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Post by IndieMacUser on Mar 21, 2020 18:02:17 GMT
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Post by Thebogiehole on Mar 22, 2020 0:20:54 GMT
Anastasia's last name was Romanova not Romanov (as she was female).
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Post by Whovitt on Mar 22, 2020 13:40:25 GMT
Return to Skaro was pretty good fun, though it didn't really do anything particularly new. It felt a little paint by numbers as far as Doctor Who sequels go (and was a bit predictable as a consequence), but it was still enjoyable. About the only thing I didn't like where the Dalek gun effects; it took me a long to time to work out that sound was them shooting. I thought it was the Thal guns for way too long. I'm not sure why they didn't use the era appropriate sound, but I won't hold that against the story as a whole.
Last of the Romanovs... I don't know why, but I really didn't like this. I think the first episode was far, far too slow. It spent the whole episode achieving what any other "Episode One" would achieve in 10 minutes, so we were already off to a bad start. It was also being so self aware that it was starting to seem satirical, and given the nature of the story that felt a bit inappropriate. None of the leads seemed to have been written in character either, so that wasn't helping matters. I think the thing that really made me tune out was the really clunky expositional dialogue that always seemed to be relegated to Ian.
Character: "It seems we've reached a break in the battle." Ian: "I think you're right. I haven't heard any gunshots for several minutes."
I'm sorry, but that dialogue should have been the other way around. Ian was a very intelligent and astute man. This kind of dialogue presents him as being a bit dim. Several minutes? He'd have said something after 30 seconds in a TV episode.
What was the point in Dan Starkey's character driving the Doctor out to the cave in the third episode? In the vague hope that the Doctor might persuade him to change his mind. But in the very next breath the character says that the Doctor would never have been able to do that in the first place, so what was the point in the exercise? It all seemed frustrating counterproductive and pointless to me.
Romanovs also suffered the same problem I had with Rosa: it needs to tell it's story but isn't allowed to do anything with it, so we're left watching/listening to our characters going through all the motions of the events without any real sense of agency. This is where The Aztecs got it right - the characters were actually doing things that were making a difference (even if they weren't altering the course of the Aztec civilisation). In terms of the people around them, they were actually having some sort of impact. In this, they could just as well have not been there and everything would have played out in exactly the same way. That sort of thing might work for other people, but for me it defeats the purpose in making it a Doctor Who story. Use our time travellers in the historical setting or don't bother.
Having said that, don't have the First Doctor randomly break character and start discussing openly the fact he travels in time with half the supporting cast. That just isn't the sort of thing he would ever have done.
I'm going to stop myself there as I feel like I'm getting more than a little ranty. TL;DR I liked Return to Skaro, I didn't like Last of the Romanovs.
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Post by Thebogiehole on Mar 22, 2020 16:18:16 GMT
don't have the First Doctor randomly break character and start discussing openly the fact he travels in time with half the supporting cast. That just isn't the sort of thing he would ever have done.
This is the guy who turned to the camera and said 'Incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!', there is no telling what enormity he could be capable of...
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Post by Whovitt on Mar 22, 2020 22:46:52 GMT
don't have the First Doctor randomly break character and start discussing openly the fact he travels in time with half the supporting cast. That just isn't the sort of thing he would ever have done.
This is the guy who turned to the camera and said 'Incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!', there is no telling what enormity he could be capable of... There's a big difference between a minor fourth wall break and breaking character. The Christmas message was a tiny, incidental moment at the end of a rather silly, lighthearted episode. Openly discussing his time travelling with the enemies in a historical is something that he just didn't do. And it also really comes from nowhere. If it had been built up organically I mightn't have had a problem with it, but he just comes out with it for no particular reason other than... he could, I guess, and doing something purely "because" is rarely ever a good reason for doing it.
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Post by Thebogiehole on Mar 24, 2020 17:58:11 GMT
The Tsar TELLS his hated jailer all about the strange blue box that miraculously flickered into existence?
'What does one ever know for certain, Miss Wright' - a surprising attitude from the know-it-all Doctor.
Since when has the Doctor been quite so rubbish at dates - 1918 is hardly the end of the nineteenth or very beginning of the twentieth centuries.
