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Post by elkawho on Apr 12, 2020 4:41:42 GMT
This is one of my favorites, and it kind of crept up on me. The first time I heard this it took longer than it should for me to realize it was Cybermen. Embarrassingly long. The idea of a Cyberman trying to revert back to human was an ingenious idea. And of course, it's all a trap. Since my first listening I find that I come back to it over and over. It's one of my comfy stories.
That being said, the body horror in this one is fantastic. From Hex's friend in the bike accident to the Cyber-leader, it all hits close to home. It is not too far in the future(actually, we've now caught up to it's time) and we can all relate. That hospital might be fictional, but we all have one just like it that we know. And Hex, boy I love Hex. And who doesn't? He's everyone's best friend. Did I say that I love Hex? Although knowing his arc there are so many times I want to yell NO! STAY AWAY FROM THE TARDIS! DON'T GO! While we have lost many a BF original companion over the years, few go through the hell that Hex goes through during his time in the TARDIS. Such a tough time for so gentle a soul.
There's more I can say about it, but it's late at night. So I'll let you guys keep it going.
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Post by Timelord007 on Apr 12, 2020 6:04:00 GMT
Tense, terrifying, a great debut story for Hex & the seventh Doctor being cunningly devious.
5/5.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,061
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Post by ljwilson on Apr 12, 2020 8:25:51 GMT
I'm a bit ahead and relistened to The Harvest last week.
Although set in the near future, it is a very futuristic production. One thing I love about a good big finish is the post production and sound design and this story has that in spades.
A cracking story too, which gets a high 8 out of 10 from me.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 12, 2020 9:18:01 GMT
This is one of the first 7th Doctor stories I listened to and which I enjoyed.
I actually got it because it is written by one of my favorite authors (I am a HUGE Warhammer fan and have been reading Dan's books for more than 20 years now). I really wish they would get Abnett back to BF- he is a MASTER of military science fiction and just imagine what he could do to the partially lukewarm Time War setting!!!!
But back to the Harvest.
It is very atmospheric and creepy. The story starts slowly, introducing the new companion and builds up from there. Ace is also used very well here. I think this story works very well, and uses the horror of the Cybermen to it's full advantage. And the performances are also pretty solid. This certainly is one of the audios which made me give Sylvester another chance as the 7th Doctor.
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Post by Tim Bradley on Apr 12, 2020 9:18:24 GMT
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Post by whiskeybrewer on Apr 12, 2020 10:50:09 GMT
A great introduction to a BF Original Companion. and especially one who has links in a sense to another BF Original
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2020 12:39:53 GMT
This caught me by surprise on release as I didn't realise The Harvest was a Cyberman story... until it was! (I suppose St. Paul's on the cover was a Gary Russell tease for fans but I didn't make the connection!) The Seventh Doctor is the weakest for me but this was a really strong Doctor Who story and I loved The Harvest. The introduction of Hex worked really well in this story too and the future of a new TARDIS dynamic with Ace looked bright for Sylvester's Doctor... All in all, The Harvest is a great story that I found very enjoyable.
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Post by elkawho on Apr 12, 2020 12:45:33 GMT
A great introduction to a BF Original Companion. and especially one who has links in a sense to another BF Original I loved how they introduced Hex to us, let him become an integral part of that Tardis team and give his character time to grow before letting us know about that connection. It was masterful. I do get the sense lately that if it was happening today it would have all happened in one, maybe two MR arcs and then they would have killed him off. Look what's happening with Marc.
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Post by Hieronymus on Apr 12, 2020 22:45:35 GMT
I loved how they introduced Hex to us, let him become an integral part of that Tardis team and give his character time to grow before letting us know about that connection. It was masterful. I do get the sense lately that if it was happening today it would have all happened in one, maybe two MR arcs and then they would have killed him off. Look what's happening with Marc. I personally think it's a factor of when the story is set within the Doctor's timeline rather than being a new/old story.
{Spoiler} The stories that follow Tartarus are set close on the heels of Earthshock, and so there is additional trauma for the Doctor in facing them again and the risk of loosing yet another promising young Companion to them. Remember also, that we've already had the 5th Doctor story Spare Parts, which will come in his future relative the the Marc stories.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 0:41:39 GMT
"It would be curious if he were afraid of me. That thing that came in with him was far... far more terrifying."
The Harvest is very clever. The Cybermen do Cyberpunk. In the very recognisably William Gibson tradition with Ace fulfilling the street samurai role to a tee. The anti-authoritarian fixer with an unanticipated moral code. Even outside this story, the archetype fits her like a glove. Dan Abnett began on Who in the early 1990s comics with a series of Alien pastiches and homages, and I can definitely see some of that early DNA bleeding through C-Programme's clandestine "biostock acquisitions" project. There are some lovely, light touches with the worldbuilding. Foresight being -20/-20, Abnett has done a pretty good job of aligning the 2021 of his story with probable developments, erm... well, now, really. Albeit with the need to tilt your head and squint in certain places.
