Yeah… this one was just awful, one of the very worst Monthlies.
I always insist that the biggest crime a Who Story can be is being boring. And this one is very boring, not only that, this one actively annoyed me while listening.
I am glad I had some previous Stories with the Character of Bernice, because if this was one of my first exposure of the Character, I think I would avoid her. The writing for her is just awful, she doesn’t feel very in character and while Bowerman does her best, the Material she is given is just awful. And I don’t think our other Cast Members get much better, while all of them do their best, a lot of their dialogue feels so wonky.
The Story itself is average done in the most boring execution ever, “HAHA Doctor, look at me, I AM EVIL!!” “Nooo how dare you be so evil has a monologue that feels good at first glance, but is unremarkable”.
I am sorry, I hate being so negative about a Who Story, but this is literally all the Things I could hate being done: Boring, doesn’t do the Characters justice and forgettable.

É bem possível que teremos olhares de estranhamento voltados a minha review vindo da maioria dos críticos desse áudio. Quando se trata de BIG FINISH não lembro de cabeça quais são os meus considerados Guilty Pleasures, desconfio que talvez esse seja o primeiro a ganhar o tal rotulo. Sendo bem justo e não anulando os fatos, SIM! Trevor Baxendale entrega um enredo bem genérico cheio elementos e eventos onde tudo leva a conclusões previsíveis - A própria chamada “Dark Flame” possui um conceito que não ajuda muito na hora de seu entendimento. Uma espécie de força, energia poderosa da natureza que se associa ao evento do fim do universo, o crânio envolvido existe parcialmente fora do próprio tempo para ressurgir os mortos à vida, alguma coisa assim rsrsrs. Ao decorrer da aventura descobrimos que o Culto da Dark Flame infiltrou agentes em todo canto possível da Galáxia e espera pelas pessoas e o tempo certo para desperta-la. Vylus Krull começa bem como vilão, mas gradualmente se torna um personagem bem estereotipado e muito repetitivo prejudicando um pouco a experiencia do ouvinte, alias... Temos aqui mais um famoso caso de uma repetição exagerada de palavra, nesse caso é "Dark Flame". Mesmo com isso tudo, pude ter uma experiência diferente de muitos, posso dizer agradável e até mesmo instigante, sempre fui muito curioso em consumir esse lado mais obscuro de Doctor Who sendo que nesse caso a BIG FINISH decidiu abraçar a tal proposta em reproduziu uma história ao estilo da Virgin New Adventures, todo aquele tom característico vistos nas escritas dos livros cheio de narrativas de horror, ambientes claustrofóbicos mais adulto e angustiante podem ser vistos nitidamente em The Dark Flame. [SPOILERS ⚠️] Cenas/acontecimentos chocantes e polêmicos não ficaram de fora, dessa vez temos Bernice espancando Ace a chutes em seu estômago no chão, dá para relevar isso quando sabemos que ela está sob controle mental do vilão, mas a questão é... Qual a necessidade disso? [FIM DE SPOILERS ⚠️] Em resumo, não há muito o que dizer dessa história, acredito que se o escritor tivesse seguido suas intenções iniciais vistas na primeira parte, em um contexto geral teríamos um resultado bem melhor – Deixando bem claro aqui que, sim eu gostei de The Dark Flame mas isso não significa que é a melhor história do mundo.

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“The Dark Flame: A Cult Classic in Search of a Spark”

Trevor Baxendale’s The Dark Flame taps into the brooding tone of the Virgin New Adventures, with its sinister cults, ominous rituals, and apocalyptic stakes. The story begins with a scattered and chaotic opening, setting the stage for an adventure brimming with scientific intrigue and creeping dread. While Part 1 eventually finds its footing, the initial scenes struggle with pacing and clarity, as strange visions and fragmented dialogue leave the listener disoriented.

Despite this rocky start, the atmosphere builds steadily, drawing listeners into a world where cosmic horrors lurk in the shadows. The discovery of the Doctor’s murdered friend and the unsettling visions hint at the dark forces at play, setting an appropriately ominous tone.

