SNS: Zero

Back to the SNS audio series, I already have the next one, and yet am only now reviewing story 3.3: Zero by Steve Lyons.

Gold: So, Silver and Gold have been assigned.
Silver: Indeed.

This adventure does start well, with the concept that only Silver and Gold have been sent to deal with a problem. A nice twist to the series with established characters (always good to have David Collings back, and like Lisa Bowerman, Mark Gatiss enjoys his role as newcomer Gold). The place is a nice isolated space ship in which Strange Things(tm) are happening. It's quite a set-up that is only ruined by two things.

The first is that Sapphire and Steel turn up. This changes the character dynamics immediately, emphasising Gold's outsider status to the old team (which is useful for the plot), and returns the adventure to a more normal S&S one. Certainly the bulk of the work from that point switches over to the main pair, raising the question of why they bothered trying something new.

Which brings us to the second point, which I can't really talk about. At the mid-point of the story there is a twist. A big twist. A fairly dramatic twist. Unfortunately, due to the nature of S&S, it's never really made clear how it came about nor why the twist is... untwisted, for lack of a better term. There has always been an element of confusion surrounding aspects of the story, and the people involved aren't likely to go into huge explanatory speeches, but it would be nice to have something more than "you know why" and "yes, you're right."

Plot aside, the characterisations are full-on, and the cast is joined by Angela "Bambera" Bruce (I even managed to work out who it was before I saw the cast list). The cast is in fine form, although David Warner is beginning to sound a little phlemy. Not a huge distraction, but it's starting to become noticeable. And production-wise, the effects don't get in the way of the talking, which is saying something considering some efforts. (And nice to hear Susannah Harker's breathy voice at the end there.)

A story that starts well, but twists and changes a little too much to try to be something else. Not their best effort.
And here is the rest of it.
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