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Post by shallacatop on Oct 31, 2018 15:03:11 GMT
Blimey, this is disappointing.
It’s been really interesting reading the comments in this thread and the discussion about whether traditional is good or bad. I have no issues with traditional, it’s what Justin Richards does and he typically produces a fine Doctor Who story, if not groundbreaking. This isn’t traditional, though, it’s generic. So generic there’s nothing to it.
Part 1 is just the Doctor scoffing and drinking his way from scene to scene. The cliffhanger is that the MacQueen Master is behind it all! We only have to look at the front cover to know that. Part 2 and 3 doesn’t advance the story. The dialogue is clunky. The Doctor is written as an absolute basic version of the character; it could be any of them performing this. The Master isn’t in it a great deal, which isn’t an issue as such (he’s barely in And You Will Obey Me and that’s brilliant), but when he’s in it, I didn’t feel like there’s any presence. It could be any other villain. His plan is a lesser rehash of The Mind of Evil and The Keeper of Traken.
When the Doctor and the Master do encounter each other, the dialogue is dull. There’s no spark. There’s no energy. Heather is pretty good, well performed by Kate Kennedy, but I think she dominates the story a little too much. It doesn’t help the story in any case.
Big Finish asked Justin Richards to write a story featuring Colin Baker’s Doctor and Alex MacQueen’s Master. He delivered; it’s just a shame it’s so generic and lifeless.
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Post by tuigirl on Oct 31, 2018 15:11:39 GMT
Hmm... I have seen all the reviews for this one and I really appear to be the odd one out. I really thought this was very enjoyable. Yes, it was generic, but for some reason I really liked it, and I have already listened to it a couple of times (maybe I am just biased because I love Colin). I also remember that I did not like "the two Masters" when I listened to it. I should really do a re-listen to find out if that really was bad or if I just did not pay anough attention (I was listening to it on a train journey). Now I am really tempted to also get the first one in the trilogy, which I still have not aquired, because the reviews were kind of "meh" and I am not the biggest fan of the 5th Doctor. Definitely one I might check out on a sale, who knows, maybe my tastes are just different...
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Post by shallacatop on Oct 31, 2018 15:38:56 GMT
I’m glad you liked it. It’s brilliant that we have Doctor Who, which is so varied and gives us a sheer amount of different stories that we all have differing opinions on.
I’m not a massive fan of the Sixth Doctor, both on TV and audio. I like him well enough, but he’s just sort of “there” for me. I’m not one of those who thinks Big Finish have caused him to be reappraised as I think what we have on TV and what we have on audio are, on the whole, completely different incarnations. But when he’s a mashup of both, I think Colin really shines on audio. Jubilee, The Holy Terror, the two Classic Doctors, New Monsters and End of the Line spring to mind instantly.
I’d recommend And You Will Obey Me. I think Peter is fantastic on audio. His aged voice helps his portrayal a lot, I think, and the sarcastic tendencies he shows on TV work well on audio too, when he’s given the opportunity to showcase his Doctor. Not something I always felt he got on telly. We don’t get solo Fifth Doctor stories very often, but I think they’re a real treat when we do. I wish we would get more of them, as they feel like Big Finish are crafting a new era for him, but he has very few gaps in his on screen tenure, sadly.
I’m very much looking forward to The Two Masters.
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Post by tuigirl on Oct 31, 2018 16:18:46 GMT
I’m glad you liked it. It’s brilliant that we have Doctor Who, which is so varied and gives us a sheer amount of different stories that we all have differing opinions on. I’m not a massive fan of the Sixth Doctor, both on TV and audio. I like him well enough, but he’s just sort of “there” for me. I’m not one of those who thinks Big Finish have caused him to be reappraised as I think what we have on TV and what we have on audio are, on the whole, completely different incarnations. But when he’s a mashup of both, I think Colin really shines on audio. Jubilee, The Holy Terror, the two Classic Doctors, New Monsters and End of the Line spring to mind instantly. I’d recommend And You Will Obey Me. I think Peter is fantastic on audio. His aged voice helps his portrayal a lot, I think, and the sarcastic tendencies he shows on TV work well on audio too, when he’s given the opportunity to showcase his Doctor. Not something I always felt he got on telly. We don’t get solo Fifth Doctor stories very often, but I think they’re a real treat when we do. I wish we would get more of them, as they feel like Big Finish are crafting a new era for him, but he has very few gaps in his on screen tenure, sadly. I’m very much looking forward to The Two Masters. Yes, you are right. Diversity and different opinions is what enables us to have healthy discussions in the first place. Funny, I have exactly the same feelings towards Peter's Doctor as you have towards Colin's.
I cannot even really explain why that is, there are certain people I could just listen to all day, like Colin, McGann, Tennant (in documentaries and audiobooks, not as the 10th Doctor), but I somehow never clicked with Peter.
I will certainly keep "And you will obey me" on my wishlist- I did enjoy Geoffrey Beevers in this month's short trip very much.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2021 15:02:51 GMT
You know MCQueen is a great Master and he spars well against Colins Doctor.Its a pretty straightforward story but i find McQueens delivery of what he really thinks of The Blanks is quite chilling in his disregard for life and love the little nods to the past adventures.Heather Threadstone really could have worked as a companion too. Its an enjoyable enough tale and i guess it also works in that McQueens Master hasn’t really been totally overused by BF which is kind of unusual for BF i mean look at 11 he is now in everything he is in danger of being one of those Oh Not Him Again characters (either that or they spread out his usage)I mean they have Tom Baker locked in till 2064 😂 with releases.Some Characters they need to do same. Maybe lock the Daleks up too when they bring an end to the Time War finally. Anyways off track,really enjoyed this story again...it benefitted actually from knowing the MR is finished as i think when it was ongoing i very much was always looking to far ahead on releases instead of totally enjoying something ,if that makes sense
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Post by grinch on Nov 17, 2021 15:21:59 GMT
You know MCQueen is a great Master and he spars well against Colins Doctor.Its a pretty straightforward story but i find McQueens delivery of what he really thinks of The Blanks is quite chilling in his disregard for life and love the little nods to the past adventures.Heather Threadstone really could have worked as a companion too. Its an enjoyable enough tale and i guess it also works in that McQueens Master hasn’t really been totally overused by BF which is kind of unusual for BF i mean look at 11 he is now in everything he is in danger of being one of those Oh Not Him Again characters (either that or they spread out his usage)I mean they have Tom Baker locked in till 2064 😂 with releases.Some Characters they need to do same. Maybe lock the Daleks up too when they bring an end to the Time War finally. Anyways off track,really enjoyed this story again...it benefitted actually from knowing the MR is finished as i think when it was ongoing i very much was always looking to far ahead on releases instead of totally enjoying something ,if that makes sense I can only presume MacQueen’s absence is due to the fact he’s probably very busy. As one of the more popular incarnations I expect we’ll see more of him down the line in any case.
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Post by masterdoctor on Nov 21, 2023 2:21:13 GMT
I unfortunately still found this to be a very middle of the road middle installment in the trilogy. I think it just ends up being massively generic in the plot and how The Master is utilized. The dialogue is fine but doesn’t really go anything beyond functional. Thankful that the other two stories are so strong!
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