|
Post by Whovitt on Jul 16, 2019 13:43:46 GMT
I seem to be the only one here to think this was a very 'meh' release. I struggle with any story where an established character is "revealed" to have been someone else all along (the Doctor and tyrant in this case), or where reality and fiction are "unclear" (such as The Crowmarsh Experiment). Maybe I'm supposed to immerse myself in the story to the point that it doesn't matter that I know how it must ultimately end, that I should just enjoy it for what it is? But then I think of the Blake's 7 releases where I'm so caught up in the story that I genuinely think they've killed a main cast member, and it's only when I stop to think about it that it isn't possible. The story itself has to pull me, I shouldn't have to force myself into it in order to get the full intended effect.
I found the story itself to be a bit dull, sadly. The first half was alright, but Peri trying to prove the Doctor's innocence was drawn out way too long, especially when you consider the way she ended up proving it. As soon as they showed her the image of "the Doctor" making the address I was assuming they'd use the memory machine to prove that image was wrong; seeing as she'd misremembered the colour of her friends' dress when she was young and the machine produced the true image, surely using her own memory as a base would have proved the Doctor on the balcony was faked? It just seemed so obvious that the convoluted way she eventually proved her point was almost at the point of being irritating in its unnecessary complexity.
I don't know, maybe I was just in the wrong mood to listen to this. With The Legacy of Time out tomorrow, I'm really hoping that my mood will have improved by then...
|
|
|
Post by slithe on Jul 20, 2019 9:29:26 GMT
I love the way that BF have handled the Sixth Doctor releases and I have found that Colin Baker's stories are always the ones that I look forward to and end up enjoying the most. I think BF should be acclaimed for repairing the reputation of a, much maligned, Doctor and for giving us a glimpse into 'what could have been'. With BF doing the scripting and the stories for Baker in the 1980s, I doubt the show would have attracted as much criticism (allowing Grade the excuse to axe it) and it is highly likely that Baker could have got his wish and outlasted his namesake in the role.
So, I admit, I am biased. Which always affects how I react to a BF release with the Sixth Doctor. I try to put this aside and am not afraid of criticising where it is due, but I'll accept that I do come rather favourably towards a Colin Baker release in a way that isn't matched with the other Doctors. With that caveat, I'lI add my two-pennies worth.
I really enjoyed this one. I can see why Whovitt would see this as a 'meh' release and, for me, that is part of the charm at least. It does feel like a release that could be part of a Season 22/23 type story and, for me, that adds to the charm of it. Whereas Davison and McCoy's releases were trying to 'do something different' - i.e. launch a companion, this one has a familiar Doctor/companion and the focus can be on the story-telling rather than trying to sketch out a new companion.
I am also a real fan of 'murder-mystery' type stories and this one echoed well into that Christie-esque genre. I got that real 'classic-crime vibe' to this one, with the typical 'dash' of class-snobbery and factional squabbling (e.g. The idea of Moro being of an 'upper class' rank and dispensing of those beneath him, the Doctor (also a Time Lord) being forced to work in the mines as a prisoner, women being seen as inferior to men, no-one really noticing the death of a chef (despite it being obvious) or really caring about it). Whilst the way Peri 'solves' it and the fact that the Doctor begins to 'realise' who he is on the penal colony is a little bit flimsy, the story goes move along at a ripping pace and the characters come across well. As ever, Baker shines in this - he gets to play the more arrogant Doctor we saw on TV (the cuddly edges not always so clearly defined here) and the relationship between the Doctor and Peri is good. The other cast come across well - the scenes with the Doctor on the penal colony are enjoyable (Sontaran Snap a highlight) and imaging the Doctor as a dictator is quite enjoyable. Whilst the topic material is sensitive and, quite dark, this is not the Sawardian universe and, thankfully, the entire thing isn't bleak and horrible.
I think this is also a story where science-fiction could become reality. The idea of 'fake' memories and trying to work out who people are, what is real and what is not, is sadly, becoming all to real at the moment. There is a prescient warning here, which although not rammed down the listeners' throat, is good food for thought. I also liked it that Moro didn't actually 'know' who he was at the end and the Doctor's speech about heroes and villains was a fitting way of dealing with it. As I have a family member with dementia, this one also hit a personal note - I have seen that family member act like Moro does and sadly, we don't have a memory machine to help us.
