The Memory Box

"No one is allowed to hear my name and live."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: February 2013

Series: Vienna 1.0

Featuring: Vienna

Synopsis 

Berkeley Silver, one of the richest men in the Earth empire, lies dead in the Penthouse Suite of the Galileo space-hotel. Law Enforcement Officers Detective Captain McGinnis and Detective Sergeant Mead are called in to investigate – but it seems to have been the perfect crime. Even when subjected to a memory scan, everybody in the space-hotel has an alibi for the murder. 

Which means it can only have been the work of one woman. The most accomplished – and the most glamorous – bounty hunter in the galaxy. Her name is Vienna Salvatori. And she has a little rule; nobody gets to hear her name and live...

Verdict  

The Memory Box was an outstanding episode to kick off the Vienna spinoff series from Big Finish! I’ve always been fascinated by the existence of this series and after finally reaching The Shadow Heart in the Monthly Adventures, I’m delighted to have made a start here with this incredible pilot! It’s no surprise that based on the quality of this story that subsequent entire series were made because this really was excellent from start to finish. Vienna made a big impact alongside the Seventh Doctor but she more than carries things here on her own. She just screams lead character and the way she arrives in this episode was magnificent. I loved the entire basis of a murder scene and McGinnis and Mead as the captain and detective sergeant respectively were tremendous characters. I thought they were really fun with their investigation and a memory scan was a clever way of showing whether someone was innocent or guilty. Vienna being the disguised woman going by the name of Miracle was magnificent and she really shone in that guise! It was amusing and after the investigation showed that everyone had an alibi, pay per view records indicated ‘Miracle’ was responsible as she’d faked the memoirs and had actually watched the film about Kylo and Aliona the day previously, but purchased it at the time of the murder as well. Who would watch the same film twice in a row at the exact same time? Some way to find the murderer! I thought the victim being Berkeley Silver was excellent and I loved his character. The way he tried to be two steps ahead to seek out the agent who worked for Flaming Sword was brilliant, but Vienna being the brilliant assassin she is meant she was even two steps ahead of him. Mead being part of Flaming Sword without even knowing it was marvellous and I loved the moments throughout where the key phrases were spoken and characters delved off into somebody totally different, or a background far from what they thought of themselves. Vienna having that trick up her sleeve for McGinnis was unexpected and a really delightful moment. She was quite the assassin and I’m really loving her intelligence. She almost seems more genuine for her credentials by the fact she’s American and I must say I’m a big fan of Chase Masterson. She’s really talented and I can’t wait to hear more of her moving forward. I thought Norvelle was an excellent character and he initially seemed a little trepidatious to be part of Vienna’s escape, but the internal heater was quite the bargaining chip! The idea of her setting that off and melting him from within was sensational. She was heartless in a very attractive and sincere way. I’m looking forward to that continuing as we move forward into a full series. Norvelle revealing himself as actually being another body for Berkeley Silver was superb and really did take the memory box concept to a whole new level. It was really fun stuff. I thought it was tremendous to Vienna to then use her own name as the code to unlock it once Norvelle was back in his own body after she threatened Berkeley with the internal hater. He’d offered her everything and his price was basically internal imprisonment! Because nobody spoke Vienna’s name and lived. Overall, a wonderful pilot episode and I’m really excited to start the series now. 

Rating: 10/10