In Review: Big Finish: VAM PD Volume 02

Synopsis: In the world of VAM PD, vampires live by rules—but who enforces them?

Welcome to the Office of the Night, where vampires Catrin and Magnus work to maintain an uneasy peace between the living and the undead.

Review: VAM PD Volume 02 resolved cliffhangers in extremely satisfying ways. In the process, listeners got a thoroughly anti-Valentine’s Day treat.

Story

The Big Finish writers dialed the disillusionment and the dark comedy up to 11 for this set. The characters were forced to grow and reorient themselves in a complicated world.

“The Last Post” by Rochana Patel and David Smith was a Magnus centric story. Patel and Smith crafted a well thought out and thought provoking tale.

As a monk turned vampire, Magnus was bound to have a crisis of faith. I really appreciated that listeners got to hear him navigate through his conundrum and gain perspective on the other side.

I also liked that the situation was complicated, and the supporting characters were layered. Added to that. Patel and Smith built in some wonderful foreshadowing.

In many ways, “Sunlight and Bleach” by Aaron Lamont explored the same themes as the previous story. Only this time, listeners got Orhan’s human perspective.

Once again, I enjoyed how Lamont utilized supporting characters and subverted expectations. Like Patel and Smith, Lamont capped things off with unapologetic foreshadowing.

“Dracula Bachelor” by Ash Darby paid off the foreshadowing in the previous stories. All the while, listeners got a hilariously bleak send up of reality shows.

Most importantly, however, Darby shook up the status quo in ways that can’t be ignored. Frankly, I found that refreshing.

Acting

The entire cast was superb. That said, this set belonged to three actors.

Alimi Ballard continued to shine as Magnus. He brought delightfully subtle notes to his performance.

For their parts, Mara Wilson and Warren Brown finally got to unleash the performances they had been hinting at in the first volume.

Overall

Thank you, Big Finish. VAM PD Volume 02 surprised me without sacrificing internal logic. 

That’s a difficult feat in the modern era. I have great expectations for the next chapters.

You can purchase VAM PD Volume 02 here.