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Post by number13 on Dec 4, 2018 10:12:08 GMT
I enjoyed the set very much ('Hosts of the Wirrn' got an immediate second listen!) and I think there is a theme which runs through the set and connects the stories, which is Kate Stewart's commitment and duty to protect - her UNIT team and the people of Earth - and the way that plays out.
In 'Hosts of the Wirrn' she makes the 'wrong' choice by not destroying level 7 as soon as the queen escapes and the infections begin. Many civilians die because Kate tried so hard to protect her UNIT team and the story ends with Kate being very critical of her decision. (But it saved Osgood so I'm all for it! ) Then in 'Breach of Trust', she takes the hard decision to return the Kalvyri refugees quite easily and resolutely, I thought, and maybe the reason for this was not to make the same mistake twice - don't put the people of Earth at risk by doing what she clearly wants to do and trying to protect the visitors. In the end, Kate does suddenly decide to defy the Kalvyri emperor but I didn't like the way that was written. It worked out fine thanks to Osgood and Josh's freelancing, but it might not have done and I thought (in a story clearly about women's rights and independence) it was rather odd to show Kate making such a critical decision (and risking the lives of countless humans) due to an impulsive emotional reaction rather than her defining sense of duty to protect Earth which, as Jemma Redgrave emphasises on the BTS CD, runs through Kate like words through a stick of rock. (Anyone who doesn't usually listen to the BTS CDs, this one is well worth hearing.)
Finally in 'Open the Box', the Keller parasite (which is controlling Dr. Lee's 'therapy' sessions of course) digs into Kate's psyche by making her live out her greatest fear - the loss of her team, neatly completing the loop back to the first story. But this time she is prepared to do whatever it takes to stop the escape of the parasite, even if that means calling an airstrike in on the island and going up with it - protecting the people of Earth is the duty of UNIT and she'll do it. The Brig. would have been very proud! (Fortunately Osgood finds a better way out - the Doctor would have been very proud too!)
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Post by elkawho on Dec 4, 2018 15:09:11 GMT
I keep thinking that I've heard the best UNIT release, and then the next one comes out even better than the last. Hosts Of The Wirrn...The Wirrn have always been among my favorite Who monsters, and this story keeps them up on that list. And I agree with you number13, this set was all about Kate's sense of responsibility and her how she handles her role as a civilian leader of a military organization. It was subtle and very well-done. Just an aside regarding Jemma Redgrave. When these boxsets began I had serious problems with her performances. I felt she was very flat and one-note and not very comfortable with the format. It was one of the main problems I had with the series. However, she gets better with every release and her performance was amazing in this one. Nuanced and emotive without losing any of Kate's strength and leadership ability. Probably the most improved performances I've heard at BF. And she is also the loveliest person. So happy to have her in these.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Dec 4, 2018 15:10:14 GMT
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Post by shallacatop on Dec 5, 2018 7:34:54 GMT
I understand saying that Kate’s sense of responsibility is the arc. I’m not sure I buy into that, though. It’s a character trait that she should have and is evidenced on screen. It just happens that the Hosts of the Wirrn and Breach of Trust delve into it very well. Open the Box does a pretty good job of it too. It’s been mostly missing from the previous sets, but that doesn’t really make its appearance in Revisitations an arc, it just means the range has now found its footing. It just needs the repercussions to be followed through.
Brilliant set otherwise. Am I right in remembering that Revisitations was due to be two 2 part stories? I wonder if one of them got pushed back for Volume 8?
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Post by fantasticalice on Dec 13, 2018 1:55:22 GMT
Well after reading the last two pages I think it is time to order the 5-8 bundle.
And I may even get 1-4 next year! But hearin about the continuity nods and the like this looks.like something I really want to get into.
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Post by elkawho on Dec 13, 2018 4:53:10 GMT
I understand saying that Kate’s sense of responsibility is the arc. I’m not sure I buy into that, though. It’s a character trait that she should have and is evidenced on screen. It just happens that the Hosts of the Wirrn and Breach of Trust delve into it very well. Open the Box does a pretty good job of it too. It’s been mostly missing from the previous sets, but that doesn’t really make its appearance in Revisitations an arc, it just means the range has now found its footing. It just needs the repercussions to be followed through. Brilliant set otherwise. Am I right in remembering that Revisitations was due to be two 2 part stories? I wonder if one of them got pushed back for Volume 8? I don't think it's an actual arc, just the theme of the set. Each story deals with it in a different way.
