"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, March 14, 2014

The First King of Mars: Series 2, Episode 5 – “The King’s Subjects” (2008)

 
I’m not quite sure what I think of the First King of Mars finale.  It doesn’t have as much of the rambly/panicked captain moments of humor that mark the series, so it doesn’t get as many laughs as previous installments.  It’s also very silly.  The mounting mystery and tension of the past few days get released in a fairly absurd way, one that makes no apologies for its ridiculousness.
 
As such, I guess I’m a bit disappointed.  This was goofy ridiculous, not crazed-slice-of-astronaut-life ridiculous.  Still, there’s good stuff to be had.  Some of the details of the resolution are great fun, and the captain, of course, remains the captain.  This was an excellent role for PC, a real scream. 
 
One final nitpick – would’ve been nice to hear the captain’s Mars planetary anthem one more time.  I got a real kick out of that.
 
Accent Watch
 
Scottish.
 
Recommend?
 
In General – Yep.  Quirky and nerdy and fun.  Definitely worth watching.
 
PC-wise – Yes.  I talked about voice-acting recently when I reviewed Haunted Hogmanay and Glendogie Bogey, and this radio performance is a comic tour de force without even a shred of a visual.  No other cast to speak of, either.  The first king of Mars built entirely from the writing, PC’s delivery, and the listeners’ imaginations.  Very well done.
 
Warnings
 
I realize I haven’t been adding to this at all, and I should’ve.  Not much, but still worth mentioning – mild sexual references in this series, along with a little bodily function humor.

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