The Demons of Red Lodge

"We have to fight this sense of fear."

Writer: Jason Arnopp

Format: Audio

Released: December 2010

Series: Monthly Adventures 142a

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

A long, dark night in 17th century Suffolk for the TARDIS travellers – when they find something nasty outside the woodshed.

Verdict

The Demons of Red Lodge was a very good start to the anthology release that makes up the one-hundred-and-forty-second Monthly Adventure from Big Finish! I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of the format for this release in splitting the usual four-part two-hour adventure into four singular stories of around 20-30 minutes, but in judging the story for what it is this was definitely a strong start! I’m a big fan of the pairing of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa and I think this series has done a stellar job in expanding their adventures between Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity. The way things started here with the pair disoriented and just coming around from some sort of accident was intriguing and immediately set an uneasy atmosphere which was excellent. It lasted throughout and was certainly a highlight of the adventure. I like when the Doctor in particular has no memory of events because that angers him and he’s usually not one to get on well with memory loss, unless it’s post regeneration. I thought the description of the looming shadows was very good and just added to that eery feel. Sarah Sutton did a wonderful job as Nyssa in being able to sell the darkness of the story. The idea of artificial fear was brilliant and is definitely something I’d enjoy being expanded upon further in a much longer story. The fact that the Doctor and Nyssa actually locked hands out of that fear really sold just how scary their situation was, and it also was enough for them to realise that their fear was not natural. That was a highlight for me. The mystery that came from the strange alternate versions of the Doctor and Nyssa was very good and I thought they sounded like something along the lines of Autons or Gangers! They were so clearly off and the initial suggestion of them only being 50% complete added to my intrigue. They were watching on mysteriously and that added to the strange feeling, especially when they needed to recharge. The source of that charge being humanity was very good! The aim to get to the cottage was great and there’s something about a cottage that just feels isolated and dark. It worked well on audio. Emily Cobham made for strong character to show the TARDIS duo inside and the arrival at Red Lodge village was excellent. That was a very apt name and matched the feel of the story perfectly. Ivy was a mysterious character by virtue of her being the twin of Emily, but having no knowledge of a sister! Nyssa’s reaction to that was terrific. I thought Peter Davison had a good outing as the Fifth Doctor and he was quick to challenge the Speera on their duplicates. They weren’t the most incredible of enemies and it seemed a bit of a mishap that they needed two instances to fully duplicate and take over a human, but that did provide the opportunity for defeat. I thought it was so well done though that the Doctor and Nyssa were able to utilise their genetics and natural non-human makeup to defeat the Speera, even if the clarity was a little cloudy regarding that until the later explanation as the pair returned to the TARDIS. There were some moments where it looked like Nyssa would succumb to her duplicate and having the death of her father almost taunted and used against her was powerful stuff. Overall though, for just twenty-seven minutes this was a really strong start to the anthology and a great audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10