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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Oct 10, 2019 21:33:59 GMT
I know this has been debated a lot on here. The only thing I guess you can say (not in "defence" or "justification" or "condoning" etc) the language at the time the story is set is authentic to the surroundings. And that's all that needs to be said about that LOL
It's a fine line that arguments like this walk. Do we airbrush history to make it more palatable, or do we go for accuracy, and show history warts and all? I personally prefer accuracy, despite that possibly making for uncomfortable viewing (I'm looking at you, Rosa). As for the usage of such language, I'd rather it'd be avoided, I find it hard to justify. Or at least put a viewer/listener advisory on the front. "Destined To Repeat, Doomed To Forget". I agree with you.
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 10, 2019 21:50:23 GMT
It's a fine line that arguments like this walk. Do we airbrush history to make it more palatable, or do we go for accuracy, and show history warts and all? I personally prefer accuracy, despite that possibly making for uncomfortable viewing (I'm looking at you, Rosa). As for the usage of such language, I'd rather it'd be avoided, I find it hard to justify. Or at least put a viewer/listener advisory on the front. "Destined To Repeat, Doomed To Forget". I agree with you. Well spoken, aussiedoctorwhofan Now, for the main attraction! I.D Another 3:1 release. I do rather like these, but they come with their own issues. I.D moves along at a nice pace, but the main threat doesn't feel overly threatening. It's something we've seen before, enemy grabs a character and kills them, but this time it feels so perfunctory. The story never has that moment that grabs you and pulls you in. It's very who by the numbers. Nothing special, but that's what Urgent Numbers is for. 6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 10, 2019 22:58:45 GMT
Urgent Calls
By far the stronger of the two stories, Urgent Calls is a delight to listen to.
There's a warmth to this story, a wonderful sense of fluff to it.
Essentially a two hander, Colin baker and Kate Brown absolutely sparkle in this short story.
I don't know if this story is worth the price tage of the entire release, but it is available on soundcloud free from big finish.
Who at it's finest, 8/10.
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 11, 2019 4:48:16 GMT
Phobos.
After The last story about killer robots, next story up is... more killer robots.
I personally think that this is the weakest of the first season of EDAs. That being said, it's stronger than I.D and IIRC it's stronger than Exotron as well.
The thing that lets this story stand above the other two is that it moves beyond the robots at the end.
We get another rings of Akhaten-esque solution and a cameo from the headhunter.
Who by numbers again, but the numbers are slightly better this time, and the character growth for the supporting cast is a nice touch.
7/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 13, 2019 17:32:51 GMT
Exotron.
Stronger than the last couple stories but still fairly week.
Thankfully, the story has a nice pace to it, the ideas are well developed and it’s more than just a mindless beast vs robot story.
Unfortunately, the dimension cannon does dead people trapped in robots far better.
7 / 10
Urban myths.
The fun part of this release, and thematically appropriate after finishing ravenous 4 the day before.
I enjoy stories that allow the doctor to act out of character, as in this case it really gives Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant the chance to spread their wings a bit. Even if it’s only for a few minutes this time.
Fun, but really underlined the need for more 5 and peri.
Also, is this virus thing going to be an ongoing plot line? The only time I really recall it being relevant is during the various viyrqns plots, but that’s still a couple years off.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 13, 2019 22:52:09 GMT
No More Lies.
Not a bad story, but a quieter character piece before Human Resources.
It lacks the elegance of Sutton’s other stories, but it’s fine enough.
Not sure about the singing though.
But the final piece of the puzzle is, what does the Twelve want with Lucie?
7/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 14, 2019 5:34:15 GMT
Valhalla
This one, simply fails to grab me. Listened to it today and it just didn’t stick in mind. McCoy doesn’t sound like he’s overly invested in the script. Everyone else does well enough, but not with any energy or passion.
Michelle Gomez particularly seems under utilized compared to what she’s shown herself capable of as Missy.
