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Post by mark687 on Nov 14, 2019 14:44:27 GMT
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Post by barnabaslives on Nov 15, 2019 1:14:17 GMT
I really liked this. Very engaging story, very well performed, and maybe just me but it really felt like a story from the classic TV years.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Nov 15, 2019 1:48:33 GMT
I really liked this. Very engaging story, very well performed, and maybe just me but it really felt like a story from the classic TV years. Which would rather be the point, yes?
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Post by barnabaslives on Nov 15, 2019 4:58:40 GMT
I really liked this. Very engaging story, very well performed, and maybe just me but it really felt like a story from the classic TV years. Which would rather be the point, yes? Of course. :-) - but I marvel at the story actually achieving this, because if you asked me what about it seemed so much like an 80s episode to me, I couldn't begin to tell you. They just did it somehow - mysteriously, magically :-) Well, if it works the same way on others, it certainly is what it says on the label. :-)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2019 8:56:25 GMT
Listened to the first episode of this on the walk into work and really liked it.
I agree, it felt very much like an off-screen recording from an '80s episode (with more polished audio of course!) which is an impressive feat to pull off. Big Finish are generally great at this but absolutely nailed it here.
I also liked being dropped into the action without a TARDIS-based preamble. I know these scenes are a tradition but they can seem like a waiting game while the plot arrives! Whereas this is very immediate and grabs your attention with an intriguing mystery. Already looking forward to listening to the second part later today.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2019 11:36:55 GMT
Which would rather be the point, yes? Of course. :-) - but I marvel at the story actually achieving this, because if you asked me what about it seemed so much like an 80s episode to me, I couldn't begin to tell you. They just did it somehow - mysteriously, magically :-) At the risk of straying off-topic, I also found this to be the case with the The Utimate Evil audio. Watching The Two Doctors recently, it struck me how joyous the team seemed to be, how much everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, albeit telling a fairly grim story. There is that sense of joyousness with The Ultimate Evil adaption also, which is infectious. I'm glad to see a similar thing occurs with The Nightmare Country, which I'll be listening to within the hour ...
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Post by elkawho on Nov 16, 2019 0:02:38 GMT
It sounds like it's just me, but I didn't think this sounded like an 80's story. I hate to say it, but it was too good, and the characters too well written. Not the least of which was Tegan. I am not a fan of her's on TV. I find her too shrill and way too loud, whiney and irritating. Too willing to blame The Doctor for everything and completely unwilling, or unable to appreciate to wonder of the universe and the opportunity that fell into her lap. The fact that JNT would not allow any humor or any show of affection between the Tardis team only hurt her character. However, I have grown to love her on audio. Once she was allowed to have more dimensions to her character and given a chance to breath on BF, she has become what she could have been on TV. Here, Janet Fielding was allowed to show all of those sides of Tegan, even the lovely response to the hug he gives her (it still is her). A hug! That would never have happened during Five's era, however it makes sense, and tells a lot about their relationship in a short time. So maybe this is the "how BF would have done Five), however, they do that constantly!
All this is just me saying how much I loved this story. I loved every minute of it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2019 15:10:33 GMT
This is excellent. As elkawho has said, this really benefits from the BF treatment. I loved many things JNT brought to Doctor Who, but his decision to remove much of the humour from Peter Davison's era did it few favours, and failed to make the most of the regular cast's talent for occasionally funny, more character-driven stuff. Terminus came across as rather po-faced on television as a result of this. Here, Tegan and Turlough actually have a relationship (not that kind!) that is believable and real. Its great to hear Mark Strickson playing a version of his character spoiling for a fight, and Janet helping to make Tegan hugely appealing. Peter Davison is terrific as he always is.
Stephen Gallagher brought to air one of my favourite Who tales with Warriors Gate. Much of that story's complexity is here too, with some mind-boggling concepts that produce some great characters and fascinating results. You never quite know who is who. Also, much of this is very Moffat-like to me, what with 'Big Bob' and the wooden spaceship - some refreshing and eccentric concepts. I really hope Gallagher joins the ranks of TV writers coming over to audio - he'd be a great regular addition.
10 out of 10 for the extras, too!
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Post by tuigirl on Nov 17, 2019 15:27:16 GMT
Hmm. I admit I am not really sold on this story. I am however missing the nostalgia relation here, so that might explain a lack of connection for me. If I had to characterize this story, I would call it a typical 5th Doctor story, for which I often can hardly raise any enthusiasm. However, there were a few nice scenes, including the "So we are doing hugging now?" scene. Tegan and Turlough were great and for me they were the best part of this story. The plot... nothing really new and the resolution reminded me very much of similar stories in Star Trek.
I am happy for everyone who got something out of it, but it is not really my cup of tea.
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Post by chronotis on Nov 20, 2019 5:06:00 GMT
I absolutely loved loved loved this. Perfectly captures everything I love about Season 21. I'm already having to convince my brain that it wasn't on TV.
The 5th Doctor's Lost Stories have been wonderful so far. Loups-Garoux, The Elite, Children of Seth and now Nightmare Country have all been phenomenally good. Hexagora has been my least favourite, and even that is very good.