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Post by Timelord007 on Dec 13, 2018 11:18:12 GMT
Loved this box set 3 strongly written adventures my favourite was Host Of The Wirren which was bloody brilliant, has the spirit of Robert Holmes possessed Chris Chapman?
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Post by number13 on Dec 13, 2018 11:31:10 GMT
Loved this box set 3 strongly written adventures my favourite was Host Of The Wirren which was bloody brilliant, has the spirit of Robert Holmes possessed Chris Chapman? Snap!
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Post by chrischapman1981 on Dec 18, 2018 21:24:50 GMT
has the spirit of Robert Holmes possessed Chris Chapman? Ah. That would explain why I've started smoking a pipe!
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Post by Timelord007 on Dec 19, 2018 8:24:12 GMT
has the spirit of Robert Holmes possessed Chris Chapman? Ah. That would explain why I've started smoking a pipe! Lol, brilliant two-parter Chris, it captured the essence of a Robert Holmes story combined with the ole Chapman magic & had me gripped from start to finish.
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Post by chrischapman1981 on Dec 19, 2018 17:24:20 GMT
Ah. That would explain why I've started smoking a pipe! Lol, brilliant two-parter Chris, it captured the essence of a Robert Holmes story combined with the ole Chapman magic & had me gripped from start to finish. That's very kind of you! I certainly had a blast writing it. :-)
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Dec 19, 2018 18:31:59 GMT
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 14:33:37 GMT
I finally got round to this. I thought it was the best UNIT set we've had.
Chris' Wirrn story is so good I almost wish it was a special 2-disc release on it's own that would get more recognition ratherthan being one story of a boxset. It's terrific in it's pacing and buildup. It felt a lot like Wyndham's Triffids to me in that there was always a sense that even while we spent time with the UNIT crew the wirrn were really taking this town over and events were unfolding at a fair clip. I believed this was an actual invasion and there was a real chance there wasn't a way out. To be able to listen to this and really suspend disbelief, getting caught up in the story - even when this is a prequel to TV and we KNOW the characters are coming out alive - is something I have to pay tribute to Chris for. My heart was beating fast at points here. I thought it was a terrific story that also set up the real arc of the set: Kate's worrying about her ability to protect the UNIT family and the Earth itself. She's struggling here and there are points throughout all 4 discs that she feels like she's got to give up but keeps going through the support of her team. It's fandabydozy stuff for the character and reminded me of Series 9 Capaldi struggling with his duty of care with Clara. I've been raving about Chris' stories since The Memory Bank, loved his two following MR stories and this is another belter. I know John Dorney is probably the most popular BF writer (and he's absolutely terrific, so I'm not demeaning him at all) but when I see Chris' name in an upcoming release that's as exciting to me as any returning monster or guest star. He's 4/4 at BF for me.
Got to be frank about one aspect of the set, and the range in general, I there are more than a few lines here that Jemma delivers that really missed the mark. Her natural delivery is quite flat but I don't mean that's the problem - she just mis-reads a line and it throws the tempo of the dialogue off. It's a little jarring sometimes and it was in this Wirrn story more than others. It's really quite clear she's not read the script beforehand I think as she'll deliver it as though she's been dubbed in from a dfifferent scene entirely. It's not a major deal but sometimes she throws the pace off and undercuts the tension or the emotion of a scene. When she's good though...ma Jemma is terrific. She completely sells me on the emotional, internal, doubts she has throughout the set.
I really liked the notion of the musical monsters in the second story. I got a notion of Villeneuve's Arrival when Osgood was struggling to find out how to communicate with the creatures. The plot wasn't the most original after the alien threat arrived but that doesn't matter - it was all about how Kate reacted to events. She had an impossible choice and while the solution may have been a little cheap, allowing Kate to not have to make the choice after all, it was still well played and emotional. I love Ramon Tikaram in the UNIT sets and his scenes telling Kate how she was wrong but he'd follow her orders anyway because he knew she was doing her best were lovely.
The biggie for me is the return of Chin Lee in a sequel to Mind Of Evil which has always been a favourite of the Pertwee era for me. It was great hearing the fears depicted for each of our cast. Kate's one of letting her team die was quite harrowing even if it was just a vision. I loved this story. It reminded me of the first UNIT set (how are we on Vol 7 already???) when Kate and Osgood were investigating things rather than - as has been more common in subsequent sets - just reacting to external events. Loved the scene with reading the Brig's notes. With the theme of the set being Kate's doubts over her leadership it's terrific that the last story is based entirely on fears and self-doubt. A Mind Of Evil sequel may seem gimmicky but it's ABSOLUTELY the ideal story for the themes this boxset is going for.
