SNS: Second Sight

Season Three of Sapphire and Steel audios begins with Second Sight by Nigel Fairs.

Steel: You know exactly what I mean, mate. You've always felt threatened by Ruby ever since-
Sapphire: And what about you and Silver? I bet you were grinning like a shocked fox to hear about him.


Season Two ended with Sapphire and Steel trapped on a CD. So how to begin Season Three? The answer: bring in a new Sapphire and a new Steel, raising interesting implications about how easy it is to justify changes in actors, and just what it might mean if David and Joanna ever returned to the series...

But yes, new Sapphire and Steel. And how are they different? Sapphire is a bitch, and Steel is the agreeable friendly one. What? Since when? There's radical interpretation, but that's going too far. Oh yeah, they're also Australian. With very broad, very noticeable Aussie accents.

The plot is a recap of Adventure One with a mix of follow up to The Mystery of the Missing Hour. The innovation of the new S&S is what really this play is about, so the plot is slight, but it is there... but it is rather copying of what went before (then again, that is the point). There is an interesting suggestion of an over-arc idea and there is mention of the Transient War. If Big Finish do develop it, I hope they don't take as long about it as they did with the Tomorrow People arc, or we will literally never hear the end of it.

As for the two new leads... they take a bit of getting used to, but I certainly wouldn't mind repeat appearances. The Aussie-ness is rather... unusual, but as something that only comes up occasionally could be tolerated and possibly even enjoyed. Well done to Anna Skellern and Blair McDonough for stepping up to the challenge. Liza Bowerman is there as Ruby to (I suspect) provide a dash of continuity for the listeners, but again it's hard to get a sense of what her powers are other than something related to music. For the rest of the cast, I'm sure I've heard Patience Tomlinson before, she has a very distinct and recognisable voice, but not sure where. The rest of them... are there.


Interesting start to the season that definitely needs more than one listening. And be sure to stay for the entirely of disc two...

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