Post by aztec on Jan 10, 2017 14:28:53 GMT
Jan 10, 2017 6:38:56 GMT @timelord007 said:
I've found the second season of the Divergent arc to be a generally very good set of stories with a very disappointing finale.
I didn't really feel like the move to an alternate universe was justified-most of the stories could have happened in the regular Who universe, McGann sounded bored in a couple of the stories, the Charley/Doctor being in love revelation from Scherzo was quietly pushed aside for some reason, Rassilon and the Kro'Ka were underutilized and C'Rizz veered between being a very intriguing addition to the team, and a forgettable third wheel in the partnership.
A mostly enjoyable run of stories, but a muddled attempt at doing something different i.m.o.
I may be along in this but I often wonder if the Divergent Universe arc would have been better received if BF had either A) stuck with the original plan-I've read that Gary Russell originally planned to do 4-6 'seasons' of McGann stories set in the D.U, which may have dragged out slighty but would have given the new tardis team more time to develop* and i.m.o allowed for a better balance between stand alone stories experimenting with the format and arc based stories drip feeding new information about the New Universe, it wouldn't have felt as rushed, Rassilon and C'Rizz would have more to do and The Next Life would perhaps have been more of an epic ending, maybe BF would have killed off C'Rizz (or even Charlie as well) here instead. or B) Released the arc in a Dark Eyes/Doom Coalition style run of boxsets.
I'd honestly love to hear a couple of Short trips set in the D.U for old times sake.
Then again McGann was apparently thinking about retiring from the audios at the time, so it's probably for the best.
Perhaps The Divergent Universe arc would have been better recieved if it was part of the BBC EDA's, as they would have the benefit of being longer and prose description.
*Edit according to wiki:
The Eighth Doctor's time in the "divergent universe" was originally planned to go on longer than the eight audio stories produced. However, due to the series returning to television in 2005, it was decided to end the arc early as so not to alienate any new listeners that Big Finish Productions might acquire as a result of the TV revival.
Several of the Eighth Doctor audio plays released after The Next Life, the last story set in the "divergent universe", were rewritten to take their new setting into account. However, some of these stories still feature remnants of ideas that seem more suited to the "divergent universe" arc, for example, the experiments and sealed off worlds as featured in Scaredy Cat.
In an interview with fanzine "The Finished Product", producer Gary Russell revealed that a third season of stories set within the divergent universe was planned and would likely have comprised of:
A season opener, possibly written by Gary Hopkins.
Scaredy Cat
Something Inside
Time Works
A fourth and final season in the divergent universe was also planned that would have concluded with The Next Life.
Several of the Eighth Doctor audio plays released after The Next Life, the last story set in the "divergent universe", were rewritten to take their new setting into account. However, some of these stories still feature remnants of ideas that seem more suited to the "divergent universe" arc, for example, the experiments and sealed off worlds as featured in Scaredy Cat.
In an interview with fanzine "The Finished Product", producer Gary Russell revealed that a third season of stories set within the divergent universe was planned and would likely have comprised of:
A season opener, possibly written by Gary Hopkins.
Scaredy Cat
Something Inside
Time Works
A fourth and final season in the divergent universe was also planned that would have concluded with The Next Life.