The ending is paramount for a story and must be good
or else the entire story can be ruined as a whole. The
Emporium at the End is not one of those stories. It is slightly similar in ways to The Tears of Isis as it deals with how
people deal with the end of the world, but instead of drama, it goes for
comedy. That’s really the tone that this
box set has been going for, a comedic one as it has Bernice Summerfield, a deep
character who is still very funny, and David Warner who is just brilliantly funny
as the Doctor. Somehow Big Finish coaxed
out renowned pantomime actor and arch nemesis of Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart to
play the Master. Renowned pantomime
actor and arch nemesis of Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart, however, is playing a
version of the Master very close to the portrayal by Roger Delgado, with the
pseudonym of the Manager is running this shop where people are buying these
lottery tickets with money or memories, yes memories, to literally be atomized
under the context that it’s going to another universe to save themselves. Yes the plan is convoluted, but that’s kind
of the point. The story is meant to be a
loving tribute to the Jon Pertwee era where the Master’s plans didn’t really
make much sense and would definitely backfire in an easy way. Renowned pantomime actor and arch nemesis of
Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart does a brilliant job as the Master as he nearly
seduces Benny to believe that he’s the one who is trying to save the
universe. I won’t reveal all the twists
as they are too good to be experienced in any other way, but let’s just say the
listener almost falls for the Master along with Benny and it’s all really down
to renowned pantomime actor and arch nemesis of Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart’s
performance being sublimely edited from the rather raw editing files that Big
Finish recorded.
This story is extremely poignant as you really see
just how sad all these people have become while the universe seems to be ending
around them. The Doctor shows that while
he seems to think he’s lost his memories in an attempt to save the universe, he
still has the core of the Doctor. His
arc has been what should have been the arc of the War Doctor and David Warner
pulls it off brilliantly. The Doctor
really does want to see these people get to another universe and heck is
willing to pay for them to get enough lottery tickets as a way for them to
escape. He is compassionate and I just
can’t help loving it. The Mother
Superior and the singing nuns from The
Library in the Body actually return in this one. Damn they’re fun characters and when they get
drunk with Benny and what they do to the Master in the end, while I feel that
Big Finish may have had to do some horrible things to renowned pantomime actor
and arch nemesis of Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart, to get that performance out of
him. She’s played by Rowena Cooper who
when she gets drunk with Benny everything is off the wall as there are jabs
about how to survive the end of the world you just have to be completely drunk,
because at least you will have a lot of fun doing it.
Moving on to the cyborg supporting characters. & (pronounced Ampersand), played by
Shvorne Marls, is the character used as a way to get the feelings out of the
listener. & is so naïve just about
everything and really trusts that her father is going to get her away, yet it
isn’t done in a spoiled brat way. Her
father even gets rid of his own memories to save her and the end will make you
feel really good about this story because it is really uplifting. Oh and Lisa Bowerman of course was brilliant
as Benny. Is there really anything else
I can say about her that hasn’t been said in any of my other reviews for this
set? Bowerman loves the material she has
to work with and is enjoying every minute of recording with all these people,
even if in the extra features she, Rowena Cooper, Scott Handcock, James Goss,
and David Warner warn how renowned pantomime actor and arch
nemesis of Mark Gatiss, Sam Kisgart just was difficult to work with.
To summarize,
The Emporium at the End is a story that ends the third box set of The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. It does some stuff to explore new grounds and
a new character dynamic between the Doctor and Benny while still leaving the
possibility that they will go back to her old roots in the main Doctor Who
universe. Emma Reeves understands
Bernice Summerfield and what needed to be done here and does it masterfully,
especially considering she’s a first time writer for the Benny range. 100/100
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