CC: 5.07 - Peri and The Piscon Paradox

[Rob McCow]

The Doctor and Peri journey to Los Angeles 2009 to do battle with a Piscon. His name is Zarl, and he's a fish of utmost evil.

Zarl is going to steal all the water of Earth and sell it to the highest bidder. Or blow up the San Andreas fault. Or the planet. Or something like that. He's a bit vague on that point.

Fortunately, to stop him there’s help from an unexpected source: a future version of Peri. She knows Zarl's dark secret.

But should the future Peri be on Earth at all? Something smells fishy – and it's not just Zarl.

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Nicola Bryant (Peri), Colin Baker (The Doctor)

[Rob McCow]

We listened to this double-disc release over the weekend.

It's got a fairly mind-bending concept. Although I went into it totally ignorant about what it was going to be about, I found it reasonably easy to follow.

It's essentially a comedy, although Nev does very well to turn the situation at the end and make it into something far more dramatic and moving. Most of the jokes work pretty well; there's some great puns and some much-better stuff arising from the characters. The fifth Doctor is charming and reasonable beyond all reason; while the sixth is boisterous and flamboyant. Both of these aspects of their characters are deployed for some of the best gags of the story.

But it's Nicola Bryant who absolutely shines in this one. Almost definitely her best performance(s) as Peri. Even her American accent(s) sound better. She carries all the scenes between the two Peri's without a glitch and best of all, she is wonderful when the script demands a bit more weight.

Now I'm normally one of Big Finishes biggest critics. So please take it as a hearty endorsement when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's absolutely the best Peri story that BF have ever done.

[Philipnet]

Peri Peri!

[Rob McCow]

She's always made a delightful pair. (Here we go...)

[Philipnet]

Oh saucy

[SiHart]

Quite frankly, this is one of the best things BF have ever done.

[Anthony Williams]

I've heard that this one is superb - I'll get round to hearing it some day!

[Nyder]

Well this story certainly lived up to its reputation! I absolutely LOVED this - it was funny, clever and moving at the end. A real showcase for what BF can do when it all comes together. Well done Nicola Bryant!