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Post by axelotl38 on Mar 31, 2021 8:24:55 GMT
Did I just hear right in the extras {Spoiler} That The Master Eric Roberts is in Stranded 4 , ye quick rewind and yes I heard right...well something has to rescue Stranded because personally I cannot enjoy the series at all
and it didn’t slip out...Big Finish are too good at this game Could it have been a slip referring to Ravenous 4?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2021 8:43:23 GMT
Did I just hear right in the extras {Spoiler} That The Master Eric Roberts is in Stranded 4 , ye quick rewind and yes I heard right...well something has to rescue Stranded because personally I cannot enjoy the series at all
and it didn’t slip out...Big Finish are too good at this game Could it have been a slip referring to Ravenous 4? Could have been who knows but definitely says Stranded personally speaking lol...Stranded needs it 😂😂😂
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Mar 31, 2021 8:50:20 GMT
I like the theme music, it is exactly like the sort of thing we’d have gotten in the 90s, it has an appropriately Stargate-y feel (Arnold did the music fo both, using some of his Who music cues for Stargate).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2021 9:15:28 GMT
Well now it is time for a relisten....the opening tale is so well done that I can be drawn in easily...Lila actually even feels like a character that has been around forever I had to do a search just to ensure she hadn’t been 😂
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Mar 31, 2021 10:02:18 GMT
Vengeance by Matt Fitton brings things to a thrilling conclusion, not quite as entertaining for me as the previous stories (my aversion to Daleks, when they start barking at each other I get a headache) but still a brilliant story. This is 5 out of 5 for me & my favourite release this year. I hope we get more of not only Roberts' Master but Lila Kreeg, I really enjoyed their relationship. {Spoiler} With The Master back in the time vortex at the end (it would have been nice to have him escape at the end tbh) I'm trying to recall how this fits in with the continuity of The Lifeboat and the Deathboat. I think I will have to give that a relisten.
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Post by theillusiveman on Mar 31, 2021 10:08:08 GMT
Vengeance by Matt Fitton brings things to a thrilling conclusion, not quite as entertaining for me as the previous stories (my aversion to Daleks, when they start barking at each other I get a headache) but still a brilliant story. This is 5 out of 5 for me & my favourite release this year. I hope we get more of not only Roberts' Master but Lila Kreeg, I really enjoyed their relationship. {Spoiler} With The Master back in the time vortex at the end (it would have been nice to have him escape at the end tbh) I'm trying to recall how this fits in with the continuity of The Lifeboat and the Deathboat. I think I will have to give that a relisten. Chronological it goes: The Enemy Within (Tv Movie) The Life Boat and The Death Boat
Masterful Day of The Master
Fautisan Prey Vengeance
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Post by theillusiveman on Mar 31, 2021 10:32:50 GMT
Did I just hear right in the extras {Spoiler} That The Master Eric Roberts is in Stranded 4 , ye quick rewind and yes I heard right...well something has to rescue Stranded because personally I cannot enjoy the series at all
and it didn’t slip out...Big Finish are too good at this game oh....oh no
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Post by shallacatop on Mar 31, 2021 13:52:40 GMT
I thought this was really good, was very pleasantly surprised and had a fun time listening.
Faustian does the risky thing of not actually bringing the Master to the fore until 10 minutes towards the end. This is especially risky, given that Roberts previous performances as the Master are glorified cameos already. However, it really works in the favour of the episode and the overall set; we get a good insight into the state of the earth and the way power is obtained through some well written worldbuilding. The episode is really told in the eyes of Lila, who's brilliantly played by Laura Aikman and I think is actually the true star of the whole set. The Master comes into his own in the final 10 minutes and a few lines in and Eric Roberts is already significantly better than his previous appearances. It helps that he's allowed to lead and is given something to do, whilst also tapping into what makes this incarnation different to all of the others. You see the potential in this incarnation, therefore justifying the set.