'I've always been plain dealing with you, Yurovsky' - um, you were just blatantly lying to his face about 'accidentally' breaking the window.
'And then we get on with our real lives, together, don't you think?' - since when has Barbara (or indeed Ian) been the sort of shameless hussy to announce they'll be together post-TARDIS?
I somehow can't picture 'My dear dumpling' becoming Cousin Anastasia of Faction Paradox, founder of the Thirteen-Day Republic.
So SUSAN'S the one who wants to leave the safety of the TARDIS and take on a dozen armed men, while Barbara - not so much. That's a bit of a role-reversal, Susan's usually the kind of wimp who'd rather get guillotined than face a rat.
Why don't the soldiers demand Susan and Barbara's papers, since they're obviously traitors/spies just like their chums the Doctor and Ian...
'A girl about my age' - Here There Be Monsters had Susan claiming to be older than Ian and Barbara combined...
Since when has Ian ever said 'This is my friend the Doctor' to anyone?
Since when has the First Doctor claimed to be a doctor of medicine? (Though presumably Troughton's claimed Glasgow/Lister/1888 degree must have occurred when he was Hartnell...)
The Doc addressing Nicholas as 'Tsar of Russia' and 'Your Majesty' and grovelling that 'I am honoured to make your acquaintance' is very in character for our sickeningly royalist hero, but it's extraordinary reckless of him to do it in front of committed Bolsheviks.
Why didn't the Consul supply the 'nuns' with food, as he had plenty of tea and scones and the guard found the lack of food suspicious?
Why does Ian say the Romanov house is exactly where he needs to be - he doesn't know all his friends coincidentally ended up in there.
Why don't Ian or Makerenkov grab the gun of the soldier who tries to shoot them after Ian knocks him out?
Why have Susan and Barbara been in the house for several hours when they were told they'd have ten minutes?
Tsar Nicholas 'presided over the deaths of thousands' Yurovsky tells the Doctor during their somewhat unexpected (i.e. unconvincing) heart-to-hearts. He presided over the deaths of MILLIONS, moron, and as you're about to execute him in cold blood you've hardly got a motivation for downplaying his crimes.
Why does the Doctor argue for the Romanovs' lives? Either you can't change history, not one line! (The Aztecs) in which case it's a complete waste of time - and a highly risky one - or you can destroy human history! (The Fires of Cadiz) in which case it's even MORE risky.
Don't go round TELLING people 'I've seen the future', Doctor!
(It's not just the voices (and faces on the cover) that are different, is it - are Bradley and co SUPPOSED to be a different Team TARDIS who've slipped through from another universe or something?)
'We will meet just one more time before the end' 'The time has passed, I'm afraid, for our salvation' 'I have some inkling of what you have planned' - why exactly does the Tsar feel so...doomed? It's just as likely that the White Army will turn up and rescue him.
'We can change it can't we, we can save them' - why is Time Lord Susan asking Aztec-fiasco Barbara this?
'I thought there were staff!' - DON'T draw attention to the British Consulate's lack thereof when it wasn't actually as painfully obvious than a lack-of-extras usually is.
Why let the TARDIS crew go to please the Tsar and then send one (!) soldier to quietly kill them all?
Since when has Sexy removed herself temporarily from Fixed Points to avoid complications? You'd've done better to claim it was the HADS or something.
Why is the Doctor suddenly lecturing everyone on Fixed Points when before he seemed to regard EVERYTHING (in Ian n'Babs' history at least) as a Fixed Point?
'We all like you, you know, just the way you are' is not a thing I can really imagine Ian saying to the Doctor.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Mar 25, 2020 2:33:53 GMT
Return to Skaro. As always Andrew Smith writes a solid story with a good handle on character but I kept feeling like I’ve heard this same story a lot. Within 10 minutes I pretty much had the thing worked out beat by beat. It was, fine.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2020 6:23:22 GMT
I was looking forward to this lol.....😂😜😭
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2020 11:54:11 GMT
Can't be doing with these. It doesn't make any sense to me to have 'The Early Adventures' running along side of 'The First Doctor Adventures'. One or the other, I don't see the point of having both, except of course as a money making exercise.
