Snow Blind

"Whatever you do, don't come to Antarctica!"

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: February 2006

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.02

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith travels to Antarctica where her friend Will is part of a research team studying global warming. But someone at Nikita Base is a murderer and everybody has a guilty secret. When a massive storm severs all communications, the killer strikes and the truth is revealed.

Will anyone get off the ice alive?

Verdict

Snow Blind was another very good audio adventure to continue the second series of the Sarah Jane Smith Big Finish spinoff! This was a great continuation of what was started in Buried Secrets and I liked the little recap at the start which proved very helpful in reminding us of the future orphans and their belief that aliens have interfered in the development of humanity. The White Chapter believed that the aliens would come back for good whereas the Crimson Chapter believed that the aliens would return to take over. This presents such an exciting and intriguing direction for the series. I was a little surprised to find that events had moved two months since the previous episode and the news bulletins prove enjoyable and presumably hint towards the future. It can't be a coincidence now that Wakefield has been mentioned regarding the first commercial flight into space. I will be very surprised if that doesn't come back around into featuring prominently in a story. Will playing a big role in the episode was good and I liked how Sarah missed his call about warning her about coming to Antarctica at this time. Munro was on the verge of pulling the plug amid great tension at the site which was a good element for the setting. I thought going to Antarctica was excellent and a pretty unique place for a story with a lot of possibilities. The discussion about how deadly fire was on the continent was terrific. Morgane as the French scientist drilling expert was a fun character and I liked how she was proving problematic for Will and Munro. Two males and only one female in a cold and contained setting meant, well you can do the maths. Tensions were clearly high at Nikita Base which made for a very good atmosphere and I liked that Munro was thinking Morgane and Will were conspiring against him. Jack as the pilot was another strong character and although his true intentions were a little predictable, it was still a fun moment. Sarah being knocked out and suffering from hypothermia before going snow blind was fantastic and I loved that she didn't know that had happened to her. She merely thought she was in darkness. Her suggestion that Morgane had found a seed pod was an excellent throwback to The Seeds of Doom and Sarah's last visit to the ice. In fact, she'd actually found incredibly powerful uranium that was seemingly uncovered by the Russians in the 1950s which was intriguing. Munro being shot was a very powerful moment and Jack being revealed as in line with Morgane before she was killed to made for some quick developments. The knowledge of the Crimson Chapter was fun and a good way to tie in the series arc and Sarah's feigning blindness and showing confidence that Jack's gun had frozen was brilliant from our lead character. A great moment. She also managed to activate the fuel dump which meant Jack wouldn't get far. She was now intrigued in what was happening and it was clearly too much of a coincidence for research she was funding to be cover for the Crimson Chapter and a mighty fundraiser. If they needed to sell the uranium for millions, then just what are they planning? The cliffhanger at the end with the Keeper and Will being part of the Chapter was unexpected and sets things up nicely for the next episode! Overall, a good story as a whole.

Rating: 8/10