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Post by number13 on May 26, 2017 18:59:00 GMT
Ok. To narrow it down Who did tv unit meet... AUTONS. .. done Silurians... done Primords... unlikely. The master... Maybe? ! Daleks... too much Cyber men. ..in a cc Spiders... Hmmm Mad buddists Androids... Omega... and his 3 oils... A bunch of scientists The master... again. Morgane! Ooooooh more Arthur nonsense please. Did I miss anyone? Anyone else? Zygons Azal The mysterious 'Ambassadors of Death' - whoever they really were? Axos Sontarans (very briefly at the start of The Time Warrior) Krynoids
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Post by acousticwolf on May 26, 2017 19:12:19 GMT
Two stories in and loving the mix of old and new. The only thing I'm not keen on is the howling Silurian Ice warriors. Jo and the Sea Devils more than make up for it though and great to hear Benton and Yates with Kate and Osgood. Was it my imagination or were they about to confirm that Osgood was like her father ? Cheers Tony
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Stan
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Post by Stan on May 26, 2017 21:31:53 GMT
This is a very good series. Can’t remember the last one I enjoyed; I know I did, but seem a bit vague.
As noted ‘new series’ Silurains have some distracting problems: the howling is awful.
Remind me when was it said Silurains were cold blooded? Thought they would update this view that birds and dinosaurs are one in the same.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2017 23:56:38 GMT
I've only listened to part 1 so far, but I must say I particularly enjoyed Levene's Benton performance in this. Felt like he stepped right back into the role without a single care (his, sadly only, companion chronicle was really good way back when, too). Hopefully this was a much happier experience all round, because I'd love to hear a lot more Benton from Big Finish in the future. Everyone else was in fine form, too, even Redgrave sounded a bit livelier than she often has in previous sets.
The only minor nitpicks I have against this one is that there was a bit of a confusing scene transition at one point, where it wasn't immediately obvious there had been a scene change, which could have been made a touch clearer. And the Silurian howling was a bit odd and out of place. Oh, and I can't say I was much of a fan of Noddy the Silurian's voice, either. But all are minor quibbles in what was an effortlessly enjoyable episode overall.
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Post by Whovitt on May 27, 2017 1:52:32 GMT
Okay, so I've heard the whole box set now, and on the whole it was pretty good. Tidal Wave was fantastic! I got chills the first time a Sea Devil spoke - I wish Big Finish had used them more often before now (I believe they have only appeared in a single Bernice Summerfield release?). Katy Manning was great, and I like how they stayed faithful to her Sarah Jane Adventures characterisation, even making reference to her appearance in it (which confuses me - surely to make reference to it would mean they'd need a Sarah Jane Adventures license, or does that come under a New Series license? I'm confused). Osgood was also adorable I enjoyed Retrieval a little less than Tidal Wave, mainly due to what seemed (to me, at least) a couple of instances of very clunky expositional dialogue (specifically the scene where Kate drops her torch and gun, which she felt she needed to say twice before Osgood could get a word in) that really pulled me out of the story, but it was still good. United was pretty good too, but even though I was giving it 100% of my attention there are still things that happened that I have no idea how they were achieved (for instance, how did Osgood and Josh get from the boat back to land?). There was no howling in this episodes (bonus points!) but the weird hissing was, which was still a bit distracting. Overall I DID enjoy this set, but it is probably my least favourite of the new UNIT series so far; given the calibre of the previous releases though, that does not mean that this set is anything less than great
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Post by TinDogPodcast on May 27, 2017 9:06:11 GMT
Two stories in and loving the mix of old and new. The only thing I'm not keen on is the howling Silurian Ice warriors. Jo and the Sea Devils more than make up for it though and great to hear Benton and Yates with Kate and Osgood. Was it my imagination or were they about to confirm that Osgood was like her father ? Cheers Tony There an is an osgood in the deamons. Guessing that's it. He is the engineer who builds the barrier breaker.
