Retribution

"It was your finger on the trigger."

Writer: Guy Adams

Format: Audio

Released: February 2018

Series: Vienna 4.01

Featuring: Vienna

Synopsis

"Does the prisoner have any last words?"

Vienna Salvatori used to be a dangerous woman.

Vienna Salvatori used to be an assassin.

Vienna Salvatori has changed her ways.

Hasn't she?

After setting up a detective agency with her partner Jexie Reagan, Vienna has left her dark past behind her. Together, they bring villains to justice and right wrongs. Together, they are a team. But all that changes when a woman is killed in cold blood and Vienna is charged with the murder,

Vienna is sent to a hellhole of a prison with no hope of parole or release. But not all is what it seems on board the Splinter. With no means to escape, and no idea who she can trust, can Vienna survive life on the inside?

Verdict

Retribution was a great story to comprise the fourth series of the Vienna spinoff series! This series has been something I have really enjoyed and I was fascinated by the idea to make this fourth instalment one giant adventure. I must admit I do think things would have been beneficial as three separate episodes, but it was an enthralling three hours or so. The setting of futuristic space just works and Chase Masterson absolutely owns her role as Vienna. The actress is a huge part of the appeal for this character and it's no surprise that she has four of her own series by now. We've seen her gain something of a companion in the form of Jexie Reagan since the second series so to basically start things with Vienna having murdered her was quite something! That was a strong basis for the story and honestly up until early in part three I firmly did believe that she had been killed off. I was also hoping that would be the case because the impact of her death in how Vienna believed it had occurred would have been monumental. I thought part one in particular was superb with Prosecutor Grover essentially grilling Vienna over the death of her partner. The Justice Department were on hand just seconds prior to Jexie being killed and couldn't prevent it and with that kind of evidence,  Grover was almost boasting over Vienna about how much of an open and shut case it was. She wasn't going to get the greatest defence in the world but it didn't matter. To him, she was already guilty. I was impressed with how she defended herself because she wasn't one for begging or getting hysterical. She was a private detective and former assassin. This was a woman with patience and she wanted to work out what had happened for herself. I thought that was terrific. Part two felt a little weaker and brought the story down slightly in my estimation which was a bit of a shame. I thought the concept behind the Splinter was decent but it wasn't as exciting or interesting for me as hearing Vienna try and piece things together and tell the story of the events leading up to the crash and Needle Inc. I thought Ness was a fascinating character and her position in standing to benefit by a number of corporate coincidences was terrific. She wasn't the best at hiding that she at least knew something, but the twist in part three with Rex Needle himself being the orchestrator was fantastic. It worked so well because he had the perfect alibi of being on the Splinter already! He was working there from below and in hiding, whilst using others for his own benefit. Ness was just an obstacle for Vienna to overcome but the twist of Jexie being alive and on the inside already was unexpected. I do wish she had stayed dead but the emotion that came from Vienna when she found out her partner was alive and essentially faked her own dead whilst drugging Vienna to feel guilty about it was incredible. Talk about tension! I could understand Vienna's frustration but Jexie was also in need of escape to save her life. The use of the time safe was good and hearing Vienna add Jexie to the DNA recognition was a stellar example of her trust in her partner. She's come a long way, but things do feel a little strained now. I liked how the Prosecutor was granted the evidence that incriminated Rex and the lengths he went to get his own way no matter how small of a gain it was made for a fitting finale for him to end up on the less luxurious side of the Splinter. He'd played a part in Ratz's fate and now Mama Val was going to see that he would beg for his life. That was rather fitting. Overall, a little long but still a real strong adventure!

Rating: 8/10