Cold Fury is one of those stories that keeps you guessing until the very last moment, when everything finally falls into place.
WRITTEN BY
Mark Wright and Cavan Scott. Freelance writers for Big Finish. So far, they seem to have a pretty terrific grasp on the show.
PLOT
The Liberator travels to Horst Minor on a mission to rescue Vila from the Federation. Meanwhile, Travis manipulates Vila psychologically as part of his ploy to capture the ship and gain the President's favor...
ANALYSIS
About half of Cold Fury is one big red herring, and I'm not sure if that's good or not. I was certainly intrigued and excited all the way through, but it does mean that much of the storyline only exists to distract you, which can feel like a bit of a waste of time in retrospect once you've figured the story out, depending on how well executed the red herring is.
However, the whole cloning angle didn't really seem to go anywhere beyond providing a few continuity nods, so it just feels like filler and worse, filler that muddles what's actually a really compelling plot that doesn't need the surprise factor. I suppose the television series would've instead relied on action sequences, which naturally the audio format can't duplicate, but they could've used the time to simply develop the characters more, particularly the President.
CHARACTERS
I was starting to fear that the President was merely going to be a male version of Servalan, but thankfully, the character is taken in an entirely different, neurotic direction. Unlike the infinitely cool Supreme Commander, Hugh Fraser's President is vicious, willing to get his hands dirty and very insecure about his persona. No wonder he partnered with Travis.
This may be Brian Croucher's best performance in the role. His scenes with Vila show Travis both at his sadistic best and most intellectual, preying on the former's hedonistic nature and lack of assertiveness.
We should've seen even more of this - the writers could've made(or maybe will next story) Vila's betrayal extremely heartwrenching, instead it's only somewhat sad. It was an excellent scene, but it could've been even better. We know Travis has information on all of Blake's associates, so why not play on Vila's past a little, maybe his family? Push it even further!
Still, the scenes between the two were utterly fantastic.
I'm not particularly impressed with Blake, though. Whilst the character is known for his single-mindedness, I just don't buy that he'd be stupid enough to attack the President. What's there to gain? The Federation gains its power through numbers and psychological warfare, not him. Given that Blake's made a point of letting Travis live in the past, he should be smart enough to know the President's dispensable.
NOTES
*I was unaware that the Liberator Chronicles tie into the full cast audio dramas, hence I had no context for Gustav Nyrron's appearance.
*Apparently, "Titinoids" are a part of the Blake's 7 universe.
*This drama has quite a few similarities with Project Avalon - Travis operates a Federation base on an ice planet, and his trap for Blake involves sending a trusted associate to infiltrate the Liberator.
*"Coordinator Argyle" is such a Time Lord name that I seriously had to look into it.
*The mention of Mars gave me some Avon: A Terrible Aspect flashbacks.
*It's been established that three pursuit ships were a match for the Liberator, so how come they were just beaten offscreen?
*I love the way Croucher delivers the "apologies Vila, but-" line when Travis walks into the cell. He actually sounds genuinely apologetic for keeping him waiting.
*Once again, I have to say what a great job the writers have done with fleshing Vila out. I love that he sees the Liberator as his first proper home. On the other hand, Avon continues to be a disappointment, without any of the witty 'Boucherisms' we all know and love. In fact, the humor in general is lacking.
*Exactly what kind of relation do the Auronar have to the Clonemasters? It seems like neither is part of the Federation, but the Clonemasters have some kind of alliance with them that the Auronar don't? And somehow, they've managed to remain unconquered?
*There seemed to be an implication that the President himself is a clone. Unless he is, Tirus's continued loyalty and Travis's insistence on getting him 'ready' makes no sense.
*Avon leaving Orac in charge of the Liberator, particularly after the whole Fedorac incident, seems woefully out of character.
*Why would Tirus focus his cloning experiments on Nyrron and the B7 crew of all people?
*Apparently, "Titinoids" are a part of the Blake's 7 universe.
*This drama has quite a few similarities with Project Avalon - Travis operates a Federation base on an ice planet, and his trap for Blake involves sending a trusted associate to infiltrate the Liberator.
*"Coordinator Argyle" is such a Time Lord name that I seriously had to look into it.
*The mention of Mars gave me some Avon: A Terrible Aspect flashbacks.
*It's been established that three pursuit ships were a match for the Liberator, so how come they were just beaten offscreen?
*I love the way Croucher delivers the "apologies Vila, but-" line when Travis walks into the cell. He actually sounds genuinely apologetic for keeping him waiting.
