Heritage: A Photograph to Remember

"Memorial photographs are our specialty."

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: June 2019

Series: Paternoster Gang 1.02

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

The Paternoster Gang are shocked to discover a rival group on the streets. A Sonataran, a Silurian and a human – only their intentions are not quite so noble as Madama Vastra and friends.

And when the recently-photographed dead begin to return home, strangely altered, will this 'Bloomsbury Bunch' be more of a help or a hindrance?

Verdict

A Photograph to Remember was another great story to continue my way through Heritage and the solo adventures of the Paternoster Gang! This was a bit darker than the opening instalment of The Cars That Ate London! but the premise of a rival gang was a lot of fun. Speaking of fun, I thought the way things opened with Jenny and Strax together was wonderful and I really enjoy the dynamic that pairing has together. They're so different and it makes everything so much fun, The concept of spirit photographs was great and felt very Victorian, and I have to say I was impressed with the atmosphere during this story. It felt smoggy and that's what I imagine this era like. It was a little disturbing to have posthumous memorials in the form of photographs as that just didn't seem possible! The human cloaking of Stonn was a little poor as that familiar Sontaran voice was so clear in the audio format, we just knew the true identity. The premise of this adventure having the dead coming back to life with different identities was horrifying as imagine seeing a loved one return to life, only for them not to be who you remember. That must be emotional torment on another level! Jenny faking the death of Strax to try and get her way in on the act was good, and before long the entire Bloomsbury Bunch were revealed! Vella was a fantastic character as the Silurian of the Bunch and she even attacked Jenny, not sharing the same sentiment towards humanity that Vastra did. Tom being the human element of the trio was a pretty good character and his desire for photography played a big part in the eventual heart of the story. I liked how the Bloomsbury Bunch knew all about the Paternoster Gang and didn't exactly have good opinions on them. Tom being romantically involved with Stonn felt a bit too much of a stretch to try and contrast the Paternoster Gang, but I definitely didn't see it coming! Stonn being the one to command the Bunch was fun and his counterpart Vastra showing her admiration for humanity was a sharp contrast to Vella whom she was keen to engage with as she thought there were no other Silurians around. Strax and Ethel being chased by the undead revenants was full of action and the latter suffered a deadly fate. That showed the threat of the revenants in a big way. The Gang and Bunch realising they needed to form a temporary alliance was great and I liked how Vella was aggravated by it, giving me vibes of Cold Blood/The Hungry Earth. Stonn and Strax meeting was a delight as they tried to work out the hierarchy and where they stood in Sontaran command. Marvellous humour. Tom's camera containing a Malampus crystal was a little weird and not the emphatic reveal I was expecting, but I did like the it had an aura and was used as a divine method to find hidden truth. The use of the glass negatives being intermingled with the other photographs was nice done and I loved the description of imprinting like a shadow. The conclusion hiding us towards freeing the prints to release the revenants was good but Tom didn't want to give them up. The final focal points of the lens being how they were animated was a decent final stretch and it needed to be destroyed, but Tom ran away. Stonn reasoning with his lover was very good although I was unsure about a Sontaran admitting he cared for something. The lens wasn't the art and Tom eventually saw reason which was nice. Vella's attack on Strax showed that the alliance was very much over and it was a fun prospect for Vastra to judge the Bloomsbury Bunch but that wouldn't happen as they teleported away. Surely they will be back throughout the series? I hope so, despite the coincidental believability of a similar trio. Overall, a very good audio! 

Rating: 8/10