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Post by relativetime on Jul 30, 2017 22:33:23 GMT
This was a very lovely set of stories. If I had to say, The Carrionite Curse was probably the weakest of the set, but all of the stories were really quite brilliant in their own ways. My favorite has to be Night of the Vashta Nerada. It just fits into the Fourth Doctor's era so naturally. Don't really see the Jurassic Park similarities as much in this story, but I definitely got that impression from Day of the Vashta Nerada.
Empire of the Racnoss really, really surprised me. I wasn't expecting it to be bad or anything, but of any of the monsters returning in this set, I'd say the Racnoss were the ones I was a bit skeptical about (The Runaway Bride wasn't anything spectacular). But I have to say I was completely hooked in this story and I really hope this isn't the last we hear of Lisa Kay's character - I'd love to have a new companion for the Fifth Doctor! And I'm also really interested in hearing more about the Racnoss Wars - maybe a future story in the Gallifrey range?
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jul 30, 2017 23:05:54 GMT
Well, that was a rather dark set, wasn't it? I loved the Vashta Nerada stories and really enjoyed the Carrionite story. The Racnoss story was the only one that didn't do much for me, and I would not say it was bad. All four stories seemed well matched to the Doctors they featured.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Jul 31, 2017 12:39:01 GMT
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Post by icecreamdf on Jul 31, 2017 20:50:42 GMT
I enjoyed the box set. The Racnoss one was probably the weakest. The Doctor spent most of the story as a pawn for the various factions of Racnoss. Plus, I don't think they really explained clearly enough how he ended up back in Time Lord history.
I really loved the Carrionite one. Hearing Six yelling at people with big words is always fun. And Litefoot's book makes me wish that we had actually gotten to hear Jago & Litefoot versus the Carrionites. Jago talking the Carrionites to death must have been epic. I also find it funny that they stopped witchcraft by burning a copy of Harry Potter.
Both Vashta Nerada ones were good, but Eight's story was incredible. I always love Ollistra and the Time War, and the idea of weaponizing the Vashta Nerada was really scary. Four's seemed like a pretty typical base under siege story, with nothing particularly special apart from the Vashta Nerada, but it was still good,
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Post by elkawho on Aug 1, 2017 4:35:38 GMT
I enjoyed the box set. The Racnoss one was probably the weakest. The Doctor spent most of the story as a pawn for the various factions of Racnoss. Plus, I don't think they really explained clearly enough how he ended up back in Time Lord history. I agree. Although I enjoyed it more the second time I heard it and it wasn't a weak story at all. And the fact that the Doctor was more a passive than active force in this story is pretty much par for the course for the Fifth Doctor, since that was the case in so many of his televised stories.
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Post by DavidHogan on Aug 1, 2017 11:16:48 GMT
It was definitely a strong set, that's for sure. I'd have to pick Carrionite Curse as the weakest for me personally, but it was still a good story. I know they're now dropping the concept, but I'd be all for another set of four 1 hour stories for four different Doctors, it's a nice treat.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 12:24:24 GMT
I know they're now dropping the concept, but I'd be all for another set of four 1 hour stories for four different Doctors, it's a nice treat. I've been enjoying the 1-hour format with 5-7, which makes a nice change. (6th Doctor Last Adventure also applied.) So, more would be nice, although I wouldn't want it to become too regular.
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Post by icecreamdf on Aug 1, 2017 19:38:49 GMT
I enjoyed the box set. The Racnoss one was probably the weakest. The Doctor spent most of the story as a pawn for the various factions of Racnoss. Plus, I don't think they really explained clearly enough how he ended up back in Time Lord history. And the fact that the Doctor was more a passive than active force in this story is pretty much par for the course for the Fifth Doctor, since that was the case in so many of his televised stories. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I don't like Five as much as the other Doctors.
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Post by elkawho on Aug 1, 2017 20:15:20 GMT
And the fact that the Doctor was more a passive than active force in this story is pretty much par for the course for the Fifth Doctor, since that was the case in so many of his televised stories. Maybe that's one of the reasons that I don't like Five as much as the other Doctors. I know that's why I don't like Five's run on TV as much as others, however that has been completely changed by his BF work.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2017 21:58:26 GMT
Only heard the first two so far but enjoying the set by and large. Just good, strong Who stories. The Doctor on Funworld with pest-control/hunters didn't sound like the most interesting use of the Vashta Nerada but the interplay between Tom and Pam Ferris (!) was really quite wonderful. Quite often the 4DA characterisation is a bit too aloof but John Dorney manages to get the whimsy and a focus and purpose for the Doctor not always there in his own range.
