Bernice Summerfield

#2.04. The Skymines of Karthos ~ 7/10

◆ An Introduction

David Bailey is our second returning writer… though his previous script was certainly nothing to write home about: genuinely, I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in ‘The Secret of Cassandra’.

I’m always willing to give someone a second chance though, so let’s dive into this one… just watch out for the Karthosian fireflies.

◆ Publisher’s Summary

When Bernice receives a message from her old friend Caitlin, saying that she's found evidence of a ruined civilisation on the mining colony of Karthos, the good professor is naturally intrigued. After all, the planet is meant to be barren, with no life other than the colonists.

Arriving on Karthos, Bernice finds that Caitlin is missing, and the colony is under attack from vicious creatures that seem to have come from nowhere. Bernice has no choice but to set out for the heart of the ruins to discover just why Karthos seems to have sprung to life once more…

◆ Prof. Bernice Summerfield

Lisa Bowerman’s performance in this final episode is pretty good.

Benny decides to go to Karthos in Irving’s personal shuttle (I’m sure he’s gonna love you for that). Once upon a time she might have been tempted to fly into a giant fireball in the sky, but given her current condition (five months pregnant with Adrian’s kid) there’s something a little bit off-putting about said giant fireball. She’s an expert at archaeology, but she threatens the fireflies by claiming she’s also good at hair pulling.

◆ Story Recap

A couple of parsecs away from the Braxiatel Collection is a small human mining colony. Karthos was supposedly an uninhabited world, with a burning sky… but a member of an environmental research team has apparently discovered the ruins of a lost civilisation up in the mountains.

Caitlin Peters got in touch with Benny about this and promised to report back with her findings… that was a few weeks ago. Since then, Caitlin has been missing in action. This prompts Benny to steal Brax’s personal shuttle and investigate.

What has happened to Caitlin, and is there really a lost civilisation on the surface of Karthos?

◆ Third Nondescript Planet of Series 2

David Bailey’s second contribution to the ‘Bernice Summerfield’ range is a definite improvement over his first… but I still found it lacking a certain something. The story is most definitely the weakest aspect, taking place on the third nondescript planet of Series Two (following Chosan and Rhinvil), and having the Karthosian Fireflies act like a generic monster of the week. Also, I love how they’re named “fireflies”… despite resembling massive vampire bats!

◆ Sound Design

Toby Richards and Emily Baker have finally been sacked, so I’m no longer filled with dread discussing the sound design. The soundscape is quite good, bringing the harsh landscape of Karthos to life.

The ringing of Braxiatel’s phone, followed by his answering machine. The growling of Karthosian fireflies, which sound oddly like a snarling cat, as they attempt to break into Konstantin’s lab. The cold icy winds of Karthos whistle around Benny. The actual speech of the fireflies reminds me of how CABAL would speak in Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun.

◆ Music

David Darlington’s music in ‘The Skymines of Karthos’ is properly mixed and doesn’t sound like it was recorded on water-damaged equipment. While the overall quality is leaps and bounds ahead of what we have endured in the last four releases, the music itself isn’t anything to write home about.

◆ Conclusion

“It’s the fireflies I’m concerned about…”

That’s the second series over, and it was pretty average if I’m honest (the only exception being Lance Parkin’s excellent episode). ‘The Skymines of Karthos’ has a lot going for it, mainly the fact we’ve actually got some listenable post-production again… now that Richards and Baker have politely been sacked!

That being said, this is the second Bailey script I’ve heard, and the second where the plot just feels like an after thought. Luckily for us, Series Three is absolutely magnificent.