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Post by dalekbuster523finish on May 27, 2017 9:16:50 GMT
. Katy Manning was great, and I like how they stayed faithful to her Sarah Jane Adventures characterisation, even making reference to her appearance in it (which confuses me - surely to make reference to it would mean they'd need a Sarah Jane Adventures license, or does that come under a New Series license? I'm confused They referenced Name of The Doctor in The Beginning before they had the new series licence. Sounds like a good set. How standalone are they, out of interest? I don't really care for Kate and Osgood on TV, so I was wondering if I'd be better off just getting the Silenced and Assembled sets if they put the UNIT stuff on sale again at some point. I would have considered buying Silenced and Assembled during the last sale of The Two Masters hadn't been reduced at the same time and I wasn't planning on pre-ordering The Lives of Captain Jack.
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Post by number13 on May 27, 2017 12:40:46 GMT
Tidal WaveA brilliant story as my favourite companion and the excellent Osgood find themselves in an adventure where the central theme is (effectively) a nostalgic remake of 'The Sea Devils' with a positive twist. It's (obviously) a different colony of "Sea Devils", the agent provocateur is different and this time it's UNIT on the other side instead of the Navy, but this story is partly a 'what if'. What if the Doctor had succeeded in making peace between reptiles and apes, as he so nearly did - but for the efforts of the Master and Mr Blimp from the Ministry? It's exciting and very satisfying as wonderful Jo (Grant as I still think of her) uses all the skills she learned from the Doctor to do what even he could not. 'The Sea Devils' was a rare defeat for the Doctor, so it's great to see Jo redress the balance. But of course, things are never that simple - I liked the depiction of the Sea Devils as reptile people with their own individual pasts, triumphs - and secrets. The Sea Devil scientist's guilty secret is going to cause real problems, despite his reget and Jo's peacemaking efforts. Because this is only halftime and Jastrok's plan has a long way to go... So, a gripping action story, but for me the real joy was spending an hour in the company of Jo, and Osgood, breathless with excitement at meeting such a legend from UNIT's past. Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning were the Doctor and Companion I grew up with, so any new story with Katy Manning's Jo is a treat and this one was no exception. She and Ingrid Oliver made a superb double act as Jo and Osgood combined to fight back against Jastrok's evil plan - with Osgood's technical skills and Jo as she pleads for peace and understanding. And I loved Jo's tributes to the Doctor and the Brig. This is definitely 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' older Jo, and the writing does a great job of bringing across that character, fighting to close an unethical animal testing lab and being called in to assess what sounds like the least eco-friendly renewables project ever. Jo Jones is energetic and hugely likable; 'ditzy' was a word sometimes used to describe Jo Grant in the old days, I thought that was unfair then, she was just young, enthusiastic and trendy. Now, I wondered about the character's super-exuberance - and losing the key after chaining herself up as part of a protest! But she's still Jo and my favourite companion of them all, wonderfully performed by Katy Manning. Great characters in a great story, loved it! (Thanks guyadams )
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Post by Whovitt on May 27, 2017 13:15:44 GMT
Also, if the character of Terry Waring wasn't named after Pertwee-era stuntmen Terry Walsh and Derek Ware, I'm going to be disappointed
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Post by kimalysong on May 27, 2017 13:45:44 GMT
I really enjoyed this set. I loved the mix of the old and new UNIT teams. But I do think the last episode was my least favorite. It wasn't bad just not my preferred type of storytelling...too much going on and too many characters. I don't mind large casts but not when everyone is doing so much in the space of an hour. Then I kind of prefer smaller casts of characters. Even though I understand why everyone would have been used in the last episode. The last episode should be the epic show down where all the characters come together. It's Just hard for me to keep track of everything.
I did quite enjoy the 3rd episode though which had a smaller cast & a more self contained threat. Thus It was easier for me to keep track of everything going on. There was also a strong mixture of good character moments and action/tense scenes. Although I did miss the Classic Unit team.
My favorite episode was definitely the 2nd episode Tidal Wave. For me that episode had the perfect balance of new & old.
Now that John Levene is back I am definitely hoping for a 3rd Doctor set with Jo, Yates, & Benton.
