Serpent in the Silver Mask [AUDIO/2018.3.20]

★★★☆☆

  How gorgeous is that cover? I know most reviewers (including myself) tend not to comment on covers, but... I just love the color scheme going on here. It's worth mentioning that a good, eye-catching cover can be effective in grasping your attention and getting you excited to try it out, and I must say Simon Holub did a smashing job here.

  Overall, I'd say Big Finish has done an admirable job in creating new stories for the Season 19 team. Both Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton are given more than ample opportunities to prove how good they can truly be, and the triumph Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor on audio doesn't even need to be said, but it's Matthew Waterhouse's Adric that's the real hero. I honestly believe he's halfway there to the cherished spot with Peri and Mel as Big Finish's successes. He proves himself to be quite resourceful and loyal to his friends, and he even comes off as genuinely funny and witty at times! It may be in your interest to know that I'm one of those people who find the overwhelming backlash against Adric (which is almost a thing of the past anyway) preposterous — he's no more irritating than a handful of other TV companions I can think of — and it's good that Waterhouse is given a second chance to truly have fun. 

  Speaking of fun, what a blast this is! Serpent in the Silver Mask isn't here to shake up the formula or pull out all the stops, but it aims to please the ears and imagination and it does those things very well. A tightly-written murder mystery set in a capitalist hellscape of a planet, in which the murderer's identity genuinely surprised me (to the point where I decided not to write anything spoilery in my review for a change)? How else am I supposed to introduce it other than as a breath of fresh air?

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  Think the level of joy almost similar to that of The Androids of Tara, and you have Serpent in the Silver Mask. Two very different genres, I know, but it feels like the most apt way to describe it. Fun, tight script and a bunch of enjoyable performances — just the kind of audio drama you'd listen to when you're in need of pure entertainment.