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Post by TinDogPodcast on Nov 8, 2017 7:42:40 GMT
Oddly, they've not yet announced the cast. But it does sound a lot like Mark Heap, doesn't it? It really does. You have a good ear. Oh. Waitaminute! Looking forward to this Chris. It is and he is uber evil.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Nov 8, 2017 17:23:57 GMT
It's one of the best bits of world building for some time.
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Post by number13 on Nov 15, 2017 10:05:10 GMT
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Post by IndieMacUser on Nov 15, 2017 13:54:13 GMT
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Post by chapwithwings on Nov 15, 2017 19:23:25 GMT
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Post by relativetime on Nov 16, 2017 5:32:40 GMT
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Couldn't put it down until it was finished. Flip was particularly great, I thought - she acts exactly like a 19-year-old and it's just a pure blast listening to her. In general, though, I just can't get enough of this TARDIS team - I hope it's a couple more years before we have to bid Constance and Flip farewell.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on Nov 16, 2017 8:27:43 GMT
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Post by elkawho on Nov 16, 2017 18:12:32 GMT
Well, that was great! Every single one of our TARDIS team is written in character and has plenty to do. I loved listening to The Doctor try and avoid a robot massage. LOL The themes were great and these are ideas not often brought up in modern story telling. The last time I remember a story like this, it was on Star Trek: TNG, but it was much more straight forward and only dealt with the question of how to treat the older folks in society. But I thought this story also did a nice job with the questions of ethical science, family, war, courage, and so many more. A really great story.
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Post by theotherjosh on Nov 17, 2017 14:07:56 GMT
I really like The Middle on a metatextual level. It’s my favorite kind of science-fiction, a story where fantastic elements are used to illuminate an issue in the real world. It’s particularly resonant with those of us who came to the fandom as children and who are now approaching (gulp) middle age.
I was talking to some friends the other day. Like me, they’re all adults in their late thirties/early forties. I said something along the lines of, “Adulthood is boring and awful. When I was a kid I thought I was going to be an astronaut. Now I’m trying to decide if I want to order that nose hair trimmer off Amazon.”
I eventually did. I figured I could also use it to cut the hair that now grows out of my ears.
To quote the Rolling Stones, what a drag it is getting old.
Doctor Who tends to wear its influences proudly. I especially liked how Chapman turned this into a strength by acknowledging and incorporating it into the narrative. (For instance, by making “The End is the beginning” into a slogan, echoing real world “Life begins at forty” mantras.)
I liked Constance a lot in this one, didn’t care much for Flip, but then I never do (though I do like Lisa Greenwood a whole lot), however I think Chapman managed something very clever with their interaction. I just had a birthday last month and I’m now in my 40s. I work with some people my age and some single people in their 20s, just out of college. We can engage as peers on work related matters, but it’s like I’m talking another language when I start talking about my daughter or my mortgage. (When work let out on New Year’s Eve last, my younger colleagues all said “I’m going to go home and start drinking immediately!” whereas I was like, “I’m going to go home and take a nap.”)Likewise, in some areas the age difference between Flip’s 19 years and Constance’s 35 is small and in other matters it’s monumental and these interactions are very deftly written.
Other observations:
“Yes, he shot you with a tranquilizing ray of some description.” I really can’t overstate how much I love this line. Constance is just the best and this is such a clever bit of characterization. I also like her interaction with the computer.
I liked the detail about how treasured memories power the suits. Seems like a nod to Peter Pan, which would be appropriate, given the subject matter.
And I did like Flip’s happy moment (I thought it was wonderfully written and performed), but I still don’t like Flip.
Someone mentions a phased Plasma rifle, presumably in the 40 Watt Range. Terminator shout-out!
I can’t think of any Doctor Who story quite like it and I think it’s really wonderful that Big Finish still manages to surprise and find novel ways to approach the Doctor after nearly twenty years.
