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Post by omega on Jan 6, 2018 6:16:32 GMT
DOCTOR WHO - MAIN RANGE » 132. THE ARCHITECTS OF HISTORYReleased March 2010SynopsisThe year is 2044. Earth is enjoying a Golden Age of peace, prosperity and technological advancement… but somebody is plotting to destroy all that. The Selachians, shark-like alien monsters, launch a crippling attack on Earth’s Moonbase, using deadly weapons from the future. Help is at hand. A police telephone box appears in a Moonbase hangar. A time-travelling hero has returned in the hour of Earth’s greatest need. Now, Elizabeth Klein must fight to save not only the Galactic Reich but Time itself from the mysterious prisoner who has orchestrated these fateful events... the Doctor. Written By: Steve Lyons Directed By: John Ainsworth CASTSylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Tracey Childs (Elizabeth Klein), Lenora Crichlow (Rachel Cooper), Ian Hayles (Sam Kirke), Jamie Parker (Major Richter), Lloyd McGuire (Generalleutnant Tendexter), Chris Porter (Selachian Leader), Rachel Laurence (Feldwebel/Computer Voice), David Dobson (Pilot/Selachian)
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Post by omega on Jan 6, 2018 6:36:48 GMT
This story is a classic. I really like how many layers and angles there are to the plot and the characters.
It's the best Klein story we've had thus far. For once she's got no hidden agenda, she should have everything she's wanted. Right? But for all she's done she's unable to do the one thing she wishes for the most, returning home. As she tells the Doctor at the end, she was happy where she was, a scientist wanting to learn new things for the benefit of her people.
Klein also proves herself to be the Doctor's equal. They can both read each other and see the truth of the matter. They also know when to withdraw. In a way, I think Klein was happy to be erased from time and space, that she could finally let go of the regret of that first trip in the TARDIS to Colditz Castle, away from Jonas.
Another tragic figure is Rachel. She's seen the stars, and craves incident and adventure. But all her hopes rest on one man who by this story no longer exists (and who like the Seventh Doctor we know keeps his cards practically woven into the question mark pullover). She tries to make a difference, but in classic Seventh Doctor fashion ends up being the spanner in the works in trying to save Sam and telling him about the alternate Doctor's plans. Rachel's final speech about not being scared of dying, but rather more afraid of never having lived, is heartbreaking. Who knows what Rachel Cooper is doing in the final revision of the timeline, and if she got the life she was scared of losing.
When you have alternate universe/timeline stories it's easy to dismiss them because you know it's not going to matter and that the mainstream counterparts will survive. Not here. Steve Lyons makes you feel for the characters. You feel Sam's fear of Richter, at first because you think he's a citizen afraid of a Nazi officer (the story avoids using the word Nazi too much). His and Rachel's desperation as things go from bad to worse to worst. Tendexter being more than a strict leader, showing unexpected humanity in the final episode. Even Feldwebel choking up as things get critical. You want these characters to find a better role in the new timeline. They aren't extras on evil Kirk's Enterprise, they are people with limits.
The reset button here is well and truly earned. Klein's temporal revisions are severe enough the alternate Seventh Doctor was willing to bring the Selachians in (whose brutality he saw firsthand in The Murder Game, The Final Sanction and The Selachian Gambit) to fix the issue for once and for all. As I've said above, the guest characters are characters you don't want to die. Between that and Klein's temporal erasure you've got the price. The Doctor has made a mistake, and while he's set it right he's also paid for it.
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Post by mrperson on Jan 6, 2018 16:55:31 GMT
Well, I cannot add to that. A truly great conclusion to a brilliant trilogy.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 6, 2018 18:06:14 GMT
Well, I cannot add to that. A truly great conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. Probably the best overall Main Range trilogy.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 18:50:47 GMT
Well, I cannot add to that. A truly great conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. Probably the best overall Main Range trilogy. Probably...
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 6, 2018 18:53:17 GMT
Probably the best overall Main Range trilogy. Probably... Although to be fair, with Colditz, it is probably a quadrilogy.
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Post by masterdoctor on Jan 6, 2018 22:04:00 GMT
Well, I cannot add to that. A truly great conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. Probably the best overall Main Range trilogy. I say this honestly. The new 6th Doctor Trilogy beats it for me.
