Main Range 132: The Architects of History (spoilers)
Oct 9, 2021 19:55:50 GMT
ljwilson and antartiks like this
Post by Kestrel on Oct 9, 2021 19:55:50 GMT
So, um... spoilers: I absolutely loved this one!
I think I've said this many times before, so I apologize if you're sick of it, but I really think the 7th Doctor is at his best when I encumbered by companions. I mean, yes, I love Ace, but even so. Some Doctors, I think, are best by themselves, whereas others are best with friends.
Anyway-- I don't really do scores/ratings, but if I did, the Klein Trilogy gets a 10/10, handily. It's a really fantastic arc, yeah? Klein is brilliant foil/antagonist for the Doctor, and we get to see some truly great "chessmastery" from everyone's favorite sinister Doctor. Incredible.
As I think I said before, in response to A Thousand Tiny Wings, this trilogy feels like it was written at a time when Big Finish had more ideas than they knew what to do with, which lends the impression of constantly dashing from one idea to the next with no thought to longer. Just as A Thousand Tiny Wings skipped past several of Klein's adventures as a companion, The Architects of History ignore the preceding cliffhanger and jump right into an exciting new premise: the Doctor held captive on a Nazi moon base, with the Nazi's having used time travel to concoct an intergalactic empire by the 21st century.
Theres even the detail that this "Eternal Reich" has defeated the Daleks, which... okay, yeah, not sure how I feel about that one. It kinda of nesters the Dalek threat, that they'd be so easily countered just with one TARDIS. But I'm willing to overlook it because, hit damn, is this episode fun.
The first episode has the Doctor entirely confined while everything falls apart. While it was pretty obvious that this was all due to the Doctor's machinations prior to imprisonment, it was still really fun to see him just hanging out in his cell while Klein's little empire fell apart.
Quote of the episode: "If I can save them, I will. I'm the Doctor--that's what I do."
Pretty much every Doctor gets (several) big "I Am" speeches, but this one from McCoy might be my favorite. Very simple, direct, and unencumbered by pride, ego or pretense.
And speaking of things I've said before, I've alsowhined criticized Big Finish for frequently falling back in the generic companion template, but here they use it to great effect--making for some nice irony with a companion the Doctor doesn't remember, running around the station according to his plans, but the two never actually meet. And then she gets one hell of a tragic ending. Very compelling stuff.
And then there's the ambiguous ending. Just how did Klein end? Did the Doctor kill her, did she kill herself, or did she simply age to death trapped in the TARDIS for however long it took? Not knowing what, exactly, happened is--I think--far more interesting than any explicit end would've been.
It's also interesting to see a "new" Klein as the 3rd Doctor's apparent successor, taking over his role as UNIT's scientific advisor. I take it this is where the second Klein Trilogy will pick up? Not sure how I feel about rehabilitating/retconning a Nazi war criminal, though.
So, yeah, all in all The Architects of History is one of my favorite stories in the Monthly Range, as well as a perfect conclusion to an excellent story arc. I hope Big Finish does some MR sales soon because I'm not too confident I'll want to wait very long for the next set of Klein stories....
I think I've said this many times before, so I apologize if you're sick of it, but I really think the 7th Doctor is at his best when I encumbered by companions. I mean, yes, I love Ace, but even so. Some Doctors, I think, are best by themselves, whereas others are best with friends.
Anyway-- I don't really do scores/ratings, but if I did, the Klein Trilogy gets a 10/10, handily. It's a really fantastic arc, yeah? Klein is brilliant foil/antagonist for the Doctor, and we get to see some truly great "chessmastery" from everyone's favorite sinister Doctor. Incredible.
As I think I said before, in response to A Thousand Tiny Wings, this trilogy feels like it was written at a time when Big Finish had more ideas than they knew what to do with, which lends the impression of constantly dashing from one idea to the next with no thought to longer. Just as A Thousand Tiny Wings skipped past several of Klein's adventures as a companion, The Architects of History ignore the preceding cliffhanger and jump right into an exciting new premise: the Doctor held captive on a Nazi moon base, with the Nazi's having used time travel to concoct an intergalactic empire by the 21st century.
Theres even the detail that this "Eternal Reich" has defeated the Daleks, which... okay, yeah, not sure how I feel about that one. It kinda of nesters the Dalek threat, that they'd be so easily countered just with one TARDIS. But I'm willing to overlook it because, hit damn, is this episode fun.
The first episode has the Doctor entirely confined while everything falls apart. While it was pretty obvious that this was all due to the Doctor's machinations prior to imprisonment, it was still really fun to see him just hanging out in his cell while Klein's little empire fell apart.
Quote of the episode: "If I can save them, I will. I'm the Doctor--that's what I do."
Pretty much every Doctor gets (several) big "I Am" speeches, but this one from McCoy might be my favorite. Very simple, direct, and unencumbered by pride, ego or pretense.
And speaking of things I've said before, I've also
And then there's the ambiguous ending. Just how did Klein end? Did the Doctor kill her, did she kill herself, or did she simply age to death trapped in the TARDIS for however long it took? Not knowing what, exactly, happened is--I think--far more interesting than any explicit end would've been.
It's also interesting to see a "new" Klein as the 3rd Doctor's apparent successor, taking over his role as UNIT's scientific advisor. I take it this is where the second Klein Trilogy will pick up? Not sure how I feel about rehabilitating/retconning a Nazi war criminal, though.
So, yeah, all in all The Architects of History is one of my favorite stories in the Monthly Range, as well as a perfect conclusion to an excellent story arc. I hope Big Finish does some MR sales soon because I'm not too confident I'll want to wait very long for the next set of Klein stories....