Character Dynamics and Performances

The Seventh Doctor, Ace, and Benny are a beloved trio, and their chemistry shines here. Sylvester McCoy delivers a restrained yet captivating performance, embodying the Doctor’s enigmatic charm and occasional menace. His final confrontation with Vilus Krull showcases the best of McCoy’s ability to balance wit with gravitas.

Lisa Bowerman is, as always, a delight as Bernice Summerfield. Her sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude make her a standout, even when the script underutilises her potential. Sophie Aldred’s Ace has moments of brilliance, but her role feels underdeveloped, as she flits between scenes without much impact on the narrative.

The supporting cast adds texture to the story. Steven Wickham’s dual roles as Victor, the archaeologist, and his robotic assistant Joseph, provide welcome levity amid the darkness. Andrew Westfield’s portrayal of Vilus Krull, though somewhat archetypal, delivers the right amount of sinister whispering and malevolent intent to anchor the villainy.

A Cult of Missed Opportunities

The story leans heavily on its dark cult and interdimensional threat, drawing inspiration from Lovecraftian horror and gothic sci-fi. While these elements add flavour, they often feel undercooked. The cult’s resurrection of their leader, the eerie possession of Benny, and the malevolent force threatening to break through from another universe could have delved deeper into psychological and thematic darkness. Instead, the narrative treads a safer path, sacrificing potential intensity for accessibility.

Benny’s possession, in particular, is an intriguing concept that never fully pays off. The tension surrounding her internal struggle is hinted at but not explored in a way that heightens the stakes or deepens her character arc.

Pacing Problems and Flattening Atmosphere

The first two parts of The Dark Flame maintain an engaging mix of discovery and danger. Benny’s archaeological escapades, the Doctor’s investigations, and Ace’s wanderings create parallel threads that build intrigue. However, the latter half of the story loses momentum. Part 3 stalls the narrative, and Part 4 overstays its welcome, stretching out the climax without delivering sufficient escalation or payoff.

The atmosphere, so vital to the story’s initial appeal, begins to flatten as the plot progresses. The oppressive dread of the early chapters gives way to more standard adventure fare, and the stakes, while significant on paper, feel less impactful in execution.

The Verdict: A Flickering Flame

The Dark Flame is a competent entry in the Main Range, offering flashes of brilliance but ultimately failing to fully ignite. Its nods to the Virgin New Adventures’ dark and demanding tone are appreciated, but the story doesn’t commit deeply enough to leave a lasting impression.

Strong performances from the central trio and a few standout moments—such as the Doctor’s confrontation with Krull—keep it from faltering entirely. However, uneven pacing and a lack of narrative risk hold it back from achieving greatness.

📝60/100

Random Observations:

• The creepy skull referenced throughout the story reminds me of the skull that plays a pivotal part in Image of the Fendahl.

(DISCLAIMER: TREVOR BAXENDALE IS YET ANOTHER WRITER WHO HAS MADE REPEATED, ABHORRENT AND TRANSPHOBIC REMARKS ONLINE. ONCE AGAIN I REMIND READERS THAT THIS REVIEW IS A REVIEW OF HIS WORK, NOT AN APPRAISAL OF HIM. DO NOT TAKE ANY POSITIVITY IN THIS REVIEW AS A COMPLIMENT TO THE MAN HIMSELF OR HIS BACKWARDS VIEWS. WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, PLEASE ENJOY)

The Monthly Adventures #042 - “The Dark Flame" by Trevor Baxendale

The third and final side step, oddly enough released 38 audios after the last one, once again brings the novel-borne TARDIS team of Seven, Ace and Benny to the medium of sound and with it comes a story very reminiscent of whence they came. I’m honestly a little sad at the absence of later side steps as it was fun seeing new companions crop up, like Benny or Frobisher, and we even got The Holy Terror out of it. The Dark Flame, however, is not The Holy Terror, and it’s also not its predecessor, The Shadow of the Scourge. No, The Dark Flame is what I’d call a confusing listen. Whilst enjoyable, it leaves me feeling somewhat hollow.

