The Viyran Solution

"This is where it ends."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: May 2014

Series: Charlotte Pollard 1.04

Featuring: Charley

Synopsis

Charlotte Pollard has been located. The Lamentation Cipher has been contained. Or so the Viyrans believe. Charley thinks her destiny is inescapable, but discovers that the mysterious Ever-and-Ever-Prolixity brings the Viyrans closer to completing their mission than ever before.

Bert Buchan Senior didn't get to be the head of a multi-galactic corporation by missing opportunities. So when his protege, the brilliant and ruthless Dr Millicent Belanger, discovers an advanced alien medical facility hidden in the Brouhaha galaxy, he's determined to seize it. The disappearance of his son, meanwhile, hardly merits a second thought...

The Viyrans have a solution to everything. Buchan Industries is out to make a killing. And Charlotte Pollard is caught in the middle...

Verdict

The Viyran Solution was a very good audio adventure to conclude the first series of the Charlotte Pollard spinoff! I have really enjoyed these extended stories for the Edwardian adventuress and it was lovely to hear Charley refer to herself as that. She's a wonderful character and it's no surprise that from the quality of the first boxset that this episode is not the last in the spinoff range. I'm not sure when I'll get around to Series 2 as that one isn't available on Spotify, but I definitely will at some point! I liked the way this one started in a somewhat shocking turn of events as Charley opened an air hole and her route into space to ensure that she didn't lose her memories of all she has done and travelled, with and without the Doctor. That was a fate worse than death for Charley which was tough to deal with as I quite agreed with her. She had gone through so much and she didn't want to lose anything when it came to the extraordinary man she knew as the Doctor. The Viyrans were pretty good in this one and I liked how they continue to adhere to their makeup and purpose in doing all they can to eradicate the virus outbreaks across time and space stemming back to the events of Patient Zero. Their explanation of tracking down one particular virus and putting all of their resources into eradicating that seemed strange given the vast amount that had been released, but the revelation that this virus was life certainly intrigued me! The idea that life and evolution was actually a virus and a paradox was a great deal of fun and the efforts of the Viyrans to sterilise the universe and exterminate all life was an excellent plot development. That's pretty crazy! Charley's later appeal to them that there was already a cure to the virus in the form of death seemed logical to me, but it fell on deaf ears as far as the Viryans were concerned. The return of the rogue Viyran from The Lamentation Cipher was something I wasn't expecting given the sacrifice he made for Charley so it was good to know that it was all a rouse. Things connected nicely with the start of the series and discovering that this Viyran was a pre-Viyran from when the panacea was sent back to eradicate life was terrific and he had been using Charley as a lure the whole time. He was a pre-Viyran and knew that the Viyrans of the future were wronged and needed a reset. To devolve. The irony there was brilliant and I liked how he schemed all along to ensure that Charley actually carried a virus that was infecting the Viyrans and the effects were a total reset of the Viyrans back to their defaults. That sorted things out nicely and hearing that Charley meant nothing to the Viyrans after the virus had its desired impact and the reboot was over was excellent. Despite this, I'm still not sure how I feel about Charley not actually containing the lamentation cipher after all the build up in the series and I think the delivery of that could have been better in revealing it. Instead it just felt like it was dismissed which was a shame after the three preceding episodes. The return of Robert was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed his relationship with Charley. The pair are well suited and them wanting to impress each other was lovely. I thought Bert made for a good villain and the contrast of his character compared to his son was incredible. He didn't care too much to find him alive after 18 months! Robert replacing Charley as the human captive of the Viyrans was good and I was surprised to find he was engaged. His sights were firmly set on Charley though which was fantastic. Overall, this was a really good little audio adventure that tied up the series nicely and provided a future for Charley that was fitting after a run of bad news for her. I look forward to the second series now!

Rating: 8/10