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Post by Digi on Apr 18, 2020 12:33:52 GMT
I took note of that scene, but didn't find it odd in quite the way you mean... {Spoiler} I've noticed before that (with the exception of The Great War), most of the releases featuring McGann treat him as fully moved on from the loss. And I noticed in THIS set that Susan was very much the same way. To me, both are very reminiscent of how quickly the First Doctor moved on after leaving Susan behind in The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
Without really thinking too hard about it, the thought that popped into my head was that neither of them is human, and that perhaps Gallifreyans simply process death and grief differently from humans. {Spoiler} Maybe it is part of Time Lord training since they are near immortal and dealing with death and loss will be their curse? There must be self-help classes about this at academy, since you cannot have a caste of near immortals going mad from grief on a regular basis. Oh I like that!
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Post by shallacatop on Apr 18, 2020 14:07:50 GMT
Assets of War was good. Another story that utilises Susan’s telepathic abilities and her knowledge of the Daleks and their weaponry. I liked the ties with Nevernor from the recent Gallifrey set and it all feels that little bit more connected, which is nice.
Oh, and this story reminded me that I love the regeneration sound effect!
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 18, 2020 15:56:44 GMT
Finished the first two stories. Well, I am pleasantly surprised. I had expected this being more along the lines of the 8th Doctor Time War stories and that we would be re-treading familiar ground. But these stories are actually quite original and different enough. I am also very happy that this is just tailor made for Susan. And she is used wonderfully here. She can use her intelligence and her telepathy and has no trouble carrying the plot.
I am not wowed or ecstatic about this, but they are well crafted stories and certainly well performed. Carol Ann Ford really is very convincing and good in this! This also does not feel like just a gimmick- it feels like a natural part of the setting.
So yes, I am enjoying myself. Definitely worth it so far.
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Post by selimpensfiction on Apr 18, 2020 19:55:05 GMT
Just finished the first one and loved it. Have to be honest, I wasn’t such a big fan of TV Susan, but love the Big Finish version, and Carole Ann Ford has become quite a favourite.
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Post by shallacatop on Apr 19, 2020 8:49:42 GMT
I felt The Shoreditch Intervention was a weird one. Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable, but I think there’s a great story in there somewhere that doesn’t get the opportunity to show itself.
It takes a long time to go anywhere and doesn’t really kick into gear until the Doctor comes in at around the 20 minute mark. Then it focuses on trying to intertwine the different events surrounding that period in 1963 for a good chunk of the running time. Then when we get to the last act, it turns out it was all stuff the Doctor had already done. That’s the sort of execution that can work well visually, with little visual hints, but not so much on audio so it ends up falling a bit flat.
I could’ve done without all the 60s references in the first 10 minutes too, I rolled my eyes when they said “Pinball Magician”!
Reading back, that sounds more critical than I intended. As I say, it’s enjoyable, but I think another writer could’ve pulled off something really special. I did like the cameo, though, and Paul McGann continues to do the best of his Time War portrayal outside of his own range of stories.
Overall, it’s a pretty good set, with two great stories. I like that they’re quite distinct to any of the other Time War ranges, with enough connections to them so it naturally links up, and they utilise Susan as a character and her unique traits.
The set does end with two different potential opportunities for more, but it could just as easily end with the one set. I’m not sure what I’d prefer, to be honest, maybe the announcement of another set, but not an announcement of three more in one go? I said Only the Good was the perfect one-off, but I wouldn’t want to be without The Master of Callous or Rage of the Time Lords.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 19, 2020 14:36:20 GMT
Finished Assets of War. This was quite good, highlighting Susan's empathic and telepathic abilities. It also shows Susan taking a stance between the Doctor's morals and the morals of the other warrior Time Lords. She can see both sides, and certainly understands where both are coming from. However, her more pragmatic nature makes her take more questionable choices. I think this is what really makes these stories so very interesting and different from previous Doctor/ Gallifrey stories.
Next up, I hope I will find out what the Doctor will make of all this, especially of Susan's involvement.