Picking up Benny from a trip away from the TARDIS, the Doctor and Ace are bombarded by the telepathic force of a murder flung through time. Chasing the source of the vision, the trio find themselves face to face with an ancient cult thought lost to time.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Ask any Doctor Who fan if they’ve heard of The Dark Flame and you have about a 50/50 chance of them going “what?” or “who are you, why are you talking to me?’. Overshadowed by its two big sibling side steps, The Dark Flame is a quaint little story about cults and reality ending catastrophes that, on the whole, fails to impress. Probably the biggest shining light here is our cast, specifically our regulars. They were great in The Shadow of the Scourge but they all play off each other so well here and so effortlessly slip into their more hardened VNA personas, especially Sophie Aldred, who gives a great performance of still being Ace, but with some subtle PTSD. However, I think the main star here is Lisa Bowerman, who is just stunning as Benny. I’ve never heard anybody so effortlessly slip into a role, you could not tell me she was just recording this in a booth without proof. As for the rest of our cast, they’re pretty good. Not the best, but pretty good. They’re distinguishable, well-characterised, sinister when they want to be, I like them (especially sweetheart robot Joseph, he was great). The story itself, separate from its performers, is nothing to write home about, and we will talk about why that damages The Dark Flame later but for now let's just see what it does right. For the most part, this emulates the VNAs pretty well. Set in the murkier side of space, on a dusty old satellite circling a planet of molten sludge, it surrounds age-old cults and tough, no-humour space scientists, all things you’d find in the average Virgin New Adventure. But it also can be pretty fun, Baxendale writes his characters as witty but not snarky, especially Benny who gets all the good lines. And we also have the Doctor seeing through time using a dark star, and armies of skeletons rising from the dead á la Army of Darkness. It’s campy and fun when it wants to be and for the most part alleviates a lot of the boredom.

But it doesn’t eradicate it fully. The Dark Flame is one of those review killer stories that just refuses to be good or bad. The plot is barebones as all hell and fails to keep interest most of the time. It’s lacking in flair, intention and apart from the dialogue, outright humour. It definitely needed more camp, or a good atmosphere, or a more particular genre rather than just “vague science-fantasy”, because it just feels half-baked as it is, a story without any tone or style. Not to mention its attempt at writing a cult; I love cults in fiction (not in real life mind you), I pretty much find them all an interesting subject matter and make for incredible horror antagonists if done well but here, it’s just one possessed shouty guy and a group of cliché followers. It’s tropey as anything and when it's revealed that all of its followers are brainwashed, it loses all threat because it's such a crap religion that it has to mind control people into following it. And then there’s something I just can’t put my finger on. This story concerns the end of the universe and yet feels so very insignificant. It has a tiny cast, running between a tiny space station and a small cave system, never showing a single thing beyond that and due to this, it just feels like a trivial little moment in time, not tense at all. If Baxendale took advantage of the small scale to write something more personal or themed it to be more lonely or scary, it could’ve worked but here, it just ends up being small in scope.

The Dark Flame is nobody’s favourite story. Hell, I doubt many consider it ok, it’s just one of those scripts that fall between the cracks. There was an attempt at some hammer horror/sci-fi shenanigans but it all just falls flat and the only way to describe this audio is bland. The best parts can be found in other stories and the rest ranges from fine to bad. Not terrible, but you won’t see me talking about it after today.

6/10

Pros:

+ Stellar acting from our TARDIS team, especially Lisa Bowerman

+ Fun side cast of memorable characters

+ Can be a campy joy when it wants to be, walking skeletons and all

+ Feels authentically VNA

Cons:

- A completely forgettable and unimpactful story

- Small in scale and scope to the point where all tension is lost

- Poor villain that fails to be a threat

15.09.2022

Forgettable. A spherical Seven story in a vacuum. The villain is perfectly bland, the story bits are tiring and uninspired. They also made Bernice a 12-year-old's impression of Tony Stark for some reason. Hard 1/5