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Post by number13 on Nov 17, 2017 14:25:34 GMT
In defence of 'Flip': O-M-G, Flip is amazeballs! Just sayin' (As she would say, with Flip phrases from 'The Middle'! After enjoying the story last night, I think I have the Flip-slang right!) Flip's enthusiasm is great fun and her friendship with the magnificent Mrs. Clarke is a joy. Two excellent Companions acted to perfection, paired up with my favourite audio Doctor. The only downside is I'm enjoying this sequence so much that with every story I'm worrying that something will happen to Constance or Flip to start breaking it up. Hope they get through 'Static' still all travelling together into another trilogy.
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Post by Timelord007 on Nov 17, 2017 15:42:42 GMT
Is there a character named Malcom in this cause then you could deliver the line "Malcom in the middle"(groan....get him off).
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2017 13:41:55 GMT
Listened to The Middle last night and I have to agree with the people who said it was great, it really is. A strong sci-fi story where getting old and 'dying' isn't the end at all, just a road to war. It's different anyway! This TARDIS team work really well together with Constance as the serious companion and Flip as the bubbly fun companion but both have their roles to play and play them well they both do. You have to smile at some of Flip's remarks, she is great, in a quirky sort of way! While Colin's Doctor hits the mark again and again and shines through as one of the strongest Doctors on audio once again. I hope this grouping never ends as they really are enjoyable together. Looking forward to Static now.
The Middle is a great story, thoroughly enjoyable to listen to... 9/10.
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Post by omega on Nov 20, 2017 6:29:02 GMT
I was surprised to find out Flip was 19. If her travels between Curse of Davros and Scavenger were a few months, and then Crimes of Thomas Brewster about half a year, a year before Curse of Davros (she's said it was 2012 from her perspective when she joined the Doctor, factoring in at least a few months for between Scavenger and Quicksilver (when she would have gotten engaged and planned her wedding to Jared, and she mentions Gangnam Style which was prominent late 2012/early 2013) Flip would legally have been a minor for most of her travels with the Doctor. I'd thought she'd be at least early 20's.
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Post by number13 on Nov 20, 2017 12:01:33 GMT
I was surprised to find out Flip was 19. If her travels between Curse of Davros and Scavenger were a few months, and then Crimes of Thomas Brewster about half a year, a year before Curse of Davros (she's said it was 2012 from her perspective when she joined the Doctor, factoring in at least a few months for between Scavenger and Quicksilver (when she would have gotten engaged and planned her wedding to Jared, and she mentions Gangnam Style which was prominent late 2012/early 2013) Flip would legally have been a minor for most of her travels with the Doctor. I'd thought she'd be at least early 20's. Humans travelling in "The TARDIS" frequently experience what is known as the 'Just William' effect whereby their precise ages become fixed in Time. (We strongly suspect the Doctor may have named this phenomenon from an Earth reference.) It has been theorised that the root cause of the effect is because the Type 40 Capsule used by the Doctor was, in the technical assessment of the repair yard Senior Quadrigger, "knackered" when he removed it without authorisation and has leaked temporal distortions through the outer shell ever since. In evidence, we present the well-studied case of Dorothy "Ace" McShane/Gale who has appeared to be on an 18-30 break for many years now, appearing randomly to be sometimes 18 and sometimes nearer 30. Also, the extreme instance of 'Captain' Jack Harkness, a phenomenon who has defied explanation by the High Council since the days of Pandrax III. Thus, in the specific case of Phillipa 'Flip' Jackson, we suggest that the subject is regarded as being permanently 19 years (Earth age) as she is judged likely to remain so internally, whatever changes may occur in her external appearance.
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Post by chrischapman1981 on Nov 20, 2017 12:59:49 GMT
Whilst in contrast, I'm sure Constance is the type of traveller who keeps a diary and an exact track of days, so she can still say, with some confidence, "today is my birthday".
