Post by shallacatop on Jan 31, 2019 16:17:32 GMT
I was going to make a post in the "What are you listening to today?" thread, but it's less a quick post and more of a review, so I felt it was appropriate to have its own thread. Surprisingly, the search didn't bring up a Dark Eyes thread.
Dark Eyes
We have the first set. It gets bogged down with technobabble, but it's a decent runaround on the whole.
The Great War in particular is brilliant. Fugitives is mad but enjoyable. Tangled Web and X and the Daleks merge into one in my head; it's a little messy. Molly is a nice and interesting companion and she keeps the Doctor on his toes. She does have a few annoying traits - Tardy-box, the the Doctor and the Darlicks - but the Doctor reacts to them with frustration, so they're a running joke of sort. Not that the Doctor can talk, he must say "old girl" a dozen times! It's a great jumping on point for new listeners. It marks the beginning of a new era for the Eighth Doctor, yet still touches upon his past events. We have the big bads in the form of the Daleks, with a new companion and a big name villain to boot. It's all wrapped up at the end and leaves the door wide open for this "new" Eighth Doctor. Pretty good stuff.
Dark Eyes 2
Then we get Dark Eyes 2 and it does the complete opposite of the first; the MacQueen Master, the Viyrans, the Eminence, Liv from Robophobia and Time Lord politics.
The Traitor is a traditional Briggs affair, very Dalek Empire crossed with Death to the Daleks, but it's not too bad. I don't really understand the intention of putting it as the first story, though, and it makes the actual ending of the set worse off as a result (I thought the app had skipped forward!). It would've been more interesting to have seen Liv's disdain at the Doctor not knowing what had happened, I think. The White Room is okay, there's some clunky dialogue and it doesn't really seem to add much. Time's Horizon is better and develops the characters a little more. Eyes of the Master is the best of the set, I think. The Master's plan is twisted and the Doctor and his two distinct companions are speeding around London in a Beetle. It's a nice contrast that only Doctor Who can do.
As I mentioned, the final scene is strange, due to The Traitor being the first story. I love Doctor Who when it's not linear, but I think it has to justify it, and I'm not sure this set did. They're just straightforward bits of fluff that are littered with returning elements that don't really work or need to be there.
Dark Eyes 3
The third set is an interesting contrast in that it's a smaller scale and it feels more consistent and streamlined. It's just a shame that I felt it was rather dull.
The first two episodes could've been cut down, turned into one part and then I think it might have been something quite special. It's odd that, at the time, these McGann sets were big, occasional releases and they decided to give him a glorified cameo in the first part. I'm guessing Matt Fitton must have loved The Night of the Doctor. The Doctor is explicitly ducking in and around the outskirts of war, being begged to participate, but refusing to do so. He even goes down with a ship! It makes it seem a little backwards looking, when this should be a range that moved forwards.
Having said that, The Doctor's raw edge over losing Lucie and Alex is present and dealt with better than in the first set, maybe that's because it comes out during his spar with the Master, I'm not sure. Speaking of which, I don't think the MacQueen Master does a great deal for me. He's a little generic, with an emphasis on camp. You can tell he's meant to come between the Roberts / Beevers and Jacobi incarnations and that's how he's portrayed. I understand the intentions, but it doesn't quite work for me. Masterplan should have really clicked with me, and I think it would have done if it was Beevers, Jacobi or Gomez, but MacQueen doesn't quite sell it. I completely understand the appeal to others, though.
The Eminence aren't characters, they're more of a force, I suppose. They're not intended to be having heated debates with the characters and they're not proper baddies. They play second fiddle to the Master in this, but they're still portrayed as something to interact with the characters and I'm not sure that works.
I think the set actually suffers from a lack of the Daleks. The set attempts a small scale, yet it's stating grand things. We're dealing meddling to the Earth and other planets in the past, present and future. We have Gallifrey involved, as they've foreseen the impending Time War. It's stuff that really should be conveyed and it gives the final set much more to deal with and makes the third set seem quite bloated and unnecessary. It doesn't help that Molly's in and out of it, due to actor availability. Stating the character is a plot device in the script doesn't mean it's good.