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Post by eldersensorite on Apr 19, 2020 20:12:39 GMT
The first episode of this set has to be one of my favourite Doctor Who things ever, I just love putting 60s characters into a New Who environment, it's so glorious that we have Big Finish to bring these fan dreams to life, and I just love the Sensorites so it was great having them back in a story. It's sad that this is likely William Russell's last performance as Ian but what a send-off it is for the character, and just those little hints of Barbara... beautiful
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 20, 2020 7:18:19 GMT
I finished this last night. All in all a good set. Susan is definitely a character in her own right and this really works. Better than I had expected. The last story was also very enjoyable, although I would have wished for a bit more tension and drama. There is a bit of that there, but without going into the depth I had imagined. Taken by itself, it is a nice and fun story, great to hear the 8th Doctor back and being clever at sorting out the convoluted timelines converging in 1963. I think it is also of advantage if the listener knows more than Susan does, involving all the different TV stories going on that year. Having the gang war between the different motorcyclegangs as an anchor here, to set the time and atmosphere, fell flat for me however. I do not know British history enough to appreciate this and needed the explanation in the extras. What I found really cool was the little Easter egg about how the Doctor escapes. {Spoiler} Missy says hello!
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,081
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Post by mbt66 on Apr 20, 2020 9:19:38 GMT
Should I expect Susan to be in the next Gallifrey: Time War 4 set?
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Post by Digi on Apr 20, 2020 10:12:32 GMT
Should I expect Susan to be in the next Gallifrey: Time War 4 set? Vague spoiler for the end of episode 4: {Spoiler} The set is open-ended enough that it could reasonably go either way. There's nothing to suggest she'll definitely appear in it, but nothing that rules it out either.
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Post by barnabaslives on Apr 21, 2020 1:41:58 GMT
Just finished Sphere of Influence. I'd never looked at the cast list (I usually don't until after, spoilers) and I don't know why but I went into this wondering what character William Russell was going to play and I figured they'd probably come up with a different character for him like in The Game. What a fantastic surprise that he was playing Ian!! How fitting it seemed to have a Sensorite story as well, just great memories all around from a great new story. Thank you, Big Finish!
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Post by IndieMacUser on Apr 22, 2020 10:34:21 GMT
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Post by Who Review on Apr 23, 2020 6:38:18 GMT
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Post by nottenst on Jun 30, 2020 19:19:58 GMT
Just finished the set today. I found it very good.
Regarding both Susan and The Doctor processing their previous losses - The Doctor had a whole bunch of box sets that have already gone by in which he was trying to recover from those losses. I think a lot of time has passed for him since those events. Not having relistened to "All Hands on Deck" I don't know how much time has gone by in her personal timeline.
Maybe I misinterpreted the interviews or some other discussion about this on the podcast, but I thought that plans were in the works for another set. If there is one, I am looking forward to it.
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Post by grinch on Jul 1, 2020 20:04:34 GMT
Just finished the set today. I found it very good. Regarding both Susan and The Doctor processing their previous losses - The Doctor had a whole bunch of box sets that have already gone by in which he was trying to recover from those losses. I think a lot of time has passed for him since those events. Not having relistened to "All Hands on Deck" I don't know how much time has gone by in her personal timeline. Maybe I misinterpreted the interviews or some other discussion about this on the podcast, but I thought that plans were in the works for another set. If there is one, I am looking forward to it. I too wouldn’t mind a second set. Or even just have Susan appear in other releases. It could be interesting if she made an appearance in the War Master range. She’d either view his presence in the Time War as a sign of just how desperate the Time Lords have become or perhaps a necessary evil. And what would the War Master think of her being involved as well? The possibilities would be most interesting...
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Post by antartiks on Jul 1, 2020 20:58:15 GMT
If this Susan meets the War Master, I wonder if they could reference The Destination Wars from the 1DA. If I'm not mistaken, this is the only time Susan has met the Master on audio or onscreen. Maybe Ainley really quickly in The Five Doctors, too.
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Post by grinch on Jul 1, 2020 21:08:55 GMT
If this Susan meets the War Master, I wonder if they could reference The Destination Wars from the 1DA. If I'm not mistaken, this is the only time Susan has met the Master on audio or onscreen. Maybe Ainley really quickly in The Five Doctors, too. Would work as a brief reference I think. A simple case of “We’ve met.” I definitely think the War Master would be specially interested in her. If not fascinated. Especially if his history and previous friendship between him and her grandfather was alluded to or perhaps expanded upon.
