The Rosemariners

 

"These thorns are vicious."

Writer: Donald Tosh

Format: Audio 

Released: September 2012

Series: Lost Stories 3.08

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves on an almost deserted space lab. Earth Station 454 is being closed down, mothballed, its staff relocated. Years of research and co-operation are coming to an end and only distinguished xeno-botantist Professor Arnold Biggs remains on board.

But is there more to the closure than meets the eye? For the operation is being supervised by the Rosemariners of the planet Rosa Damascena. Their terrifying Commander, Rugosa, seems to have something to hide. Who is he? What do the Rosemariners want with the scientists? And what is the secret of Rosedream?

In a world where no one is quite what they seem, and deadly plants lurk around every corner, the Doctor will have to use all his ingenuity just to stay alive... just to stay himself.

Verdict

The Rosemariners was a very good Lost Stories adventure! I really enjoyed this one as it was just solid throughout and a traditional Second Doctor era story with great performances from Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury in the lead roles. I say it pretty much every time, but Frazer Hines is just outstanding in bringing Patrick Troughton's incarnation of the Doctor to life for the audios. It really does feel authentic which is just magnificent. One thing I will say about the narration for this one was that the actual writing was poor in places and seemed too much like a novel or forced which was a little strange as it happened on more than one occasion. Anyway, the story itself was really good and I could easily see this as a Season 6 story during that initial run! The idea of Jamie fiddling with the TARDIS and actually setting a dematerialisation into motion was so much fun and the innocence that comes with the companion is just magnificent. His admittance that he had already forgotten what he was curious about just added to the moment. It was a great start. The Earth Station 454 was a good predominant setting and worry and dismay that was caused by the announcement it would be closing down was great. It set things up very nicely. It was a little out of nowhere and just a moment in of itself, but the Doctor recalling events of The Chase to Zoe to explain the Mary Celeste mystery was terrific and I'm also liking that Zoe's meeting the Daleks in Fear of the Daleks is being mentioned a lot here as she never met them on screen. Biggs was a very good character and I enjoyed his relationship with the Doctor very much, starting off with the latter being more than interested in the xeno-botany works of the former. I really liked the concept of rose life and hearing Colbert being taken by the rose and essentially devoured was fantastic! Rugosa watching on heartlessly was quite something and from that point he made a really good villain. The use of a replicator to create a Colbert doppelgänger was fun and I loved how the Doctor realised he wasn't all he seemed thanks to his lack of pores. The attention to detail there! Discovering that the plant used here was from Kemble was an unexpected treat and some wonderful continuity and the search for an antidote to rose dream was a good basis for the plot. The Rosemariners not believing in death and violence was intriguing and the claim of rose dream being used to fix criminals was very good. Zoe discovering that the Rosemariners weren't all they seemed was great and I was surprised by the fact it was a prison and there was brainwashing activity in abundance. The roses being the lifeblood for the Rosemariners was fun and the rosarium being huge and the reveal point of then prison was handled very well. I really enjoyed the cliffhanger to part two with Jamie being all but consumed by one of the carnivorous plants, but the resolution was a tad flat and easy. Bruno made for a good character and revealing the truth that he wasn't actually a criminal. Zoe faking the codes she was tasked with deciphering to get Colbert off her back was really fun and her making up of the story that Earth security was inbound was magnificent. Colbert's fate ending up in one of the plants seemed quite fitting if not a little gruesome. The standoff at the end was a great conclusion between Rugosa and Briggs and their efforts for the exchange were good. However, the Doctor tricking Rugosa into taking the rose dream whilst thinking it was the antidote was magnificent and so wonderfully typical of the second incarnation. Overall, a really solid adventure! A welcomed addition and a shame that it was lost.

Rating: 8/10