Termites as monsters give it an air of plainness and just aren’t interesting.
Platt, you are capable of so much more.
6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 14, 2019 20:18:52 GMT
Human Resources pt 1
To put it simply, this story is an absolute delight!
Bad rope jokes are king, and Jerry reminds me of a much more popular Jerry in pop culture just for how pathetic he is.
One slight annoyance is that hypnotised Lucie doesn't really feel that much different than normal, she's still picking away at the illusion.
Damage reports as maintenence issues is a brilliant touch btw.
Fun, corny and fantastic all around, this is a great way to start the end of the first season of EDAs!
9/10
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Oct 14, 2019 20:34:26 GMT
Keep 'em coming Star Platinum, I'm enjoying reading your slog through the releases.
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 14, 2019 20:59:06 GMT
Keep 'em coming Star Platinum, I'm enjoying reading your slog through the releases. Much appreciated, I'm glad other people are enjoying this little mini reviews. 100 or so stories down, 800+ to go. UGH. Anyway, The Wishing Beast. This script has some issues. Serious question, was Paul Magrs playing Luigi's Mansion as he wrote this? Vacuuming up ghosts could have been ripped straight from that! That aside, I think this one would have been better as a single disc release. Aside from setting up the plot, nothing major happens at all in the first part of the story, only for the plot to start breakneck in part 2 and slow down again in part 3. Colin is good as usual, I'd go as far to say that he's the most consistent Doctor with Big Finish at the moment. Once again, the main range seems to be suffering as of late, it seems more focus was placed on the EDA's at this point. 6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 14, 2019 21:55:12 GMT
The Vanity Box
At last, a 3:1 release where the quality is equal for both stories! Unfortunately, it's poor quality.
Mel mentions all the excitement lately, funny I don't remember having any since I pressed play on the Wishing beast.
The Doctor in drag, things are going downhill FAST.
Goodness this was poor, thank goodness it's over.
5/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 0:05:18 GMT
Frozen Time
After the last handful of Main Range stories, this has been an absolute delight.
Everyone is focused and putting in good performances, Sylvester himself is night and day between this and Valhalla.
The return of the ice Warriors is more than welcome, and the story does them quite well and with tons of respect. Even if particular aspects of this story have been done before.
Got a nice couple a stories ahead, looking forward to Human resources pt 2 and hugely towards Son of the Dragon.
8/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 0:55:52 GMT
Human Resources pt 2
McGann's speech to the Cybermen is utterly brilliant!
The cast are phenominal Head hunter is pure evil business woman, and that name pun is wonderful. Hulbert is far out of his depth, but still clings to his chances of making it out. Karen's airhead act is nicely explained. Straxus is the perfect exemplification of timelords. Poor Lucie has a fairly rough time of the whole thing, doesn't she? Excellent cast all around.
This story has it all, excellent plot, fantastic pacing and a nifty McGuffin that wouldn't be out of place in the time war. It's a great start to several seasons of Sheridan Smith and Paul McGann.
9/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 2:15:29 GMT
Son of the Dragon
I can't express how much I've been waiting for this story.
A good historical is capable of beating out just about every other kind of story Doctor Who is capable of producing. The threats feel more pronounced, the stakes are higher, and it simply becomes a sheer battle for survival, instead of an adventure to defeat a monster.
Every scene is utilized in advancing the plot. Every character has their role to play. James Purefoy drips with malevolence and radiates an aura of danger, he's the kind of man that you can tell is simply dangerous to be around. Even the regulars are on fire this release. Peri's devotion to Erimem is inspiring, her loyalty to her, even at the risk of her own life is amazing. Erimem,(how I've missed you) simply sparkles. She (at times) can soften Dracula, but her acceptance of her fate as the bride of Dracula almost leads her to a tragic fate. Davison takes a step back to let his costars shine, and they all shine so brightly.
Now, I'm going to sit back and finish this one.
