The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Sarah Jane Smith

'Do you think she's getting more paranoid or less?'

Peter Anghelides first audio script for Big Finish, Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre is the fifth and final release of this years' Sarah Jane Smith series, which it draws to a stylish close but perhaps not in the climactic conclusion that may have been anticipated.

One of the problems with some of the previous Sarah Jane Smith audios is a tendency to focus too much on characterisation at the expense of a tightly constructed plot rather than attempting to forge an equal balance between the two, leaving a vaguely unsatisfying feeling in their wake. Anghelides avoids this by achieving the equilibrium through both creating an intriguing and rewarding plot and allowing the rich characteristics of the regulars to develop naturally within this making Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre a story that plays strongly to the strengths of the series and in the process creates a fitting final instalment.

From the very first scene where we discover that Josh and Nat have been trying to contact Sarah yet she is refusing to communicate back, it's obvious that one of the most interesting aspects of the story is the distance that Sarah has put between herself and her friends. The reasoning for this is implied to be that she needs to protect them by keeping them at arms length from her so that those who are out to get her, cannot harm them. This is emphasised quite frequently throughout the early parts of the story through the phone calls and Sarah's display of fury at an over enthusiastic taxi-driver fan of hers demonstrates that the constant running has changed her fundamentally in both her attitudes and her preconceptions. While Sarah feels that she's protecting her friends by doing this, it has the reverse effect of them coming to believe that she has become so consumed with paranoia over something that doesn't exist in the way that Sarah believes it to. This sense of detachment between the regulars is conveyed well through the script and is helped by keeping Josh and Nat away from Sarah in England while she is, unknown to them, off in India.

For much of the story, Sarah Jane is paired up with a character called Wendy Jennings, who it turns out is also a reporter and working on a story close to the one that Sarah Jane is investigating. This combination effectively puts Wendy into the traditional 'sidekick' role that Josh has fulfilled during the bulk of this series, but by making Wendy a similar character to Sarah herself, Anghelides uses her as a reflection of Sarah's character before her credibility was destroyed. Thanks to the quality of the script, there is a real sense of believability that Sarah would put her trust into this character that she's only just met as there is an empathy between them which she doesn't share with her friends of old.

The fact that Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre is the culmination of the series is used by Anghelides to create a sense of menace and dread throughout the early parts of the play, as innocuous as they may initially seem, and as the layers of drama build upwards there is a sense that Sarah's enemies are out there, waiting to make their final move. When this finally comes, the gravity of the situation is such that it's hard to see how Sarah will escape to fight another day, and with this being the last in the series, there's always the possibility that she won't which heightens the tension of the perilous situation even further. While those following the series as a whole will know who is behind the plot against Sarah, Anghelides keeps their involvement secret from Sarah until the denouement reaches it's peak, raising the tension to fever pitch.

The story develops excellently, moving deviously forwards at pace which ensures that the attention of the listener never has a chance to waver as clues about the true nature of the events Sarah has become embroiled in become apparent. While those of a suspicious disposition will almost certainly pick up upon some of these, Anghelides successfully manages to divert attention away from them to sustain the spectacle further through an air of unpredictability. It also picks up well on small matters which have featured in previous plays from the series with the result that what may have seemed insignificant previously becomes much more important now and the fact that there is this linking connection helps make the whole series more gratifying. While the script is serious in tone, there is some welcome humour present which adds flavour to the drama and showcases the characters', particularly Josh in this respect, to see the lighter side. On the whole, Anghelides dialogue is excellent and pushes the drama along well without resorting to blatant exposition, although one scene where Sarah and Wendy are attacked by a mysterious jeep-driving maniac does come off as ill-conceived as it falls into the trap of featuring far too much descriptive dialogue which destroys any hope of building tension as there's no real sense that they're in danger, despite some excellent effects featuring.

Fittingly for a series which she is the star, Elisabeth Sladen has saved her best performance for last, showing both her guile and ruthlessness in the pursuit of the truth but balancing it out well with the impression that she's overlooking something significant in the process. In the CD liner notes, Sladen gets a chance to deliver some closing thoughts on the series and comments that she hopes it has brought "her up to date successfully, yet reminded us all what a good character Sarah is", which it surely has but also it's reminded us what a good actress Elisabeth Sladen is. Both Jeremy James and Sadie Miller continue to impress with strong performances as Josh and Natalie and although there is less chance for the charismatic banter with Sladen which has been the cornerstone of the series, putting their characters together here shows a genuine warmth underpinning the surface spikiness of their relationship with each other.

The pretence of secrecy surrounding the series' mystery villain is well and truly blown by the presence of Patricia Maynard on the slightly revised front cover for the story which sees her reprising her role as Miss Hilda Winters, formerly of the Scientific Reform Society in Tom Baker's first Doctor Who story Robot, who has returned to wreak vengeance upon Sarah Jane. In my review of Test Of Nerve, where Miss Winters made a brief cameo at the conclusion, I remarked upon initial disappointment that an original villain wasn't used but after hearing Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre it becomes obvious that a wholly original character would have lacked the particular resonance that the familiarity of Miss Winters adds to the scenes of confrontation between her and Sarah Jane towards the conclusion of the drama. Maynard voice seems to have hardly changed at all in the years since Robot and she takes great delight in reviving the pronounced and measured villainy of Miss Winters, making her a worthy adversary.

Louise Faulkner's performance as Wendy Jennings, a fellow journalist who works for Sarah Jane's previous employers, is very convincing. She has such an unassuming voice which she uses to make Wendy into a believable kindred spirit to Sarah and it's plausible and logical that they would get on the way they do. Robin Bowerman is a little underused here, and after the cultured brutality that he displays in his other performances his relegation to a 'head henchman' type role disappoints despite the fact that his performance is as good as ever. Peter Miles injects his character Dr Brandt with a great deal of charisma, and while the role suits his acting skill it was a pity he wasn't more involved in the story. Mark Donovan has a brief appearance as a taxi driver and Toby Longworth gets to show off yet another accent to his vocal armoury as a rival taxi driver to Donovan's, in a good - and surprising - appearance.

The scope of the sound design for this story is very impressive, offering a rich texture to the scenes without being obtrusive, reinforcing the idea that there is more going on than just the main characters speaking to each other and creating a realistic soundscape for the drama to thrive within. Particularly impressive is a scene featuring Sarah Jane and Wendy at a restaurant where there is so much going on in the background that it really helps the mind's eye capture the event perfectly. The musical score also contributes significantly to the establishment of the mood with touches of exotic music evocative of the story's Indian setting mixed into the now familiar regular music of this series and provides an interesting and enjoyable accompaniment.

As with the conclusion to the first Dalek Empire series, Mirror, Signal¸ Manoeuvre might not satisfy listeners who expected a definite resolution to Sarah's story as the ending leaves things open for a follow up Sarah Jane Smith series and indeed leaves the listener in a position to want more and to know what happens next. Judged individually, Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre is a triumph, combining a compelling script with bright performances from a strong cast and a sumptuous soundtrack. All of this makes this story a fitting place to leave Sarah Jane for now - and hopefully given the nature of the ending, we may get to visit her again soon...