Personally, for me, Prey was the weakest of the three instalments. Still a great listen, but I think it doesn't quite deliver on the synopsis of the Master being "hunted through the slums and ganglands of London" and the line being "blurred between predator and prey". That does happen in the set, but it doesn't drive the story or lasts a long time, which is a shame as I felt it's the most interesting strand of this episode. I'm not familiar with Vienna, but she serves her purpose here and Chase Masterson puts in a good turn. I'm not invested in the character enough to even consider delving into her range, which is a bit of a drawback if that was the intention, but she serves her purpose in the story well and it works as a standalone for me as a newcomer.
Vengeance is a good wrap up to the set, building on the two previous stories and also a throwback to the opening events of The TV Movie with the Dalek Litigator. I've mentioned before that I love the new series Supreme Dalek and the way Briggs plays him, with the heavy bass. I really enjoyed his increasing frustration with the Litigator and his eventual encounter with the Master. Our villain really gets his time to shine here, both his exchange with the two Daleks and also what he does to them; the Master does a lot of lurking and brooding in the preceding stories and Vengeance has him actually getting his hands dirty.
I didn't actually mind the ending. I enjoyed the set a lot, but am happy for this incarnation of the Master to remain short lived and don't have an interest in more sets personally. If more are announced, then great, but I think this works brilliantly as a standalone, with a real start and finish. What I will say is I don't think the ending is as seamlessly integrated into the story as it could be, compared to other Master sets, such as Only the Good & Anti-Genesis, but the ending itself is fine.
Overall it's a great set and better than I expected. As others have mentioned the sound design here is top notch, certainly one of the most memorable that Big Finish have done to my ears. It's got a very late 90s / early 00s sci-fi vibe that works in the sets favour. Everything plays to the strengths of both Eric Roberts and his incarnation of the Master; the world he's living in, the theme tune, the long build up, the lurking in the background, etc. I don't think he will ever become a favourite like Beevers, Jacobi or Gomez, but this does prove that if something is specifically made and tailored then you can get some great output. As I mentioned, I'm happy with this being a one-off, but I also said that with the War Master and I am still collecting... six sets in!
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Post by denyer97 on Mar 31, 2021 17:17:54 GMT
I finished listening to this earlier and have been letting it settle in my thoughts before posting. overall I very much enjoyed it. I thought the plot was not overly complicated and easy to follow without being to simple either. I think it can be very easy for stories, particularly ones which are more scientifically driven, to over complicate things and try to outwit the audience to the point where it just all becomes impossible to follow (for me personally I’m looking at the likes of the Dark Eyes saga here.) Performance wise I think you can really feel Eric Roberts settling into the role here. It’s by far his best outing on audio to date. It took a couple of series for Alex Kingston to really hit her stride playing River Song on audio too. I’ve only ever heard Memory Box featuring Vienna and if I’m honest don’t remember an awful lot about it but I thought Chase Masterson was fab here too. Her character could quite easily became irritating but never does, she plays off well against this Master and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her pop up in future sets but, like others have said, I also have no desire to go back and listen to any Vienna stuff. I really enjoyed the addition of Lila Creeg. She’s very suited to being a companion to the Master, she isn’t a clear cut hero and not somebody I think would work particularly well as the Doctor’s companion in the way that previous companions of the Master such as Cole in the War Master and Sally Armstrong in Dark Eyes would have. I thought Faustus was the strongest story of the set, followed by Vengeance and then Prey. They all had lots to like in them but I think Prey suffered being in between what is essentially the premier of Eric Roberts ‘Master’ series and an explosive Dalek finale. It’s more or less a game of cat and mouse that doesn’t really go anywhere but the character work on the three leads makes up for the lack of plot. The Daleks I thought were particularly well utilised. They weren’t an over bearing presence as they can be in some stories. My only real negative is the ending {Spoiler} The master getting put back into the vortex feels like a little bit of a waste. If there’s to be another box set are we going to have to spend another story getting him back out again?
Overall a fantastic box set and well worth the wait. It’ll be an instant pre order from me if more series are announced. I have a feeling the stories of some of the characters here aren’t finished yet and await news of their returns with baited breath.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2021 18:52:31 GMT
I loved that The Master's alias in this story is 'Mr Drake.' More vampiric connotations!