Spare Parts was one of those stories bathed in claustrophobia. A heavying sense of dread as the sky got closer. The Harvest, by contrast, is a Pandora's Box story. Cracking open the lid with a crowbar to see what's inside this latest Cyber-scheme and Subject One is... unique. Singularly. The Recarnative process fits the sociopathy of the Cybermen and its results are really quite grotesque. No visuals to speak of, but the audio design and performances do much more than an image ever could. There are also some nice touches like the Doctor, cleaning up after humanity, posing as a member of janitorial staff to infiltrate St. Gart's.
And Hex? It feels like we've known him for ages. He slips into that Seven/Ace duo with recognisable ease and it's nice to see after all the mentoring that the Doctor has done, Ace gets a shot at trying her own. In a range then populated by an Egyptian pharaoh, a history lecturer from Sheffield Hallam University, there's no sense of being shortchanged by this new fellow. He's just as interesting as his peers. It's his heart that does it, I think, there's a real sense of compassion that offsets the Doctor and Ace's more professional (worldweary?) attitudes to their adventures.
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Post by project37 on Apr 13, 2020 13:26:18 GMT
I. Love. This. Story. Almost a year before Doctor Who returned to television, "The Harvest" created the perfect series "reboot" that welcomed longtime fans while remaining accessible to new ones. Hex is an instantly likable character and having the plot unfold through his eyes for an entire episode was a very fresh approach at the time. The "five minutes into the future" timeline setting gave the production a very modern feel. Sound design and music are tense and engaging as well. I had a blast listening to this, because it was very easy to imagine that after the post-"Survival" hiatus, both McCoy and Aldred had come back to relaunch a modern version of the television series. Unfortunately, the slower pacing of "Dreamtime" was too much a shift for me (I never finished it), but I found that LIVE 34 continued the reinvigorated spirit that Hex brought to the TARDIS crew dynamic and the 7th Doctor's series overall.
EDIT: And years later, I appreciate it even more as a pivotal chapter in my all-time favorite arc that Big Finish had created for Doctor Who.
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Post by dalekcapaldi on Apr 13, 2020 23:49:27 GMT
Heard this for the first time over the weekend, but didn’t realise it timed with a marathon. I absolutely loved the first episode, it had quite an RTD vibe I thought. The tone felt really Series One to me. It was like having a look into an alternate universe where Sylv and Sophie came back in 2005.
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Post by constonks on Apr 14, 2020 3:46:12 GMT
{Spoiler} The stories that follow Tartarus are set close on the heels of Earthshock, and so there is additional trauma for the Doctor in facing them again and the risk of loosing yet another promising young Companion to them. Remember also, that we've already had the 5th Doctor story Spare Parts, which will come in his future relative the the Marc stories. Er, no, they have to be set after Arc of Infinity - which means after Spare Parts - I briefly thought they were going that route as well, but re-checked the Earthshock recap in Time-Flight - and it really doesn't leave any room for extra adventures before Tegan leaves and returns. And I'll just add that I personally hope that Marc is with the TARDIS crew for a good while! (& save any other comments for when the re-listen reaches Warzone/Conversion!)
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Post by sherlock on Apr 19, 2020 16:14:07 GMT
Hex’s arc goes off to a great start.
I really enjoy the way this story plays out as if it were a season-opener. It really feels like a hypothetical Doctor Who in 1990. The slow introduction of the Doctor and Ace through Hex’s eyes works really well. The Cybermen returning to organic is a nasty innovation, and gives this lot a very unique perspective. Good all round.
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Post by mark687 on Apr 22, 2020 20:18:04 GMT
I found myself upping my Rating on this listen. Certain things really clicked, the timing only being 18 months away in real time and the irony of the geo-political aspects of the plot. Also there's Cyber Wilmott Brown . Subject One is almost an earlier better version of The Lone Cybermen. Now Hex's introduction which I think is the last really good one in terms of firmly establishing the whys and wherefores of a Companion long wait in series for past familiar connection notwithstanding , he knows his job and is passionate about it. got natural curiosity and sometimes gets in over his head. Its also the start of the more maturing Ace (its a shame she's kind of reverted back a bit) A little seed is also sown for Joe Lidster's excellent future/past double bill. Regards mark687
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Post by doctorkernow on Apr 23, 2020 23:48:44 GMT
Hello again.
A new chapter for the Seventh Doctor in a creepy Cybermen story set in a hospital. Hex is an inspired creation. He is sensitive and caring but is determined to help. I love his wry Liverpudlian sense of humour.
This is another great Big Finish TARDIS team. The Cyberman in this story is very different to his predecessors. It is an exciting story with much to enjoy.
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