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Post by acousticwolf on May 28, 2017 7:47:20 GMT
Two stories in and loving the mix of old and new. The only thing I'm not keen on is the howling Silurian Ice warriors. Jo and the Sea Devils more than make up for it though and great to hear Benton and Yates with Kate and Osgood. Was it my imagination or were they about to confirm that Osgood was like her father ? Cheers Tony There an is an osgood in the deamons. Guessing that's it. He is the engineer who builds the barrier breaker. That's exactly what I thought. It's never been said whether they were related. I think that was a strong hint . Cheers Tony
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Post by number13 on May 28, 2017 9:29:41 GMT
There an is an osgood in the deamons. Guessing that's it. He is the engineer who builds the barrier breaker. That's exactly what I thought. It's never been said whether they were related. I think that was a strong hint . Cheers Tony I took it for granted from her first TV showing! Osgood is not a very common name, he too was a technical boffin who was rather in awe of the great Doctor - and who did successfully build the Doctor's latest contraption for him that time at Devil's End - so he too must have been exceptionally clever, even if the Doctor didn't apprecticate it! I thought I must have missed the TV story where they mentioned she was his daughter and had gone into 'the family business' like Kate Stewart. Especially since there appears to be a 'family resemblance', maybe just lucky chance in the casting. But the large glasses are a deliberate character choice and classic-series Sgt. Osgood wore them too, so I think new series Osgood was always intended to be a link for classic era fans to appreciate - as well as a great character!
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Post by chapwithwings on May 28, 2017 10:27:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2017 15:10:08 GMT
Retrieval - the main reason I got this set was the bringing together of the new UNIT with the old. Interesting to me that I've enjoyed this third episode best of all so far, and it features none of the 'old guard.' An engaging story, a well defined group of characters, scenes of effective jeopardy and some terrific acting (specifically Ingrid Oliver and Neve McIntosh, both of whom are given great sutuations). I'm finding UNIT Assembled is getting better and better. And - the creature that attacked the ship at the beginning of this episode: was it our old mate The Myrka (or a Myrka)?
Forgot to say: moments from this really reminded me of TV's Survival story (that's a good thing in my view, by the way), when Ace was being hunted/seduced by the Cat Leader played by Lisa Bowerman.
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Post by number13 on May 28, 2017 17:00:22 GMT
Retrieval - the main reason I got this set was the bringing together of the new UNIT with the old. Interesting to me that I've enjoyed this third episode best of all so far, and it features none of the 'old guard.' An engaging story, a well defined group of characters, scenes of effective jeopardy and some terrific acting (specifically Ingrid Oliver and Neve McIntosh, both of whom are given great sutuations). I'm finding UNIT Assembled is getting better and better. And - the creature that attacked the ship at the beginning of this episode: was it our old mate The Myrka (or a Myrka)? Forgot to say: moments from this really reminded me of TV's Survival story (that's a good thing in my view, by the way), when Ace was being hunted/seduced by the Cat Leader played by Lisa Bowerman. I've only heard as far as Tidal Wave, but that was my guess right there: the Sea Devil that Jo negotiated with was their creator. They were his scientific guilty secret, the 'hybrids' he referred to, which then escaped. {Spoiler} I'm also guessing they were part prehistoric marine creature and part Sea Devil. He did say his work had been banned as 'unethical' and such a grotesque hybrid would certainly qualify. Maybe the final part reveals this?
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 20:03:51 GMT
United - the finale of this boxset was enjoyable but, as with the set as a whole, not quite as good as I thought it was going to be. Benton got told to make the tea, Jo told everyone off and the old guard trundled away after a good job well done. Mike, John and Jo are such terrific characters, I think they deserved more, really - perhaps that's the 'problem' of them guest-starring in a production instead of being centre-stage. The Sea Devils were hugely under-used and somewhat under-whelming when they did appear. Perhaps I'm just not in the right mood for this, but again, I expected more from them. For all its faults Warriors of the Deep presented them as a force to be reckoned with, and their debut story was notable for the many terrific appearances of them rising from the water and performing all those terrific stunts (clearly, you can't really have that on audio, I appreciate that).
My favourite instalment was Retrieval, which was very enjoyable. It worked in its own right, and built things up nicely for the finale ... which ended the proceedings in a way that made me wish better use could have been made of all the returnees, good and evil.
