melkur
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,967
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Post by melkur on Sept 7, 2022 22:01:46 GMT
I don't know if I would strictly listen to this release regularly, I enjoyed this set & would happily give it a listen to every once in a while when the mood takes. The six-part format was nice and allowed a little bit of 'breathing room' (even for a story that's three-and-a-quarter hours long ). {Spoiler} The cameo near the end was a nice touch, I will say.
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Post by elkawho on Sept 8, 2022 13:35:37 GMT
I loved this. Great performances in a very well-written, pacey and interesting story. Peter was great as both versions of himself but John Culshaw knocked it out of the park with all THREE of his characters.
This is the first post-MR release for the 5th, 6th and 7th, other than The Eleven early on, that I really loved. I liked Forty, Vol 1 very much, but this was better.
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Post by Who Review on Sept 8, 2022 13:56:14 GMT
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Post by bonehead on Sept 8, 2022 13:57:12 GMT
I loved this too.
There are plenty of continuity nudges here – nothing to spoil the listener’s enjoyment of Forty 2 – and some of them I didn’t quite get because I don’t have every Big Finish 5DA. Doesn’t matter. This is still great fun throughout, and lots of good moments for the large cast of characters – some good heart-to-heart moments, and some frostier ones. These wonderful six episodes provide enough time for nice moments such as these, and really, this approach feels what a box-set should be about, rather than three hasty tales where fine actors turn up to play characters who advance the plotline and little else. I’m not saying every set should be a six-parter – although I wouldn’t mind if that happened – but the three-disc running time is awkward, and provides us with shorter stories which, however good they may or may not be, come over as more disposable than big, chunky tales like this.
Lots of twists, some terrifically good cliffhangers (although perhaps the Master’s laugh is lingered on a little too long), great, sometimes sardonic performances and good cinematic sound design. This is excellent, and alongside Jekyll and Hyde and The First Doctor set, is a definite highlight in a rather rocky 2022 for BF.
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Post by antartiks on Sept 8, 2022 16:11:40 GMT
I didn't expect to be reading so many positive reviews. I haven't listened to Forty 1 however, given I wasn't really interested in doing so. Do I need to listen to it first, before buying Forty 2 ?
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Post by mark687 on Sept 8, 2022 16:21:56 GMT
I didn't expect to be reading so many positive reviews. I haven't listened to Forty 1 however, given I wasn't really interested in doing so. Do I need to listen to it first, before buying Forty 2 ? No its all covered in this story Regards mark687
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Post by antartiks on Sept 8, 2022 17:04:48 GMT
I didn't expect to be reading so many positive reviews. I haven't listened to Forty 1 however, given I wasn't really interested in doing so. Do I need to listen to it first, before buying Forty 2 ? No its all covered in this story Regards mark687 I see, thanks for the clarification. Tim Foley is currently one of my favorite writers so I'm glad Forty 2 seems to be as good as I had hoped, since we've only gotten 6 hours of Fifth Doctor content in 2022.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Sept 8, 2022 20:46:01 GMT
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Post by theillusiveman on Sept 9, 2022 11:14:20 GMT
I didn't expect to be reading so many positive reviews. I haven't listened to Forty 1 however, given I wasn't really interested in doing so. Do I need to listen to it first, before buying Forty 2 ? It has a recap in the beginning of part one
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Post by martinw8686 on Sept 10, 2022 0:26:21 GMT
All the cast are very good in this story, I've been negative about Tegan in the past but I must say after listening to four episodes she's on fine form, I've found her too critical of the Doctor in some Big Finish stories but here she's great, she's coming to the end of her time with the Doctor but appreciates the wonders she seen with him.
Turlough gets some great scenes with the Brigadier that call back to Madrwyn Undead, Jon Culshaw continues to amaze with his recreations of classic characters.
Peter Davidson gets a really Juicy plot for his fifth Doctor and is always compelling in the lead role.
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Post by BHTvsTFC on Sept 10, 2022 8:01:41 GMT
Just finished this and, contrary to other opinions, I found it to be laboriously hard work. Even for a celebratory story the continuity references and nods to the era were overwhelming in the extreme. The placement was a tad pointless given that it had no relevance to the preceding story. Five and Tegan are my favourite Doctor and Companion and as a rule I race through their stories, but this felt like just a long string of nods to other stories rather than a story in it's own right. The Brigadier's inclusion felt a bit pointless and the UNIT stuff very uninspired.
As much as I love Jon Culshaw's approach to the characters his Ainley felt a bit off and too close to his Delgado in places. In the TLV Short Trip he sounded like an older Ainley possibly realising his body is wearing thin and he got away with it. Here, he sounds out of place compared with the real Ainley's eccentric, immediate and off the wall performances. But that was always going to be difficult to replicate to be fair.
It wasn't all bad. I did like Prodigal and thought the Auton twist was quite intriguing. And Kamelion's inclusion was a lot better done than I was expecting. I will relisten before casting my vote as, like I said, there was a lot here to take in in one go.
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Post by martinw8686 on Sept 10, 2022 21:29:07 GMT
Is the ending leading into Resurrection of the Daleks? It's been awhile since I last watched season 22.
