Post by Kestrel on Jan 5, 2022 17:42:18 GMT
So I think I've listened to this one a total of three times. Entirely by accident. This is what I get for switching to the Big Finish app halfway through the "Hex Arc." Yeesh. Then at some point I either never deleted it or redownloaded it, and it sat in the app because I couldn't remember whether or not I'd listened to it.
And on this third occasion, it took me a good 40 or 50 minutes to realize that yes, yes I had already listened to it--but by that point I'd already sunk so much time into it, I figured I may as well just finish it.
So keep in my that this annoyance and frustration with myself may color what I'm about to say.
The Magic Mousetrap, like most of the so-called "Hex Arc" to be honest... didn't really do much for me. In a way, it feels like a Neil Gaiman novel to me: it's certainly composed of all the elements I usually like, but something about their execution is just... off. It just doesn't quite work for me and I'll be damned if I can articulate why. I ought to love these stories: I don't.
But, like, I mean--I'll still try. Just don't expect too much clarity here, is all I'm saying.
I think there are two issues with The Magic Mousetrap that keep it from clicking.
First: the idea of an amnesiac 7th Doctor is, I think, something much more interesting in theory than execution. In practice, in this instance, it feels more like a contrivance to inject some of McCoy's trademark levity into the scenes. And, as I've said before, I don't think McCoy really has the range for this kind of sillier characterization. At least he's not doing physical humor, or at least we don't have to actually see him do physical humor.
What can I say? I'm just not a fan of the Hapless Doctor. Especially the 7th Doctor, because with him there's always the implicit dichotomy with the much more collected, Scheming Doctor--the much more engaging version of the 7th Doctor who so easily commands each situation he's thrust into.
Second: I don't think the premise works. Ace and Hex as the "masterminds" of the scenario is a great idea, pitting their combined experiences and intellects against a Doctor robbed of both is a fantastic idea. But in practice? Their big plan is just a board game. Doesn't really feel like they're using their knowledge of the Doctor against him, does it? It should've been framed as more battle of wits than game of dice.
And speaking of the whole board game aspect, oof, that is definitely not something that conveys well in audio. The scene transitions alone are messy as heck. This is a concept that could be great or awful depending entirely on how it's presented -- in terms of visual effects and set design. Neither of which are possible here. So while this means we don't see the "living board game" executed as poorly as it might be, we don't exactly see it pulled off, either.
The whole mystery of what's going also isn't handled particularly well, I think. It just feels like a cavalcade of nonsense, and when the time comes to tease out what's really going on, the curtains are pulled up far too quickly. There's no time to really simmer the stew, if you'll pardon my increasingly tortured metaphors. It's just... somehow simultaneously jarring and abrupt. And ultimately underwhelming because--when we do get that ultimate reveal of what's going on--it elicits little from me beyond a, "sure, why not."
The final word: tepid. That's how I feel about The Magic Mousetrap. It's got the flour, the sugar, the egg, butter, baking soda and salt--everything--but the end result is not a cake. (Can you tell I haven't slept in a while?) Again I have to draw the comparison to Neil Gaiman: I love the idea of this story, I love all the different characters and how everyone plays off each other, and I especially love the idea of the role reversal. The idea of the story I love. The actual story? I'm lukewarm. Maybe--for both--my expectations are too high? Maybe I see all these interesting components and imagine what might be built of them, and find what ultimately is built to be underwhelming as a result. Maybe. I don't know.
All I can say is three times now I've been disappointed by The Magic Mousetrap. And I by no means want to imply that it's a bad story or that I dislike it--it's not and I don't--rather that I didn't love it, and I feel I ought to. It's one of those things where I want it to be a 5/5, so when I read it as a 4/5 it's like being doused in cold water.
And on this third occasion, it took me a good 40 or 50 minutes to realize that yes, yes I had already listened to it--but by that point I'd already sunk so much time into it, I figured I may as well just finish it.
So keep in my that this annoyance and frustration with myself may color what I'm about to say.
The Magic Mousetrap, like most of the so-called "Hex Arc" to be honest... didn't really do much for me. In a way, it feels like a Neil Gaiman novel to me: it's certainly composed of all the elements I usually like, but something about their execution is just... off. It just doesn't quite work for me and I'll be damned if I can articulate why. I ought to love these stories: I don't.
But, like, I mean--I'll still try. Just don't expect too much clarity here, is all I'm saying.
I think there are two issues with The Magic Mousetrap that keep it from clicking.
First: the idea of an amnesiac 7th Doctor is, I think, something much more interesting in theory than execution. In practice, in this instance, it feels more like a contrivance to inject some of McCoy's trademark levity into the scenes. And, as I've said before, I don't think McCoy really has the range for this kind of sillier characterization. At least he's not doing physical humor, or at least we don't have to actually see him do physical humor.
What can I say? I'm just not a fan of the Hapless Doctor. Especially the 7th Doctor, because with him there's always the implicit dichotomy with the much more collected, Scheming Doctor--the much more engaging version of the 7th Doctor who so easily commands each situation he's thrust into.
Second: I don't think the premise works. Ace and Hex as the "masterminds" of the scenario is a great idea, pitting their combined experiences and intellects against a Doctor robbed of both is a fantastic idea. But in practice? Their big plan is just a board game. Doesn't really feel like they're using their knowledge of the Doctor against him, does it? It should've been framed as more battle of wits than game of dice.
And speaking of the whole board game aspect, oof, that is definitely not something that conveys well in audio. The scene transitions alone are messy as heck. This is a concept that could be great or awful depending entirely on how it's presented -- in terms of visual effects and set design. Neither of which are possible here. So while this means we don't see the "living board game" executed as poorly as it might be, we don't exactly see it pulled off, either.
The whole mystery of what's going also isn't handled particularly well, I think. It just feels like a cavalcade of nonsense, and when the time comes to tease out what's really going on, the curtains are pulled up far too quickly. There's no time to really simmer the stew, if you'll pardon my increasingly tortured metaphors. It's just... somehow simultaneously jarring and abrupt. And ultimately underwhelming because--when we do get that ultimate reveal of what's going on--it elicits little from me beyond a, "sure, why not."
The final word: tepid. That's how I feel about The Magic Mousetrap. It's got the flour, the sugar, the egg, butter, baking soda and salt--everything--but the end result is not a cake. (Can you tell I haven't slept in a while?) Again I have to draw the comparison to Neil Gaiman: I love the idea of this story, I love all the different characters and how everyone plays off each other, and I especially love the idea of the role reversal. The idea of the story I love. The actual story? I'm lukewarm. Maybe--for both--my expectations are too high? Maybe I see all these interesting components and imagine what might be built of them, and find what ultimately is built to be underwhelming as a result. Maybe. I don't know.
All I can say is three times now I've been disappointed by The Magic Mousetrap. And I by no means want to imply that it's a bad story or that I dislike it--it's not and I don't--rather that I didn't love it, and I feel I ought to. It's one of those things where I want it to be a 5/5, so when I read it as a 4/5 it's like being doused in cold water.