Jago and Litefoot Series Eleven
Jago and Litefoot Series Eleven
To put the Beevers Master in Jago and Litefoot is an inspired idea, and one that comes so easily that I'm surprised they weren't already doing it by series four. But comes series Eleven, and the Master is here at last, in all of his Hinchcliffian gothic brilliance, and - yeah, he's pretty much just in story four of the set. Jago and Litefoot series Eleven is where the series is most comfortable, not trying to really push any boundaries for the most part, and this can work for and against it's favor. Luckily the writers for the series are quite assured in the Jago and Litefoot universe, a place that is as much a character as our heroes, the victorian gothic setting that pervades the series, and the series just has such a confidence at this point that it can be hard to dock it. At this point, they'd already done more than forty hours of Jago and Litefoot, and the characters of our heroes were more fine-tuned than plenty of televised companions. So I'm not as hesitant about Jago and Litefoot doing the same thing - to that, I say, bring it on!
Jago and Son by Nigel Fairs
Okay, maybe minus this one. Remember Jago in Love from Series Four? Okay, just, hear me out, alright? What if, we, um, take out the romance angle, and substitute child and parenting stuff in for that, and then, kind of, um, do the same thing even though it is imminently clear that the status quo is god in this series and you cannot defeat it?? Also, just, kind of, less good than Jago and Love? Yeah, that'll do it. I'm not sure this idea truly sells me from the outset - although Rowena Cooper is a fabulous guest star as Jean Bazemore (So good, she came back in Jago and Litefoot Forever, because even if one of the show's main stars is dead, this character couldn't have just one appearance) and a solid half of my enjoyment of this story is because of Jean Bazemore and god am I sad we didn't get a full series with Bazemore as part of the main cast because she is so inviting and brilliant! It's rather remarkable the story so focused on Jago's purported familial relations didn't affect me anywhere at all near as much as the B-Plot with Litefoot. Also there are satanists. Which is, well, a thing. I'm not sure what to say about Jago and Son besides the fact that it didn't hit me that much, but it's really fine, because it was plenty enjoyable: 6/10
Maurice by Matthew Sweet
Aside from Geoffrey Beevers doing the bare minimum in terms of an advanced cameo (he's basically just doing the Kempston and Hardwick shtick of being there and saying things like, "soon I will enact my plan," but he does it very well) what does Maurice have to offer in terms of story?? The answer is surreal fairytale horror, and whilst this has been done better (see Man at the End of the Garden from series three for an immaculate example of brilliance) Maurice has a really weird atmosphere and vibe to it that is just super strange and sorta Tim Burton?? I honestly vibe with it? ? It works?? Maurice is about a real historical figure, a Victorian composer, (who is obscure even for Big Finish honestly) Maurice Ravel, and beyond that, there's a weird copying alien and people being placed in a weird fairytale shadow realm that vaguely conforms to Maurice's apartment. It's, well, it's insane, and obscure, and confusing, and I don't 100% get what it's trying to do, but I love it honestly, and that is enough for me, really? Like, the whole play feels like a fever dream and I appreciate the energy it gives off. It's a little incoherent, but it's mad with power energy makes up for it. More insanity like this in future sets please. 8/10
The Woman in White by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris
Simon Barnard and Paul Morris (taken collectively, they rarely write separately) are one of my all time favorite Big Finish authors, and they know how to write Jago and Litefoot inside out, having been doing it since series Seven, and they haven't really missed since, either. The Woman in White isn't flawless, it does the whole "HELLO , , what if historical figure GOT all HIS COOl WRITING IDEAS From HIS LiFE which HAd ALIENSSS" which is a trope I am starting to get irritated by if it actively decreases the coolness of the historical figure. I get that you want Bram Stoker to fight vampires, and that's super badass, but also consider maybe letting him come up with the idea for Dracula independently? That'd be like, super cool of you. It's a recurring flaw in the series (Doyle was similarly treated in Monstrous Menagrie) and it has a lot in common with that story, including the fact that haha it's super great. The Woman in White is just super good across the board, having excellent pacing, nice ideas, a jigsaw puzzle of a plot that works absolutely perfectly, coming together just absolutely really well, and just really hecking being a vibe of a Jago and Litefoot episode. It's got atmosphere, it's got style, it's got Bram Stoker, and it's got a real historical actor figure going mad in a basement and devouring flies alive. Great, great fun, absolutely spellbinding: 9/10
Geoffrey Beevers makes up for his scant appearance for the rest of the set in a tale that has plenty of twists and turns and may well be one of my favorite Jago and Litefoot episodes thus far. The Master fits this series like a glove, and his vampiric and gothic nature is played upon, giving this set an interesting theme. He has a very interesting scheme, with a pretty phenomenal concept involving mirrors that will drain Jago and Litefoot's bodies to make himself stronger, and the story just folds outward from there. It's hard to describe what makes Masterpiece so good - but perhaps it's that every member of the cast is utilized perfectly, including the Doctor - who's appearance here I was worried would overshadow Jago and Litefoot as our heroes, as it kind of did in Set Four for instance, but no! His usage in the story is pretty much perfectly implemented as well, and allows Colin Baker to stretch his acting chops in a rather enjoyable fashion. With a cast including Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Lisa Bowerman, Colin Baker and Geoffrey Beevers it's really hard to ask for much better. Everything about Masterpiece works, it's just absolutely brilliant. And that cliffhanger, god! The whole story is nothing but a triumph, and to clarify further may result in me reciting the script letter for letter. A very strong 9/10, a great conclusion to an excellent set.
While I was unsure if I was going to continue on from here with series Twelve, Thirteen and Forever, this set all the more cemented my love for what this series can do at it's best, and assured me that I will have to get to them eventually. As stated before, it's not even trying to be particularly original in terms of Jago and Litefoot. You don't really need to reinvent the wheel when the results are so good.
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