Dark Eyes 4
After my criticisms, we get A Life in the Day. Absolutely brilliant! At only 45 minutes, it flies by. It's straighforward and standalone, but it's brilliant because of that. Liv gets some great development and the Doctor is appreciating a bit of fun. The Monster of Montmartre is bonkers and lots of fun, with rather a grim final quarter, where it's essentially taken directly from Daleks in Manhattan and The Stolen Earth, but it's great stuff nonetheless. Master of the Daleks is a strange one in that Montmartre sets The Master's re-involvement up in the final few minutes, but his appearance just feels like an extended cameo. A last hurrah in the range, if you will. MacQueen is better here, but it doesn't really seem to come together. The Sontarans have a similar glorified cameo, but it makes sense to use an existing monster for such occasions. Eye of Darkness closes the range how it started: technobabble galore. In a way, you wonder why you've bothered with the previous 15 hours.
Overall
What a strange series. It tries to be epic with its story, but the plots are either neglected, incomplete or there's great big gaps. Nothing is cohesive. Those bloody retrogenitor particles crop up in every set with a new ability that conveniently allows the characters to do something else. Dark Eyes herself is in less than half the set and seems to just pop in and out of consciousness. The jumping on approach the first set takes is quickly abandoned in favour of throwing every returning element under the sun. I'm not sure if the intention was to get new listeners to try other ranges, but it just feels bloated. This doesn't feel important. This doesn't feel like the exciting new beginning for the Eight Doctor. Doom Coalition does everything so much better.
I don't want to come across as too harsh. A quarter of the set is great. Normally I have my own ideas on how I'd make tweaks here and there. But I'm really stuck with this one. My only suggestion is this would have worked in a way that the mythology arc works in The X-Files. Occasional across a few years and using the additional episodes to fill in the gaps, with more standalone adventures for the Doctor and Liv, the Doctor and Molly and the three of them together. More involvement from Gallifrey. Alas, Big Finish doesn't have that kind of output!
Dark Eyes
We have the first set. It gets bogged down with technobabble, but it's a decent runaround on the whole.
The Great War in particular is brilliant. Fugitives is mad but enjoyable. Tangled Web and X and the Daleks merge into one in my head; it's a little messy. Molly is a nice and interesting companion and she keeps the Doctor on his toes. She does have a few annoying traits - Tardy-box, the the Doctor and the Darlicks - but the Doctor reacts to them with frustration, so they're a running joke of sort. Not that the Doctor can talk, he must say "old girl" a dozen times! It's a great jumping on point for new listeners. It marks the beginning of a new era for the Eighth Doctor, yet still touches upon his past events. We have the big bads in the form of the Daleks, with a new companion and a big name villain to boot. It's all wrapped up at the end and leaves the door wide open for this "new" Eighth Doctor. Pretty good stuff.
Dark Eyes 2
Then we get Dark Eyes 2 and it does the complete opposite of the first; the MacQueen Master, the Viyrans, the Eminence, Liv from Robophobia and Time Lord politics.
The Traitor is a traditional Briggs affair, very Dalek Empire crossed with Death to the Daleks, but it's not too bad. I don't really understand the intention of putting it as the first story, though, and it makes the actual ending of the set worse off as a result (I thought the app had skipped forward!). It would've been more interesting to have seen Liv's disdain at the Doctor not knowing what had happened, I think. The White Room is okay, there's some clunky dialogue and it doesn't really seem to add much. Time's Horizon is better and develops the characters a little more. Eyes of the Master is the best of the set, I think. The Master's plan is twisted and the Doctor and his two distinct companions are speeding around London in a Beetle. It's a nice contrast that only Doctor Who can do.
As I mentioned, the final scene is strange, due to The Traitor being the first story. I love Doctor Who when it's not linear, but I think it has to justify it, and I'm not sure this set did. They're just straightforward bits of fluff that are littered with returning elements that don't really work or need to be there.
