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Post by shallacatop on Dec 9, 2020 15:26:41 GMT
I gave this one a relisten. It’s absolutely lovely. Beautifully read by Carole Ann. Doctor Who & Tea are the ultimate cosy pairing and it was nice to have my reality blend in with the story. I mentioned on release that I guessed the ending because I was going to submit something similar to the Short Trip competition, but the restrictions prevented me. It would’ve been a battered and weary War Doctor on his journey to find the perfect cup of tea directly off the back of a devastating battle with some equally devastating decisions and consequences that would be flashed back to. Once he has the tea, and finds temporary peace for as long as he drinks it, he’s back off into the heart of the battle and it starts all over again. Doesn’t read as well as I pictured it in my head, mind! I definitely like your pitch idea just as much just as much as I liked this story. Regards mark687 Sorry for the delayed response, I must have missed this post. That's kind of you, thank you. Just relistened to this one again as it's bloody freezing out and I wanted a nice cosy half an hour between meetings. The pinnacle of what makes a Short Trip adventure. |
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Post by Kestrel on Feb 3, 2021 9:00:38 GMT
The "pinnacle," huh? I think I may prefer the 'bottle episode' short trips more, but I can't exactly disagree: A Small Semblance of Home was very, very good.
I absolutely loved the characterization of the Doctor puttering about in the TARDIS--fiddling with a specific control again and again, clearly not having any idea what he's doing, but adamantly insisting otherwise when pressed. It's very quintessential 1st Doctor.
The whole roundabout way he set about cheering up Barbara was also very sweet--this story really nailed the characters.
Though... Susan had a remarkably small role here. I definitely thought it was a bit odd when I started listening--that it was a Barbara POV story, narrated by Carol Ann Ford--but in retrospect there's not much they can really do to tell interesting stories with Susan. At least, not the TV-era Susan. I know I'm several decades (more than a half-century by my count) to be beating this particular dead horse, but I am continually disappointed by the monumental disservice the early Doctor Who writers did to the character of Susan. She was so interesting, and so full of potential in An Unearthly Child--imagine how much fun it would've been if, instead of a heroine, Susan had retained that eccentric, alien nature throughout? Instead she became a damsel. Ah well. At least Big Finish was eventually able to go in interesting new directions with Susan and the 8th Doctor (and time war).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2021 10:30:45 GMT
When I first listened to A Small Semblance of Home, I loved it all the way. Definitely a Short Trip for beginners and fans alike!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2021 10:46:21 GMT
The "pinnacle," huh? I think I may prefer the 'bottle episode' short trips more, but I can't exactly disagree: A Small Semblance of Home was very, very good. I absolutely loved the characterization of the Doctor puttering about in the TARDIS--fiddling with a specific control again and again, clearly not having any idea what he's doing, but adamantly insisting otherwise when pressed. It's very quintessential 1st Doctor. The whole roundabout way he set about cheering up Barbara was also very sweet--this story really nailed the characters. Though... Susan had a remarkably small role here. I definitely thought it was a bit odd when I started listening--that it was a Barbara POV story, narrated by Carol Ann Ford--but in retrospect there's not much they can really do to tell interesting stories with Susan. At least, not the TV-era Susan. I know I'm several decades (more than a half-century by my count) to be beating this particular dead horse, but I am continually disappointed by the monumental disservice the early Doctor Who writers did to the character of Susan. She was so interesting, and so full of potential in An Unearthly Child--imagine how much fun it would've been if, instead of a heroine, Susan had retained that eccentric, alien nature throughout? Instead she became a damsel. Ah well. At least Big Finish was eventually able to go in interesting new directions with Susan and the 8th Doctor (and time war). Fun fact about this particular dead horse, we had a brief thread about her characterisation at the beginning of December last year. The problem wasn't so much with the writers, but with the higher-ups (the high, higher ups) who wanted an audience identification figure for the children. Her alienness was deliberately toned back to meet the brief. Although, there are moments in that first season where they try to nudge her into something more interesting. The novelisation of The Daleks, written by script editor David Whitaker in the mid-60s, goes with that original interpretation as much as it can. |
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Post by constonks on Apr 6, 2021 22:57:17 GMT
Just listened to this one for the first time - a simple and lovely story. I was spoiled for the twist (by reading this thread too early IIRC) but the reveal was still warm and fuzzy-feeling nonetheless... and the spoiler allowed me to enjoy the line about "revolutions started over the treatment of this plant" all the more.
Essentially listening for fans of Ian & Barbara and quite possibly the moment that the companions become a little family.
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Post by Kestrel on Apr 7, 2021 4:16:43 GMT
In retrospect it seems kind of silly and obviously wrong-headed, but I honestly never expected that Ian and Barbara would become one of my favorite TARDIS teams. They all fit so cleanly into those tedious popular 50s/60s narrative tropes! They're not supposed to be so endearingly empathetic and genuine!
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