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Post by omega on Dec 27, 2016 0:23:36 GMT
I've just realised that the stories are in reverse order of the scheme. The Unknown sees River first encounter the fallout, Five Twenty-Nine has her begin to investigate, World Enough and Time has her getting closer and becoming a spanner in the works while The Eye of the Storm has her reaching the heart of the plan and stopping it.
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Post by eldersensorite on Dec 27, 2016 3:12:47 GMT
So, I've just finished listening to this and overall I thought it was brilliant - I enjoyed it much more than series 1, however, it's time to stop having River meet classic Doctors. Don't get me wrong, McCoy and Baker were brilliant in this, but it's getting tedious now. This is River's spin-off - let her be the main character, and while I think the writers have done a great job of trying not to let The Doctor be the main focus, him being in the boxset alone distracts attention away from River. Before series 1, I would not have said that River could carry a series on her own - now the writers have proven to me that she can, but they're still not quite letting her.
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Post by chrisscorkscrew on Dec 27, 2016 16:16:26 GMT
Just listened to the full set, and thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly 'World Enough and Time' which really seemed to go with a zing. The comments so far seem polarised on whether the inclusion of classic Doctors add to or detract from the series. I'm most definitely in favour.
Quite apart from the fact that River Song's diary is a physical object that outlines her life as it relates to the Doctor, which rather makes her adventures with the Doctor essential to this series, I love the way that River seems to relate to each Doctor in a different way. This was particularly apparent in Series 2 which has substantial roles for two very different Doctors, and it was intriguing how River seemed to make allowances for Sixie, whilst not trusting Seven an inch.
I think there is a place for non-Doctor stories - Five Twenty-Nine was a beautiful character piece that could almost stand on its own as a pocket drama - but I think a Doctor-thread needs to run through these stories to make them truly 'River' even if the Doctor doesn't appear in person.
Chriss C.
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Post by Digi on Dec 27, 2016 16:42:26 GMT
I enjoyed this, but I really need to re-listen when the contents of my skull are not 97% snot--I was completely confused during the final episode, and I have a feeling that probably just comes down to illness/fever and cold meds messing with my head. Definitely enjoyed! Just...confused.
As to the elephant in the room - I felt like the Doctors in this story were very well used. THAT SAID, I think the strongest story in this boxset was the one without the Doctor, Dorney's fabulous Five Twenty-Nine. Just a lovely, tragic piece that was masterfully paced, played out, and acted by all involved; a case study in just how good River can be without having a Doctor in the episode. I hope any future releases will cut down on the Doctor releases and let Alex Kingston shine more on her own. (To say nothing of it getting a little tired waiting to see how creative the writers can get with finding yet another way of having the Doctor forget River).
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Post by mark687 on Dec 27, 2016 16:57:07 GMT
So, I've just finished listening to this and overall I thought it was brilliant - I enjoyed it much more than series 1, however, it's time to stop having River meet classic Doctors. Don't get me wrong, McCoy and Baker were brilliant in this, but it's getting tedious now. This is River's spin-off - let her be the main character, and while I think the writers have done a great job of trying not to let The Doctor be the main focus, him being in the boxset alone distracts attention away from River. Before series 1, I would not have said that River could carry a series on her own - now the writers have proven to me that she can, but they're still not quite letting her. But is she strong/ likeable enough character without the Doctor?
I view her as an older more aggravating Bernice Summerfield there's no hook in it for me without the Doctor to play off against or attempt to restrain her from going too over the top.
Regards
mark687
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aztec
Chancellery Guard
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Post by aztec on Dec 27, 2016 18:08:18 GMT
I enjoyed the first set, and might get this one eventually, does anyone know how long it is on pre-order price (CD) for? Actually this is a Big Finish exclusive until end of March so should stay at the lower price until then. Not sure I've ever seen such a long discount period - although War Doctor 1 was probably close. Cheers, might get it nearer the time budget permitting.
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Post by mrperson on Dec 27, 2016 20:19:31 GMT
So, I've just finished listening to this and overall I thought it was brilliant - I enjoyed it much more than series 1, however, it's time to stop having River meet classic Doctors. Don't get me wrong, McCoy and Baker were brilliant in this, but it's getting tedious now. This is River's spin-off - let her be the main character, and while I think the writers have done a great job of trying not to let The Doctor be the main focus, him being in the boxset alone distracts attention away from River. Before series 1, I would not have said that River could carry a series on her own - now the writers have proven to me that she can, but they're still not quite letting her. I dunno. She doesn't really seem like the standalone type character regardless of how competent she is portrayed as being. The character was designed for River-Doctor interactions even if it wears the memory wipe trope thin. Of course, there's personal bias involved. I generally only want to hear an audio with a Doctor giving a live performance, so I might not buy something like the River set unless there's some involvement. (Of course, I recently picked up Dalek Empire, so that may change....)
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Post by mrperson on Dec 27, 2016 20:23:39 GMT
So, I've just finished listening to this and overall I thought it was brilliant - I enjoyed it much more than series 1, however, it's time to stop having River meet classic Doctors. Don't get me wrong, McCoy and Baker were brilliant in this, but it's getting tedious now. This is River's spin-off - let her be the main character, and while I think the writers have done a great job of trying not to let The Doctor be the main focus, him being in the boxset alone distracts attention away from River. Before series 1, I would not have said that River could carry a series on her own - now the writers have proven to me that she can, but they're still not quite letting her. But is she strong/ likeable enough character without the Doctor?
