The Ruthven Inheritance

"I am the wolf and you are the lamb."

Writer: Andy Lane

Format: Audio

Released: January 2011

Series: Jago & Litefoot 2.04

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

The pathology skills of Professor Litefoot and Dr Sacker are called upon by Lord Ruthven, who asks them to catalogue a cache of bones beneath his country estate. And so begins the endgame... as a plan long laid comes to its glorious fruition.

Verdict

The Ruthven Inheritance was a very good story to conclude the second series of Jago & Litefoot! This has been a splendid listen and a really strong follow up to the impressive debut series. It’s no surprise that this episode leaves us heading straight into a third series as this rounded out a strong story arc that built very nicely over the course of the series. I must say that I continue to love the Victoria era setting and the pairing of Jago and Litefoot just seem to be getting better and better. They compliment each other so well and this was no different here. It almost felt like the first time this series that we’ve had them fully on the same page and a lot of that was to try and help Ellie’s situation and cure the vampirism in her. Litefoot was going to extraordinary efforts to find that cure and despite funding not exactly being an easy thing to come by, he was using every resource possible. So the worst thing that could happen was he lost his job! The reasoning given by Quick was intriguing as it seemed he had been dobbing in that he was inhabiting his home with a woman outside of marriage. That was a stark reminder of society at the time and the outrage from the professor was hilarious, especially when he tried to convince that he only had a housekeeper! Of course, Ellie was being kept for her own safety and that was never going to stay the case when Jago was instructed to look after her. He’s not the most responsible of men! That was clearly evident from the fact he signed over the ownership of the New Regency Theatre without properly reading the contract! He seemed happy enough with the price, but he read the fine print then and the exact asking price was what he owed the bank, and the new owners wouldn’t be taking on the previous debts! His reaction to that truly was priceless. Jago very much at his best. I thought the Ruthven family were an interesting element of the story and whilst I think it would have been better served to have them featuring a little more in previous episodes, the long plan of Sanders was admirable. Ruthven actually being in league with Sanders was good but he was more so an unknowing servant. The evolution that he had been experimenting on the family for over a millennia was not what I expected from this finale, but it worked well and fitted with the lifespan of a vampire who was simply bored. Digging up the bones and seeing this on show was rather grotesque, and hearing the recording by Litefoot and Sacker was very interesting. The use of running water and the myth of vampires not crossing them seemed a slightly underwhelming way to draw him to an ultimate demise given that he was engulfed in flames at the end of the series opener, but I appreciated playing on mythology. It just didn’t seem so emphatic. Ellie having escaped was fun and I maintain my hopes that she will become a series regular moving forward. She has a huge amount to offer in my opinion! The gag from Jago regarding the report they had and it being a job for Jago and Philips was a truly magnificent gag. The serious silence that followed really made the difference. But we weren’t finished there as a very important and esteemed guest arrived to enlist the help of Jago and Litefoot. Leela arrived with a stark warning that Earth was going to split apart and a new trio was on the case. What a brilliant way to set up the third series! Overall, a fine finale. 

Rating: 8/10