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Post by omega on Feb 23, 2017 10:33:11 GMT
Don't think it's been mentioned but Sophie Wu, of the Kick Ass films (and formerly partner of one A. Darvill) played Autumn. Nice casting. She was also in the first story of the third series of Confessions of Dorian Gray, being woefully genre blind in a haunted house story.
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Post by Ela on Jan 21, 2018 5:01:03 GMT
I’m almost always pleasantly surprised by Big Finish’s Fifth Doctor stories, probably because I didn’t much care for his run on television and consequently my expectations are lower than they would be otherwise. I liked this one right from the beginning. There was a particularly nice bit of characterization where Nyssa encourages Adric in his efforts. Nyssa can be a bit bland in the wrong hands, but being nice doesn’t have to mean being boring, and I think they get her right here. I remain even more convinced of my pet theory that Tegan and Adric are secretly in love and are covering it up by pretending to hate each other. I offer up “Tedric” as the portmanteau name for their relationship and urge you all to use it. I think this is the nicest the Fifth Doctor has ever been towards Adric. Did anyone not immediately think “She’s doomed” thirty seconds after meeting Autumn? I liked how Adric fought off the Star Men by reciting the sequence of Prime numbers and Fibonacci numbers. It reminded me a bit of A Wrinkle in Time, one of my very favorite books, and Matthew Waterhouse gives a bravura performance. Full Circle was my very first episode and I’ve always been kindly disposed towards Adric, and it’s nice to see him getting a chance to shine after all this time. It took 50 years, but Doctor Who finally understands the difference between “galaxy” and “universe”. It’s nice that Big Finish could get Peter Lorre for the role of Lom. If I had one complaint, it’s that the pacing seemed little off. I thought it sagged a bit in the final act, when tension should have been highest It took me longer to warm to the Fifth Doctor on audio than it did for some of the others, and I don’t think that’s completely subjective. I think that he took a little longer to find his groove than the other Classic Doctors did. But I love what they’re doing with him now. I laughed when I read the first line of your post, Josh, because I feel exactly the same. I liked this release pretty much from the beginning and was surprised to read that so many were disappointed by it. But maybe my expectations were low for the same reasons that Josh has. I don't get excited by Fifth Doctor releases because I wasn't a huge fan of him in the TV series, so I'm always pleasantly surprised when it turns out I actually really enjoy the story. (Though there are several of his TV episodes I did enjoy, come to think of it.) I thought Matthew Waterhouse did a nice job of keeping his voice at the right pitch this time around, and nice use of his mathematical skills. Though, no Josh, I don't buy that Adric and Tegan are secretly in love at all. For one thing, he's much younger than her. To a woman her age, he's just a kid. It's a crazy idea, sorry. I really was interested in the story and the story line, and I have to say the story kept me interested through to the end.
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Post by Ela on Jan 21, 2018 5:06:55 GMT
I really enjoyed this one despite a somewhat muted reception on here and FB. It wasn't reinventing the wheel but it was a solid sci-fi story and, crucially, gave Matthew some lovely material as Adric. Nyssa was written well also. With JNT's infamous "crowded TARDIS" these guys struggled to get much to do on screen. Stories like this and the two from the boxset in 2015 show that you can absolutely write as well for 4 characters as for 2 or 3 if you give them each a clear story and a strong characterisation. I felt really quite bad at the end. BF have killed off manys a "companion of the week" but Autumn was very much a vibrant, fun character. I almost felt guilty for wanting her mother to go instead. Don't think it's been mentioned but Sophie Wu, of the Kick Ass films (and formerly partner of one A. Darvill) played Autumn. Nice casting. Agree with what you said in your first paragraph, Davey. Midway through listening (and enjoying) the story, I had the thought that this was a frequently used type of set-up for a Doctor Who story, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. (I confess that I probably wouldn't have thought about it being the "same old set-up" if I hadn't read so many complaints from listeners here and there about stories using the same old tropes.) And, yeah, the ending was quite sad. I was rooting for Autumn to pull through, but I had a feeling she wouldn't.
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Post by constonks on May 18, 2018 20:45:17 GMT
It took me so long to finish this one - not because I didn't like it but because I kept listening to part one then getting distracted by other things for so long that I forgot what happened. So the first little bit of this (especially the TARDIS training scene) is burned into my brain more than most TV episodes.
I'd say this one is not the best story ever told, but the guest cast, the scope and the future history is all great. Most of this is the Part 1 stuff with which that I've become overfamiliar. Adric getting a love interest slash friend-who-isn't-the-villain is a great touch.
Since I wanted to listen to the Five MR stuff in order, this is only the third BF Season 19 story I've heard (after the boxset ones). But I feel like I can definitively say that BF's Season 19 is a massive improvement on the real one.I appreciate the televised charms of Team 5ANT but on audio, the team dynamics are better, the companions all always have something to do and the stories are interesting (even if I think this is the weakest of the three I've heard so far).
Anyway onto Contingency Club soon! (I can't believe I'm this far back on the Fifth Doctor...)
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,061
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Post by ljwilson on May 18, 2021 12:40:00 GMT
Finished it, and overall it is a pretty good story, not to mention a big story, and kudos to Andrew Smith for pulling it all in to a coherent narrative.
I love the first episode, with the 'lost' ship Joseph Kessler suddenly reappearing, but the general character doesn't sound very general-like and the Star Men could have been a bit weirder and more alien, rather than being fluent in the Queen's English, but I'm sure that would be difficult to write!
A really good Adric-centered story, so much so I'm thinking of listening to Psychodrome next...
Very enjoyable, 7 out of 10.
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Post by masterdoctor on Nov 4, 2023 18:56:02 GMT
Finished listening to this one again last night and I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember having done so back when it came out (6 years ago!) A lot of great material for Adric here, and the rest of the Tardis crew are on fine form. The guest cast is great and while the story is overly complicated, I found most of it to be quite interesting. Onto The Contigency Club next!
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