The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, Vol. 1 (Spoilers)

I don’t know what this says about me, but I really love that first episode.

I heard the other sets, and I remember loving the Sutekh one. I think I'm just going to move on. 

So I did it. I listened to the whole set. I actually liked the middle two stories. I didn't love them, but they were enjoyable enough. At least Benny sounded and acted like Benny, for the most part. Then that last story was the bad bookend to that set. Hated that one too. Not as much as the first, but I enough. This set was not Sophie Aldred's best outing at all. She was so one-note through her parts that I felt like she had never played the character before. It was an interesting take on the Daleks and had some good character moments for Benny, but on the whole it didn't stand up for me at all.

I loved it as well. I actually laughed out loud at parts of it.

And Lights of Skaro is my personal favorite Dalek story. I think it digs into the continuity – and more importantly, the philosophy – of the Daleks in a way that no other story does. 

Well, it's been a bizarre sequence of listens, but I have now heard all of the NABS stories outside of the most recent release, and am very nearly ready to join y'all in the "present." It's been one hell of a ride, and I must say, I've come to enjoy Benny much, much more than I expected.

Which makes it a bit of a shame that I have so few positive things to say about this inaugural set of stories. NABS kinda makes it clear that Big Finish didn't really know what to do with this range, and why they struck off in more ambitious directions in NABS 2 and the subsequent Unbound Universe arc.

I can see why people don't like this NABS1.1 The Revolution: the entire plot hinges on the Doctor being an incompetent boob, getting drunk, and doing something exceedingly stupid. That said, I don't think it was all that bad--it was kind of enjoyable, even in a fun and silly, turn-your-brain-off-and-just-go-with-it-way. I suspect the writer(s) we're going for a Douglas Adams-esque tone, but couldn't quite manage. The "antagonist's" ultimate plan was especially facepalmy--really, he's going to go to all that double to temporally engineer an entire civilization just to get some more customers in his bar?

In most cases, I think the best humor in Doctor Who comes from pairing interesting characters together and seeing them bounce off each other. I have some small issues with the post-Unbound Benny stuff, but the best part of those stories has consistently been the banter between Lisa Bowerman's Benny and David Warner's Doctor. There, the humor arises naturally as a result of earnest characterization and development. Here, it feels like the characters are being undermined by the script in service of cheap laughs. The humor arises from superficial questions like what and how rather than more interesting questions of who or why, resulting in a story that feels fairly underdeveloped overall.

And it's a shame that, in retrospect, this was probably the best story of the lot.

NABS1.2 Goodnight, Sweet Ladies offers a pretty interesting premise for a "bottle episode" but they really didn't seem to do much of anything with it. No real conflict to speak of, not much humor... just a lot of drama with Benny and her mother which really doesn't land well because until this very story, I had no idea Benny had any issues regarding her mother, at all. The idea of Benny blaming herself for her mothers death, and Daleks being involved, is really something that could have been better explored in a more interesting and focused story.

And considering what comes later, I can't help but feel like this set ought to have revolved entirely around Benny's history with and relation to Daleks.

This story also introduces what winds up being the main over-arcing plot thread for the set: the missing Ace. But, as was the case with the first story, it's not a premise that stands well under scrutiny. How exactly did Ace leave the TARDIS without the Doctor noticing where or when? How does she arrange transport for herself when she's alone? Why does the Doctor expect Benny to be able to find Ace on her own, without a time machine, or any other appropriate tools? It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

NABS1.3 Random Ghosts is easily the most interesting story in the set, with solid performances and a fascinating, engaging structure. But that's really all it has: the format gimmick. There are lots of little scenes that imply a more nuanced, resonant story taking place--but they're only implications. There's no real "meat" to the story. Had it been told in a conventional manner, it would be a rather bland and unremarkable tale, I think.


Really interesting and dynamic story, but I found all the jump-cuts a bit hard to follow. Definitely one of those stories--like LIVE34--that would be pretty dull if told in a conventional style.

But, if nothing else. I have to admit that the reveal that they've been on Skaro the whole was effective. But wouldn't it have been more effective if the preceding narrative had more substance to it--and if the preceding stories in the boxset were less middling, or had attempted to build up to it, somehow? Again, "Benny and the Daleks" should have been a running the,e in all four stories.

Which brings me to NABS1.4 The Lights of Skaro.

I was very excited for this boxset. Benny on Skaro? What a fantastic idea! I couldn't even imagine how one might screw up such an inherently fascinating premise. Well...now I can.

What an underwhelming finale to a lackluster boxset that utterly fails to do anything interesting with any of the big ideas they chose to wrangle with. I'm almost impressed by the sheer quantity of unrealized, perhaps (damningly) unrecognized potential. The highlight of this story was definitely Benny's conversation with her Dalek ex-boyfriend, which was a fantastic and very welcome insight into Dalek psychology, quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before... but it was still just one scene.

It's also really bizarre how the stories in the set keep referencing Benny's family, yet also keep pairing her up with romantic interests. As a new jumping-on point for Benny, this casts her character in a rather dubious light. And, coupled with the less-than-impressive story quality in this set, I can easily imagine many first-time listeners writing off Bernice Summerfield entirely after this set. I certainly think that if this had been my first exposure to Benny, I wouldn't really feel like exploring any additional stories.

So on the whole... this set is just weak. Possibly the weakest boxset I've yet listened to--off of the top of my head right now, at least, I can't think of any sets I enjoyed less. I stand by what I said about The Triumph of Sutekh last week: the second set makes for a much better introduction to this range. Even better than NABS3, I think, due to how abruptly it begins.