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Post by Digi on Apr 30, 2018 11:09:41 GMT
That cameo at the end by Lalla Ward was a pleasant surprise. Also interesting to hear how fondly Narvin spoke of Leela. The framing sequence must take place between Series 6 and Enemy Lines (if you know your Gallifrey you’ll understand). The story must take place prior to Neverland, as Narvin was sent by Vansell. Right so we’ve got three timeframes to consider then? For the Doctor and Adric, we can pretty definitively narrow this down to being between Warriors’ Gate and Keeper of Traken. For young Narvin, as you say he’s reporting to Coordinator Vansell so it needs to be prior to Neverland. Where, exactly, I’m not sure. For framing/current Narvin, I was a bit unclear on when this slots in. Narvin speaks fondly enough of Leela to make me think it’s after their return home in Gallifrey VI, but then there’s also a line at one point where narrating/framing Narvin talks about living with something for all his live s—extra lives which Narvin as of Gallifrey VI no longer has, so why would he say it?
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Post by Digi on Apr 30, 2018 11:16:50 GMT
Oh, and the story itself, I should comment on that! I enjoyed it! It was an interesting little self-contained story. Sean Carlsen is a wonderful performer who I’d love to see in as many stories as possible, so this release was very, very welcome. His take on Tom Baker’s voice, paired with Gary Russell’s writing were a laugh. And I really appreciated how dark it got at times too. Yes there’s the grand-scale action revealed near the end (which in itself, holy!), but also on a smaller scale, when Narvin just shoots the guy down without hesitating. It’s very unflinching, and I liked it quite a bit. Floaty, philosophical thought: nearer the beginning, the Keeper of the Matrix tells Vansell that something (some part of this mission) is Narvin’s “destiny.” Can the Keeper know the future timelines of individual Time Lords so well? If so, are their futures already etched in stone? For the rest of the universe time can be rewritten, but are Time Lords slaves to their own timelines with no real free will?
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Post by omega on Apr 30, 2018 11:36:28 GMT
That cameo at the end by Lalla Ward was a pleasant surprise. Also interesting to hear how fondly Narvin spoke of Leela. The framing sequence must take place between Series 6 and Enemy Lines (if you know your Gallifrey you’ll understand). The story must take place prior to Neverland, as Narvin was sent by Vansell. Right so we’ve got three timeframes to consider then? For the Doctor and Adric, we can pretty definitively narrow this down to being between Warriors’ Gate and Keeper of Traken. For young Narvin, as you say he’s reporting to Coordinator Vansell so it needs to be prior to Neverland. Where, exactly, I’m not sure. For framing/current Narvin, I was a bit unclear on when this slots in. Narvin speaks fondly enough of Leela to make me think it’s after their return home in Gallifrey VI, but then there’s also a line at one point where narrating/framing Narvin talks about living with something for all his live s—extra lives which Narvin as of Gallifrey VI no longer has, so why would he say it? Story Narvin comments that Vansell’s behaviour at the briefing was strange, even for Vansell, so I’d place it shortly before the Anti-Time crisis that reaches a climax in Neverland, and where Vansell truly goes off the rails. The Five Doctors established a Time Lords could be given a new regeneration cycle, which has been shown with the Doctor and the Master. No reason that Romana, as High President, wouldn’t authorise Narvin a fresh set of regenerations knowing better than most how he was robbed of his in the first place. Rather interesting that not only does Narvin not bat an eyelid about Adric coming from E-Space, but also that Narvin is able to travel there by Time Ring without it being too notable.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Apr 30, 2018 20:19:12 GMT
And I guess this is the first Fourth Doctor era story GR has written, right? For Big Finish of course.
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Post by shallacatop on May 1, 2018 12:44:12 GMT
This was great!
There's a lot to cram in, but it does it so well. I'm not big on my knowledge of the Gallifrey series, but I got a lot out of it, and I'd imagine fans of that range would get a lot more. I really liked the Doctor's relationship with Adric too. And there's a few little surprises to boot!
Carlsen does a terrific reading, his interpretation of the Fourth Doctor especially.
