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Post by dastari on Jun 30, 2017 6:06:30 GMT
For one of the early run of Companion Chronicles this one was really good. Purves is a good enough narrator that he even made all the "he said"/"she said" narration sound somewhat natural. I also really liked that in pure Hartnell style, the TARDIS crew just decides to hang out in Russia for a few months. I did think that the story was deliberately obtuse by making the nature of the alien out to be a big revelation, but I did like all the revelations about Steven and thematically it all works out really well with the Oliver Harper trilogy and how Steven must be feeling about The Daleks Master Plan. I also didn't really buy the ending. Who's to say that the thing didn't shapeshift again into one of the crowd as soon as it was out of sight? I can't see Steven and the Doctor leaving that to chance. For my full review you can go here: Review: Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles - Mother Russia |
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Post by omega on Dec 2, 2017 4:37:16 GMT
DOCTOR WHO - THE COMPANION CHRONICLES » 2.1. MOTHER RUSSIA Released October 2007SynopsisIt's 1812 and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo get ready to spend their winter in a Russian village. The French are on their way, but that's not the only invasion the travellers will have to deal with. Written By: Marc Platt Directed By: Nigel Fairs CASTPeter Purves (Steven Taylor), Tony Millan (The Interrogator)
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Post by omega on Dec 2, 2017 4:42:06 GMT
And for the month of December 2017 only $2.99 on download!
It's a great story. While Steven is the focus all the TARDIS team get something good done with them. Dodo needs to be used more, and I think at this point Big Finish are justified if they choose to recast the role, since Jackie Lane has shown little interest in embracing Doctor Who fandom or the role of Dodo (that disastrous after-party doesn't count).
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2017 6:23:47 GMT
And for the month of December 2017 only $2.99 on download! It's a great story. While Steven is the focus all the TARDIS team get something good done with them. Dodo needs to be used more, and I think at this point Big Finish are justified if they choose to recast the role, since Jackie Lane has shown little interest in embracing Doctor Who fandom or the role of Dodo (that disastrous after-party doesn't count). Dodo's a bit tricky to write for in many respects. It's very difficult to actually pin down her character beyond some very broad strokes. Stories like Bunker Soldiers, Salvation and The Man in the Velvet Mask go some way towards filling in those gaps, but otherwise, she's a bit of a blank slate. I think she was supposed to be a pseudo-Susan or Vicki character. Sandwiched between the Steven/Vicki and Ben/Polly companion teams, she doesn't make much of an impression.  |
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Post by omega on Dec 2, 2017 6:26:21 GMT
And for the month of December 2017 only $2.99 on download! It's a great story. While Steven is the focus all the TARDIS team get something good done with them. Dodo needs to be used more, and I think at this point Big Finish are justified if they choose to recast the role, since Jackie Lane has shown little interest in embracing Doctor Who fandom or the role of Dodo (that disastrous after-party doesn't count). Dodo's a bit tricky to write for in many respects. It's very difficult to actually pin down her character beyond some very broad strokes. Stories like Bunker Soldiers, Salvation and The Man in the Velvet Mask go some way towards filling in those gaps, but otherwise, she's a bit of a blank slate. I think she was supposed to be a pseudo-Susan or Vicki character. Sandwiched between the Steven/Vicki and Ben/Polly companion teams, she doesn't make much of an impression.  That leaves more for Big Finish to work with. They've worked wonders on TV Nyssa, who was sorely underdeveloped that it hurt. |
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Dec 2, 2017 12:50:53 GMT
This was a fantastic story. Do hope they do more with Dodo, flesh her out a bit
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Post by constonks on Dec 2, 2017 16:03:38 GMT
It's pretty hard to flesh Dodo out without recasting her - or focusing on her in a Short Trip narrated by Peter Purves or David Bradley.
Best option for Dodo IMO is if Past Doctor novels ever come back. Give her and the Doc a handful of adventures (and maybe a third companion).