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Post by number13 on May 29, 2017 23:18:05 GMT
RetrievalThink 'Silurian Tomb Raider' as the new UNIT team and new series Silurians take centre stage in an episode full of tunnels, technology and toxic tongues! A tense, claustrophobic drama with a fight to the finish deep underground; Commander Tryska knows the apes are hers for the taking - but these apes are a lot smarter and tougher than she expects... I enjoyed this episode very much, as much as 'Tidal Wave' in their very different ways. That was a wonderful nostalgia-fest with Jo and the classic Sea Devils, this is a new series action story which I could easily imagine as a TV episode, but it also taps into the old "race memory" idea going right back to 'The Silurians'. I especially liked what this story's writing did for Kate and Osgood. The script allows Jemma Redgrave to give Kate Stewart real intensity and emotional energy in this life-threatening situation and I liked the character much better for it than when she is being the deliberately unemotional commander. In fact, this episode shows Kate at her strongest, fighting back against a personal threat with total determination and intelligence. Osgood also finds herself in an unusual place, giving extra range for Ingrid Oliver and another excellent performance. And just when I though the episode was complete - a classic cliffhanger! Cue the finale!
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Post by omega on May 30, 2017 11:02:25 GMT
I'd like to get a better sense of the home life, or lack of, of the main characters. The first story in Shutdown does mention Kate's eldest child (who is a terrible cook) and Osgood catches up with uni mates, but that's really all we get. Some Short Trips style stories, UNIT Files if you will, might be nice to flesh out the characters. Are there any downsides to Josh having plastic bones?
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Post by nottenst on May 30, 2017 22:53:27 GMT
Just finished United. I haven't read any of the comments yet (I'll go back later). It was a great series overall.
Two complaints.
1) Burmaster definitely sounded suspicious at the end of "Call to Arms" and unfortunately he had been taken over by the Silurians. I am really tired of UNIT people being mind-controlled.
2) During "Retrieval" I don't understand why the Fear weapon wasn't completely destroyed or even just taken back to UNIT. It didn't make sense to just leave it to be used again.
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Post by number13 on Jun 1, 2017 23:31:08 GMT
UnitedA suitably blockbuster 'new series' action finale, with reptile hordes and London landmarks galore creating some unforgettable mental images. I could easily imagine it as a new series TV story - and better than most. A very good balance between old and new UNIT, almost everyone was given the chance to do their bit. A clever new gadget from Osgood (the Doctor would have approved), Captain Yates effortlessly back in command and Sgt. Benton showing he can still handle any weapon and any menace to Earth, just give the order! And Kate Stewart comes up with a scientifically brilliant plan on the grand scale - and it works! I enjoyed all of that and the easy meshing of the old and new personnel showing they weren't really so different after all - they'll hold the line using the best means available until someone comes up with a way to put their problem back in its box. But I've never been convinced by the 'nobility' that writers after Malcolm Hulke have ascribed to the Silurians. The originals did try to commit genocide against us - and if they were so noble and perfect, why do they have so many warriors and such heavily weaponised dinosaurs? Who were they expecting to fight, all those millions of years ago when our ancestors really were just apes? Obviously, other Silurians. There was space for some very nice character moments among the action like Benton being sent off to make the tea (though he and even Mike Yates were sometimes known to do that in the classic era.) And there was a laugh-out-loud moment for me from Sgt. Benton when {Spoiler} he asks in hushed tones 'Is it - him?' and has to be told the TARDIS sound he just heard was Osgood's ringtone! (You had me going there too Osgood!) Sadly, the only character that did not come off so well for me in this episode was Jo. Her naturally kind, caring personality seems to have been transformed into that mindset which cares so much for all others (Silurians & their creations in this case) that her own people must always be in the wrong. This seemed overdone, especially when she says 'Humans are the worst monsters.' Sgt. Benton spoke for me as he replied: 'Steady on Jo!' (And I thought of the Third Doctor and Jo back catalogue: humans worse than Nestenes? Axons? Daleks?!) Although Jo's scene with Jastrok is powerful, as she realises (finally) the sort of dictator he is, I thought Jo could have been given a more productive role than blundering in and being captured. Yes, she did that sometimes in the classic era, but Jo also saved the Doctor time after time and was a far more capable UNIT agent than is sometimes remembered. However, I don't want it to seem as if this spoiled the story for me in any way; it didn't. It was a delight to follow the UNIT old guard through this four part adventure with the impressive new personnel and some classic opponents, in four stories all well imagined and written and wonderfully performed. (And now, can we have Jo, Yates and Benton back as their youthful selves in a classic-era UNIT story with Tim Treloar's superb Third Doctor please? )
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