Hopefully we get Davison Lost Stories in the near future.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Nov 20, 2019 5:36:33 GMT
I absolutely loved loved loved this. Perfectly captures everything I love about Season 21. I'm already having to convince my brain that it wasn't on TV. The 5th Doctor's Lost Stories have been wonderful so far. Loups-Garoux, The Elite, Children of Seth and now Nightmare Country have all been phenomenally good. Hexagora has been my least favourite, and even that is very good. Hopefully we get Davison Lost Stories in the near future. Are there any/many stories left?
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Post by chronotis on Nov 20, 2019 6:01:56 GMT
I absolutely loved loved loved this. Perfectly captures everything I love about Season 21. I'm already having to convince my brain that it wasn't on TV. The 5th Doctor's Lost Stories have been wonderful so far. Loups-Garoux, The Elite, Children of Seth and now Nightmare Country have all been phenomenally good. Hexagora has been my least favourite, and even that is very good. Hopefully we get Davison Lost Stories in the near future. Are there any/many stories left? I'm sure there were many more submitted, the question is how many still exist.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2019 9:31:07 GMT
I absolutely loved loved loved this. Perfectly captures everything I love about Season 21. I'm already having to convince my brain that it wasn't on TV. The 5th Doctor's Lost Stories have been wonderful so far. Loups-Garoux, The Elite, Children of Seth and now Nightmare Country have all been phenomenally good. Hexagora has been my least favourite, and even that is very good. Hopefully we get Davison Lost Stories in the near future. Are there any/many stories left? Yes and no...yes there are plenty that were at least submitted and worked on to some extent. No in that there aren't all that many that got further than the basics and even fewer that really deserved to go much beyond the idea stage. Some stories were "lost" for a reason. And quite a few that did have a germ of an idea have since had that idea used elsewhere (Gerry Davis' Genesis Of The Cybermen most obviously for BF fans treads ground similiar to Spare Parts.) Project Theta Sigma, to use an example, was John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch's alternate first story for Davison, in place of Castrovalva, but JNT and Anthony Root weren't keen on it and kaiboshed it early on. I think that as much as it's nice to see some more Lost Stories surface, what I wouldn't want to see is the range be bogged down by stories that were never really going to be considered, were low quality or were just vague notions rather than fleshed out ideas.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Nov 22, 2019 16:28:32 GMT
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Post by number13 on Nov 23, 2019 22:38:01 GMT
That was excellent, really excellent. I'd intended to spread out my listening a bit but no chance, a late evening resulted and well worth it. A well-imagined world full of ruins and catacombs and monsters, all very 'Doctor Who' - and then the big twist of the Reality Engine and the Engineers, quite a mind-stretching concept and just what I might have expected from the writer of 'Warriors' Gate', a story I love. And this is another.
I agree with elka and paz and others who've said the characters and relationships of the TARDIS crew are of now, not then - the warmth and humour of Tegan knowing that Turlough cheated on who would enter the Reality Engine - but she let him get away with it because she knew she was the best person for the job! And I thought the way Turlough took command back in the TARDIS as if it was the most natural thing in the world was very much as we would expect now from a young officer (Lieutenant wasn't it?), a prince of Trion from a family born to rule - which we didn't yet know about him then of course. (And he only 'breaks cover' when the Doctor and Tegan aren't there to see him do it.)
A great story for the Fifth Doctor - made uncertain by the memory block, he has to interact as an equal in the Reality Engine world then deduce and almost feel his way out of the situation before eventually finding the solution. That wouldn't have worked so well for those various Doctors who tend to work from a position of authority, but for Five it's perfect. And no real villain! Just an engineer pushing beyond his own abilities (unethically but not with evil intent) and unable to cope when things go pear-shaped, and his 'sorcerer's apprentice' bringing his brilliance and his demons from a war-torn childhood, very well imagined.
The ending was quite a moment - they may be copies, but (in the complex way of this story) in that world they're equally the real Doctor and Tegan. Brave heart, listeners. A great story, 5*
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Post by Ian McArdell on Nov 24, 2019 11:28:24 GMT
My take on Nightmare Country is now up at Cultbox: "...a real treat from one of the show’s most imaginative writers, one we did not really know we were missing."
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
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Post by lidar2 on Nov 28, 2019 9:36:30 GMT
Great story. Easily Gallagher's best script for the series. More drama that Terminus and less esoteric than Warrior's Gate.
Interestingly, the first "proper" season 21 story BF have done - all other stories have Tegan and/or Turlough off screen - and it is long overdue.
Hopefully Gallagher will write more for BF
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Post by Timelord007 on Dec 13, 2019 11:10:04 GMT
Need t relisten tw part 4 again i wasn't giving the audio my full attention because i was distractex, the ending seemed rather abrupt, hopefully upn secnd listen it'll make sense.
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Post by Tim Bradley on Dec 13, 2019 11:36:38 GMT
Need t relisten tw part 4 again i wasn't giving the audio my full attention because i was distractex, the ending seemed rather abrupt, hopefully upn secnd listen it'll make sense. If it makes you feel any better, I had to relisten to the last scene again and again to make sure I wasn't hearing things.
Tim.
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Post by Timelord007 on Dec 13, 2019 14:47:43 GMT
Need t relisten tw part 4 again i wasn't giving the audio my full attention because i was distractex, the ending seemed rather abrupt, hopefully upn secnd listen it'll make sense. If it makes you feel any better, I had to relisten to the last scene again and again to make sure I wasn't hearing things.
Tim.
Phew that's good to hear my friend, i wasn't quite giving the story my full attention but listen to last part again later on.
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