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Faustous. It was more of a Vienna story than a Master one. It threatened once or twice to drift into 'silly voice' territory. I wanted to say that because I was growing weary of simply heaping praise on this set - which would be easy to do, because it is terrific. Not quite as terrific as story one, but terrific nonetheless. Again, the build-up is a long one, but when the two titular titans meet, it is electric. No, really, it is!
The sound design has been praised a lot in this thread, so rather than being left out, I'll join in and say that it is huge - expansive and cinematic. Distant rainfall, just enough echo on the voices to portray vast arenas of space - and again, the music is excellent throughout. The Master's 'theme' is vast and frightening - hats off to Howard Carter.
This Master exists in shadow, a dark figure caught in a gritty dystopian future - a ruthless, genuinely quite nasty character. Robert Whitelock - who's (is it who's or whose?) work is so good in The Robots series has created a wonderful, sinister world in which The Master can play. I'm sad to think there's only one story left in this set. There must be more, mustn't there?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2021 14:01:54 GMT
"What's more important than a planetary invasion?" "I am."
Another vampiric comparison - one of the observations of the Hammer Dracula films is that The Count often remained in the shadows, orchestrating events, manipulating them - and that's exactly what The Master does in this set: The Master Manipulator! I love it!
In Vengeance, we have lots of scenes with various Daleks talking among themselves, which should keep Nick Briggs happy. It would be nice to have even just one other actor providing an alternative voice, but I can't see that happening. I imagine the thinking is, with The Doctor out of the way, The Master needs a strong enemy to match his malevolence, and you don't get much stronger than the Daleks. But, to me at least, they are so ubiquitous, I don't think this version of The Master needs them. I would prefer to hear more of Eric Roberts than Daleks if I'm honest. I will say, however, that the face-off between them is a highlight. Hearing him blow them away is terrific.
These stories have been all about build-up/pay-off. You could probably say that about most stories ever written, but here it seems more pronounced - and when the pay-off comes, it's very satisfying. When The Master was listing his desires toward the end, I thought that was a great moment. Eric plays it all brilliantly, he really does. I think that's how I would have liked this set to end, with The Master swearing dominion over humanity - but judging by the extras, this seems to be designed as a self-contained one-off box-set It seems this Master needs to be defeated, even in his own series.
I loved this from start to finish. Perhaps the first episode was my favourite, with Vengeance coming second. This truly dark, violent incarnation needs, in my view, to be explored further.
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Post by Chakoteya on Apr 1, 2021 16:55:29 GMT
Robert Whitelock - who's (is it who's or whose?) work is so good in ...Since you ask - WHOSE. Possessive article. Good work belonging to Robert Whitelock.
(Who's is who is...)
Such great reviews, really looking forward to finding time to listen to this set. Why can't it rain? Why do I have to be out in the sunshine clearing gutters and weeding and sewing seeds and planting out onion sets and.... (fades of into distance, muttering.)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2021 18:12:17 GMT
Robert Whitelock - who's (is it who's or whose?) work is so good in ...Since you ask - WHOSE. Possessive article. Good work belonging to Robert Whitelock.
(Who's is who is...)
Such great reviews, really looking forward to finding time to listen to this set. Why can't it rain? Why do I have to be out in the sunshine clearing gutters and weeding and sewing seeds and planting out onion sets and.... (fades of into distance, muttering.)
Thank you! I've never been able to get that into my head
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Post by Kestrel on Apr 1, 2021 21:42:31 GMT
So this one wound up being a pretty interesting release, huh? Definitely very different from the other Master stories we've had thus far.
I definitely enjoyed Roberts' Master much more in this set than in prior outings (Masterful, Diary of River Song) especially in the first story, where he takes on the role of the tempting serpent. In general, the first story is pretty great, and a fantastic way to introduce this new incarnation of the Master. It's also interesting to see how different this Master is to other incarnations: he doesn't seem as intelligent or patient, but is much more brutal, direct and hands-on. The rabid paranoia is also a nice touch.