Dark Eyes 3
The third set is an interesting contrast in that it's a smaller scale and it feels more consistent and streamlined. It's just a shame that I felt it was rather dull.
The first two episodes could've been cut down, turned into one part and then I think it might have been something quite special. It's odd that, at the time, these McGann sets were big, occasional releases and they decided to give him a glorified cameo in the first part. I'm guessing Matt Fitton must have loved The Night of the Doctor. The Doctor is explicitly ducking in and around the outskirts of war, being begged to participate, but refusing to do so. He even goes down with a ship! It makes it seem a little backwards looking, when this should be a range that moved forwards.
Having said that, The Doctor's raw edge over losing Lucie and Alex is present and dealt with better than in the first set, maybe that's because it comes out during his spar with the Master, I'm not sure. Speaking of which, I don't think the MacQueen Master does a great deal for me. He's a little generic, with an emphasis on camp. You can tell he's meant to come between the Roberts / Beevers and Jacobi incarnations and that's how he's portrayed. I understand the intentions, but it doesn't quite work for me. Masterplan should have really clicked with me, and I think it would have done if it was Beevers, Jacobi or Gomez, but MacQueen doesn't quite sell it. I completely understand the appeal to others, though.
The Eminence aren't characters, they're more of a force, I suppose. They're not intended to be having heated debates with the characters and they're not proper baddies. They play second fiddle to the Master in this, but they're still portrayed as something to interact with the characters and I'm not sure that works.
I think the set actually suffers from a lack of the Daleks. The set attempts a small scale, yet it's stating grand things. We're dealing meddling to the Earth and other planets in the past, present and future. We have Gallifrey involved, as they've foreseen the impending Time War. It's stuff that really should be conveyed and it gives the final set much more to deal with and makes the third set seem quite bloated and unnecessary. It doesn't help that Molly's in and out of it, due to actor availability. Stating the character is a plot device in the script doesn't mean it's good.
Dark Eyes 4
After my criticisms, we get A Life in the Day. Absolutely brilliant! At only 45 minutes, it flies by. It's straighforward and standalone, but it's brilliant because of that. Liv gets some great development and the Doctor is appreciating a bit of fun. The Monster of Montmartre is bonkers and lots of fun, with rather a grim final quarter, where it's essentially taken directly from Daleks in Manhattan and The Stolen Earth, but it's great stuff nonetheless. Master of the Daleks is a strange one in that Montmartre sets The Master's re-involvement up in the final few minutes, but his appearance just feels like an extended cameo. A last hurrah in the range, if you will. MacQueen is better here, but it doesn't really seem to come together. The Sontarans have a similar glorified cameo, but it makes sense to use an existing monster for such occasions. Eye of Darkness closes the range how it started: technobabble galore. In a way, you wonder why you've bothered with the previous 15 hours.
Overall
What a strange series. It tries to be epic with its story, but the plots are either neglected, incomplete or there's great big gaps. Nothing is cohesive. Those bloody retrogenitor particles crop up in every set with a new ability that conveniently allows the characters to do something else. Dark Eyes herself is in less than half the set and seems to just pop in and out of consciousness. The jumping on approach the first set takes is quickly abandoned in favour of throwing every returning element under the sun. I'm not sure if the intention was to get new listeners to try other ranges, but it just feels bloated. This doesn't feel important. This doesn't feel like the exciting new beginning for the Eight Doctor. Doom Coalition does everything so much better.
I don't want to come across as too harsh. A quarter of the set is great. Normally I have my own ideas on how I'd make tweaks here and there. But I'm really stuck with this one. My only suggestion is this would have worked in a way that the mythology arc works in The X-Files. Occasional across a few years and using the additional episodes to fill in the gaps, with more standalone adventures for the Doctor and Liv, the Doctor and Molly and the three of them together. More involvement from Gallifrey. Alas, Big Finish doesn't have that kind of output!