In Review: Big Finish: Planet Krynoid: Survivors

Synopsis: The Krynoid invade the soundscape, as the sequel to “Seeds of Doom” continues.

Colony Sunlight has been destroyed. It’s been ravaged by the ruthlessly aggressive galactic weed.

As the planet turns cold, sinister forces descend on the surface. Time runs out for the scattered survivors. 

Could salvation lie a hundred years ago with a Doctor, a MedTech and a big blue box?

Review: Planet Krynoid: Survivors was an unrelenting second volume. It worked so effectively because the writers fully embraced their genre.

The Story

Planet Krynoid: Nightfall was a disaster horror. Planet Krynoid: Survivors, in its turn, was a post-apocalyptic horror.

“The Hunt” by Jonathan S Powell picks up with Tiro Hart and Letty Hodan. I loved the personal growth each shows.

Of course, Powell contrasted their growth with unapologetically static characters. Saber, Latch, and Cross were deliciously greedy, opportunistic, and prideful.

As a result, listeners got a glorious old-school morality tale. Powell deftly explored the themes at the root of Doctor Who.

“The Harrow” by Georgia Cook established how the Eighth Doctor and Liv Chenka came to be in the mix. The horror of this prequel sequel lay in how much the Doctor couldn’t help.

Once again, our heroes argued over their duty to the web of time. I really appreciated the Eighth Doctor’s optimism amid constraint and loss.

That said, I also needed Liv’s righteous anger and sadness. Cook used Liv to call out the horror on behalf of the audience.

“The Harvest” by Jonathan Morris was not original. However, that lack of originality was precisely what gave the episode of folk horror its bite.

I was particularly heartened by the relationships at the center of the story. They gave meaning to everything in the cliffhanger.

Acting

The entire cast its superb. However, I must give kudos to several performers.

First, Simon Kane and Karl Theobald did brilliantly over the top turns as Saber and Latch. For her part, Juliet Aubrey as Cross more than held her own opposite Kane and Theobald.

Last, but not least, I’d like to welcome Gina Bellman to Big Finish. She gave listeners a strong and affecting performance as Katarina.

Overall

Planet Krynoid: Survivors unflinchingly paid off the story. I can’t wait to hear where the seeds Big Finish planted take root next.

You can purchase Planet Krynoid: Survivors here.