Eugenia's famed missing loot. Christina tracking an alien presence all around was very interesting and I thought more should have been made of that. The mining at the crater was a good development and the revelation that the protected wildlife were grubs seemed very odd, as did supposed miners being armed! I liked the mystery and wanted answers. Eugenia's return was not unexpected but her being essentially the grub mother was so. She was carrying out her own project. John threatening to dob her into the police was very fun and I loved that Christina sided with her aunt. That was an excellent moment. Eugenia searching for the fountain of youth was brilliant and something I didn't see coming! The grubs flying in and coming out anew was intriguing and I liked the potential of drilling into the rock cavern for her to roll back the years quite literally. Her and Christina witness the moth transformation was good and Eugenia's eagerness to get in was a little scary! Christina was rightly cautious and Sam deduced that it would cause cellular mutation which was great. Eugenia getting younger with everyone looking on was quite something but it got disturbing quickly when she was literally stretched apart! She wanted to be put out of her misery once the mutation was completed and Sam shot her dead after Christina couldn't do it. It was all very quick and quite a brutal and sudden end to a story which I didn't expect. The cocoons splitting open and Sam having second thoughts about bombing them was fantastic as he wanted to offer them a chance. Not exactly the traditional UNIT way! John and Maisie admitting they had been looking after the grubs was good and I liked how they defended that they were only bad if threatened in their nest. But what wasn't? Christina potentially turning over a new leaf and leaving the land she was inheriting to them was nice, and the loot being all gone was just marvellous! Once a thief, always a thief. Overall, a good episode! 

Rating: 8/10