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Post by omega on Jan 6, 2018 22:11:42 GMT
Probably the best overall Main Range trilogy. I say this honestly. The new 6th Doctor Trilogy beats it for me. Not for me. This one is a perfect, exciting and satisfying finale, easily the best trilogy finale Big Finish have done. It's not mired in continuity, the characters are enthralling and you end the story wanting to know what went on in the travels of the alternate Seventh Doctor and Rachel.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 23:34:11 GMT
And it's so very, very gently part of an era that Big Finish tapped into with the two Benny/Ace and Novel Adaptations. It's ironic that a series that has so much of a focus on a "bigger picture" Doctor was superb at drawing the little people. The Architects of History manages to be so much more than just a Selacian story or just an alt!universe story. I adore Klein, such a great, genuinely nuanced companion and this tetraology (pentalogy? Does Klein's Story count as a separate entry?) is one of my favourites. And I'm so pleased that's something I can say a lot with Big Finish.
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Post by masterdoctor on Jan 6, 2018 23:56:38 GMT
I say this honestly. The new 6th Doctor Trilogy beats it for me. Not for me. This one is a perfect, exciting and satisfying finale, easily the best trilogy finale Big Finish have done. It's not mired in continuity, the characters are enthralling and you end the story wanting to know what went on in the travels of the alternate Seventh Doctor and Rachel. Fair enough, and without trying to, you have explained how Static feels to me. To each their own.
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Post by barnabaslives on Jan 7, 2018 1:48:16 GMT
Other than as far as I'm concerned, it's supposed to be The Doctor's job to prevent Galactic Reichs before they go about spreading fascism throughout the galaxy :-) (Klein is still thus the closest thing to a companion I don't actually like for her part in that), it's a great story and a great trilogy. I'm still not quite as keen on the whole trilogy as on A Thousand Tiny Wings, though, which was one of my very first DW purchases. Being so hugely impressed with it, it was a very big inspiration to keep checking out the Main Range and the other Who ranges.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 7, 2018 2:10:19 GMT
Other than as far as I'm concerned, it's supposed to be The Doctor's job to prevent Galactic Reichs before they go about spreading fascism throughout the galaxy :-) (Klein is still thus the closest thing to a companion I don't actually like for her part in that), it's a great story and a great trilogy. I'm still not quite as keen on the whole trilogy as on A Thousand Tiny Wings, though, which was one of my very first DW purchases. Being so hugely impressed with it, it was a very big inspiration to keep checking out the Main Range and the other Who ranges. That is right around when I started subscribing and that trilogy was the one which truly got me invested with Big Finish.
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Post by omega on Jan 7, 2018 2:25:40 GMT
Other than as far as I'm concerned, it's supposed to be The Doctor's job to prevent Galactic Reichs before they go about spreading fascism throughout the galaxy :-) (Klein is still thus the closest thing to a companion I don't actually like for her part in that), it's a great story and a great trilogy. I'm still not quite as keen on the whole trilogy as on A Thousand Tiny Wings, though, which was one of my very first DW purchases. Being so hugely impressed with it, it was a very big inspiration to keep checking out the Main Range and the other Who ranges. Its classic Seventh Doctor to skip past the simple solution, and considering the complication of involving the Selachians from the future, either the alternate Seventh Doctor didn't consider Time scooping Klein or the damage done by Klein made manual retrieval the only option. We're only seeing this from the perspective of the people within the story, and not what's happening on Gallifrey or the wider universe. We also don't know if the Seventh Doctor was given any sentence for his role in the creation of Klein's timeline.
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Post by Timelord007 on Jan 7, 2018 8:51:46 GMT
Great trilogy, but then there are so many great trilogies in this range.
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Post by Ela on Jan 7, 2018 19:51:36 GMT
Loved this story and found the twists and turns of the whole trilogy fascinating. And as Audio Watchdog mentions, it goes along with Colditz. (Or rather, Colditz precedes it.) I've always had in mind to go back and listen to Colditz and then this trilogy all in order. One of these days.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 6:05:51 GMT
I gave this a relisten as i am struggling with Warlocks Cross by same author and i think this tale is excellent whereas with Warlock am at a loss
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 16:51:37 GMT
I gave this a relisten as i am struggling with Warlocks Cross by same author and i think this tale is excellent whereas with Warlock am at a loss Yeah, same author and same Doctor but two completely different beasts. The Architects of History is a damn good Seventh Doctor story and very enjoyable... whereas Warlock's Cross isn't!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 16:52:40 GMT
I gave this a relisten as i am struggling with Warlocks Cross by same author and i think this tale is excellent whereas with Warlock am at a loss Yeah, same author and same Doctor but two completely different beasts. The Architects of History is a damn good Seventh Doctor story and very enjoyable... whereas Warlock's Cross isn't! 😁
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Post by eric009 on Dec 9, 2018 21:32:29 GMT
Yeah, same author and same Doctor but two completely different beasts. The Architects of History is a damn good Seventh Doctor story and very enjoyable... whereas Warlock's Cross isn't! 😁 I AGREE
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Post by Tim Bradley on Jan 17, 2021 20:49:55 GMT
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