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Post by muckypup on May 17, 2017 12:59:18 GMT
Finally had the time to listen to series 2.... I am afraid to say, I was no where near as impressed as I was with vol 1, I didn't like all the soap opera threads running through all the stories, the plot lines were obvious and weak, Morag has lost the intrigue and become this shows sonic screwdriver to push the story on, the love interest stuff was just silly & embarrassing & the final episode was just crap....In every way from concept, execution and resolution......sorry It's not all bad, the first half was ok, second half was a real miss fire for me. Gone was the terrifying tales like old gods & hollow earth that made it stand out, a real dissapointment. They played the conspiracy & manipulation cards to early for me to care, if it had been a subplot for a few series I would have interest, but not series 2! I hope, if we do get a series 3 (and I am not fussed if we do!) I hope we get back to the scary stuff that made series 1 so good, we have survivors for the soap opera tales, you need to keep this series identity. Sorry to not be more positive, It just goes to show we as an audience are a fickle lot, none more so than me! I really loved series 2, and found it a considerable improvement over series 1. Just to assure myself I haven't changed my mind, I went back and listened to the opener, From Beyond. It was good, but nowhere near as good as anything from the second series. I agree that Awakening was the weakest of the second series, but I still enjoyed it. Perhaps we'll get a series 3 we can all agree on agree it just show how we are all different we all are, i think i found it more disappointing because for me, series 1 got it so right and series 2 disappointed more with each episode. i still hope that there will be a series 3.....but less paranormal and more unexplained (Cthulhuesque) or supernatural and as much as it pains me to say it as i really like her......keep louise jamerson away from the keyboard, and lock her inside the recording booth, an ok writer she may be but up against the talented BF writers pool, here episodes feel, well lets be kind....not the best.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on May 18, 2017 11:50:08 GMT
Right then, I finally started series 2 with the suitably creepy Somnum Sempiternum (2.1) which I thought was great. It did help a bit listening to it in bed at 11.30pm in the dark with my good cans on.
I quite like that there is going to be a sinister faction as a story arc across this set. 8 out of 10.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on May 20, 2017 9:19:26 GMT
The Changeling from The Omega Factor (2.2) - woah, another creepy one and very good indeed. 9 out of 10.
That Dr Banks was a nasty piece of work.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2017 0:50:09 GMT
I'd love an Omega Factor Halloween special
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Post by mark687 on Jun 9, 2017 8:59:53 GMT
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Post by Digi on Sept 26, 2017 11:15:24 GMT
Finally got round to this release, and have come away with a very mixed opinion.
I thought the first two episodes were brilliant. They were suspenseful, disturbing and creepy as all hell--everything I love in stories that come out of this range.
Episode 3, however, was a nosedive. I can't criticize anybody's acting, or direction, or sound design or anything like that. But there was something about the story here that just stubbornly refused to click for me. I found the characters all wildly out of character, and the story itself so off-base that it just couldn't hold my attention. It took me four attempts to get through this one: the first time couldn't hold my attention and when I got to the end I realized I had no idea what had happened, my second and third attempts I fell asleep (having not been tired when I started), and the final/successful time (where I realized that I just genuinely didn't think the episode was any good).
Episode 4 was interesting to me more in how I reacted to it, personally. Among X-Files fans there's a longstanding debate into whether you prefer mythology episodes or the monster-of-the-week stories. Episode 4 here, while having nothing in particular wrong with it (I certainly didn't react as negatively to it as I did ep3), is pretty firmly a mythology episode. What surprised me here is that, contrary to how I am with other franchises, I found that I enjoyed the mythology episode far less than I do the monster-of-the-week ones.
I know that looks heavily negative, but on the whole I still liked the set. That, plus the fact that I loved series 1 (and I have never seen the TV show) mean that I will absolutely be back for series 3!
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Post by Hieronymus on Oct 8, 2017 2:32:12 GMT
The Changeling from The Omega Factor (2.2) - woah, another creepy one and very good indeed. 9 out of 10. That Dr Banks was a nasty piece of work. Just listened to this story (saved OF s.2 for October listening). The Changeling feels more like an episode of the original series than any other story I've listened to thus far. Great tension and atmosphere, no time wasted telling the story, everything well done and all within a budget and effects budget that could have been handled by the original if it had been made for television. This one kept me riveted the entire time.
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Post by Hieronymus on Oct 22, 2017 0:24:29 GMT
Episode 3, however, was a nosedive. Hmm. I didn't feel that way at all. In fact I felt that it was more in keeping with the direction of the original series than anything in episode 1. It did leave lots of open questions, but the original series did that too, right through to the final episode. What matters for me most is that the episode focused on characters, built tension, and left open threads. That said, there were some bits that just felt odd and out of place. Still, I thought it was good overall.
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Post by nottenst on Dec 7, 2017 16:07:31 GMT
I bought the 2 series at the Halloween special sale - one of the few times there was a sale with items I didn't already own and was interested in. Just finished the second series. I like that everything is connected here. Some of the stories that didn't seem connected now are. I haven't listened to all the behind the scenes yet. I never saw the TV series, so these two series were my first exposure to this and I was swept right in.
Great performances throughout. I don't know if anyone else thought this, but a few time John Dorney's voice reminded me of Paul McGann.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 12:57:47 GMT
2.1-Somnum Sempiternum-Phil Mulryne
When a series of impossible suicides affect the establishment, Doyle calls in Department 7 to investigate. From the scene of a grisly death, Adam and Anne discover a trail that eventually leads to someone they've met before, once again running dangerous psychic experiments. Dr Jane Wyatt is back, with an even more lethal agenda. But someone else is pulling her strings...
