|
Post by relativetime on May 13, 2020 13:32:44 GMT
That was very good. If I hadn’t known this was recorded during lockdown, I wouldn’t have been able to guess. I think I would have liked to see a little more contrast between what the cult believes and what’s actually happening. I think the concept behind this one was played a little too simplistic in places and I really wish there had been some more overt parallels to what’s happening in real life. It came across as being very similar to The Transcendence of Ephros to me. Again, though, I thought this was still very good. There’s some very lovely dialogue especially for Leela and the performances are all top notch. This was paced real well too - though I think Big Finish in general just handles shorter length stories better than the TV show does on average. My favorite moment was at the end when Leela makes an observation about her ancestors to the Doctor - it pretty much sums up the character’s entire journey in one line and I really liked it. I feel the opposite. One of the best things about this story is that the parallels weren't overt. I hate it when the parallels are too close and it feels like the author is driving his/her thoughts and beliefs down the listeners' throats. There are a number of real life events/concerns that this could be addressing, and I like how it plays out more for one listener than another. I like the creators to let the audience make up their own mind and not be patronizing. Fair enough, but I think stories that leave too much up to the audience’s interpretation run the risk of having their message misinterpreted or otherwise it might soften the impact the story was meant to have. For instance, I think this story came across more as a critique of religious fanaticism than a story about opinion being treated as fact. In a roundabout way, sure, you could make the case that religious fanaticism falls under that umbrella. But to me that isn’t the immediate connection I’m going to make and it’s not what I understood this story was supposed to be about based on the interview Rob Valentine gave when this story was announced where he mentioned he was inspired by modern trends like the anti-vaxxers and climate change denialism. Taken by itself, I really enjoyed this story, as I said. But I do feel as though, for one reason or another, it didn’t quite address the themes I was given the impression it was going to touch on. Leaving things up for audience interpretation is all well and good, but if I’m working on the wrong puzzle then what’s the point?
|
|
dorney
Big Finish Creative Team
Likes: 3,073
|
Post by dorney on May 13, 2020 13:51:24 GMT
Depends how political you want it to be, really. And depends if Rob only wanted it viewed in that one specific way.
|
|
|
Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 13, 2020 14:00:51 GMT
Really enjoyed this, a great story. In fact it's one of my favourite 4th Doctor stories I've listened to in quite a while. The parallels with fanaticism, be it political or other (& I would argue that Brexit has become akin to an unchallengeable religious dogma) are there but just part of the story & you as a listener can choose to make of them what you will. No way you could tell the circumstances under which this was recorded. Bravo Big Finish!
|
|
|
Post by IndieMacUser on May 13, 2020 22:10:11 GMT
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on May 14, 2020 3:07:21 GMT
For some reason it escaped my mind this was a story for Season 13. Nice to get a benchmark of how far ahead they are in the recordings. It's almost becoming the stuff of legend how far ahead they can get . I love it (Oh- and solid review too btw)
|
|
|
Post by Star Platinum on May 14, 2020 4:35:45 GMT
I really enjoyed this one.
I’ve been off of big finish since this whole mess, so this was a nice story to start up with.
This was exceptionally well put together on the behind the scenes sides. I’d never guessed this wasn’t recorded in a studio!
Perhaps, if the set ups can be streamlined further, this could be a way to make recording easier for the older generation of actors they work with.
As for the story I enjoyed the core concept and it was well acted by all involved. It feels like absolutely ages since we’ve had this particular Tardis team! Louise particularly shines in this release, and Tom is clearly having a ball.
2024’s loss is our gain, with this story as a preview of what’s to come, in even more excited for upcoming 4DAs.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on May 14, 2020 6:12:35 GMT
Finished this last night (fell asleep the night before halfway through). I have to agree, this was VERY well done. The story was a bit basic, but it was enjoyable non the less (it reminded me a bit of the movie "Sunshine" but without the horror... ). I still think it is amazing how BF got this organzied and put together during these insane times.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2020 6:58:32 GMT
An experimental BF audio with excellent results. Not just the voice acting and writing, but also the atmospheric sound design - all the way through. I honestly cannot recommend this one enough, for Whovians and new listeners alike!
|
|
|
Post by Who Review on May 14, 2020 7:49:07 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Audio Watchdog on May 14, 2020 14:58:03 GMT
As for the story I enjoyed the core concept and it was well acted by all involved. It feels like absolutely ages since we’ve had this particular Tardis team! Louise particularly shines in this release, and Tom is clearly having a ball. Agreed. I wasn't able to finish the most recent 4th Doctor season because I found it impossible to get past Lalla Ward's arch, abrasive & unpleasant version of Romana II, so hearing one of my favorite companions & TARDIS teams in action was lovely.
|
|
|
Post by themeddlingmonk on May 14, 2020 15:01:16 GMT
I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t think much of this. It wasn’t bad but it’d exactly what you usually get from the hour long 4DAs, average and not particularly exciting.