So while this set is less obviously gimmicky than others that have had Jacobi, the Silence and River etc, it's just 3 really strong, solid stories. That's what I want. I appreciate the novelty guests and returning elements will get the fence sitters a bit more likely to buy but this set was just good storytelling even taking the fan continuity from Ark In Space or Mind Of Evil out of the equation. There's a real sense of scope and scale in the stories - this UNIT really feels like a organisation with power, influence and reach but the characters are interesting, mostly well played and capable of really emotional scenes. A bit like McGann's Doctor, I think you really have to be a BF listener to be a "real fan" of this UNIT family, BF have just done so much wonderful stuff with Kate and Osgood while not betraying who they are on screen. I really dug this one and would say it might be the latest installment of BF's most underrated range. It's not an obscure range of course but it's so damn consistent and doesn't quite get the love I think it deserves sometimes. Adventure, excitement, emotion, family, friendship and courage. It's a modern version of the ITC shows of the 60s and 70s.
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Post by drj on Jan 6, 2019 23:47:22 GMT
I’ve been dithering on this a little tbh having skipped the war master one for various reasons but think I’m going to have to take the plunge after all the love on the forum!
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Post by pawntake on Jan 12, 2019 8:37:59 GMT
Whilst 3. UNIT - SILENCED remains my favourite Boxset in this series so far.This latest edition keeps up the standard.All I can really add to what has already been said is,it would not surprise me if these UNIT stories ended up on Radio 4 Extra,and I very much look forward to the next!!!
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Post by Digi on Feb 3, 2019 0:01:41 GMT
Bit late to the party, but I finally listened to this set today. Bit of a strange rollercoaster, in my opinion.
With the exception of Derek Jacobi's appearance in the previous set, I've kind of felt like this range is on a bit of a downward slide ever since its peak in "Assembled." As I was listening to the two-part Wirrn opener of this, I was really feeling the fatigue, like maybe this range has run its course and it's time to give it a rest.
And then Breach of Trust happened, and I enjoyed the heck out of it. It was just perfectly paced, story twists that were perhaps a little bit predictable but executed in an exciting way; listening to Kate agonize over the choice to surrender the aliens to their ruler, and then the second gutpunch of having made that decision only to be undercut by the people she trusts most. Great stuff.
Open the Box was a little less exciting, but I appreciated that it took a valiant stab at a psychological thriller. I was listening at one point and massively confused, only for it to be revealed that it was one of the Pandora simulations and suddenly it all made sense....which then made the rest of the story engaging in trying to figure out when I was listening to something real or something imagined. It's a neat idea, and was well-executed.
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Post by drj on Feb 6, 2019 21:50:56 GMT
I’ve been dithering on this a little tbh having skipped the war master one for various reasons but think I’m going to have to take the plunge after all the love on the forum! Finished this now and rather excellent it was too! If you’ve been dithering on this one, then dither no longer I say! Roll on the next box set.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Mar 18, 2019 11:43:41 GMT
Listened last week, finally catching up with November releases.
Like others, I thought it was excellent. Hard to pick out a best story, they were all good in different ways.
The Wirrn story was just right. Breach of Trust was very good too, but the moral dilemma at the centre of the story was very Star Trek, aside from changing the regular characters' name sit would not have required a huge rewrite to turn it into an episode of TNG or Voyager - Kate as Janeway, Shindi as Chakotay/Tuvok, Osgood as Seven/Neelix and Carter as Harry/Tom. Open the box also excellent, but had potential to be a two-parter, which I might have preferred.
I suppose if I had to fault it, it would be the reset button that gets pressed at the end of every story. The main guest character from the first story becomes part of UNIT and a fairly unique member of the team ... but is not heard of again. Osgood's actions in Breach of Trust have pretty major implications for the Kate/Osgood relationship ... but they are never mentioned again. I would have preferred more of an arc, even if only in terms of the regular characters' relationships, but it seems to be lapsing into "alien of the week" series with a reset button at the end of every episode and no ongoing character development.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on May 31, 2020 9:12:35 GMT
I love how UNIT is collecting alien specialists. {Spoiler} First we have the Doctor, Josh (Auton), Osgood (Zygon), and now Carisa (Wirrrn).
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Jun 8, 2020 22:07:26 GMT
Another random thought - Osgood really does sound like she’s surprised about talking to Serina through the ravens. She covers it by saying “yes I was clever, wasn’t I...” but there was, to me, genuine surprise and confusion as well. Could that be a suggestion of the other Osgood? Maybe Kate’s keeping them apart for security reasons, one is in the Tower and the other in the Field.
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