The Guardian of the Solar System [AUDIO/2010.7.15]

★★★★☆

  The Sara Kingdom trilogy of Big Finish's Companion Chronicles range is special to many people, especially to me. She was one of the best elements of one of Doctor Who's finest achievements, The Daleks' Master Plan, and Simon Guerrier succeeded in laying out a wonderful, haunting and fitting narrative for her — a copy of her mind, trapped inside a mysterious old house sheltered from time, cursed to live her eternal years inside and make her guests' wishes come true. At this point, she and Robert (the main supporting character of this trilogy) have developed a fantastic relationship, and it's a joy listening to both Jean Marsh and Niall MacGregor.

  The Guardian of the Solar System tells a beautiful tale of grief and the feeling of being trapped in your own life, feeling as if you're powerless to control what goes on around you and what you yourself are led to do. It's a powerful feeling we've all experienced at least once in our lives, and Guerrier somehow manages to tie that into a much bigger tale about Sara attempting to save her brother Bret Vyon, only to find out that all she did was do her part in the larger scheme of history. How ingenious of Guerrier — instead of Sara changing the course of the future by ruining Mavic Chen's secret source of power (a wonderfully described giant clock fueled by the strong emotions — a will to escape, something that would entrap the Doctor and Steven later on — of aged prisoners), she actively sets the chain of events in motion that ends up with Chen brokering a deal with the Daleks on Kembel. Listening to Marsh's quivering voice as her Sara almost breaks down from confessing her deepest sorrows to Robert is powerful material that I wasn't quite ready for. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  If you've ever had doubts about Sara Kingdom's status as a companion, listen to this trilogy. Home Truths, The Drowned World and The Guardian of the Solar System flesh out her character to such a degree that I now consider her one of the most complex First Doctor companions. Jean Marsh is wonderful in every story she's in, but this is perhaps her magnum opus; she seizes the chances to bring this delicate tale alive, playing the steadfast Space Security Service officer as well as the emotionally scarred old woman who's lived for thousands of years as a ghost in a haunted house. The final line will ring in your mind for a good few days, lemme tell you.