Kingdom of the Dead, Parts 1 & 2

Having finally had a chance to listen to the second season of Dark Shadows full-cast audio dramas, I thought I'd post my thoughts about the story. The first part deals with the ramifications of the previous season's cliffhanger, in which the ship The Lorelei sank with Barnabas Collins and Quentin Collins still on board. The pair find themselves trapped in the halfway point between life and death, where a new villain awaits them. Angélique manages to find her way there, however she can only rescue one... and she chooses Barnabas. This creates a rift between Barnabas and Quentin, opening up old wounds and creating some very tense moments between the characters.

Meanwhile, Maggie Evans finds herself in peril after remembering the ordeal she suffered when Barnabas kidnapped her back in 1967. Her confrontation of Barnabas is a moment we were never granted in the TV series, and Kathryn Leigh Scott clearly relishes sinking her teeth into the wealth of emotion she's given to play. In order to protect her from Barnabas, Willie Loomis has no other choice but to hide her at Windcliff Sanitarium, which does not sit well with Maggie after having endured two previous stays there (first, at the hands of Barnabas, and then later, Roxanne Drew). But, Maggie finds herself in even more danger as the Sanitarium has been taken over by the sinister Dr. Rankin, played by Lysette Anthony, in reality a creature that feeds off of fear.

Maggie isn't alone, however, as she finds an ally in the mysterious orderly, Patient D, played by Alec Newman. In a surprising move, it turns out that Patient D is, in fact, an older David Collins, suffering from amnesia. David, having attempted to use magic in order to forget the horrors of Collinwood, has made himself vulnerable to Dr. Rankin's machinations. Although Rankin is seemingly defeated, things are not well in Collinsport, as a descendant of Reverend Trask appears on the scene, and, to put it mildly, all hell is about to break loose.

Halfway through the story, and it's been a fantastic ride so far. Part 1 largely deals with the aftermath of The Rage Beneath, and Kingdom of the Dead itself doesn't properly get going until Part 2. I've had a couple of minor quibbles while listening, most glaringly being why Angélique, determined to protect Barnabas at all costs, doesn't simply erase Maggie's renewed memory?

Looking forward to Parts 3 & 4 tonight!