Big Finish Productions The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance

Written by	Moris Farhi and Nigel Robinson
Format	Compact Disc
Released	2010

Starring William Russell and Carole Ann Ford

Synopsis: Fragrance is a paradise world --- a utopia that the travellers are loathe to leave after a relaxing stay. But the way of life is different here. And so is the way of love --- as Barbara discovers when the Fragile Yellow Arc is broken...

• Yellow Turns to the Blue of Sorrow by Jacob Licklider

Yellow Turns to the Blue of Sorrow by Jacob Licklider 20/12/22

This First Doctor Box Set was always going to be four discs long, and Farewell, Great Macedon was always going to take up three of the discs. The second story used in the Box Set is The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, a forty-minute example script written by Moris Farhi just to show David Whitaker what he could do as a writer and was at the odd length of a forty-minute slot. It's a rather self-contained story that details a truly alien society where instead of having a three-part life cycle, they only have two. The first portion of their lives are their childhood, which ends when they fall in love and live the rest of their lives. This is only if the love is reciprocated, and if it isn't, the person who offered the love will go into a boat and sail off into the sun. Yes, this is a weird little story that has one purpose and that is to show off the society of Fragrance and how as a society the planet is a utopia.

It opens in media res with the Doctor and company being on Fragrance for several weeks where Rhythm falls in love with Barbara. His sisters and Melody and Harmony, played by Helen Goldwyn, who are also in a relationship of sorts. The plot is honestly the weakest aspect of this story, as it is simply exposition about the world of Fragrance followed by the Doctor, Ian, Susan and Barbara escaping, and the story's over.

Nigel Robinson had to do very little work to adapt the story from the original script, as the plot is character driven. It's about Barbara and Rhythm working off each other and the tragedy of the people of Fragrance. The performances from William Russell and Carole Ann Ford are of course as good as they were in Farewell, Great Macedon, as is the direction from John Ainsworth this time around, and again the music and sound design really works well for the story. Helen Goldwyn is great at making her characters sound different, and she makes the heavy exposition of the story much more enjoyable.

To summarize, The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance is really a story about what an alien utopia could be like and what happens if aliens to that society enter to make things be messed up. The acting is fine, and the direction is great, just like it was for Farewell, Great Macedon in a story that really doesn't have too much meat to it. It's a story that I quite like for the vivid worldbuilding on the alien society and has some really good characters but not much more. 70/100