Series two kicks off in fine form With the department moving office and reviewed aplenty by the higher echelons as to its validity and worth.Adam and Anne continue their investigations and also to discover what Adams abilities actually are.Louise and John inhabit their characters so well this is no Mulder and Scully pairing and it has been said before this is X files before its conception but without the big bucks 😂.We also get the welcome?? Return of a character from the first set of stories.Not giving spoilers we have another strong entry into the range...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 18:36:22 GMT
Episode 2 when i get home one day i will actually finish on time 😂
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 19:59:02 GMT
2.2 The Changeling by Roy Gill
Adam takes on a risky assignment, going undercover inside Tollmire Prison as a murderer's cellmate. But when the lights go out in these corridors, something else lurks in the darkness. Something that kills. As Anne tries to unlock decades-old secrets, she discovers that some who believe in the folklore of faeries and changelings will take their faith to terrible extremes.
So onwards to the second episode ,with series one basically we had the setting up of the new dynamic with Tom Cranes son and the end of episode one of series two loosely touches upon the series history with the shady Omega in the back ground but making its presence felt.This was definitely the way to go.I care about John and Louises characters and are invested in their protection and both are very good actors bringing a mutual admiration to their relationship Anne will fight tooth and nail for Adam This story has our duo investigate by Adam going undercover in the prison and there are shivers when things begin to kick off.This story is still a stand out from my previous listens i don’t do spoilers thankfully.Alasdair Reiver played by Alan Francis is stand out...and funnily enough a voice not used in any other BF so far that makes him very distinctive.(unusual as BF seem to overuse great vocals putting them in every range)Great story in a restricted setting good stuff from Roy Gill. The thing about this series is it is best listened to in the dark. Both a chilling and actually a heartbreaking tale
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 20:48:59 GMT
2.3 Let the Angel Tell Thee by Louise Jameson
Life has rarely been so kind to Anne Reynolds. Her work has gained new impetus as she investigates a psychic prodigy. And she has gained an admirer in the shape of a charming and debonair London official. But Adam is plagued, first by wasps, and then by warnings of disaster from a familiar voice. Who is the ghost that's really haunting both their lives?
Up at 5am tomorrow so off to bed listening to this tale my memory is a bit hazy on this one and i know i will fall asleep but will give it its proper honour tomorrow
This is a cracking tale where the threads of the previous stories come more to the fore the people who benefited from the first stories murders start to move on in.Louise gets some romantic interest from Hugh Fraser (always a pleasure when playing slightly against his nice man type (Hastings in Poirot) and the much abused Morag becomes even more cryptic-no one ever tells it straight in Omega factor.Adam (John Dorney)gets to be a man strained to both physical and mental breaking point with Morags revelations.Louise gets to display the vulnerability of a woman who has lost so much in life and having that loneliness exploited Exciting stuff.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2021 6:12:33 GMT
2.4 Awakening by Matt Fitton
An intricate scheme, forty years in the planning, is reaching completion. When a devastating event affects the staff of Department 7, the final pieces fall into place. Can Anne convince Doyle that the threat from Omega is real? Where is Morag? And can anyone reach Adam in time to save him from the powers that defeated his father?
we reach the finale of what has been an excellent second set of tales..(ideal for the bus journey)It is revelations aplenty and beautiful nods to the original TV show but not that you cannot enjoy this series without seeing,the sheer scale of the conspiracy gets gradually unwrapped and sets up so much for future story lining.On the initial listen I didn’t see that ending coming...and lets be honest it still chills a little on relistens
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Post by ryan on Oct 26, 2022 14:01:27 GMT
Late to the party with this but the first two episodes have been very good.
One point that really raises the bar are the performances of John Dorney and Louise Jameson. Their delivery is very naturalistic (which is difficult to achieve in audio plays) so it really complements the gritty, realistic tone of the series.
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Post by masterdoctor on Nov 11, 2023 19:16:15 GMT
Somnum Sempiternum by Phil Mulryne
A really solid opener to the second series of Omega Factor, and I’ll be completely honest, even though I’ve heard both this and the last set, I remember nothing of them so this is basically a first listen. It’s great to have the return of Dr. Wyatt, and the mystery of the murders is quite intriguing. I did find this to be a bit long, or at least that the plotting wasn’t quite as tight as it could have been. And much like the first series, the sound design is sublime, playing in a horror wheelhouse that Big Finish doesn’t get to do much anymore.
The Changeling by Roy Gill
Wow, this is a cut above the rest. Equal parts thrilling, chilling and heartbreaking, Gill’s script is mature and beautifully written, taking a look at society treats prisoners, punishment vs rehabilitation and past homophobia. Dorney’s performance alongside guest star Alan Francis stun with an uneasy chemistry that glues you to their voices. And I feel like I bang on about the sound design for each story in this range, but the atmosphere of Tollmire is exceptional here, building a dark and run-down prison through layers of sound and unknown horrors.
Let the Angel Tell Thee by Louise Jameson
This was an interesting story, and while I liked it, I don’t know that I loved it. It’s great to get some examination of Anne and Tom’s relationship and how that affects her relationship with Adam, but this feels a little slight otherwise. The infestation in Adam’s apartment is seemingly set up for this story but it doesn’t really come into play, and while it’s great to hear Morag, she felt underused. But I did find that I really liked Edward Milton and though I hope this isn’t the case, I suspect Milton might not be long for the world by the next episode.
Awakening by Matt Fitton
Now that’s how you do a finale! Everybody is on blistering form here, there’s betrayal, demons, Drexel and one badass Anne Reynolds. Fitton’s script is one of his best, tying the various strands back together for the set, and the entire hour is so enthralling I often found myself holding my breath. Very interested to see how the third series picks this back up.
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