The Wake

Bernice Summerfield Audio Dramas #8.6

by Simon Guerrier, Lisa Bowerman (Narrator), Miles Richardson (Narrator)

"What else could you have done?"

"Taken more note of the warnings, I guess. We saw a future Peter once, and he'd become a killer. Ms Jones told me I was doing a lousy job as a mother, and when I didn't listen she stole him from me. Then there was how he was on Montevadros. Even the Oracle of flipping Delphi warned me to be on the look out. And if I'd spent less time knocking about with monsters and magic artefacts, and more time here with him...

This is where you're meant to tell me that I mustn't blame myself."

"You mustn't blame yourself."

"Yeah thanks. I feel so much better now."

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published January 30, 2008

About the author

Simon Guerrier is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of Doctor Who and its spinoffs. Although he has written three Doctor Who novels, for the BBC Books range, his work has mostly been for Big Finish Productions' audio drama and book ranges.

Guerrier's earliest published fiction appeared in Zodiac, the first of Big Finish's Short Trips range of Doctor Who short story anthologies. To date, his work has appeared in the majority of the Short Trips collections. He has also edited three volumes in the series, The History of Christmas, Time Signature and How The Doctor Changed My Life. The second of these takes as its starting-point Guerrier's short story An Overture Too Early in The Muses. The third anthology featured stories entirely by previously unpublished writers.

After contributing two stories to the anthology Life During Wartime in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of books and audio dramas, Guerrier was invited to edit the subsequent year's short story collection, A Life Worth Living, and the novella collection Parallel Lives. After contributing two audio dramas to the series, Guerrier became the producer of the Bernice Summerfield range of plays and books, a post he held between January 2006 and June 2007.

His other Doctor Who work includes the audio dramas, The Settling and The Judgement of Isskar, in Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range, three Companion Chronicles and a contribution to the UNIT spinoff series. He has also written a play in Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel range.

Guerrier's work is characterised by character-driven humour and by an interest in unifying the continuity of the various Big Finish ranges through multiple references and reappearances of characters. As editor he has been a strong promoter of the work of various script writers from the Seventh Doctor era of the Doctor Who television series

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes everything just comes together. The Wake is one of those rare things. It occurs just after the funeral of Jason Kane, Bernice’s Ex-Husband and fiancé, and leads up to the events that take her away from the collection. For seven series Bernice has had a constant home and family to fall back on between adventures and it’s immediately obvious that The Wake is the end of an era.

The first thing you notice is the beautiful, sombre, almost tear inducing music which sets the tone right at the beginning. This is complemented with some of the most heartfelt performances from Lisa Bowerman and Harry Myers, parents to the unfortunate Peter. Rather than looking back at Jason’s death the story looks forwards, rather than condemning Peter’s actions the story immediately asks how they can correct this terrible… mistake.

Thomas Grant treads a perfect line in his performance as the misguided Peter, young and innocent yet at the same time aloof and uncertain. He makes one of the most convincing characters in the play, frustrated with his predicament yet young and naïve enough to be similar to a child.

Throughout everything Miles Richardson dominates the play, his presence is felt keenly even when he’s not on screen. Although answers to Braxiatel’s motives aren’t quickly forthcoming there is finally recognition to the danger that he possesses. Big Finish has yet to produce a comparable villain on such a scale.

The jarring points of the story are the few action sequences, which stand out in a story purely about Bernice’s state of mind. Once concerns heavy dance music, cries for freedom, heavy weapon fire and several melodramatic deaths. It seems a sudden change of pace in the otherwise slow story.
The other, much more jarring, is the transformation of the smooth talking Doggles, a dark example of Brax’s negative influence. Unfortunately his obscene story is perhaps too jarring, almost shocking the listener out of the play in horror. A story already laid down with death, prejudice and the ultimate betrayal does not need to be weighed down with rape.

Unfortunately the Wake offers little in the way of conclusions. Although all of the issues in Bernice’s world are finally addressed out loud there is little in the way of conclusion. This story is yet another instalment in Bernice’s life, a momentous shift as her direction moves from her late-husband to her son, from her past to her future.

Be warned that anyone expecting a momentous revenge plot will be disappointed, as there is no conclusion. Instead the story is a shift, a much needed change of gear and rearrangement. This isn’t the end of Bernice Summerfield, or of the Collection, but it is a change.