Overall, I enjoyed this. Whilst it isn't going to be an outstanding release, it is definitely a strong release and bodes well for the rest of the trilogy.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Jul 20, 2019 9:41:06 GMT
I love the way that BF have handled the Sixth Doctor releases and I have found that Colin Baker's stories are always the ones that I look forward to and end up enjoying the most. I think BF should be acclaimed for repairing the reputation of a, much maligned, Doctor and for giving us a glimpse into 'what could have been'. With BF doing the scripting and the stories for Baker in the 1980s, I doubt the show would have attracted as much criticism (allowing Grade the excuse to axe it) and it is highly likely that Baker could have got his wish and outlasted his namesake in the role. So, I admit, I am biased. Which always affects how I react to a BF release with the Sixth Doctor. I try to put this aside and am not afraid of criticising where it is due, but I'll accept that I do come rather favourably towards a Colin Baker release in a way that isn't matched with the other Doctors. With that caveat, I'lI add my two-pennies worth. I really enjoyed this one. I can see why Whovitt would see this as a 'meh' release and, for me, that is part of the charm at least. It does feel like a release that could be part of a Season 22/23 type story and, for me, that adds to the charm of it. Whereas Davison and McCoy's releases were trying to 'do something different' - i.e. launch a companion, this one has a familiar Doctor/companion and the focus can be on the story-telling rather than trying to sketch out a new companion. I am also a real fan of 'murder-mystery' type stories and this one echoed well into that Christie-esque genre. I got that real 'classic-crime vibe' to this one, with the typical 'dash' of class-snobbery and factional squabbling (e.g. The idea of Moro being of an 'upper class' rank and dispensing of those beneath him, the Doctor (also a Time Lord) being forced to work in the mines as a prisoner, women being seen as inferior to men, no-one really noticing the death of a chef (despite it being obvious) or really caring about it). Whilst the way Peri 'solves' it and the fact that the Doctor begins to 'realise' who he is on the penal colony is a little bit flimsy, the story goes move along at a ripping pace and the characters come across well. As ever, Baker shines in this - he gets to play the more arrogant Doctor we saw on TV (the cuddly edges not always so clearly defined here) and the relationship between the Doctor and Peri is good. The other cast come across well - the scenes with the Doctor on the penal colony are enjoyable (Sontaran Snap a highlight) and imaging the Doctor as a dictator is quite enjoyable. Whilst the topic material is sensitive and, quite dark, this is not the Sawardian universe and, thankfully, the entire thing isn't bleak and horrible. I think this is also a story where science-fiction could become reality. The idea of 'fake' memories and trying to work out who people are, what is real and what is not, is sadly, becoming all to real at the moment. There is a prescient warning here, which although not rammed down the listeners' throat, is good food for thought. I also liked it that Moro didn't actually 'know' who he was at the end and the Doctor's speech about heroes and villains was a fitting way of dealing with it. As I have a family member with dementia, this one also hit a personal note - I have seen that family member act like Moro does and sadly, we don't have a memory machine to help us. Overall, I enjoyed this. Whilst it isn't going to be an outstanding release, it is definitely a strong release and bodes well for the rest of the trilogy. Great review! I completely agree with you- and I am also a bit biased concerning Colin. I think so far (I am still only halfway through Legacy, however!), for me, this was the most enjoyable release for this month.
|
|
|
Post by Ian McArdell on Jul 20, 2019 18:59:59 GMT
My take on this has just landed at CultBox: a great concept, well-executed and with some surprising twists and turns.
|
|
|
Post by Hieronymus on Jul 20, 2019 20:16:27 GMT
This story has several legs up on the most recent season of Doctor Who:
a) complex and interesting guest characters b) substantive contributions from the companion c) no "deus ex exposito" from the Doctor d) no direct or simple resolution
And this story would have been more visually interesting (if made for television) than most of the stories in series 11. Chibnall, take note.
|
|
|
Post by slithe on Jul 21, 2019 9:16:52 GMT
This story has several legs up on the most recent season of Doctor Who:
a) complex and interesting guest characters b) substantive contributions from the companion c) no "deus ex exposito" from the Doctor d) no direct or simple resolution
And this story would have been more visually interesting (if made for television) than most of the stories in series 11. Chibnall, take note.