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Post by mark687 on Mar 25, 2020 19:53:00 GMT
Well Return to Skaro was exactly what it said on the tin, direct sequel for the Era
Last of the Romanovs was interesting neither side of the situation portrayed as entirely right or wrong so its an odd choice that its used to kickstart the Doctor's internal debate on interference
Regards
mark687
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2020 20:19:30 GMT
Can't be doing with these. It doesn't make any sense to me to have 'The Early Adventures' running along side of 'The First Doctor Adventures'. One or the other, I don't see the point of having both, except of course as a money making exercise. They only make money if people continually buy them, and if people continually buy them, it means they enjoy them. Big Finish making things that people enjoy doesn't present any kind of problem to me.
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Post by Digi on Mar 25, 2020 20:48:44 GMT
Can't be doing with these. It doesn't make any sense to me to have 'The Early Adventures' running along side of 'The First Doctor Adventures'. One or the other, I don't see the point of having both, except of course as a money making exercise. I don't care for the Early Adventures range. I've listened to a couple of them, and the weird two-hander sort-of-but-sort-of-not Companion Chronicles approach with more than one narrator is extremely off-putting to me, takes me right out of being able to enjoy the story. No shade on the people involved in producing them, it's just Not For Me. First Doctor Adventures, however, is one of my favourite things coming out of Big Finish right now.
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Post by ollychops on Mar 25, 2020 23:43:07 GMT
Can't be doing with these. It doesn't make any sense to me to have 'The Early Adventures' running along side of 'The First Doctor Adventures'. One or the other, I don't see the point of having both, except of course as a money making exercise. The Early Adventures rotate between the first two Doctors, so these won't always be running alongside the First Doctor-era Early Adventures. Not everyone is happy with recasts, so at least they have Early Adventures for those who aren't on board with these First Doctor Adventures (and I suppose so they can continue working with First Doctor era actors too). And of course, not everyone loves the style of the Early Adventures, so the First Doctor Adventures are there for those who would rather full-cast adventures without the linking narration. You may not like these, but it doesn't mean that it makes no sense, because it makes perfect sense from a business perspective...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2020 7:40:49 GMT
You may not like these, but it doesn't mean that it makes no sense, because it makes perfect sense from a business perspective... I didn't say I didn't like them, I said I can't be doing with them. And as I clearly stated in my post, "it makes no sense to me", I'm sure that it does indeed makes sense to others .
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2020 6:23:09 GMT
I enjoy both the First Doctor and the early adventures haven’t gotten around to this one yet hopefully this weekend as my heads buzzing with work stuff and am finding it hard to unwind and need to . as long as both series keep up the good standard I will listen ,unfortunately I read some earlier posts and am a wee bit on a downer about listening but am sure I will make up my own opinion as usual.
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Post by TommyP on Mar 29, 2020 20:21:02 GMT
Sounds like volume 5’s historical adventure will have the team meeting Shakespeare if David Bradley’s interview on YouTube is anything to go by...
TommyP
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Post by shallacatop on Apr 2, 2020 18:20:03 GMT
I wasn’t enthralled with Return to Skaro. It wasn’t bad, but it seemed perfectly content to be completely average. I suppose it fits the brief of being the first ever Doctor Who sequel, which I think in itself is a terribly unimaginative and uninspired reason to make a story. There’s nothing new in it or any attempts to go in a different direction than being a sequel to The Daleks.
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Post by number13 on Apr 14, 2020 20:56:06 GMT
Return to Skaro is a great story. Really nails the atmosphere of the early First Doctor era. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast really seem to be settling into their roles as the TARDIS crew. Unclear just how long it has been since The Daleks but my guess it at least 100 years. {Spoiler} I could be wrong but chronologically I think this is the earliest appearance of a Supreme Dalek, no? Early on, the Thals say it has been 50 “cycles” since the TARDIS crew’s visit. I assume that refers to a Skaro year, not that we know how long a Skaro year is... 26280000 rels, of course.
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Post by mark687 on Jul 31, 2020 17:27:56 GMT
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Post by grinch on Jul 31, 2020 20:18:25 GMT
Getting a real Conan the Barbarian vibe from the title of the second story.
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