*Once again, I have to say what a great job the writers have done with fleshing Vila out. I love that he sees the Liberator as his first proper home. On the other hand, Avon continues to be a disappointment, without any of the witty 'Boucherisms' we all know and love. In fact, the humor in general is lacking.
*Exactly what kind of relation do the Auronar have to the Clonemasters? It seems like neither is part of the Federation, but the Clonemasters have some kind of alliance with them that the Auronar don't? And somehow, they've managed to remain unconquered?
*There seemed to be an implication that the President himself is a clone. Unless he is, Tirus's continued loyalty and Travis's insistence on getting him 'ready' makes no sense.
*Avon leaving Orac in charge of the Liberator, particularly after the whole Fedorac incident, seems woefully out of character.
*Why would Tirus focus his cloning experiments on Nyrron and the B7 crew of all people?
*This facility was most likely
INFORMATION!
*Nyrron's death from Wolf is mentioned.
*Cold Fury is a sequel to Mirror, carrying over the plot point of Vila's capture by Travis, who is working for the President.
*Avon criticises the crew's recent risks, referencing their attack on Earth Control in Pressure Point, their hunt for Star One since Countdown, the search for Michelov in Battleground and their encounter with Fedorac in Mirror.
*The President mentions the time he spent with Dr Tirus on Keldan, a planet that will later be devastated in Star One.
*We learn that the Auronar cremate their dead.
*Travis reminds Vila of the last time he interrogated him on Exbar in Hostage.
*Travis laces Vila's food and drink with suppressants, just as the Administration typically do their citizens, as seen in The Way Back and Space Fall.
*Vila tells Travis that Blake gave him a home, which happened in Cygnus Alpha.
*The crew teleport to the surface of Horst Minor in the silver environmental suits seen in Hostage, Countdown and Voice From The Past.
*The President criticises Tirus's decision to experiment with cloning, as it risks his alliance with the Clonemasters introduced in Weapon(who, it must be said, also cloned Blake in that episode).
*Avon uses Orac's ability to predict the future(seen in Orac), to break the Federation encryption.
*Cally initially believes that her duplicate is one of her original "team pool". We'll meet one in Children Of Auron.
*Jenna tries to convince Blake to focus on saving Vila by reminding him of the loss of Gan in Pressure Point.
*Avon meets another Avon. The same, albeit via different circumstances, happened later in The Sevenfold Crown. Another clone was also seen in Kerr, presumably grown here.
BEST QUOTE AVON QUOTE
BLAKE: "Risk is part of what we do."
AVON: "No, risk is all we do these days."
CONCLUSION
You've got my interest, but the success of this story really depends on the next one... and the Liberator Chronicles.
INFORMATION!
*Nyrron's death from Wolf is mentioned.
*Cold Fury is a sequel to Mirror, carrying over the plot point of Vila's capture by Travis, who is working for the President.
*Avon criticises the crew's recent risks, referencing their attack on Earth Control in Pressure Point, their hunt for Star One since Countdown, the search for Michelov in Battleground and their encounter with Fedorac in Mirror.
*The President mentions the time he spent with Dr Tirus on Keldan, a planet that will later be devastated in Star One.
*We learn that the Auronar cremate their dead.
*Travis reminds Vila of the last time he interrogated him on Exbar in Hostage.
*Travis laces Vila's food and drink with suppressants, just as the Administration typically do their citizens, as seen in The Way Back and Space Fall.
*Vila tells Travis that Blake gave him a home, which happened in Cygnus Alpha.
*The crew teleport to the surface of Horst Minor in the silver environmental suits seen in Hostage, Countdown and Voice From The Past.
*The President criticises Tirus's decision to experiment with cloning, as it risks his alliance with the Clonemasters introduced in Weapon(who, it must be said, also cloned Blake in that episode).
*Avon uses Orac's ability to predict the future(seen in Orac), to break the Federation encryption.
*Cally initially believes that her duplicate is one of her original "team pool". We'll meet one in Children Of Auron.
*Jenna tries to convince Blake to focus on saving Vila by reminding him of the loss of Gan in Pressure Point.
*Avon meets another Avon. The same, albeit via different circumstances, happened later in The Sevenfold Crown. Another clone was also seen in Kerr, presumably grown here.
BLAKE: "Risk is part of what we do."
AVON: "No, risk is all we do these days."
CONCLUSION
You've got my interest, but the success of this story really depends on the next one... and the Liberator Chronicles.
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