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“THE SECRET OF CASSANDRA – BENNY’S MARITIME MYSTERY MAKES WAVES”

Big Finish launches Series Two of The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield with The Secret of Cassandra, a tight, sea-salted mystery full of paranoia, bioengineered vengeance, and enough betrayals to capsize even the steadiest listener. While it doesn’t break new ground structurally, it provides a compelling showcase for Lisa Bowerman’s ever-assured performance and demonstrates the series’ continued confidence in fusing pulpy sci-fi with smart character drama.

We find Benny shipwrecked, only to be rescued by the Cassandra—a sleek, high-tech sailing vessel cutting across the oceans of an Earth colony world torn apart by war. It’s a strong hook and a welcome callback to Enlightenment with its mix of classical naval design and futuristic machinery. Aboard, Benny finds herself caught between the suspicious and declining General Brennan and the fastidiously calm Captain Colley, who is transporting a mysterious prisoner whose identity could end the conflict.

A PLOT THAT SIMMERS BEFORE IT BOILS OVER

The first half of The Secret of Cassandra is a slow, atmospheric build. Benny acclimatises to her unusual surroundings, attempts to outwit the ship’s AI, and needles her way into the ship’s hierarchy, poking at secrets like only she can. It’s a simple setup—who is the prisoner, and why is he so important?—but the character dynamics are sharp enough to keep it engaging.

Where the first act keeps things breezy and mysterious, the second begins to peel back layers of grief, revenge, and warped idealism. The interplay between the cautious Captain, the caustic General, and Benny’s always-incisive curiosity builds a web of motivations more emotionally grounded than the premise might initially suggest. When the prisoner Sheen is released by Benny, the narrative detonates.

FROM PRISONER TO APOCALYPSE: WHEN SHEEN HITS THE FAN

Robert Curbishley’s performance as Sheen is chilling in its detachment. Cold, logical, and seemingly emotionless, Sheen is more than a mysterious captive—he’s a bioengineered weapon of war. But the real twist comes when we discover that Sheen is Cassandra: the ship's namesake, the Captain’s dead daughter, now reborn through cybernetic consciousness and on a crusade to end the war by annihilating her own people. It’s a genuinely startling reveal, and one that reframes much of the narrative’s earlier tension in tragically personal terms.

The plot moves from war-room strategy to emotional reckoning as Brennan and Benny—once mutually hostile—join forces to stop Sheen from committing planetary-scale genocide. The final third delivers jaw-dropping turns one after the other, though the pacing becomes increasingly chaotic, and keeping track of every reversal and revelation can become a struggle.

BENNY VS BRENNAN: SPARKS, SNARK, AND A LASTING BOND

One of the real joys of The Secret of Cassandra is the sparky, frostbitten relationship between Benny and General Brennan. From their initial venomous exchanges (laced with classic Benny sarcasm) to their eventual alliance, it’s a richly developed dynamic. Brennan, initially presented as a gruff, authoritarian hardliner, softens into a tragic figure—fatally ill, manipulated, but trying to do right by her people before time runs out.

Lisa Bowerman remains an absolute force as Bernice. She navigates the tonal shifts—wry comedy, academic curiosity, and moments of deep empathy—with total command. Her performance grounds the story even as the plot around her becomes increasingly surreal.

CASSANDRA’S SHIP: A HAUNTED COMPUTER WITH A BROKEN HEART

The titular ship’s AI is another highlight—programmed by the Captain’s daughter and still referring to him affectionately as “Dad,” even as he uses it to cover his deception. It’s a poignant and sometimes funny dynamic that turns quietly tragic when you realise the AI genuinely believes it’s helping a family stay together, unaware it’s a puppet in a plan to resurrect a daughter and unleash her vengeance.

The sound design is serviceable but rough around the edges. Occasionally, it overwhelms dialogue or muddies moments of key exposition. The score—especially that divisive Bond pastiche theme—is still… present. It’s marginally less grating than in Series One, but it remains an acquired taste.

📝VERDICT: 75/100

The Secret of Cassandra sets a high bar for Series Two of Bernice Summerfield. It’s smartly written, laced with character-driven tension, and unafraid to pack a deeply personal tragedy into its war-movie setup. There’s something quietly Shakespearean about a story of ghost ships, dead daughters reborn as weapons, and dying generals trying to redeem themselves before the curtain falls.

It’s also slightly overstuffed. The final third throws in so many revelations and reversals that the pacing buckles under the weight, and the sound mix occasionally fights against clarity. But these are minor blemishes on an otherwise compelling audio drama.