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Post by omega on Dec 3, 2017 7:07:51 GMT
It's pretty hard to flesh Dodo out without recasting her - or focusing on her in a Short Trip narrated by Peter Purves or David Bradley. Best option for Dodo IMO is if Past Doctor novels ever come back. Give her and the Doc a handful of adventures (and maybe a third companion). Josette Simon has refused to have anything to do with her Blake's 7 character Dayna, and has done other Big Finish roles (she was in The Sontaran Ideal from Classic Doctors New Monsters Volume 1). The role was recast with Yasmine Bannerman for the Spoils of War and Crossfire series of box sets, and there hasn't been any vocal opposition to this that I've seen. Before this the character was presented through the POV of other characters or a "she said" way in the Liberator Chronicles (basically Companion Chronicles for Blake's 7). Dodo, and Jackie Lane's portrayal of her, doesn't have a particularly vocal fanbase (she's usually middle on lists ranking companions). The Short Trips have done stories read by Tim Treloar and Rufus Hound, neither of whom were in the original series, so a Short Trip read by a recast Dodo isn't entirely inconceivable. |
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Post by Timelord007 on Dec 3, 2017 9:22:01 GMT
A excellent CC & a must buy purchase for fans of the First Doctor.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Dec 3, 2017 14:27:36 GMT
My first Companion Chronicle and still one of my favorites. Marc Platt wrote a gorgeous story. Highly recommended.
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Post by number13 on Dec 3, 2017 14:54:17 GMT
Add me to the list of those who love this story.
Peter Purves is a really excellent narrator, timeless as Steven and his portrayal of The Original is a delight.
I think it feels like a much longer story than two parts because so much time and movement is written into the plot, 'Marco Polo' style, from the villages and forests in high summer to the heart of the Kremlin as the first flakes of snow begin to fall. Throw in an alien and a famous historical personage in the classic manner and there's a lot to enjoy.
Tony Millan is also excellent playing a more complex character than he first appears, which for me paid off with some intriguing twists in the 'alien' side of the story.
But it's as a splendid Marc Platt historical in the classic style that I always think of 'Mother Russia' and at £2.99 it's a bargain that should not be missed.
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Post by dastari on Dec 4, 2017 18:25:15 GMT
Huh, didn't realize that there'd be multiple threads for the same story. I'll say what I said on the last one: For one of the early run of Companion Chronicles this one was really good. Purves is a good enough narrator that he even made all the "he said"/"she said" narration sound somewhat natural. I also really liked that in pure Hartnell style, the TARDIS crew just decides to hang out in Russia for a few months. I did think that the story was deliberately obtuse by making the nature of the alien out to be a big revelation, but I did like all the revelations about Steven and thematically it all works out really well with the Oliver Harper trilogy and how Steven must be feeling about The Daleks Master Plan. I also didn't really buy the ending. Who's to say that the thing didn't shapeshift again into one of the crowd as soon as it was out of sight? I can't see Steven and the Doctor leaving that to chance. For my full review you can go here: Review: Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles - Mother Russia |
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Post by Ela on Dec 20, 2017 18:47:31 GMT
I did very much enjoy this story. dastari, we do try to avoid multiple threads for the same story. If you provide the link to the other thread, we'll see if it's appropriate to merge them. Sometimes threads go in different directions, so merging is not always appropriate. |
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Post by dastari on Dec 21, 2017 18:19:59 GMT
I did very much enjoy this story. dastari , we do try to avoid multiple threads for the same story. If you provide the link to the other thread, we'll see if it's appropriate to merge them. Sometimes threads go in different directions, so merging is not always appropriate. Yeah, what I do is before I go to discuss a story I use the search function to see if someone has already made a general thread for that story. Here's the one that I made for Mother Russia a while back, which is why I was surprised to find another one: Mother Russia |
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Post by Ela on Dec 21, 2017 20:04:31 GMT
Well, I moved your post to this thread, but since it's early than omega's, now the thread doesn't start with the nice pic and summary that omega started off the thread with.  I'm going to suggest you re-post it so it comes out after the intro post. Just a suggestion, though, not a requirement. |
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Post by omega on Dec 21, 2017 20:14:45 GMT
Well, I moved your post to this thread, but since it's early than omega's, now the thread doesn't start with the nice pic and summary that omega started off the thread with. I'm going to suggest you re-post it so it comes out after the intro post. Just a suggestion, though, not a requirement. Thank you for calling it nice. Do you like the polls I'm putting now? |
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Post by Ela on Dec 21, 2017 20:25:58 GMT
The polls are fine. I've started looking for them in the Erimem re-listen threads, since you started out with them on those threads.  Personally, though, I have a hard time deciding how to vote unless I really hate it or really love it. |
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Post by masterdoctor on Dec 21, 2017 20:41:47 GMT
Well, I moved your post to this thread, but since it's early than omega's, now the thread doesn't start with the nice pic and summary that omega started off the thread with. I'm going to suggest you re-post it so it comes out after the intro post. Just a suggestion, though, not a requirement. Thank you for calling it nice. Do you like the polls I'm putting now? Yes I agree, I love how you set up the OP. |
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