While Strax and Jenny investigate sightings of mythological creatures, Vastra discovers a relic of her own time.

Roy Gill pens the first part of this two-part finale to the Heritage series, with an ever-increasing sense of dread permeating the episode, leading to a cliffhanger that leaves all of our heroes in peril. That’s not necessarily for reasons that you might expect… although if you’ve been following the sets closely, you’ll have anticipated that something of this ilk was coming before we reached the end of the final chapter.

Ken Bentley has assembled a strong cast for the tale, with Daisy Ashford and Annette Badland in particular both diving into the spirit of the piece. Joe Kraemer’s score and sound design very much lean into the melodramatic elements (you almost have visions of him like Dudley Simpson in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, encouraging his players by dint of body language alone), and Gill provides plenty of drama and humour as the story plays out.

Verdict: Lines are crossed as Gill expertly sets the stage for the finale. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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