| THE RAPTURE by Joseph Lidster |
| Story 36 Synopsis: Feeling the after-effects of seeing Kurtz' death as they left Colditz, Ace, still calling herself McShane is brought to Ibiza by the Doctor. She longs for a night off, and so does her best, visiting a club called The Rapture, where the resident star DJ's are a couple of brothers called Jude and Gabriel. But there are problems afoot. During a performance, the clubbers appear to enter a hypnotic state, which worries the Doctor no end. Then Ace meets Liam, who claims to be the brother she never knew she had. She turns him away. Liam is on Ibiza with a friend, Catriona, who has mental problems. By coincidence, so does Gabriel. He convinces her that he is an angel. The Doctor and Ace follow Gabriel to the nearby island of Es Vedra, where Gabriel is communicating with someone, and has another of the clubbers a prisoner. Ace claims they have come to worship him, so he doesn't kill them, and takes them back to the club, where Jude explains the truth, behind Gabriel's back. The brothers are aliens, exiled after Gabriel went berserk during a war he didn't want to fight in. They plan to return with an army - the clubbers who will be entranced. The Doctor offers to help cure Gabriel, but won't allow a mass kidnapping. Jude accedes, but out in the club, Gabriel and Catriona are making mischief. Gabriel plummets to his death, at which point, Jude vows to complete the job, and avenge his brother. The Doctor produces a tape of Gabriel talking about the bond with his brother, and mentions Liam's quest to find Ace. Jude concedes. Ace finds it's nice to have a brother, but still goes off in the TARDIS, which impresses Liam. |
| Review:- Get smiling... Well, how do you take this story? Do you take it seriously, in which case, it is a tedious non-drama, with an attempt at being exactly like the worst dregs of the TV series? Or do you take it for a joke, in which case, does it sustain its humour? Because I'm sorry to say this, but this was a step in totally the wrong direction, as far as I can tell. Sylvester McCoy can do no wrong for me anyway, so he doesn't disappoint. The Doctor has a good motivation, spending the entire time trying to protect Ace from a menace he cannot define. Sophie Aldred comes good. Maybe it's the storyline (more below), but she actually works here. Ace/Dorothy/McShane has to face possibly the toughest challenge of her whole life (and that's saying something!), but handles it well, and if the vaunted "maturing" of Ace means that she doens't blunder recklessly into trouble for no good reason, then I for one, will be glad. David John as Liam has a difficult job to meet, not only for finding his long-lost sister out of the blue, but also to get across as a 3D character with beliefs and views that seem genuine. Tony Blackburn does well as the DJ, from that sensational opening "here's one we haven't heard in about a month", through his creepy bits at the end of part 2, to his full-on involvement in part 4. The fact that at the time of release, he was winning "I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!" has serendipity written all over it. But as for the rest, good grief. The Ibiza setting is OK, although the [padding] trip to Es Vedra doesn't convince as actually happening (I mean, travelling by boat). Jude & Gabriel are lumbered with such a tiresome motiavtion. I was reminded of the unnecessary alien intrusion at the end of Winter For The Adept. Why we didn't get a line about "there's no such thing as angels" for good measure, I don't know. Catriona is also lumbered, both by a merciless vocal effort (Ronni Ancona-esque) and a truly tawdry secret. Is this story going to be remembered for its sensitive treatment of mental illness? No. The fate of the unfortunate Simon (isn't it?) is bizarre. He is captured and tortured. Is he killed? Is he freed? No-one knows. Then we have DJ Tony announcing "it's Saturday 15th May" at the start of part 3, which isn't right in 1997, of all years. I guess it's supposed to be March (which would be right). Then there's Gustavo, introduced as one of the Doctor's few friends, who is helpful to know, until his convenient turn as a villain at the end of part 3, followed by his sudden switching sides at the start of part 4. Homage to dodgy cliffhangers, or genuine rubbish? You decide. But the worst cliffhanger is of course at the end of part 2, where Catriona is having a "dream sequence" and for no well-plotted reason, she has to imperil Ace, by demolishing a house on top of her. And then! At the start of the next episode, nothing of the sort happened! Ace is fine, Catriona thinks it was a dream. Was it a premonition? No, because it still doesn't happen later. The dance music is OK, I'm not in raptures about it :-) The sample right at the end of CD2 is forgettable, and frustrating. But what can I take away from this story - oh, Liam's comic Cockney accent! Had he joined the TARDIS along with Ace, or instead of her, then I would have been punching the air in joy. As it is... |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |