UNIT: The New
Series: Assembled #2:
Tidal Wave
written by
Guy Adams
Jo Grant.
Sea Devils. A questionably useful energy project. This really is the
greatest hit collection, isn't it? Not that I'm complaining, I adore
Jo Grant and the story has some interesting ideas for the Sea Devils.
And, okay,
it took me a while to work this out and Guy Adams had to hit me over
the head with it but I now get that Osgood (at least in her Big
Finish incarnation) is at least meant to have an element of “the
Doctor as Katy Manning would have played them” about her. Teaming
Osgood and Jo together for most of the story was absolutely the right
move especially as it allows Osgood to have her frantic fangirl
moment at the beginning and then redeem it by having them bond and
come to a place of mutual respect by the end. Its a good arc,
especially as it starts with Jo admitting she's judged Osgood exactly
the same way she was always judged as the ditzy one back in the day.
Seriously,
Jo has so many more admirable qualities than generally get
acknowledged and here we see her classic “plucky determination”
weaponised. As the compromised and controlled Captain Burmaster uses
UNIT's new hydro-electric generating submarine to start a war with a
hibernation colony of Sea Devils its Jo who is the one pleading for
peace and putting herself in the hands of the enemy to do so. Its
also interesting that Jastrop is behind the attack on the Sea Devils
and not just to provoke them into conflict with the “ape
primitives”, he has a concrete agenda and a plan. Again, good
representation of the Earth Reptiles as people rather than a
monolithic race.
The same
holds true for Krellix, our traditional lone voice of peace and
reason amongst the Sea Devils who is actually swung towards believing
Jo's protestations of innocence because he knows Jastrop and has his
own reasons for not liking the guy. Jo's pleas for humanity also have
the interesting aspect of acknowledging the worst sides of our
species and of Krellix's but hoping that the best wins out. Its
eloquent and sweet and reflects the greater experience Jo has gained
in the decades since she last encountered the Sea Devils. It also
demonstrates that if you want to read Osgood towards the end as
having a bit of an admiring friend crush on Jo you wouldn't be along,
I'm right there with you.
Could have
done without the “political correctness gone mad” joke from Jo,
of all people.
No comments:
Post a Comment