Some spoilers

To raise funds Avalon and Madison go to an old contact – and encounter someone they hoped never to meet again.

Christopher Cooper’s story brings some of this story to a close with the focus on Argo Madison revealing just how far he is prepared to go – and what his limits are. Cliff Chapman has kept Madison just the right side of irritating (for the listener – I think Avalon deserves an award for not pushing him out an airlock at times) and Chapman is giving plenty of opportunities to show other sides to the former Alpha Grade worker as he faces the reality of the life that he’s been forced into.

Olivia Poulet gives another strong performance as Avalon, particularly when she acknowledges just how much events have changed her during the past months. The harder side of her character comes out during some of this discussions, and even more so in the debates with the other key member of cast, Malcolm James’ Tarrant. (I did think for one moment that Big Finish had pulled off a neat trick and incorporated the other Tarrant – Stephen Pacey’s version – into this story, but the reactions of Avalon and Madison made that one clear.) James has expanded the character beyond the weasel of the parent series’ opener, and there’d be a certain irony if he plagues everyone but the crew of the Liberator over these series!

Jamie Robertson’s sound design and score are effective – and there’s a Dudley Simpson-esque feel to some of the latter – while John Ainsworth allows the tension to build so that the audience, like the characters, really isn’t sure how things are going to play out.

Verdict: Another strong episode in what’s been a very effective series. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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