Review: Absolution

Last time the Eighth Doctor's adventures formed part of the Big Finish monthly series, he was travelling with the ever-enthusiastic Edwardian adventuress Charley Pollard, and secretive Eutermesan C'rizz. Since then, we've seen him battling Cybermen and Daleks alongside his new friend Lucie Miller, in a parallel season of stories. Absolution, written by Scott Alan Woodard, is the first of two tales designed to fill in the gap, bidding farewell to the two older companions, with C'rizz the first to go.

Something's wrong with the TARDIS. A mysterious ghostly voice echoes through its cold and dim corridors, and it spins out of control in the vortex. Could it really have arrived in Hell? And what will become of C'rizz, as his abilities develop and his power begins to grow?

Absolution wants to be an event, saying goodbye to C'rizz with a bang. In terms of scale, it's a big and exciting plot, which often seems to think "epic" is synonymous with "visual", offering up some striking imagery. However, the limitations of the audio medium routinely fail Woodard's ambitious script; blood oozing from the TARDIS's central column, for example, is an impressive idea, but no amount of imagination could make it effective on audio. The story relies on big moments like these for its wow-factor, but it doesn't offer enough detail or realism for them to succeed, and there's perhaps not enough meat on the metaphorical bones between the dramatic beats. As a consequence, a lot of the play feels either sparse or ineffective.

That said, Absolution does have some good moments, many of which occur when the play leans towards smaller-scale stuff. The bulk of the opening episode, for example, is concerned with our three regulars, and re-establishing their relationships. It's a nice chance to be reminded of the status quo before the characters are shaken up, and the scenes between Charley and C'rizz in particular are brilliant.

Similarly, the coda, in which the Doctor's reaction to C'rizz's death drives Charley to breaking point, is arguably one of the play's strongest scenes. On the page, the exchange might've looked functional and flat, existing only as a catalyst for Charley's forthcoming departure, and perhaps sitting badly with the rest of the story. However, Paul McGann really sells the Doctor's unexpected behaviour, making his callousness believable and understandable, and India Fisher gives one of her most emotive performances to date.

In fact, the acting is consistently strong in Absolution, even when the play is unsuccessful story-wise, with Conrad Westmaas throwing himself enthusiastically into his farewell adventure as C'rizz, and Robert Glenister competently leading the guest cast as the scary Aboresh.

The CD version of Absolution is accompanied by the standard extra features, which (aside from the irritating distortion applied to the interviewees' voices as they introduce themselves) are enjoyable and interesting enough, with the contributions of Conrad Westmaas being the highlight. Look out for some unacknowledged deadpan humour from a wicked Paul McGann, too.

All in all, Absolution's a little bit of a disappointment. There are some superb individual scenes, and C'rizz - as a troubled character, who hasn't always been handled successfully during his time as a companion - does get one last chance to shine here, but Absolution isn't one of Big Finish's best.