From Newsgroup: rec.arts.drwho.moderated
From Address: jphalt{at}aol.com
Subject: The Company of Friends: Fitz's Story (BF main range #123-b): my review

The Company of Friends: Fitz's Story

Big Finish, Main Range #123, Story 2. 1 episode, approx. 30 minutes.
Written by: Stephen Cole. Directed by: Nicholas Briggs.


THE PLOT

The Doctor is on television (well, its sci fi equivalent), giving his
personal endorsement to Alien Defence Incorporated, a private security
outfit designed to battle an Earth-like planet's frequent
extraterrestrial invasions. This endorsement comes as something of a
surprise to the Doctor, who has certainly never recorded TV adverts
for private security companies.

So the Doctor and his companion, Fitz (Matt Di Angelo) decide to pay a
visit to ADI's offices. The Doctor breaks into the offices at night,
determined to find out if the company is what it appears to be, or if
it's hiding some other agenda. Meanwhile, Fitz prepares to enact the
Doctor's backup plan, to insure against anything going wrong.

Naturally, everything ends up going wrong.


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: He is quite happy to make an appointment to talk to
Commander Femor... but only after first breaking into her offices in
order to determine whether or not her answers will be the truth. He
continues to think quickly, and his rapid realization that the
situation has changed when he and Femor end up facing a deadly alien
helps to save both their lives (and Fitz's). By his 8th incarnation,
he has learned to come up with a "Plan B" before blithely charging in,
which is an improvement - even he hasn't quite learned how to make
"Plan B" run entirely smoothly when it's needed. McGann gives a
spirited performance, seeming to enjoy his co-stars and the light-
hearted nature of the material.

Fitz Kreiner: Matt Di Angelo makes his debut as Fitz. The 8th Doctor's
longest-running companion, Fitz ran through more than half of the BBC
EDA range, gaining a fervent following among readers. To date, this is
his only audio adventure, though hopefully the positive reaction to
this release will inspire Big Finish to bring the character back. Di
Angelo is quite good in the role, playing Fitz's sarcastic side and
his cheeky (and slightly cheesy) bravado to good, humorous effect. Di
Angelo has good comic timing, which is a great asset to a primarily
comic story. This paper-thin story doesn't give much chance to go
beyond Fitz's surface, but there is at least the sense that there is
more to the character than just what is on the surface.


THOUGHTS

And we're back to single episode short stories, and also back to full-
cast audio, for this light-hearted romp. Fitz's Story works pretty
well as far as it goes, because it does maintain an appealing light
touch. Unlike the same release's Benny's Story, there's no sense of
anyone trying to overreach. Writer Stephen Cole has crafted a small-
scale story that's perfect for a single episode's running time. The
results are consistently entertaining and energetic. The whole thing
is over almost before you know it, and I found it a fine way to make
one day's commute from work go by quickly.

Mind you, like pretty much all the other single-episode stories I have
reviewed to date, it's as insubstantial as a spider's silk web.
There's nothing here to linger in the memory. There's no sense of
jeopardy, but the fast pace and strong energy keep that from
mattering.

Mainly, the story works because Paul McGann and Matt Di Angelo play
extremely well opposite each other, as do McGann and guest star
Fenella Woolgar. The 8th Doc/Fitz partnership is an engaging one, and
it's not hard to see why Fitz came to dominate the BBC Books range to
such an extent. As with the other "Short Trips" on the Company of
Friends release, I find I would quite like to see a full-length story
featuring Fitz. In the meantime, this teaser doesn't compel me to go
out and order a bunch of BBC books (I read a handful at the time, some
of which were good and some of which... ah, weren't, but the various
Who book ranges simply never grabbed me). Still, it's a fun piece,
produced to Big Finish's usual polished standards.


Rating: 6/10.

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