This is the most eagerly awaited story of the year, I think that the casting of James Purefoy was partly the reason for the eagerness. Written by Steve Lyons this marks his fourth contribution to the range and Son of the Dragon proves to be his most successful attempt so far. In the past Lyons stories tended to be quite complex and difficult to understand but this story was quite simple compared to these stories. One of the biggest compliments that I can give to this story is that it has an epic feel to it like The Keys of Marinus. That feeling is something that doesn’t quite get done very often in audios but thankfully it was a refreshing change in this story.
The characters in this story are all very strong roles. Erimem returns to the type of role which she was best at in her opening story The Eye of the Scorpion and more recently The Council of Nicaea. In this story she seems to sacrifice her future happiness and travels with the Doctor and Peri. I prefer the role when she is in this situation because she is been stubborn or sacrifices herself because she feels that is the right thing to do. The Doctor does feel like he is in the background and when he is resting then you forget he's there. In this story he becomes a victim of circumstances whereas in most stories you know this but it is never admitted, in this story he does mention it and at that point you begin to accept it. It falls to Peri and Erimem to pick up the story and Steve Lyons does this by putting a lot more emphasis on Peri. Peri is very good in this story as she spends most of the story trying to contact Erimem from Count Dracula but obviously she doesn’t want to leave. The sisterly bond has been one of the main strengths of this combination but it is in this story that it shines as Peri has genuine distress when she thinks that Erimem is going to stay with Dracula. You genuinely think that Erimem is going to leave the TARDIS crew and even at the end you are still unsure but thankfully the writer didn’t go down the shocked route.
Peter Davison is very good in this role. When he is given the right material he can produce some fine stuff. With Son of the Dragon he is able to show why he is such a good Doctor. Nicola Bryant puts in perhaps her best performance of the year and for quite some time. Her relationship with Erimem is very strong and it gives her some fantastic emotional moments. Caroline Morris is the strongest of the three main stars. You get the horrible feeling that she may leave the Doctor and Peri but thankfully that doesn’t happen but thanks to the script and more importantly Morris herself that puts that fear about.
James Purefoy is the guest star of this story and he is given a starring role. Like Daphne Ashbrook in The Next Life (2004) and William Russell in The Game (2005), Purefoy’s presence is what stands out in this story. The way that he portrays Count Dracula is absolutely fantastic, his nice side and nasty rather gruesome moods are what strikes you most about the role. The way that he is willing to punish or torture someone without a moment of hesitation was quite similar to most bad guys in Doctor Who but yet is somewhat better than all of them. His role in the TV show Rome was Mark Anthony who was a man who did what he wanted to do and was able to snap for no reason but at the same time he manages to make the character of Dracula likeable. I had high expectations of James Purefoy from the moment that I found out that he was going to be in Son of the Dragon and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Another credible role was Douglas Hodge who played the brother of Count Dracula Radu. The way that the role was written by Lyons made a perfect opponent to Dracula and the fact that their brothers only adds to the tension that both actors give to the role. Radu’s friendship with the Doctor seems heartfelt but ultimately only does a little in helping the story move along. When the Doctor leaves the camp that Radu’s men have temporally set up it then seems to lose momentum.
Whilst I loved this story there were a few things that could have been done. First of all there could have been a more obvious threat, the war between Radu and Dracula was good as a starter but after a while it just seems to lose a bit of momentum. There was no real menace, they could have done what they did in The Time Warrior and include a futuristic threat that didn’t seem too much like The Time Warrior. The ending was also a let down, because they didn’t have a attempt to change history or take over the world it seemed that the ending was a bit flat and it was like the Doctor and Peri turn up to the castle, rescue Erimem and give her the opportunity to stay with them or live a life with Count Dracula. Apart from those points there isn’t really anything wrong with the story.
Steve Lyons has written a very good script. The dialogue is very clever and very well written. As mentioned earlier Lyons script do have the tendency to be a little bit complicated however I found this one to very easy to follow. I thought that all the characters were well structured and very believable. Barnaby Edwards directing is solid throughout out this story. The pace was slow when it needed to be and it was speeded up when the action required it. Edwards is no stranger to directing and his experience shows. The music also deserves a mention in this story. The company is called ERS but there is no specific credit and that’s a shame because it is the music that helps create the atmosphere which is quite grim at times.
Overall this has to be one of the strongest stories of the year, not quite beating Nocturne or Exotron this is Peter Davison’s second strong story in a row and it is proving to be his year for Big Finish stories with only The Minds Eye and Return to the Web Planet to come in 2007 this story has to go into the Top 3 of best 2007 stories.
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