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Post by Whovitt on May 2, 2018 7:54:12 GMT
That cameo at the end by Lalla Ward was a pleasant surprise. Also interesting to hear how fondly Narvin spoke of Leela. The framing sequence must take place between Series 6 and Enemy Lines (if you know your Gallifrey you’ll understand). The story must take place prior to Neverland, as Narvin was sent by Vansell. Right so we’ve got three timeframes to consider then? For the Doctor and Adric, we can pretty definitively narrow this down to being between Warriors’ Gate and Keeper of Traken.For young Narvin, as you say he’s reporting to Coordinator Vansell so it needs to be prior to Neverland. Where, exactly, I’m not sure. For framing/current Narvin, I was a bit unclear on when this slots in. Narvin speaks fondly enough of Leela to make me think it’s after their return home in Gallifrey VI, but then there’s also a line at one point where narrating/framing Narvin talks about living with something for all his live s—extra lives which Narvin as of Gallifrey VI no longer has, so why would he say it? I would say between The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis, as I'm pretty certain Keeper opens with a scene between the Doctor and Adric where they're discussing that they've just come back into N-Space. Wouldn't make much sense for that conversation to not take place immediately after Warrior's Gate
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Post by sherlock on May 2, 2018 11:41:50 GMT
Another solid entry to the Short Trips catalogue.
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Post by sherlock on May 2, 2018 11:43:03 GMT
That cameo at the end by Lalla Ward was a pleasant surprise. Also interesting to hear how fondly Narvin spoke of Leela. The framing sequence must take place between Series 6 and Enemy Lines (if you know your Gallifrey you’ll understand). The story must take place prior to Neverland, as Narvin was sent by Vansell. Right so we’ve got three timeframes to consider then? For the Doctor and Adric, we can pretty definitively narrow this down to being between Warriors’ Gate and Keeper of Traken. For young Narvin, as you say he’s reporting to Coordinator Vansell so it needs to be prior to Neverland. Where, exactly, I’m not sure. For framing/current Narvin, I was a bit unclear on when this slots in. Narvin speaks fondly enough of Leela to make me think it’s after their return home in Gallifrey VI, but then there’s also a line at one point where narrating/framing Narvin talks about living with something for all his live s—extra lives which Narvin as of Gallifrey VI no longer has, so why would he say it? I think at that moment he is relating the thoughts of his younger self who has all his regenerations intact.
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Post by number13 on May 30, 2018 9:12:22 GMT
Seán Carlsen was an excellent storyteller as Narvin (the Coordinator has no doubt told a lot of stories in his time with the Agency... ) and I loved the interaction between the then-naïve, buttoned-up younger Narvin and the late-era Fourth Doctor, hugely confident and experienced, physically and morally towering over all around him. And I liked that they were both equally horrified by the alien temporal meddling and determined to stop it, but their very different methods speak volumes about them - and about why the Doctor left Gallifrey. The cameo from Lalla Ward was a pleasant surprise, but while I wasn't surprised by the 'reveal' about Narvin's total ruthlessness in using the Oubliette of Eternity (don't Time Lord Ultimate Weapons have great names?!) I was staggered that Romana authorised it on the off-chance that Time might have been interfered with, but with no proof. As it's the final twist, I'm guessing this is supposed to shock everyone and it certainly shocked me - but then it left me unconvinced too. Unless she had done similarly ruthless things in the 'Gallifrey' series that I haven't yet heard, it seemed a wildly out-of-character moment thrown at us just to make a shock ending. But I enjoyed the story overall and the glimpse it gave us of an unseen corner of the Fourth Doctor's era. Now then BF, could we have a special Fourth+Adric boxset please?
(Thanks for all the helpful comments on where this story is placed in the whole 'Gallifrey' arc - of which I've heard only the beginning and the (current) end as yet. But what is Time, to stories about Time Lords? I had heard enough to realise that Narvin has a moral conversion somewhere along the way and I liked the idea from the framing story that it was his secret love for Leela and her clear-minded honesty which brought him round.)
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Post by Ela on Aug 14, 2019 5:42:15 GMT
Loved this story. I'm a big fan of Seán Carlsen and love Narvin as a character. Nice little surprise at the end, there, too.
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