The Mind Runners / The Demon Rises [AUDIO/2018.1.18]

★★★☆☆

  If there's one thing you can always trust John Dorney on, it's that he's always going to try and bring a lot of different new ideas to the table. The Mind Runners and The Demon Rises make up a two-parter that, if nothing else, has a wide variety of ideas. Blue-skinned people which are split between organic and digital people , a rocket being the beacon of hope to an entire people, 'mind-running(as one can guess, jumping from someone's mind to another's)' and a mysterious mind which acts as the Bermuda Triangle for such mind runners, and much much more. This is an adventure best jumped into blind, because I genuinely had no idea what to expect and therefore was pleasantly surprised multiple times.

  It was certainly a choice to make every single character apart from our regulars speak with modulated voices, but every cast member puts effort in to make the listening experience as painless as possible (though some characters end up incoherent during a couple of more quiet scenes). The villains are charmingly evil enough, the narrative is creative enough, and Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and K-9 seem to be having enough fun. Actually, these characters all get lovely moments to shine (which is also a specialty of Dorney's, to give characters at least a handfun of standout moments) -- K-9 gets to be a dog which ought to be a registered weapon, Leela uses her hunter skills to track down an important plot-related character, and the Doctor gets to be snarky and happy-go-lucky even in moments of grave peril. Much fun to be had in this two-parter, and it's a welcome surprise to have a second part with even more momentum and excitement than the first (many of the most deliciously twisted revelations are made here with gusto). Color me pleasantly surprised!