I view her as an older more aggravating Bernice Summerfield there's no hook in it for me without the Doctor to play off against or attempt to restrain her from going too over the top.
Regards
mark687
Actually, how old is Bennie supposed to be? I'm not sure where I got it, but I got the sense that she's somewhere in her 40s-50s in some of the audios where she appeared alongside McCoy; River cannot be older than that (I don't know how old Kingston actually is, though)
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Post by mark687 on Dec 27, 2016 21:13:11 GMT
But is she strong/ likeable enough character without the Doctor?
I view her as an older more aggravating Bernice Summerfield there's no hook in it for me without the Doctor to play off against or attempt to restrain her from going too over the top.
Regards
mark687
Actually, how old is Bennie supposed to be? I'm not sure where I got it, but I got the sense that she's somewhere in her 40s-50s in some of the audios where she appeared alongside McCoy; River cannot be older than that (I don't know how old Kingston actually is, though) Late 30s- early 40s I think for Benny, and yes I know character age in regards to River is subjective but I just perceive River as older.
Regards
mark687
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Post by Zagreus on Dec 27, 2016 21:14:05 GMT
Kingston is 53. And since River is a time traveler, who has openly admitted to manipulating her apparent physical age to mess with people, who knows how old the character is.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2016 21:42:26 GMT
Kingston is 53. And since River is a time traveler, who has openly admitted to manipulating her apparent physical age to mess with people, who knows how old the character is. I think she said to Capaldi in last year's Christmas ep "Not bad for two hundred, eh? I have an augmented lifespan. Long story". She didn't know who he was then so didn't have too much cause to lie. We accept The Doctor at face value when given his age so I guess we can buy River as 200-ish.
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Post by barnabaslives on Dec 27, 2016 23:47:54 GMT
I totally enjoyed this set and I'm certain I like it even better than the first one. Alex is really stepping up to the plate here and did so well carrying the bulk of the stories that from here I think the series would work with or without Doctors guest-starring. Even though I didn't feel like they were a necessity here, though, I absolutely loved the interaction with Six and Seven (even if Six might have been written in just a shade more flattering light in places) - absolutely priceless. Bravo!
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Post by kimalysong on Dec 28, 2016 21:25:25 GMT
Listened to the 1st two stories. My mind kept wandering during the 1st story and I am not entirely sure if I understood everything to be honest. But I absolutely LOVED the 2nd story. Can we just have a box set of character pieces written by John Dorney please?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2016 22:04:28 GMT
But is she strong/ likeable enough character without the Doctor?
I view her as an older more aggravating Bernice Summerfield there's no hook in it for me without the Doctor to play off against or attempt to restrain her from going too over the top.
Regards
mark687
Actually, how old is Bennie supposed to be? I'm not sure where I got it, but I got the sense that she's somewhere in her 40s-50s in some of the audios where she appeared alongside McCoy; River cannot be older than that (I don't know how old Kingston actually is, though) She must be late forties at least. She is exactly 30 in Love and War and her adventures span a considerable time period. The Big Finish audios alone see her have a son who grows to adulthood.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Dec 28, 2016 22:39:33 GMT
Alex definitely seemed more comfortable with the format than she did in the first series. This was a fantastic way to start my day - with the extras this took up just over half of my drive home and it was fantastic. Kept me wide awake and wholly absorbed from 5 am on. Really hope there is a series three.
Her daughter did a pretty good job too.
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Post by kimalysong on Dec 29, 2016 20:07:35 GMT
Finished the 3rd episode today. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and River was excellent but the Sixth Doctor seemed kind of off. Will be saving the final story & Extras for the next week.
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Post by icecreamdf on Dec 30, 2016 0:14:07 GMT
I loved this boxset, especially 5:29. I didn't realize that the actress who played Rachel was Alex Kingston's daughter until I listened to the special features, but she really did an extraordinary job. My favorite scene in the boxset was the final scene between Seven and River, when the two are trying to outwit eachother. River's solution was just hilarious,
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Post by elkawho on Dec 30, 2016 4:57:34 GMT
Finished the 3rd episode today. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and River was excellent but the Sixth Doctor seemed kind of off. Will be saving the final story & Extras for the next week. I agree with you about Six. It just didn't seem like him.
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Post by topper on Dec 31, 2016 1:59:11 GMT
Finished the 3rd episode today. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and River was excellent but the Sixth Doctor seemed kind of off. Will be saving the final story & Extras for the next week. I agree with you about Six. It just didn't seem like him. I took his odd behavior as a sign that someone was messing with his mind leaving him confused and easily distracted.
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Post by icecreamdf on Dec 31, 2016 7:15:45 GMT
I agree with you about Six. It just didn't seem like him. I took his odd behavior as a sign that someone was messing with his mind leaving him confused and easily distracted. I thought that at first, but by the end it didn't seem like that was the case. It would seem that he was just going undercover and doing a bad job.
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