It seems the Racnoss story is shaping up to be the forum's least favourite, I liked that too. Davison's Doctor was just trying to do his best, not really knowing if it was going to work but knowing he has to try. As the most "human" of the classic Doctors, that's a good way to write Peter as he conveys a sense that things aren't easy, and may not work out better than most. Jan Ravens is - to those who don't know her - one of the UK's foremost impressionists and voice artists so she is a great pick to stand in for Sarah Parish's interpretation of what the Racnoss sound like. I loved the twist that in the only TV appearance, the Racnoss children are lost but here just as it seems that's happening, The Doctor manages to save the day. It's a nice subversion of the TV story. Alayna certainly seems to volunteer for companion status at the end of the story. I almost hope we don't hear from her again now, it's nice to know there are eras and chunks we don't get to hear in thousands of years of The Doctor's lives. Makes the Who universe rather smaller to have all the boxes ticked - it's nice to have loose ends.
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Post by mrperson on Aug 1, 2017 23:30:58 GMT
This is the fault of nobody but the reboot writers, but......
....I did find it rather obnoxious to listen to the Racnoss after a while. The actors and actresses did a great job with the voice they were supposed to use, but :wince:
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aztec
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Post by aztec on Aug 2, 2017 14:13:13 GMT
Listened to the first two stories so far, Night was a solid atmospheric tale with Baker on fine form, focused more on character interactions and atmosphere than jump scares but that isn't a bad thing, by underplaying the Vashta Narada it made them more on an effective threat, really interesting to hear how the 4th Doctor operates without a companion (Baker seemed to play things slightyly more serious than usual) I'm certainly hoping he has a couple more solo stories. 8/10
I was less keen on the Racnoss story personally, it was certainly an unusual setting/story for BF which inverted elements of their TV story in interesting ways which is to be applauded (BF could have so easily just done some generic space creature slash em up type story), and it's always interesting to see BF tackle the 5th Doctor's moral position, but I found the pacing/story to be a bit garbled and generic at points, and the voices of the Racnoss do grate after a while (it's probably been more than five years since I've seen The Runaway Bride so I don't have much of a visual reference point for the race) not sure how I'd grade this as I think I'll have to re-listen to it to appreciate the tone of the story a bit more.
So far a good start to what is shaping up to be another solid boxset.
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Post by number13 on Aug 2, 2017 20:49:46 GMT
Day of the Vashta NeradaA tense and exciting final episode by Matt Fitton, as the Eighth Doctor finds himself stuck with unwanted company from home, playing out a 'disaster movie' scenario across a space station collapsing into ruin with lethal creatures released from their lab 'cages' and the TARDIS the only sanctuary. Presumably. I loved hearing Paul McGann and Jacqueline Pearce playing their contrasting double-act roles in this one, as the Doctor and Cardinal Ollistra stand on the join between the classic era and the Time War. He is still not part of that war, she will do anything to win it - even something so obviously reckless as 'weaponising' deadly shoals of Vashta Nerada. But only in a safely contained environment, totally escape-proof, of course. Of course. Now where have we heard that before...? For me the first story in this set had overtones of 'Predator' - the lurking menace suddenly leaping into deadly action and another human taken by the shadows before their friends can blink. For this final story, the film 'vibe' might recall one of the 1970s 'disaster movies' where the gallant hero has to lead a small and (shrinking) group of people to safety. And (I think) with nods to another famous 'disaster' film of the 1990s. Think 'Doctor Who' meets 'The Poseidon Adventure' meets 'Jurassic Park', with the clever, adaptable Vashta Nerada more deadly than Velociraptors. {Spoiler}And the human villain who triggers the disaster is a clever Biotech with no morals, lots of greed and arrogance, and (once he lowers the containment fields to get his 'prize') very low life expectancy. And his name is Dendry. Is that an homage to Jurassic Park's treacherous geek Dennis Nedry? The story takes the Vashta Nerada to some very original places, in their evolution and literally, and finishes with both blockbuster scale effects (another great soundtrack by Howard Carter) and personal human tragedy - 'Doctor Who' in a nutshell - completing what for me has been a boxset of the highest quality and one which is highly recommended. Sorry these notes have been longer than I intended! but as a final word on the set, I enjoyed the Behind-the-Scenes CD and the cover art too.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 6:09:02 GMT
Three stories in so far, feels like the set is consistently quite good without yet producing a classic. Occasionally it feels like the stories are getting bogged down in the same problem as "Harvest of the Sycorax" and to a lesser extent "Fallen Angels" from set 1: hitting the same beats as the original television story without going anywhere new. ("The Carrionite Curse" in particular might've benefited from snipping out one or two references to "The Shakespeare Code".)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 16:59:41 GMT
Day of the Vashta Nerada.
