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Post by Audio Watchdog on Apr 24, 2018 23:14:59 GMT
But isn't the whole timeline of UNIT kind of odd to begin with? Isn't the time period of the 3rd Doctor days either the 70s or the 80s depending on who you ask and didn't Moffat even make a joke about it in Day of the Doctor?
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Post by sherlock on Apr 24, 2018 23:18:14 GMT
But isn't the whole timeline of UNIT kind of odd to begin with? Isn't the time period of the 3rd Doctor days either the 70s or the 80s depending on who you ask and didn't Moffat even make a joke about it in Day of the Doctor? Kind of odd just about sums it up: tardis.wikia.com/wiki/UNIT_dating_controversy |
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Post by mrperson on Apr 25, 2018 0:32:46 GMT
But isn't the whole timeline of UNIT kind of odd to begin with? Isn't the time period of the 3rd Doctor days either the 70s or the 80s depending on who you ask and didn't Moffat even make a joke about it in Day of the Doctor? Kind of odd just about sums it up: tardis.wikia.com/wiki/UNIT_dating_controversyAhh...heh. My memory was is not good enough to recall all that. I suppose I generally just assumed that original series episodes set on an Earth that looked modern enough for the period when they were filmed were set in that year, as the new series generally did. So for example, even though I knew Web of Fear had to occur some time in the sixties, a reference that placed it just about at 1975 would not have caught my notice. |
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Post by number13 on Apr 25, 2018 9:58:23 GMT
But isn't the whole timeline of UNIT kind of odd to begin with? Isn't the time period of the 3rd Doctor days either the 70s or the 80s depending on who you ask and didn't Moffat even make a joke about it in Day of the Doctor? Yes. Barry Letts often says on the DVD commentaries that they set the stories 'a few years ahead' so they could include human technology & science that wasn't possible yet, but was imaginable for the near future. They were ahead on predicting/understanding some 'green' themes too and they also did a few social predictions in advance of their time, like a female Prime Minister (although I believe they expected a different person in fact!) I think 'Pyramids of Mars' is the first time a specific year is mentioned - 1980. So they were running at Earth+5 years, at least according to Robert Holmes. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2018 5:17:47 GMT
I really enjoyed this and wouldn't mind getting more slowburn releases in this vein from time to time. Very nicely handled and not at all, even if we're looking at some tropes in sci-fi I don't particularly like and wish were re-examined. Handcock works hard to make the sci-fi personal here, people and their mistakes, the universe over. Jake Dudman impresses in the role of Adam, enthusing a gentle, fragile innocence in the light of darkness. And The Doctor, is so essentinally Doctor here (particularly in his Fifth incarnation) in his actions to try and show Adam the wonders of the universe.
While we defiantly, it's hard not to feel for Anabella and her difficult choices (and the hints of unspoken sorrows), even though we don't agree with all and Deborah Thomas plays her role with a sad ordinariness, as a character very much reacting to her situation. Very much used and discarded and those lives are now together bound by his actions (regardless of events unspoken which have shaped his life), with both parents having to make it work, with the relationship very much dead. The prospect of Adam and his family being killed not long after arrival is, that, as with the Eighth Doctor, all things now head into the revival.
While I'm enjoying this new take on UNIT - I'm worried having it play across three releases seems almost a bit too limited. I love Big Finish, but I wouldn't have minded if this was a bigger arc spread out across the years.
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Post by slithe on Apr 28, 2018 10:50:52 GMT
I enjoyed this release, but echo some of the criticisms about the plot. I found the characterisation of the Doctor and Blake were more interesting than the actual story itself. I was particularly impressed with Davison's performance and think his stories since Time in Office have been particularly strong. I think, he has given Colin Baker a run for his money with Time in Office, Kingdom of Lies, Ghost Walk, Serpent in the Silver Mask and the Helliax Rift.
The adventure left a few 'unanswered' questions, which I hope will be addressed in future releases in the arc. For example, why the Helliax chose to 'possess' the body of the deceased, why the father chose to come back to find his son (and left in the first place) and how the Fifth Doctor managed to travel alone. If these are resolved, then I think the piece will become much stronger as a good start to the story arc.
The fourth episode gave some clues about potential plot line developments with Blake's character - which could be interesting. I got the feeling that the Doctor knows far more about the character than he lets on - a throwaway line about 'taking care', seemed to imply this.
Perhaps I'm reading into this too much - but the weather in the story was bucketing it down with rain. In the Hour of the Cybermen, it's a problem with drought. Will be worth seeing if this develops into a theme.
Good release and an impressive run for Big Finish since September.
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Post by omega on May 4, 2018 11:10:54 GMT
Extended extras available to those who have subscribed.
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Post by Ian McArdell on May 10, 2018 9:01:36 GMT
My take on The Helliax Rift is up over at Cultbox: In short, I enjoyed it but look forward to this team developing... because Lt Col. Lewis Price is an ass! |
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Post by fantasticalice on May 25, 2018 7:24:24 GMT
No-one's mentioned the rather lovely joke where Peter Davison seems offended to be mistaken for a vet in the 1980s.  I liked this one. I always like a story that evolves as it goes on and when you look back you realise it's quite organically become something different in it's second half than the first. That very much happened here. The fun banter with Davison toying with UNIT gave way to quite a poignant little story. The utter horror in his voice at that question gave me a really good laugh. It instantly brought to mind the arm up a cow. And I wonder if that's what the fifth Doctor thought of too! |
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Post by Ela on Jul 5, 2018 20:06:03 GMT
Just finished listening to this story and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very nice writing by Scott Handcock. I very much liked the plot development and the way it shifts in intention - at first you think there's scientists that have only a nefarious purpose, but then you find it's more complicated than that. As others have stated, it was nice having the Fifth Doctor on his own, without the bevy of companions that usually surround him. The Helliax assumed the form of Annabel's dead husband Jonathan to deceive and "seduce" her; human law would use a much stronger term and I'm amazed the Doctor didn't have far more criticism for the Helliax's actions, or for Annabel, luring in and vivisecting innocent aliens 'in a good cause' to try to help her son. Yes, I was surprised the Doctor didn't address that. But things developed so quickly that he soon had other things to think about. I still have the extended extras to listen to, and hoping that will be interesting. Very nice story overall. |
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Post by Ela on Jul 6, 2018 7:01:34 GMT
I listened to the extended extras tonight and enjoyed that.
Forgot to mention in my previous post that I found the soundtrack to be very suited to the type of music that was in the Fifth Doctor's era on TV.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2018 18:19:48 GMT
Good Lord ! I started listening to this today and have been really enjoying it. However I was quite shocked at the short 1 hour length. I've only just realised that I had only transferred episode 3 & 4 onto my IPod. How could I have followed it, completely unaware that I hadn't heard the first HOUR?? It's almost as bad as the time I was completely baffled listening to 'The Waters Of Amsterdam' and thinking, how I hate these back and forth in time stories they are so difficult to follow, only realising later that I had, had my device on shuffle !!
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Post by Ela on Oct 23, 2018 14:07:25 GMT
I did that a couple of times with shuffle.  Haven’t done it recently, though. |
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Post by agentten on Oct 23, 2018 22:11:51 GMT
Greatly enjoyed this and plan to give it a re-listen soon. I liked the claustrophobic feel of the lab, especially when the Doctor was captured. The sound design and performances conveyed the sense of menace well. I really like Scott Handcock's take on Five. Even though the subject matter of the script was serious, there were nice, lighter moments with Five early on as the story ramped up that I thought were charming.
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