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Post by antartiks on Jul 1, 2020 21:14:40 GMT
If this Susan meets the War Master, I wonder if they could reference The Destination Wars from the 1DA. If I'm not mistaken, this is the only time Susan has met the Master on audio or onscreen. Maybe Ainley really quickly in The Five Doctors, too. Would work as a brief reference I think. A simple case of “We’ve met.” I definitely think the War Master would be specially interested in her. If not fascinated. Especially if his history and previous friendship between him and her grandfather was alluded to or perhaps expanded upon. I think he clearly might take an interest in her just because she's doing the exact opposite of what the Doctor wanted by taking part in the Time War. The thing is, the War Master may be one of the most unpredictable incarnations of the Master and I wonder if he'd torture her mentally just for fun. If I remember correctly, MacQueen knew what had happened to Lucie in Dark Eyes and teased the Doctor nastily, so he probably knows about Alex too.
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Post by shallacatop on Jul 2, 2020 9:21:17 GMT
I'd be happy with a second set, but I think I'd prefer Susan making appearances in other ranges and interacting with the different characters involved in the Time War. The War Master is a great shout. With the Gallifrey and Eighth Doctor strands seemingly wrapping up, a big set with the characters from both of those, Susan, Ollistra and the General would be pretty good and ambitious too.
I love the Time War releases, and would continue buying them, but I'd also be happy to leave it at that, especially with the absence of the War Doctor.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 22:20:33 GMT
I'm going to try and put a dent in my ever growing backlog in the weeks and months ahead, and thought I'd go with this over the past few days.
Loved it. Susan, to me, was always so underutilised on TV. Telling that the story that hints most at her potential, The Sensorites, is the one that effectively gets the sequel to kick this set off. I love that this story, and the third, use Susan's psychic and empathic abilities. She needs something to make her stand out from The Doctor and focusing on her mind powers gives her more identity and makes this less a Doctor Who set (mostly) missing a Doctor.
How lovely to hear Russ again as Ian. He may be in his 90s but he's got that steady assuredness that he had all the way back in 1963. I like that the story made concessions to his age. Lovely to have a small scale espionage open (even if we get a bit more sci-fi with the sentient planet Dalek invasion towards the end). It made for a nice change to a lot of Time War material that is often too epic for it's own good - not every event can be "the thing that can turn the war" and this set never goes there which I really appreciated.
I was a bit non-plussed about the opening 20mins or so of the last story - it REALLY felt like the Destiny Of The Doctor story Carole Anne narrated - but when McGann showed up it gave things more agency. I appreciated that BF put so much faith in their own Short Trip that many may not have heard to bridge events from the 8DAS to here. Anyone who didn't hear All Hands On Deck would be missing most of the dynamic between The Doctor and Susan over their loss and their inability to stay together in grief. But since that story was told already we can pick up their relationship further on down the line. I like that neither tries to convince the other to change, they both know they're too stubborn for that. Susan's for fighting and The Doctor isn't but neither condemns the other for their beliefs.
Carole Anne is fantastic as the lead here. There's always a bit of a worry making someone the lead. It's so different a job to being a supporting character. Sometimes even a good character doesn't make for a great lead - I'd say Barrowman as Jack is my go to with that - but Susan makes a very different kind of protagonist here. Unlike just about everyone else in The Time War she's still got more than a little "the ends do NOT justify the means" in her. Hopefully we can pay that off in future. We see that Rassilon has his eye on her here...wonder if that will be revisted. I'd also think that when the Gallifrey regulars do go too far at some stage, Susan would be a good voice of reason.
It could have failed this. Big time. Taking the first regular we ever had on the show and putting her into continuity of RTD/Moffat could have been a disaster and felt so inappropriate for Susan. But everyone on board made sure that the character was consistent and that the story was built around her. A strong, strong set which manages to find the small-scale inside the epic.
Lovely. More please!
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