In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 08: The Eternity Club 1

Synopsis: Welcome to The Eternity Club. A warm welcome awaits the universe’s greatest explorers. 

It’s a place of mystery, intrigue and creeping danger. Professor Bernice Summerfield has finally been invited to join. But membership comes at a terrible price.

Review: Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 08: The Eternity Club 1 delightfully met and subverted expectations. I was committed to this new storyline within the first few minutes.

Story

James Goss worked his particular brand of creative magic in these first two stories. The result was resoundingly Benny.

Added to that, Goss crafted a new set of engagingly off-kilter supporting characters. They infuriated, inspired, and exposited.

My favorites were 312 and Grizella. His passive aggression and her arrogance were oddly endearing.

I also appreciated how they were used as catalysts in more cerebral storytelling. Listeners got an earnest dialogue around the underlying assumptions of history and archeology.

What’s more, Goss needled us and Benny by undermining the obvious tropes within the Eternity Club itself. I loved how Benny was on the back foot throughout.

That said, I definitely felt the absence of the Doctor. I’m hoping that the in story rationale for his absence will be tied to the over arching mystery.

I’m also readjusting to Benny being on her own again. Truthfully, I hadn’t realized how invested I’d become in the Unbound Tardis Team.

Fortunately, Big Finish also feels the meta level weight. I trust them to help all of us cope with the loss of David Warner.

Acting

The entire supporting cast was excellent. However, there were two stand out performances.

First, Dan Starkey was wonderful in his latest Sontaran role. He found yet more individual nuances within the classic clone species.

Second, Simon Kane was absolutely heartwarming as 312. I’m looking forward to his performance as the tale progresses.

For her part, Lisa Bowerman entered this new phase in Benny’s story with assurance. She also possessed perfect straight woman comic timing.

Overall

Thanks, Big Finish. Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 08: The Eternity Club 1 was the promising start of another edge of your seat yarn.

You can purchase Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Volume 08: The Eternity Club 1 here.