Military Intelligence

"It's mechanical through and through."

Writer: George Mann

Format: Audio

Released: September 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 6.03

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

There are Sentinels on the streets of London, killing without mercy. And as a web of intrigue unfolds, Jago and Litefoot move closer to confronting the enemy of the Crown. A battle to the death will demand the ultimate sacrifice... can this be the end of Jago and Litefoot?

Verdict  

Military Intelligence was a sublime episode to continue my way through the sixth series of Jago & Litefoot! I was hugely impressed with this episode and whilst it did seem to be setting up the finale, it just captured my attention from start to finish and was as suspected in revealing that the Colonel was not a representative of Queen Victoria after all. That didn’t come as much surprise but it was so obvious that was the case when he was being very bullish in wanting all of the details of the infernal adventures experienced by Jago & Litefoot! He didn’t hide the fact he was almost desperate for details on a technological theme and that dated all the way back to The Mahogany Murderers which was fascinating. That was quite a history that the Colonel was aware of and I’m looking forward to exploring that in the finale. Of course, the technological theme would soon be explained as we were introduced to the Sentinels who were an intriguing element of the episode. I do think that is a name that has been overused in the Whoniverse but having machines of this nature in Victorian London was good stuff. They were obviously a big threat and from a modern perspective I appreciated the clockwork sound effects to make them sound of the time, and Litefoot’s question of asking if there was a man within was so simple but so effective. It was a nice reminder of how the Victorian mind worked. Agatha was a terrific character and whilst she seemed out of place at the Red Tavern, it was good for her to build a relationship with Ellie. It was lovely to have the barmaid back once again and it feels right that the fate of her future won’t be addressed yet. There’s plenty going on so no need to rush things. She was just having fun and she was happy to help Agatha with her manly troubles. It wasn’t the kind she thought of though but Jago believing he was the man in question was glorious. She turned out to actually be an agent of the Crown and was questioning our internal investigators on their involvement with the Colonel. Jago and Litefoot were digging deep on the Colonel in their own right and questioning Sergeant Quick for his credentials. That brought a strong warning from Drucker about asking questions which only heightened the suspicions regarding the Colonel. He was a fun character though and I hope he plays a part in the finale. I suspect he will. Agatha following Jago was good and I loved that genuine concern for Litefoot showed her that Jago was not lying about their affiliations and the fact they’d been duped by the Colonel. They built a strong relationship from there and I think she offers a lot. I don’t think it can be overlooked that we have a writer the quality and standing of George Mann penning an adventure in this series and I do hope it won’t be his last! I thought the cliffhanger ending was extraordinary with Jago seemingly dead following the defeat of the Sentinels! I loved how he was able to control and confuse them duly taking advantage of that lapse, but the way Litefoot was then blamed and charged with Jago’s murder was superb! That sets us up very nicely for the finale which is now set to be an epic. 

Rating: 10/10