He also gets along pretty great with Lila Krieg, who winds up feeling very much like a generic Doctor Who companion in that first story, but is then slowly revealed to be a pretty selfish and amoral person. She makes a great foil for the Master, and it's a shame the set ends by trying to depict her as being a "good person." Utter nonsense.
Speaking of the script trying to paint pretty rotten characters as good people, there's Vienna Salvatori, who the writers describe as "an assassin with a heart of gold" -- despite the fact that she's also depicted as a pretty amoral murderer-for-hire, who has no qualms threatening to murder random people, and even goes out of her way to blow up a factory filled with people. Yes, she gives them a chance to escape, but these are not the actions of a good person who lives by a moral code, as they say in the BTS track, that refuses to kill uninvolved parties.
I'm definitely not a fan of Vienna after this story, that's for sure.
So, anyway, while I have a lot of praise for the first story, the other two... not so much. I think they ultimately suffer from casting the Master in too passive of a role: all he's doing here is reacting to the plot, and demonstrating very little personal agency. The whole point, I'd've thought, of putting the Master in stories without the Doctor, would be to step away from the cliched storylines. But all of this ends with the Master being quickly and soundly defeated, just as would happen in any story with the Doctor, only this time we have Vienna and (for some reason) Lila stepping into the Doctor's shoes.
At this point I think I'd be pretty open to seeing more of Eric Roberts' Master, but after Vienna here, I don't know that I'd be interested in any more cross-promotional stories.
....
Before I forget, I want to especially praise the sound design in this set. The Master's theme music here is pretty great--very evocative of an evil djinn or something, which suits this incarnation perfectly--and the environmental audio is no slouch, either. They do a great job of making this post-Dalek Invasion of the Earth setting feel like a Blade Runner-esque dystopia, and I love it.
EDIT: also, the Dalek Litigator was incredible. I'd love to see that actual trial depicted sometime. I wonder, do Dalek courts assign defense attorneys? What do Dalek laws even look like? Do they have to worry about jaywalking? Expired licenses? Is burglary a crime on Skaro? Makes me think of that delightful Star Trek Enterprise episode that explored the Klingon legal system. Would love to see Doctor Who try something similar.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2021 6:38:05 GMT
Well am just finishing my third relisten so I guess that will be a preorder for me if they announce a second set. unlike a lot of folks am a definite Vienna fan being persuaded by Tuigirl a long time back I just got caught up in her world and her world building I enjoyed the character a lot and was brilliant to have her back...and even more interested after this release as basically the Hunter as they say will basically become the hunted,nothing more sinister than have Eric’s version after her eventually as he isn’t the character to let thing slide is he?
I preferred this to Masterful and War Master not that they weren’t good releases .Eric’s version is sinister,unpredictable and when he plays the fatherly/am your best pal aspect as he did in the movie I can’t help but get the shivers.What he did benefit from was the lack of the “theatrical aspect”the dressed for the occasion moments,they could have done this side ,but very wisely avoided it.Out of the shadows of his other incarnations.This is a Master that you really would not want to get on the wrong side of.Thankfully too there was no reliance on The Doctor was there even a mention of him?(yeah in the final episode-mentioned by The Dalek)
I am at least getting good vibes about this release from the divergents,let’s hope Eric/Vienna/Lila get the chance to expand this future
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Post by theillusiveman on Apr 2, 2021 7:17:16 GMT
i like how Eric's Master is heaps more violent in this boxset then his other stories
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2021 7:23:45 GMT
Is it true he was nominated for an Academy award for his portrayal as The Master?
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Apr 2, 2021 7:33:35 GMT
His voice is like liquid gold. I mean, Jacobi is endlessly earsome. Warner I could listen to read the back of a banana. But Roberts? Good god, that voice could excite a rock.
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Post by shallacatop on Apr 2, 2021 7:39:50 GMT
Is it true he was nominated for an Academy award for his portrayal as The Master? He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Runaway Train. That was 10 years before he did Doctor Who.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2021 7:46:37 GMT
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