You've encapsulated exactly why I like this one... It is a deceptively simple story that is well structured and makes good use of the guest cast. It avoids the mawkishness that could have been accompanied by a release such as this and refers to the wider continuity of Doctor Who in a way that feels natural and not rammed down the listeners' throat. The flashbacks with Peri are appropriate and serve a point. No big reveals, nothing neatly wrapped up is a big bonus here. The Doctor and Peri have a cracking relationship, which really helps. Probably the best MR release so far this year. Will probably be under-recognised as the Legacy of Time is the key focus this month...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2019 13:09:34 GMT
I decided to listen to Memories of a Tyrant before I tackled The Legacy of Time and I'm glad I did as this is a really good Doctor Who story. For me Memories of a Tyrant is one of the best MR releases of 2019, so far. However, this Doctor Who adventure could easily get left behind in people's memories as a July release with the hyped anniversary set also out this month. So we might need a memory farm to revive this little gem from the depths of our minds one day. Colin Baker steals the show in this story and listening to the pairing of the Sixth Doctor and Peri in action again is like coming home to a comfy pair of slippers. I like the fact that the story doesn't try and be too revolutionary and so we get a reasonably simple, yet very entertaining, story. Memories of a Tyrant is very good and gets a 4/5 from me.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Jul 22, 2019 16:23:07 GMT
Now that Legacy is out and I did listen to it... I have to say, from sheer enjoyment factor, Memories of a Tyrant is my favorite for July. It was just fun listening to Colin and Nicola doing their thing.
|
|
|
Post by fantasticalice on Jul 25, 2019 5:39:15 GMT
I really enjoyed this. My Personal title for it is "Memories of a Tyrant or The Subconscious of the King" I love that they kept the 'tyrant' as a unknown villain. Even when Doctor Who thinks he is the tyrant his reason is "I was about to be deposed... Self Preservation" So although it did make it pretty clear something deeply fishy was going on it continued to frame the Tyrant as a nasty piece of work.
Which is why as a fan of Conscience of the King(Star Trek TOS) I loved this story so much. It reminds me of that story a lot but it goes into completely different territory between the actual tyrant, and what happened. There is never a reason given for the billions of deaths that would ever make the Tyrant sympathetic and we never actually know who Atreus actually is although there are so many poor behaviours within the tale.
I personally like the idea that whoever Moroes is(sp?) he makes it a mission to figure out who he is as a person and to be a good person at the end.
I also think this story did the right thing in never finding out if he was Atreus. The story has much more depth that way.
And back to my memories of Cosncience of the King. The reason why this reminds me so much of it is at first(especially with that ep 2 cliffhanger) I thought that was where it was going and we would see a dark side to the 6th Doctor in a similar situation. The story completely changes up all those ideas and the main similarity between the two pieces are the ideas they bring up.
A college seminar on what makes someone a villain and what makes someone ireddeemable could use both stories as a really flushed out 12 hour series.
And for anyone who hasn't seen Conscience of the King the comparison is very high praise as CotK is often regarded as one of the best TOS episodes.
If BF ever did something similar to Conscience of the King I think it should be about the Conscience of the Seventh Doctor.
But excellent story and although I miss Older Peri stories I think this one really justified its place as a pre Trial tale. There's some really big issues brought up and I fell that after this story Peri will trust the Doctor a lot more.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Jul 29, 2019 18:45:14 GMT
I loved this one. I sometimes mention that the way Colin plays the Doctor on audio is too far in the opposite direction, to the point where it seems like it could be a different incarnation. In this he’s very authentic to telly, albeit with a softer edge, which is how I prefer it. It’s a great performance from him, but Nicola Bryant is the real highlight, putting in a lovely performance and filling in some backstory for Peri. The final scene was very touching.
I did think the last part does go on a bit, but I was enjoying it so much that it doesn’t really matter.
The story has a great central concept, that’s well executed, which makes it quite thought provoking and substantial. I’ve felt these qualities have been sorely lacking in the main range this year, so it’s nice to be back on track!
The trailer for Emissary of the Daleks is very good and Nick Briggs’ deep bass for one of the Daleks is very reminiscent of the Supreme from The Stolen Earth; his best one, I think.
|
|
|
Post by nottenst on Jul 31, 2019 3:08:09 GMT
When the story started and Moro seemed to recognize Peri for some reason, I thought that they were actually going to use The Doctor logically. He has a time machine. They need information about the picture. He goes back in time to that scene, Peri is spotted by whoever Moro really is, they get in some trouble, and return in the 4th act to wrap things up with the actual identity of Moro known.
