This is not a story that
is meant to be a plot heavy story, but is to explore just how good Joseph
Lidster is at writing characters and to continue the development of Ace that
would lead into the Doctor’s travels with Hex.
Now although I place the travels with Benny and the rest of the Virgin
New Adventures in the gap as I feel that’s how they can fit with Nightshade’s ending and the end of Lungbarrow matching up the console rooms
and the fact that Ace is allowed to grow as a character before she travels
again with the Doctor by The Harvest,
that doesn’t mean this doesn’t set up the new Ace in anyway. This is Ace’s story as she is the one who
reunites with her brother which adds to her emotions from the end of Colditz and ultimately leads to her
departure in Love and War. Her relationship with Liam is great as they
go through fights and end up making up which is due to the fact that Sophie
Aldred is great here as Ace and David John is great as Liam. They are almost polar opposites in actions
but in thought processes they both disagree with their parents and the
decisions made about their lives but address them in different ways.
The two characters also
work as foils for the antagonists of the piece Jude and Gabriel who are
siblings from another dimension. Gabriel
is the broken one of the two as he thinks he is an angel of God sent to have
the actual rapture happen in Ibiza in 1997 through the music they make as a
team. Gabriel is great as he is so
damaged and Jude is the caring brother who just wants to live his life to the
fullest. They are both preying on the
damaged people who come to party as Ibiza is a place of sex, drugs and alcohol
running rampant. I sympathize with their
plight in this story even if they are both so misguided. They are both extremely well-acted and I
found them enjoyable.
In New Adventures fashion
the Doctor is a minor character and is paired up with Gustavo a bartender the
Doctor saved from the Spanish Civil War and they are both old melancholic men
wanting a bit of a holiday which is really good in the story and I just love
all the drama that comes from these characters making the decision. I do have some problems with the story
however as Part Four ruins the tension build up as the plot is resolved early
on and if this story could have ended with Part Three and a second story was
inserted the pacing would be much tighter.
I feel however that I have to comment on the excellent music which
deserves a credit in the top of this review as you just feel it from
happening. Now I have been vague about
this one on purpose as it is a very love it or hate it so you really just need
to listen to this one and make your own decision.
To summarize, The Rapture is a great lead in to the
Virgin New Adventures and the adventures with Hex, but there are several
problems and the fact that this story has a very adult tone that may put some
people off. The acting and music are
both top notch as some of the best of Big Finish with Lidster being a brilliant
writer who needs to do more. Again I
just have to tell you to give this one a listen yourself before deciding what
you think of the story. The score I give
it is based off my personal enjoyment more than anything as there are so many
different reactions to this one. 80/100.
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