"They gravitate to broken hearts."
Writer: Lisa McMullin
Format: Audio
Released: October 2023
Series: Paternoster Gang 5.03
Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Vastra, Jenny, Strax
Synopsis
Cases are mounting for the Paternoster Gang. Three mysteries call for immediate attention: a murder, a locked room conundrum, and some acts of random vandalism. But is there a connection?
As Jenny goes undercover and Strax stakes out the suspects, Vastra finds an echo of the distant past which could be the key to the solution.
Verdict
Till Death Us Do Part was an excellent episode to conclude my listening of the Rogues Gallery series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! This has been a really strong and consistent series where they may just have saved the best until last! I thought the premise of this story was really good and it was quite lovely to hear how much Jenny wanted to have an actual wedding with Vastra. They were married but hadn’t actually had a wedding which was a shame, but at least when the opportunity arose here the Doctor was present. As far as he was concerned, this was his first meeting with the Paternoster Gang which quite fun considering how they came together as a force, but for them this was a face they didn’t recognise. I was surprised that the Doctor didn’t actually appear for much of the episode but when he did it was terrific. I enjoyed some of the reactions Jenny got when referring to Vastra as her wife as not only were same sex relationships beyond thought ludicrous for the Victorian era, but a woman and an actual Silurian being wed would probably go down even less favourably! I thought the story behind Miss Faversham was very intriguing and the horror she endured after being jilted at the altar was powerful. She was clearly hurt in a big way but I wasn’t expecting it to be to the extent that she hadn’t taken off her wedding dress for over thirty years! That’s an extraordinary claim and I can’t imagine that. Crikey she must have smelled! Jenny’s serious comments about having the windows open for a reason were very humorous although I thought it was quite grotesque for Faversham to mention skimming the top layer of the bath water when she was finally convinced to take off the dress. The fact she offered the bath water to others after having her first wash in thirty years is just barmy! Who would possibly take up that offer? The involvement of the Doctor was fun and him actually being the one that Faversham was to marry was most unexpected! I really didn’t see that coming so that was a super fun revelation, especially with the Doctor being none the wiser. The duplicates that appeared on the episode were good fun and having a different Sontaran to Strax was good along with Jenny seemingly marrying another Vastra! It explained the Doctor being the groom without him knowing, but it was a shame for Jenny. Vastra didn’t even want a wedding but then the duplicate comments were hurtful. The crimes of passion happening also made for some stern and hurtful comments but them spreading across London was excellent. The fact they nearly went even further if the wedding dress was burned was terrific as the Vex Mites were thriving on it. Imagine thirty years of feeding on a broken heart? The simplicity in drowning the Vex Queen that didn’t put up a fight was good and effective, and it helps to have someone like Vastra as part of the Paternoster Gang who knew how to deal with this kind of threat. And even had the knowledge on them. The ambiguity at the end regarding the duplicate was good and I’m sure that’ll tie in further as we delve deeper into the trespassers umbrella title, but for now this was a fun adventure and a nice welcome to include the Eighth Doctor in this series. Overall, a superb listen!
Rating: 9/10
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