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Post by number13 on Jan 15, 2019 8:58:06 GMT
MR 247 Devil in the Mist
Synopsis
The TARDIS deposits the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and their android ally Kamelion aboard a prison ship. A ship with just one prisoner: Nustanu, last warlord of the Zamglitti – monstrous, mind-bending mimics able to turn themselves into mist. A ship that's in trouble, and about to make a crash-landing... On a planet of mists.
Written By: Cavan Scott Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Mark Strickson (Turlough), Jon Culshaw (Kamelion), Anjella Mackintosh (Orna), John Voce (Rako), Simon Slater (Nustanu).
Released January 15th. (DU update by chuckr )
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Post by mark687 on Jan 15, 2019 11:54:49 GMT
I enjoyed that, very of its Era but with the usual BF polish.
Regards
mark687
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Post by constonks on Jan 16, 2019 4:59:49 GMT
Kind of a strange one, this, in terms of structure and the nature of the resolution. The BTS interviews mentioned it having a bit of a comic book feel, owing a bit to Cavan Scott's work on the Ninth Doctor Titan comics and yeah, it does have that kind of energy. It could have been a five-part story for Titan Comics: The Fifth Doctor - and perhaps in places even should have been what with the interesting visuals which have to be described. All in all, a strong Main Range debut/return for Kamelion and an interesting story. A couple spoilery thoughts about Part 4 specifically: I liked the simple resolution of Kamelion being influenced by Tegan. Although I really thought that the final twist of the healing planet was going to lead to the Mist Devil being reborn and he was not.
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Post by relativetime on Jan 17, 2019 4:41:28 GMT
Overall, a pretty great start to the Main Range this year. I definitely got a comic book vibe from this story as well and there are some spectacular images this story creates in your head. I really must go back and watch Season 20 and 21 again. The dynamic Kamelion brings to the TARDIS team in this story is really unlike any other I can think of and I'm curious to see how the next two releases handle him. I liked what we got here, but I don't think it's quite enough to say whether Kamelion has been redeemed yet or not. The rest of the main crew, it goes without saying, was brilliant as always.
I think I'll be coming back to this story a few times in the future. This is just one of those stories with so much to absorb and take in - I think this is one of those releases that will continue to get better with time for me. Right now, it's a very well earned 4/5 from me.
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Post by Who Review on Jan 18, 2019 12:06:54 GMT
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Post by elkawho on Jan 18, 2019 13:11:55 GMT
HMM. I thought that this was just ok. I was annoyed that they introduced an interesting villain and then wasted said villain. I guess I could have just enjoyed the misdirection, but it felt like a waste. I didn't really like Tegan in this one, and I thought they could have done more with the injured Doctor. The resolution really bugged me, and I may have zoned out, but I don't think I fully understood the nanites. I think I'm going to have to listen to this one again. I feel like I really missed something
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2019 23:08:19 GMT
I think I'm going to have to listen to this one again. You should. I listened to Devil in the Mist quickly the other day when it was released and thought it was a bit lack lustre, but I gave this another listen earlier this evening - relaxing in a comfy chair with my headphones - and found it to be more enjoyable second time around.
Devil in the Mist was a good story once I gave it some concentration and I thought the Tegan/Kamelion team-up worked really well and was the unexpected highlight of this story. Once again we have a fandom scorned character brought to life on audio by Big Finish and the talented writing/directing skills they employ. Kamelion? Who'd have thought it eh? The regular TARDIS team put in authentic performances and it will be interesting to see what BF do with Kamelion now he's part of the team. (By the way, well done Jon Culshaw!) I thought the ending could have done with a bit more work but overall Devil in the Mist was a good Fifth Doctor story that had the TV era feel to it at times. A good start to the Main Range releases of 2019.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 18, 2019 23:41:00 GMT
I think I'm going to have to listen to this one again. You should. I listened to Devil in the Mist quickly the other day when it was released and thought it was a bit lack lustre, but I gave this another listen earlier this evening - relaxing in a comfy chair with my headphones - and found it to be more enjoyable second time around.
You guys have time to relisten to audios?
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Post by elkawho on Jan 19, 2019 4:16:08 GMT
You should. I listened to Devil in the Mist quickly the other day when it was released and thought it was a bit lack lustre, but I gave this another listen earlier this evening - relaxing in a comfy chair with my headphones - and found it to be more enjoyable second time around.
You guys have time to relisten to audios? A 3 hour car ride to Maryland and back and then a weekend of sitting in my hotel while my kids to to a Smash Bros. tournament. I plan on having a lot of down time.
