We say goodbye to Hex/Hector and a great story arc!
It feels like just yesterday that we heard Ace and Hex snog in the closet. It's hard to believe that this audio companion has travelled with Ace and the Doctor since June 2004. Hex/Hector's story started way before that though with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn encountering his mother in Project: Twilight. Hex/Hector has certainly been one of the most emotionally convincing characters we've had in the TARDIS. With all that past and legacy riding on this story, it was very important to send the nurse/gangster out with a bang!
Did Big Finish succeed? Amicably so! Signs and Wonders is chalk-full of references and hanging plot threads from so many different arcs involving Seven/Ace/Hex that it is almost impossible to believe that so many things could fit into one story and still come out looking so spectacular.
Or perhaps it's because it was so rich with so many plot angles that it came out looking so brilliant. The Doctor is up against another Elder God. We welcome back Private Sally Morgan. Hector has had enough of the Doctor and Ace comparing him to Hex. Like Hex nearing the end of his journey, he doesn't like traveling in the TARDIS anymore. He wants to go home. Hex/Hector's gran is also involved. There is just so much stuff to welcome back and that is not even touching the new elements Matt Fitton has thrown into the mix. Aliens that look like giant eagle? The Seventh Doctor and his list of shenanigans that do everything BUT bog down the story. Signs and Wonders really is a great exit for Hex/Hector.
So how did they do it? Who came out on top? Was it Hex or Hector?
Well, I'm not telling you what happens to either, but I will say it's very much one of those 'earn your ending' moments. Whatever you might think of Hex/Hector, you'll have a hard time not accepting what they do with him in his last story. That I can guarantee you. It's also doesn't come freely. There is a certain 'equivalent exchange' involved in Signs and Wonders. Having everything work out for everyone is just boring. There has to be some sort of price and there is. Perhaps it's because I liked Hex/Hector that I thought the way that bit was handled was just so cruel and pointless, but it does wonders for building up the drama and serving the plot. This is a much better trade off.
Well, I'm not telling you what happens to either, but I will say it's very much one of those 'earn your ending' moments. Whatever you might think of Hex/Hector, you'll have a hard time not accepting what they do with him in his last story. That I can guarantee you. It's also doesn't come freely. There is a certain 'equivalent exchange' involved in Signs and Wonders. Having everything work out for everyone is just boring. There has to be some sort of price and there is. Perhaps it's because I liked Hex/Hector that I thought the way that bit was handled was just so cruel and pointless, but it does wonders for building up the drama and serving the plot. This is a much better trade off.
There is also this treasure scene at the end between the Doctor and Ace that will just warm your heart. It's also clear that this chapter in their lives is over and that are moving on to something entirely new. The decade long arc has finally come to an end. From Cybermen to Nobody No-One to Elder Gods to Hector, it's been a pleasure to listen. Thank you.
Rating this story: 9/10. Farewell Hex/Hector. You shall not be forgotten.
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