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friendly warning for those who are listening to the Bernice Summerfield range. Bernice Summerfield; The Awake by Simon Guerrier whilst it’s an important story in relation to Series 8 arc, this story features sexual assault and attempt rape heavily.

If this is something you are not comfortable with, I’d recommend skipping it.

-

Otherwise a very dark and bleak story with Benny realising her best friend Brax has been manipulating her and her friends and how she's coping with grieving. I also love all the little nods of Braxiatel and him being a Time-Lord.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

#langolobigfinish
L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE WAKE” (Bernice Summerfield, 8.6)

Scritto da SIMON GUERRIER.
Con LISA BOWERMAN, MILES RICHARDSON, HARRY MYERS, STEVEN WICKHAM, REX DUIS e THOMAS GRANT.


“Cos'altro avresti potuto fare?”
“Prendere in maggiore considerazione gli avvertimenti, suppongo. Abbiamo visto il Peter del futuro una volta, ed è diventato un assassino. Ms. Jones mi disse che stavo facendo un lavoro scadente come madre, e quando non l'ho ascoltata lo ha portato via da me. Poi c'è il modo in cui si comportava su Montevadros. Anche l'Oracolo della dannata Delphi mi ha avvertito di stare in guardia. E se avessi speso meno tempo a combattere mostri e artefatti magici, e più tempo qui con lui...
Questo è il punto in cui mi dici che non devo incolpare me stessa.”
“Non devi incolpare te stessa.”
“Già, grazie. Sto molto meglio adesso.”


--
Un altro finale di stagione, un altro stravolgimento nella vita turbolenta di Bernice Summerfield.

È un triste episodio, questo, caratterizzato dalle ripercussioni di “The End of the World”. È sommesso e contenuto, di nuovo interamente alla Collezione, e si focalizza sulle interazioni tra il cast principale (quello che ne rimane).
La Collezione non è mai stato un luogo così freddo ed estraneo, nemmeno durante le occupazioni, e Benny si ritrova persa tra un mare di nemici.
Braxiatel è sempre più infimo, compiendo atti ingiustificabili e impossibili da redimere (posso dire che in questa ultima stagione mi ha fatto perfino più ribrezzo del Maestro). Ormai villain in tutto e per tutto, e che villain! Ogni sua frase fa venire i brividi, pronunciata con una soavità e una freddezza senza pari. E davvero faccio fatica a ricordare azioni altrettanto meschine compiute dal Maestro, dall'Undici o da chi per altri. Non tanto nella grandezza degli schemi malvagi, ma nella noncuranza con cui vengono portati avanti, come se calpestasse delle formiche.

E anche qui, un po' come in “End of The World”, c'è una scena molto forte, decisamente non “family friendly”, scioccante nella sua cruda violenza, che ci ricorda quanto può diventare oscuro questo spin-off.

C'è poca azione presente, giusto un paio di scene, per poter invece concentrarsi sul dialogo e sui personaggi. Tutto il cast dà il meglio di sé nelle interpretazioni, così pregnanti e piene di pahos, riuscendo ad esprimere tutto lo spessore che i personaggi hanno assunto nel corso degli anni.
Sono interessanti i dettagli, le connessioni con gli episodi precedenti che tutti insieme hanno portato a questo punto di svolta.
L'episodio si ricollega inoltre alle Virgin New Adventures, riportando come flashbacks alcune scene tra Benny e Brax, in particolare il loro primo incontro in “Theatre of War”, il matrimonio di Benny in “Happy Endings” e una scena da “Tears of the Oracle”.

Questo è il culmine della storyline che si è andata a delineare per tutta la stagione, o ancora meglio fin da dopo “The Crystal of Cantus”. Simon Guerrier ha prodotto le ultime due stagioni, e qui tira le fila come farebbe uno showrunner, per poi passare il testimone a Eddie Robson, a cambiare nuovamente di tono.

E ora scusatemi mentre vado a piangere in un angolo rileggendo i passaggi migliori delle VNA, quando Brax era ancora un buon amico per Benny...

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely the end of an era for the series. Brax is no longer just pulling strings from the shadows but showing exactly how much of a devious, formidable foe he is. Shocking in some ways, not entirely unexpected in others. I doubt we've seen the last of him though. Looking forward to where the series goes from here.

[Debra Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

While grieving the death of Jason, Benny begins to realize that Brax is trying to take over everything. In grief she takes Peter and leaves the collection.