Absolution

I’m no-one’s saviour.

C’rizz

Synopsis

Confession. Penance. Absolution.

The TARDIS breaks down in a forbidden sector of space. Ghostly voices cry out for salvation and only C’rizz, the Doctor’s Eutermesan companion can answer their call – for only he knows the secret of the Absolver. But will he use it to rescue his friends or save the universe?

The Doctor’s sins are catching up with him and the infernal beast Borarus is hungry. Time is running out and Judgement Day is at hand.

Welcome to Hell.

Review

Absolution was released after the Eighth Doctor had a brand new set of adventures and a companion in the shape of Lucie Miller. Going back to wrap up the journeys of both Charley and C’rizz with the Eighth Doctor feels like a lovely piece of completionism.

This is C’rizz’s final story, and like companions like Turlough, it feels as though we don’t really know him. That’s not directly Absolution‘s fault, but rather the stories that preceded this. In a way, he’s a victim of circumstance; introduced in the Divergent Universe, itself a way of avoiding treading on the revived series’ toes, which itself was brought to a premature end when it became clear that Big Finish could co-exist. None of this is a criticism of Conrad Westmaas, who is solid as ever with what he is given, but the stories have never really done anything interesting with the character. Absolution does attempt to do this, but it feels like a little too late for these developments. Ultimately, C’rizz sacrifices himself to save the Doctor and Charley from himself. The issue is that a lot of the issues, powers and abilities that C’rizz has in this story seem to come from nowhere, which means that his character’s arc feels incoherent and ill-thought out. That affects Absolution the most, as it has to both set up and resolve these elements, whilst also trying to give the Doctor and Charley something to do. The story separates the trio, with C’rizz being isolated from the other two leads, which does impact on how his death hits when it comes. Westmaas is paired up with the villainous Aboresh, who is delightfully played by Robert Glenister in fine sinister form, but the turning to the Dark Side plot isn’t fresh or original enough to hold my attention.

C’rizz’s death does spur Charley into action and towards the exit herself. In some of her strongest scenes for quite some time, India Fisher shines in the story’s final moments, where she tells the Doctor that she just wants him to take him home. She is shocked by the Doctor’s seeming indifference to the death of C’rizz. She and Paul McGann are great in this scene, where the Doctor just wants to keep travelling and Charley wants to address the magnitude of what has just happened. Feeling that the Doctor only cares about the TARDIS, she decides to return to the R101 and her own death. McGann and Fisher are solid enough through the rest of the story, but that final scene is so emotionally charged that it might overpower the impact of C’rizz’s death.

Ultimately, Absolution has some good ideas, which work really nicely, but struggles to really back these up. Woodard introduces nice visuals, like the central console of the TARDIS filling with blood, but doesn’t really do anything to make the story stand out beyond that. The central narrative is really rather dull, and that’s not something that can usually be said for a story in which a companion dies. If you think about Earthshock or The Daleks’ Master Plan, they are memorable beyond the deaths of Adric or Sara Kingdom. The same cannot be said for Absolution. The story doesn’t even really try to conceal that C’rizz is not going to leave this story alive, starting as it does with him and Charley discussing how he finds life on the TARDIS and away from his own universe. That reminded me very strongly of how Adric wanted out at the beginning of Earthshock. The story is set in a depiction of Hell, which is something that could be interesting, but does feel ultimately bland, which isn’t helped by some pretty vanilla performances from the guest cast, and exposition-heavy dialogue. The planet Uttebadon-Tarria have abandoned science for magic, which is a solid enough concept for a story, but I didn’t feel as though that was solidly mapped out. That is symptomatic of a story which feels like it had good ideas, but rushed towards its conclusion, leaving a bland product at the end.

Verdict: Absolution finishes with a farewell to C’rizz and Charley wanting out of the TARDIS. The stage is set for the Eighth Doctor to leave the Monthly Range. It’s just a shame that this story doesn’t give C’rizz a more memorable send-off. McGann, Fisher and Westmaas give their all in this story though. 5/10

Cast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), India Fisher (Charley Pollard), Conrad Westmaas (C’rizz), Robert Glenister (Aboresh), Christopher Villiers (Cacothis), Natalie Mendoza (Lolanthia), Tony Barton (Straith) & Geoffrey Breton (Phelgreth).

Writer: Scott Alan Woodward

Director: Barnaby Edwards

Producer: Sharon Gosling

Music and Sound Design: Simon Robinson

Main Range Release Number: 101

Release Date: October 2007

Behind the Scenes

• The last audio story to feature C’rizz until The Battle of Giant’s Causeway, which was released in 2024.

Cast Notes

• Robert Glenister had previously played Salateen in The Caves of Androzani, and would go on to play Thomas Edison in Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror.
• Christopher Villiers previously played Hugh Fitzwilliam in The King’s Demons and would go on to play Professor Moorhouse in Mummy on the Orient Express.
• Natalie Mendoza also played the Receptionist in The Girl Who Never Was.
• Geoffrey Breton would go on to play Hector Tremayne in Moonflesh and Leo Gardner in The Death of Hope (Dark Eyes).

Best Quote

Magic may not be quite the right word, especially if you’re a superstitious lot with a penchant for burning witches.

The Eighth Doctor

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