Series 9 on the other hand, I loved which is probably the only reason I ordered this one. I just don’t think the Fourth Doctor works in the two part format except in a few rare exceptions.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on May 14, 2020 16:36:39 GMT
I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t think much of this. It wasn’t bad but it’d exactly what you usually get from the hour long 4DAs, average and not particularly exciting. Series 9 on the other hand, I loved which is probably the only reason I ordered this one. I just don’t think the Fourth Doctor works in the two part format except in a few rare exceptions.I agree with you there, however, I found Shadow of the Sun very enjoyable, non-the-less.
Yes, not the most exciting story, but a nice distraction. And a great lockdown effort.
|
|
|
Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 14, 2020 16:53:05 GMT
I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t think much of this. It wasn’t bad but it’d exactly what you usually get from the hour long 4DAs, average and not particularly exciting. Series 9 on the other hand, I loved which is probably the only reason I ordered this one. I just don’t think the Fourth Doctor works in the two part format except in a few rare exceptions. I prefer 2 parters really. I like to listen on one go & 60 mins is perfect. I find often with 4 parters things drag.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on May 21, 2020 10:04:46 GMT
I enjoyed this. I found it to be a solid story rather than a great one, with a terrific finale. As a 4DA, it is good; for a story recorded in lockdown, which seems to be a major selling point, it's exceptional. No way would I know this hadn't been produced in BF's usual environment. Nice to hear Barnaby Edwards in the cast too - and John Leeson, in a role other than K-9. This brings back memories of the TV show, where he would play occasional other roles in the show. Also, and it might be a small point, but I love the way some of Tom's improvisations seem to have been kept in. Sometimes the Doctor will laugh spontaneously in the middle of a sentence, or react to another character in a way you would not expect. After being a fan of his Doctor for years, you might think I was being foolish to expect otherwise, but it's great that he continues to be quirky and do unexpected things with dialogue, and it's all kept in. It all helps make the Fourth Doctor ... the Fourth Doctor.
|
|
ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
|
Post by ljwilson on May 21, 2020 10:24:47 GMT
I enjoyed this. I found it to be a solid story rather than a great one, with a terrific finale. As a 4DA, it is good; for a story recorded in lockdown, which seems to be a major selling point, it's exceptional. No way would I know this hadn't been produced in BF's usual environment. Nice to hear Barnaby Edwards in the cast too - and John Leeson, in a role other than K-9. This brings back memories of the TV show, where he would play occasional other roles in the show. Also, and it might be a small point, but I love the way some of Tom's improvisations seem to have been kept in. Sometimes the Doctor will laugh spontaneously in the middle of a sentence, or react to another character in a way you would not expect. After being a fan of his Doctor for years, you might think I was being foolish to expect otherwise, but it's great that he continues to be quirky and do unexpected things with dialogue, and it's all kept in. It all helps make the Fourth Doctor ... the Fourth Doctor.
Speaking of quirky, I relistened to The Foe from the Future recently and Tom Baker has some amazing one liners, so funny and I'm sure not all of it was scripted.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on May 21, 2020 10:41:30 GMT
I enjoyed this. I found it to be a solid story rather than a great one, with a terrific finale. As a 4DA, it is good; for a story recorded in lockdown, which seems to be a major selling point, it's exceptional. No way would I know this hadn't been produced in BF's usual environment. Nice to hear Barnaby Edwards in the cast too - and John Leeson, in a role other than K-9. This brings back memories of the TV show, where he would play occasional other roles in the show. Also, and it might be a small point, but I love the way some of Tom's improvisations seem to have been kept in. Sometimes the Doctor will laugh spontaneously in the middle of a sentence, or react to another character in a way you would not expect. After being a fan of his Doctor for years, you might think I was being foolish to expect otherwise, but it's great that he continues to be quirky and do unexpected things with dialogue, and it's all kept in. It all helps make the Fourth Doctor ... the Fourth Doctor.
Speaking of quirky, I relistened to The Foe from the Future recently and Tom Baker has some amazing one liners, so funny and I'm sure not all of it was scripted. It's a while since I heard it, but in The Renaissance Man, The Doctor ...