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Post by mark687 on Sept 10, 2022 21:48:59 GMT
Is the ending leading into Resurrection of the Daleks? It's been awhile since I last watched season 22. implied to be the case. Regards mark687
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Post by ollychops on Sept 11, 2022 19:36:14 GMT
As someone who isn’t particularly crazy about the Fifth Doctor or six parters, I have to say I loved this story. Despite being six parts, it was pacy and breezed along nicely. I really loved the Nestene/Auton lore - for me, this is potentially their best outing.
Everything about this story worked for me, which I’m glad about given that I was more lukewarm about the first set.
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Post by shallacatop on Sept 14, 2022 11:33:39 GMT
I can’t think of a better word for The Auton Infinity than baffling, to be honest. I’m really not sure what it was trying to do. I don’t disagree with others saying it’s pacy, it definitely is, yet it’s overlong and didn’t seem to achieve anything. It isn’t a story in its own right. It’s just a tick box of various characters, elements and references strung together across six parts, that’s actually the length of an eight parter on screen. We spend the first two parts with barely any progression or involvement from the Doctor, Tegan & Turlough.
I try not to get too worked up over story placements, but I thought this one was particularly egregious. It’s just done for the sake of doing it and it feels like an insult to others who have penned stories in that same gap without any justification for it. There’d have been great scope for more Tegan & Turlough stories where Tegan really decided it’s stopped being fun.
I thought Culshaw was the weak link of the production, surprisingly. He seems to have gotten stuck in the rough patch Tim Treloar experienced a couple of years ago in the 3DAs. It doesn’t help that his Brigadier is very much the Third Doctor version, which becomes very prevalent when he’s meant to be portraying the older one, as in the 9DAs recently. His Ainley Master isn’t great either, it’s very mannered and almost like he’s playing an older version we may have gotten in the 90s. A lovely impression for a Short Trips, but not as a full cast performance.
It’s not just Culshaw, though, I think it’s just a weak production in general. I can’t work out if it’s writing, script editing or direction; realistically a mixture of all three. Everyone is saying their lines, but they either can’t sell the sheer amount of exposition or everyone was recorded isolated and their lines edited together. You’ve got Davison acting his socks off and everyone else feels so lifeless and are saying the lines, but aren’t performing them opposite him and providing a compelling scene. It’s probably best showcased in every scene between Tegan & Prodigal; I just can’t imagine them as characters interacting. It’s just Janet Fielding and Juliet Aubrey reading the script. There’s so much potential in Prodigal, it just never comes to fruition. The whole supporting cast is superfluous to requirements.
Credit where credit is due, however, Davison is faultless. I just adore his Doctor on audio. He gets his platform in a way he didn’t always get on screen, and his older voice and sarcastic edge works so well against that youthful persona you’re imagining. The different performances he puts on across this are fantastic. I loved his scenes with Kamelion; I’d never have guessed Kamelion would contribute to the best thing about the story!
I also thought the music and sound design was great. I really liked the Auton lore and felt their involvement was well done. And I liked the build up in Part 1. Part 5 and 6 were improved, but were ultimately hindered by everything that had come before.
It’s a better story than the two in Forty 1, but that’s faint praise. The whole Forty arc isn’t very compelling and the way it comes to a close in The Auton Infinity isn’t at all satisfying. I don’t really buy the emphasis of Adric across the set either because it falls flat due to Marc’s existence and suffering a similar fate. It’s also just the odd mention whenever it serves the story, rather than something possessing any depth or meaning.
I’m not really sure what the thought process behind this “celebration” was, but I think I’d have much preferred a condensed and streamlined version of what we got. Told in one set across eight parts as one whole. Better still, just three terrific Fifth Doctor tales with three different TARDIS lineups. It feels like a substantial blip in what’s been a terrific run for Five over the past few years.
I do hope we get more longer stories, as I think there’s a lot of scope to six parters or beyond. I just felt The Auton Infinity wasn’t suitable and it didn’t help that every part was overlong, to the point where it’s the format of six, but the length of close to eight.
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Post by Timelord007 on Sept 17, 2022 8:06:02 GMT
A entertaining unique audio drama, a interesting story, great characters,superb sound design & wonderfully acted by the cast.
Been impressed with both box sets.
4/5.
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Post by Chakoteya on Sept 19, 2022 9:31:45 GMT
A tour de force from the writers and actors. Well done Jon Culshaw for doing THREE characters in one story, and Peter Davison for TWO versions of the Doctor. Poignant, thoughtful, a tad baffling at times, but all eventually pulling together with the first volume for a grand finale. This is the sort of thing that audio can do waaaaaay better than video. Fingers crossed the other incarnations get a Ruby (or maybe even Golden? ) anniversary set of as high a quality.
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Post by BHTvsTFC on Sept 19, 2022 16:25:11 GMT
Had a relisten and it's not quite as stuffy as I thought. Giving it a three!
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Post by constonks on Sept 22, 2022 18:05:51 GMT
Three episodes in and the most exciting thing of all is that it feels like Part 1-3 of a four partner but it's only the halfway point. Each episode has ended strong and I'm excited to see where it goes next!
EDIT: Have finished it now - loved it! (Was hoping we'd get that little cameo to round things off!)
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Oct 5, 2022 9:36:10 GMT
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