Tarrant desperately tries to warn the rest of the crew that the Federation is threatening to unleash the ultimate weapon – and give them the blame…
There were certain elements of the Big Finish Blake’s 7 run which seemed to be left dangling when things went quiet a few months back, and I was wondering if we would ever get resolution to the situation regarding the Armageddon Storm, or indeed learn more about David Warner’s character, Vila’s father. In this two-parter to conclude The Liberator Chronicles, Guy Adams has provided just that, starting with this piece which is a one-hander for Steven Pacey for a good proportion of the time.
Using the framework of Tarrant’s desperate attempts to get a ship ready for flying – despite its onboard computer’s best endeavours to put obstacles in his way – the story follows Tarrant and crewmates’ decision to return to Earth after they receive a message, from someone they believed dead. Pacey gives one of his best performances in the ragne to date, with his impression of Avon unnervingly good at times, and the inflections of the revealed villain spot on. David Warner is at his sardonic best in his scenes, given some great dialogue by Adams – who also presents us with Tarrant’s perspective on a number of elements of the B7 set up during Series C, not least the unusual relationship between Avon and his nemesis!
Director Lisa Bowerman, sound designer Martin Montague and composer Jamie Robertson combine with Pacey to give one of the best aerial sequences in the B7 audios as Tarrant takes off – Jenna’s Story back in volume 6 is the last one that comes to mind that’s comparable – and the story ends on a cliffhanger. A slightly laconic one, perhaps, but definitely a cliffhanger… and you’ll need to know how it all pans out.
Verdict: Everyone firing on all cylinders makes this a classic Blake’s 7 tale. 9/10
Paul Simpson
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