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Post by agentten on Jan 19, 2019 6:18:20 GMT
I had a great time with this one. The cast felt super energetic and Kamelion in the hands of Big Finish is off to a solid start. This felt like the most action/adventure packed release in recent memory. The trek through a deadly jungle and finding a fountain of youth type relic was a neat approach for this crew. There was so much running and surviving going on in the middle act of the story and I thought it made for some great moments that felt cinematic and thrilling. Another great release for Five & Co and I'm looking forward to the next.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 11:57:30 GMT
You guys have time to relisten to audios? Fortunately!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 13:04:25 GMT
2019’s monthly range is off to a good start. My ‘super sub’ runs out in October, and already I’m hoping I can afford to subscribe to what is still my favourite Doctor Who related range. So, Kamelion, a companion who’s potential was squashed on television by the robot prop being inoperable after the creator passed away. In some ways, I’m surprised it has taken BF so long to resurrect him. With Jon Culshaw at the helm, I’m glad they have. Kamelion isn’t warm and cuddly like K9, but has a kind of ethereal weirdness about him. Also, of course, he cannot be trusted. He is handy, however, for describing what is occurring for us listeners. As a youngster, I always found something disconcerting about human-looking robots, by their very nature more powerful than mere flesh and blood, malfunctioning. Whilst this doesn’t quite go to the lengths of The Android Invasion, Kamelion – never entirely trustworthy – and his breakdown in episode three is potentially dangerous – although it is good that Tegan, by this time, refers to the android as ‘he’ as opposed to ‘it.’ Culshaw plays him with a detachment that is only occasionally reassuring. A terrific performance - quite creepy! By comparison, the squabbling Hippo creatures (Harrigane?) are entertaining, like Sontarans with a conscience, but too jovial to pose a massive threat. This is a similar kind of cinematic journey similar in tone to this author’s Masters of Earth (co-written with Mark Wright). The sound design, which must have been demanding, is great. Andy Hardwick’s score, functional but identical to virtually everything else he’s done for the last fifteen years, is wheeled back into operation. Great performances from all. It’s great to have Turlough back, although his darker side is diminished here to make way for Kamelion’s similar nature to take centre stage. I also liked Tegan telling the snakes to ‘hiss off.’
Great fun.
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Post by shallacatop on Jan 20, 2019 23:03:13 GMT
I thought this one was a little dull. It doesn’t do anything wrong, but it doesn’t particularly do much right either. I liked the story structure where things are set up in Part 1, we move to a different story in Part 2 and 3, then we pick up the original events again in Part 4. There’s just not much to the story, it's a very light affair. The pacing is good, though, it feels like the four episodes fly by quickly.
Jon Culshaw is good as Kamelion, it’s a lovely performance. I’m glad that the way he’s portrayed is in keeping with the constraints of the real life prop; he’s not running around or anything like that. It doesn’t feel like he adds a great deal, though. For example, he’s completely forgotten about in Part 3 until it’s convenient for the story to use him as the cliffhanger.
The idea of Kamelion not being possessed, but rather he’s influenced by Tegan, is a sound one. Except it’s thrown away when he does get possessed towards the end of the story. It just reinforces Tegan’s distrust of Kamelion and it doesn’t feel as though the story moves forward, really. On the subject of Tegan, Janet Fielding sounds like she’s been transported back 35 years in this!
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Post by DavidHogan on Jan 21, 2019 20:43:48 GMT
I enjoyed the story, they got the "Tegan doesn't trust Kamelion, then she eventually does" aspect of the story spot on. The rest? ... rather dull, really. Not offensively bad, just not particularly exciting.
Still looking forward to more of this unique team in the coming months though!
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Post by IndieMacUser on Jan 22, 2019 13:05:08 GMT
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Post by slithe on Jan 22, 2019 20:37:16 GMT
Again, not sure what to make of this one. It isn't amazing, but it isn't awful either. A rather middling release - pleasant enough and it was well paced and scripted, but rather pedestrian compared to the recent run of Fifth Doctor Adventures.
Cavan Scott's comic book background shows here as there is a lot of 'world building' and the ideas/plot are very reminiscent of a cartoon-type of adventure. Ironically, for an audio release this was a very visual story and it is easy to let your imagination run wild on this one - giant hippos, a misty swampy world, a space-ship, mythical waters and hostile wildlife all make for a rather epic story. Whilst this seems like a very 1980s style story, I doubt the budget would have allowed this one any justice. Perhaps after the 'plastic' Mara of SnakeDance, we should be grateful for small mercies!!
Kamelion is the interesting character here. Culshaw plays him well. You never get the feeling that he's 100% on side with the TARDIS crew and it is hinted that he has his own agenda somewhere. Whilst Tegan may be paranoid to trust him, the Doctor is almost naive in his faith. Where this story could be strong is that it fits into a wider arc with Kamelion - the protagonist of this one is only thought to be dead. Also, there is the very real possibility that the Doctor is lying to try to get Tegan to trust in Kamelion and to have a harmonious TARDIS crew. This makes for an interesting dynamic that, hopefully, will be revisited in subsequent adventures. Just as Kamelion is able to shape-shift physically, it will be interesting to see if he does this with his personality. If this develops, this story will be a useful starting point.
It is nice to have a different Fifth Doctor TARDIS Crew - this makes for a refreshing change. As much as I like Nyssa, it is good that we've had a break from her.
Not an awful start, but not as great as some of the other releases. A fair start to 2019.
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Post by Timelord007 on Jan 24, 2019 8:37:02 GMT
I enjoyed it, it went from one disaster to the next & the action never let up, i thought it was a strong debut for Kamelion voiced superbly by Jon Culshaw & Cavan Scotts script delivers a nice twist in Episode 4.
4/5.
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Post by The Matt on Jan 24, 2019 8:56:14 GMT
The first episode was strong and set the scene for what i thought would be strong story. Who doesn't like hippos with a Northern accent.
The following 3 episodes however were chockfull of bad dialogue badly delivered, Anjella Mackintosh in particular was terrible. The non-regulars were cliched and not one stuck out or were memorable for a good reason. The so called twist in the last episode just dragged out the misery!
Terrible start to the main range in 2019!
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Post by fantasticalice on Jan 24, 2019 13:42:07 GMT
I really loved this. Standout performamce by Janet and both her and the writing remembered she doesn't quite trust Turlough either. Which ends up giving her a lot of depth and understanding with how much she has grown as a character.
And Kamelion worked great as a quasi villain. Great story!
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Post by elkawho on Jan 26, 2019 17:23:50 GMT
As other's have said, I thought this was a lot better on second listen. Even so, I don't think it will ever be a favorite of mine. Bring on February!
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