This bookends this latest set in style. I find it difficult to agree that this range is only two sets long because of a shortage of usable new series monsters. We've had seven in total! What about Silence, Slitheen, Ood, Hath, Adipose, Tochlaphane, the Teller, 'Crooked Man', even female Ice Warriors? Ah well, perhaps other such monsters are simply to be integreated into the main range and other spin-offs, who knows? This is a great sequal to Night of the Vashta Nerada and follows a similar dark and creepy 'boo' type of story. Much as I love Helen and Liv (especially Liv), it's good to hear McGann's Doctor travelling alone. I could happily listen to more companionless Eighth Doctor stories - or, based on the sarcastic and untrusting relationship they possess, the Doctor and Ollistra. Such bickering would make Old Sixie and Peri seem like childhood sweethearts! As they had a quick tour of a few of the TARDIS's old haunts, it struck me what enjoyable chemistry they have - and any reason for more Jacqueline Pearce has to be a good thing.
A terrific box-set that only makes me sad there seem to be no plans for any more.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 17:52:52 GMT
Day of the Vashta Nerada.
This bookends this latest set in style. I find it difficult to agree that this range is only two sets long because of a shortage of usable new series monsters. We've had seven in total! What about Silence, Slitheen, Ood, Hath, Adipose, Tochlaphane, the Teller, 'Crooked Man', even female Ice Warriors? Ah well, perhaps other such monsters are simply to be integreated into the main range and other spin-offs, who knows? This is a great sequal to Night of the Vashta Nerada and follows a similar dark and creepy 'boo' type of story. Much as I love Helen and Liv (especially Liv), it's good to hear McGann's Doctor travelling alone. I could happily listen to more companionless Eighth Doctor stories - or, based on the sarcastic and untrusting relationship they possess, the Doctor and Ollistra. Such bickering would make Old Sixie and Peri seem like childhood sweethearts! As they had a quick tour of a few of the TARDIS's old haunts, it struck me what enjoyable chemistry they have - and any reason for more Jacqueline Pearce has to be a good thing. A terrific box-set that only makes me sad there seem to be no plans for any more. Continuity is an issue - they ruled out the Ood on the grounds that "The Impossible Planet" is clearly the first time the Doctor has met them.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 17:57:17 GMT
Continuity is an issue - they ruled out the Ood on the grounds that "The Impossible Planet" is clearly the first time the Doctor has met them. Ah, I see. Cheers for that
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Post by chapwithwings on Aug 4, 2017 18:20:02 GMT
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Post by glutamodo on Aug 4, 2017 18:45:24 GMT
I just finished listening to the box yesterday and I really thought they were all excellent. And as someone who normally only has seen each Nu-Who episode once (as compared to 3-5 viewings of Docs 4, 5, 6 and probably two of Pertwee) I don't really retain memory of "new monsters" very well... so I have to rely on BF to give me that monster on THEIR terms, and they do a totally acceptable job of it for me.
And Litefoot's book makes me wish that we had actually gotten to hear Jago & Litefoot versus the Carrionites. Jago talking the Carrionites to death must have been epic. Oh yes, I was also thinking that, and that, is this the 'final word' we hear from the Good Professor? I hope not.
I would rather like some kind of Companion Chronicle style story told by Jago (and Ellie, perhaps?) recounting this particular occurrence.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 19:27:18 GMT
Was rather poignant to hear Litefoot's posthumous involvement in the story given recent events.
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