Island of the Fendahl [AUDIO/2019.7.10]

★★★☆☆

  Well, at the very least... now I know what all the Lovecraftian Darkness The Dalek Trap was all about. Still doesn't change the fact that it was a complete and utter bore, but at least I know the boring obscureness was predetermined.

  Onto a review of this particular installment, Island of the Fendahl goes all in in recreating the structure and mood of the Eighth Doctor Adventures audios (which themselves were an intentional adherence to the structure of the televised new series) by being the 'series finale' -- all the unanswered questions throughout the boxset are answered (with the aforementioned Dalek Trap explanation accounted for, of course), the star chart is drawn to reveal something truly special (a revelation I thought was cool), and the Doctor and Lucie face the ultimate peril... the Doctor's subjugation to the will of the Fendahl. 

  I enjoy Island of the Fendahl; it's as you'd expect from a celebratory boxset like this -- pretty enjoyable with a side of true wit and special chemistry. The latter is provided by Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith, who tackle the material with serious determination and therefore elevates the material, and the former is brought to fruition by the seasoned Alan Barnes. My big complaint -- well, one of several, really -- is that Island has practically no new ideas and is almost enslaved to the core concepts and story beats of Image of the Fendahl... but I suppose a writer must sometimes have their coasting days. Can't pull off a Storm Warning or Liberation of the Daleks all the time, can you, Alan? I think this is an audio drama that verges on the 'fine' spectrum, and that's mainly because of its lack of ambition. I'm a greedy sort of Dr. Who fan, which means I want every adventure to be teeming with imagination. This is not one of those stories -- which is a shame! -- but it's my own wish to see something different done with the wonderful Fendahl that prevents me from liking this audio drama more. It's perfectly fine, it's produced well, it's just so shockingly reliant on Image that it stops becoming funny to point towards. As a finale to this Further Adventures of Lucie Miller boxset, it was probably the best it could be.