{Spoiler} ... was on the phone to a dog. When he put the phone down he said, "I didn't understand a yap of that!"
I don't know whether it was all part of the script but it made me laugh a great deal.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on May 21, 2020 20:47:45 GMT
Thought this was solid, with a great final 10 minutes. Probably one of the better and more memorable two parters from the Fourth Doctor Adventures and a great platform for Leela. I do get fatigued by the character, but it’s nice to be surprised.
I love the imagery of a party of people in space. Voyage of the Damned, The Husbands of River Song, The Rulers of the Universe and there’s many more. Shadow of the Sun is no different, especially when the Doctor and Leela enter the party for the first time; I love the backing music from that scene too.
I wouldn’t go as far to say as you couldn’t tell this was recorded in lockdown. Tom, as legendary as he is, can be a bit of a loose cannon; he’s slightly echo-y and he steers towards playing Tom rather than the Doctor until the final 10 minutes. It’s a minor quibble, and it’s understandable given the circumstances; it will be harder to direct and Tom didn’t appear to have the luxury of a makeshift studio. It’s a very impressive effort nonetheless and I’m intrigued to see Big Finish’s other lockdown efforts.
|
|
|
Post by Audio Watchdog on May 21, 2020 23:11:15 GMT
Tom, as legendary as he is, can be a bit of a loose cannon; he’s slightly echo-y and he steers towards playing Tom rather than the Doctor until the final 10 minutes. It’s a minor quibble, and it’s understandable given the circumstances; it will be harder to direct and Tom didn’t appear to have the luxury of a makeshift studio. It’s a very impressive effort nonetheless and I’m intrigued to see Big Finish’s other lockdown efforts. I almost wonder if you hear that echo-yness because you know it was not recorded in a studio. I’ve listened to it twice now with two different sets not inexpensive headphones looking for something to betray the production’s recorded origins and it sounds consistently like a Big Finish recording. Also Tom has gone on at length about his relationship to playing the Doctor for decades now. About how Tom Baker is the Doctor and vice versa. At this point I’m certain Nick & Tom have a well established actor/ director working method. Tom is going to bring to it what he is going to bring to it on the day.Them not being in the same building should have little to no effect on that relationship. I thought it sounded like Douglas Adams era 4. Anyway, it was an impressive effort.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on May 22, 2020 7:13:19 GMT
Tom, as legendary as he is, can be a bit of a loose cannon; he’s slightly echo-y and he steers towards playing Tom rather than the Doctor until the final 10 minutes. It’s a minor quibble, and it’s understandable given the circumstances; it will be harder to direct and Tom didn’t appear to have the luxury of a makeshift studio. It’s a very impressive effort nonetheless and I’m intrigued to see Big Finish’s other lockdown efforts. I almost wonder if you hear that echo-yness because you know it was not recorded in a studio. I’ve listened to it twice now with two different sets not inexpensive headphones looking for something to betray the production’s recorded origins and it sounds consistently like a Big Finish recording. Also Tom has gone on at length about his relationship to playing the Doctor for decades now. About how Tom Baker is the Doctor and vice versa. At this point I’m certain Nick & Tom have a well established actor/ director working method. Tom is going to bring to it what he is going to bring to it on the day.Them not being in the same building should have little to no effect on that relationship. I thought it sounded like Douglas Adams era 4. Anyway, it was an impressive effort. Perhaps. I’ve also spent the best part of the last two months up to my eyeballs in Office 365, specifically implementing Microsoft Teams, and all of the fun stuff that comes with that, including general sound quality and how that differs depending on network connectivity, the room you’re in, etc. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I think I am a little more susceptible to these things. As I said, Tom was the only slight quibble I have and he’s been consistently “The Doctor” for a few years now; this one seemed the exception to me in recent memory. It could have been a fluke, it could have been Tom adjusting to different recording methods. Given he picks up towards the end, I’m inclined to believe it wasn’t a coincidence. Regardless, it’s a minor issue and it was most certainly an impressive effort, which I was at pains to state in my original post.
|
|
mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,081
|
Post by mbt66 on May 27, 2020 17:00:43 GMT
Only listened to this today and enjoyed it enormously - great work from all concerned. Special mention to Barnaby Edwards. I loved his auto pilot, plus I never realised he was also the second in command. It is nice to hear him in Big Finish once again.
I was surprised that this was originally a story from series 13 as that means that three out of the next four 4DA series will be with Leela!
I love Leela, and now after the latest 4DA series, she is my favourite companion option for the Fourth Doctor, but I am disappointed that we won’t get a bit more variety.
|
|