Instead they went in a completely different direction framing The Doctor with Peri not saying that she has been with The Doctor ever since he regenerated, so there is no way he could have been this tyrant. Still, I was pleased with how she did prove her case. I was suspicious of Offram, but I didn't think that Kennedy would go so far in trying to have his revenge.
Overall it was quite enjoyable.
|
|
|
Post by antartiks on Jul 31, 2019 11:18:23 GMT
Okay, I just decided I'm going to listen to this episode as soon as possible as I met and was able to talk to Nicola Bryant (she's really lovely) last sunday at comic con, hope I enjoy it as much as most of you did!
|
|
|
Post by Whovitt on Jul 31, 2019 11:22:42 GMT
Reading all the love this story is getting, I'm beginning to think I really was just in the wrong mood for it at the time. I might try to fit a re-listen in over the next couple of days (something I rarely ever do with a new release). I'll still have the plot issue I outlined above as that still doesn't make sense to me, but I'm prepared to give the story as a whole a second chance.
|
|
|
Post by slithe on Aug 8, 2019 8:37:34 GMT
Reading all the love this story is getting, I'm beginning to think I really was just in the wrong mood for it at the time. I might try to fit a re-listen in over the next couple of days (something I rarely ever do with a new release). I'll still have the plot issue I outlined above as that still doesn't make sense to me, but I'm prepared to give the story as a whole a second chance. Seriously worth re-listening to again. I listened to the entire story in one go on a long-haul flight and it still stands up incredibly well (I do agree with your plot hole). The last episode is a little bit padded, but there is more than enough material to make this a highly engaging and, original story. The 'fake' memory angle and manipulating events to benefit others politically (and militarily) is sadly too prescient at the moment. The interviews at the end are also worth listening to. I thought it was interesting that Moro was initially to be killed off, but then given a reprieve to work out who he is. Made the whole thing rather poignant. Baker's comment about heroes and villains at the end of Episode 4 is a stand out line and delivered perfectly. It is almost Seventh Doctor-esque and confirms that Baker could have developed his incarnation in that direction had he been given the chance.
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Aug 9, 2019 13:38:40 GMT
Subscriber Extended DL Interviews and PDF Script are now available.
Regards
mark687
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2019 20:57:52 GMT
Just got round to listening to this. Fantastic. One of my favorite stories this year. Joseph Mydell was particularly good, I hope to hear more of him in other stories.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2019 4:27:36 GMT
In a word: Wow.
There is so much to enjoy and unpack here. I love the dynamic between the Doctor and Peri here, it feels as though we could be a hair's breadth from Ravelox and Thoros Beta. I love how naturally the Space Security Service feature in the story. The sheer cleverness of a name like Kennedy for an assassin is fantastic. I love the exploration of Peri's past and the unspoken compassion behind the Doctor taking her to uncover memories of her father. I love the atmosphere, bringing back memories of the mental claymation for The Sandman which I always did in my head. I loved the performances and how natural all the dialogue felt as acted/directed.
And I loved the ending. There are no easy answers for Moro, nor can the Doctor provide them. Testament to how we handle our own memories, in a way. Which memories do we as the audience truly believe? Is Moro a slave, a tyrant or something in between? How much of not just his memories, but the memories of those around him, define who he is today and into the future? Wonderful questions from a fantastic story.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2019 6:18:13 GMT
Hang on, I thought the older Peri stories were after the Trial.... Maybe I misunderstood but didn’t they say in the extras that this was supposed to be during the TV run? In a period they got to know each other better, a while before the trial? So are Memories and emissary set pre trial? Maybe I got mixed up somewhere along the way lol? Understandable time travel is a tricky thing🤪
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Aug 25, 2019 7:58:58 GMT
Maybe I misunderstood but didn’t they say in the extras that this was supposed to be during the TV run? In a period they got to know each other better, a while before the trial? So are Memories and emissary set pre trial? Maybe I got mixed up somewhere along the way lol? Understandable time travel is a tricky thing🤪 This is the reason they used the title music they normally use for Davison and not the one we usually associate with Colin.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2019 8:04:09 GMT
So are Memories and emissary set pre trial? Maybe I got mixed up somewhere along the way lol? Understandable time travel is a tricky thing🤪 This is the reason they used the title music they normally use for Davison and not the one we usually associate with Colin. Ahhh that clears that up in my head as to the timeline Am I right that the Peri Boxset will be set after Trial?
|
|