10/10
Utterly superb.
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 3:19:39 GMT
100 BC
No.
Just no.
I'd ask if Jaquline Rayner has ever written for Evelyn, but seeing how she wrote The Marian Conspiracy, the answer is obvious.
This is a story that spits in the face of her entire character arc, every lesson about changing history is tossed out the window in exchange for a couple cheap gags.
I find it utterly astonishing that Evelyn, whose first story is entirely about not changing history, would go about this, KNOWING the consequence of her actions.
Utterly inexcusable.
1/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 5:08:31 GMT
100: My Own Private Wolfgang
This one is great, once again Robert Shearman shows why he's king.
In this story, he's literally taken the concept of diminishing returns and taken it to the extreme.
Mozart is well cast in every role and the Doctor and Evelyn shine together after the absolute disaster that was the previous story.
Now, the million dollar question is, is this the last great story for this Tardis team?
Also, referencing the altered history throughout the anthology is a nice touch.
9/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 6:29:38 GMT
100: Bedtime Story
Not a bad story at all, just one flaw.
This is a fairly good story. Colin is on good form, Maggie gets to stretch her wings for a nice change. The generational attacks are clever and the plot is fairly strong.
The one issue is the ending. The ending basically invalidates the entire story. It takes clever use of melodrama and makes it utterly pointless. Every character is in the exact same position that they started in. What’s the point of even listening at that point. 6/10
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Oct 15, 2019 13:13:05 GMT
100: Bedtime Story Not a bad story at all, just one flaw. This is a fairly good story. Colin is on good form, Maggie gets to stretch her wings for a nice change. The generational attacks are clever and the plot is fairly strong. The one issue is the ending. The ending basically invalidates the entire story. It takes clever use of melodrama and makes it utterly pointless. Every character is in the exact same position that they started in. What’s the point of even listening at that point. 6/10 That was my issue with the story as well. That ending was a downer for the sake of it. Wasnt needed at all
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 17:27:47 GMT
100: Bedtime Story Not a bad story at all, just one flaw. This is a fairly good story. Colin is on good form, Maggie gets to stretch her wings for a nice change. The generational attacks are clever and the plot is fairly strong. The one issue is the ending. The ending basically invalidates the entire story. It takes clever use of melodrama and makes it utterly pointless. Every character is in the exact same position that they started in. What’s the point of even listening at that point. 6/10 That was my issue with the story as well. That ending was a downer for the sake of it. Wasnt needed at all It’s a perfect example of just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it. Anyway, moving forwards. 100: 100 days off the Doctor. When I first listened to this story, I loved it. Now I can’t stand it. In a nutshell, this story is too wrapped up in its continuity to bother telling a story. It glamorizes all of the other doctors and leaves Sixie standing out in the rain. I would argue that both Zagreus and the locum trilogy are far better ways to celebrate this milestone. 5/10 100 as a whole. In a nutshell, disappointing. With two poor stories, 1 weak and one exceptionally strong, this release fizzles when it should sparkle. Frankly, they should have given the entire release to Shearman. 6/10
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Post by Star Platinum on Oct 15, 2019 20:18:42 GMT
Dalek Empire IV: The Fearless pt 1
Oh how I wish they'd carried on from Dalek Empire III, but given the leads launch to stardom, I'm not surprised they took the series in this direction.
Casting Noel Clarke must have been quite the coup for BF at the time, given he had fairly strong ties with the series, and had seemingly been written out of the series at that point.
The Fearless starting as high tech super soldiers but being turned into propaganda evokes the first Captain America, but looking at the dates, seems to pre-date it by quite a few years.
If I had to describe Kade, he's made of the right stuff. He's the kind of man that would have your back, but face him head on, you'll leave with a bloody nose if you aren't careful.
As ever, Maureen O'Brien is a delight to have around in any capacity.
Part one is pure set up, so let's see where part 2 takes us.
7/10
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