The Skull of Sobek

"All wild and savage and dark."

Writer: Marc Platt
Format: Audio
Released: April 2008
Series: EDA 2.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

Too much perfection's dangerous.

On the isolated planet of Indigo 3, far out in the wastes of the Blue Desert, lies the Sanctuary of Imperfect Symmetry. It is a place of contemplation and reflection. It is also a place of death.

Something from another time, from another world, has found its way inside the hallowed walls. Something with a leathery hide, a long snout and sharp pointy teeth.

Tick tock. Here comes the crocodile...

Verdict

The Skull of Sobek was another decent story to continue the second series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! However, it was a noticeable little slip in terms of the quality but it only dropped slightly and was still an enjoyable story. I thought it was good that we got to hear another side to Lucie and her brashness and confidence was knocked for six during the proceedings of this one. We got to learn about her nightmares concerning crocodiles and now here she was faced with them upright and talking. She definitely didn't do well to handle that! The Doctor even seemed a little surprised to see that she did have more of a sensitive side, but he didn't make any effort to mock that which I thought was good and definitely the right thing to do. I continue to love this pairing and I'm starting to understand why they are so famed and revered by Big Finish fans that are well ahead of me in my listening of the audios. I can't wait for further adventures with the pair! The plot concerning something along the lines of an ancient religious relic was good and that is a plot device that has been used quite a few times before and I'm generally a fan of it. It can definitely be done on multiple occasions as the setting is always different and what the actual relic is, in this case a skull, and what it means are always different. The arrival of the Doctor and Lucie to Indigo 3 was good and the comical elements that came from Lucie refusing to believe how symmetrical the sand dunes were and also that everything was all blue. Literally everything. The TARDIS fitted in well there. They wanted salvation and eventually got it after some persuasion and from there they learned a great deal about what was going on in this society. There was disorder and order at the same time which was intriguing, but I thought we just needed a little bit more about the Skull of Sobek itself and its significance. Maybe a little flashback or a large bit of a dialogue or narration about it would have been beneficial. Abbot Absolute was a good character, but I wasn't a massive fan of the voices and mannerisms of the Crocodillians. I also thought that was a naff name and a little lazy. The death of Brother Tangent having an impact on Lucie despite her not knowing him was really good and added some realism to their travels. She didn't want to get used to death. The Old Prince was a decent enemy and his championing of Lucie was an unexpected moment! Lucie having to go up against the Doctor was a good prospect but it obviously didn't come into full fruition. The Doctor managed to talk her out of the spell and she would soon be okay. I felt like the ending was where my rating dropped below the series average (that I have awarded) because it was a bit quick and lacked considerable clarity for me. The Skull was still there in fragments? That seemed very dangerous and the Doctor even acknowledged that. I felt like things should have been mopped up more, but it could provide a sequel and there's always some people who enjoy ambiguity. I'm probably against that for the most part, and definitely so here. Overall though, still a very good little adventure!

Rating: 7/10