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2017 16:44:21 GMT
Normally listen to these at the rate of one episode a night. This is the first one in a good long while where I've heard ep 1 and listened to ep 2 immediately after. This TARDIS team is definitely a good one.
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Post by elkawho on Nov 21, 2017 18:26:38 GMT
Normally listen to these at the rate of one episode a night. This is the first one in a good long while where I've heard ep 1 and listened to ep 2 immediately after. This TARDIS team is definitely a good one. I completely agree with you. I've never been able to listen to just one episode of anything unless I was physically leaving the house/car, etc or going to sleep. And even then it's hard. I admire your self-control!
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Post by number13 on Nov 24, 2017 0:13:12 GMT
Another brilliant Sixth Doctor story for this excellent TARDIS crew, this time thanks to chrischapman1981 Like 'The Memory Bank' last year, 'The Middle' combines a very well-designed science fiction world with the moving human stories of the people who live in it. And this world has also been designed within the story, physically and socially, a world where life has a Beginning, Middle and End. You play, you work - and then...? I thought the first episode was outstanding and the cliff-hanger one of the best I've heard for a long time. In an instant it turned the story upside-down {Spoiler}because no matter what it sounded like, we know the Doctor can't die on us, so what is really happening to all the people of Formicia when they reach the End? I couldn't wait to find out what came next and the twist (the first of several) took the story along an unexpected and exciting path to the End (of the story) - and not the End I'd expected either! Formica is tailor-made for this particular TARDIS crew: Flip full of fun and energy, experiencing the Beginning, Constance responsible and dedicated, using her skills in The Middle - and the Doctor at the End with several lifetimes of wisdom to help him see through any villainous scheme, no matter how devious or well-constructed. The three characters (and the actors!) are a wonderful combination and the way the Doctor, Flip and Constance worked together despite being kept apart was one of many highlights for me. And the guest stars were really excellent, especially Mark Heap and Sheila Reid. For a story with serious themes - life, death, age, corrupt power, war, attempted massacres, that sort of thing - it's also a lot of fun, partly from situations (the Doctor being robo-massaged ), partly from character comedy and villains with a humorous edge and of course partly from irrepressible Flip's one-liners! {Spoiler}On seeing the older people of the End in their battle suits: "It's 'Dad's Army' meets 'The Terminator' " A great story where I didn't want to reach the End, but since "The End is the Beginning", I'll be playing and enjoying 'The Middle' again very soon. 5* There were references to spot (always fun), very likely some I missed, but I enjoyed {Spoiler} the Doctor quoting his Fourth self quoting 'Romeo and Juliet' and a few minutes later referring to a flying drone as an 'oculoid tracker' - both from 'Planet of Evil'. And of course ants - Formic-ia.
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Post by Timelord007 on Nov 24, 2017 9:31:40 GMT
Listened to this last night after a rather depressing day of events & this audio drama lifted my mood & had me gripped from start to finish, The Middle is my current favourite main range release of 2017, this is Doctor Who at it's very best, tense, dramatic, intriguing audio drama, nice one Chris Chapman.
9/10
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 15:33:23 GMT
Doctor Who at it's very best but you only give it a 90% rating Timelord? You're harsh I thought it was absolutely terrific - best of the year. After Quicksilver last year that's 2 years in a row my fave BF release has been a MR with Colin, Constance and Flip. I was a bit worried we were going Logan's Run here but that was subverted in such a lovely way that really examined the role of the elderly in society and parenthood in general. It was high concept without ever becoming jargon-led and convoluted. Having 3 distinct companions age wise to fit into this society was perfect. Wouldn't work with, say, Davison's TARDIS where they'd all be in the entitled Millenial zone Quite touching too, particularly when Constance sees Flip in danger and calls her "My Phillipa"....two trilogies and I totally buy these two as solid if completely oddball, besties. Just absolutely lovely. Really need to say though how wonderful it is to have Mark Heap in Who and, of course, the return of Sheila Reid, the national treasure is always welcome back.
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