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Post by eric009 on Apr 25, 2021 19:09:41 GMT
i give 5 5 4 and 5 for box set
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Post by Timelord007 on Apr 26, 2021 6:59:26 GMT
My box sets arrived yesterday & I'm excited to listen to but I'm a bit annoyed BF haven't dispatched The Dalek Protocol release as i want to listen to that one first. Had no Email confirmation nothing. Hi Simon. I've asked Big Finish about the whereabouts of my 'Dalek Protocol' CD. This is what they said in their e-mail to me.
Tim Well at least i know not lost in the mail. Thanks Tim appreciate that.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
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Post by lidar2 on Apr 26, 2021 8:26:08 GMT
My box sets arrived yesterday & I'm excited to listen to but I'm a bit annoyed BF haven't dispatched The Dalek Protocol release as i want to listen to that one first. Had no Email confirmation nothing. Hi Simon. I've asked Big Finish about the whereabouts of my 'Dalek Protocol' CD. This is what they said in their e-mail to me.
Tim Glad to know I'm not the only one holding off on Dalek Universe until the Dalek Protocol CD arrives
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,079
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Post by mbt66 on May 3, 2021 6:21:16 GMT
Well I am truly savouring this release. I have only listened to the first two stories, but both I have heard now multiple times. This is something I never do, but for some reason I really don’t want this box set to end as it is so much fun.
My rating of both stories, so far, would even make Nick happy.
However Big Finish continue to disappoint with their packaging. As it is David Tennant they did still give separate covers, probably to make the Vinyl release more attractive, but that is all.
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Post by Tim Bradley on May 4, 2021 10:24:05 GMT
Hello everyone! A nice surprise in the post. Received my CD copy of 'The Dalek Protocol' today! And I didn't have a notification to let me know it was coming. Hmm. Tim
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,079
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Post by mbt66 on May 8, 2021 15:02:13 GMT
Well I have ranking all elements of the poll 5/5 although for the Tenth Doctor it feels like it should be 10/10
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Post by Kestrel on May 18, 2021 18:31:49 GMT
Not to rehash my reaction to the two-parter, but I was hugely impressed. So much so that I couldn't imagine the third and final story possibly hitting the same level of quality. So I set Dalek Universe aside for a while to let things settle in the back of my mind before pushing forward.
Simply put: I was preparing myself to be underwhelmed. As I've said before and will no-doubt say many, many more times in the future, these three-story boxsets are much more vulnerable to weak stories than their four-story counterparts. In short, in a trilogy, a single weak link is much more difficult to overlook.
So, clearly I'm building up to something, so here it is--my hot take: The House of Kingdom is really, really good.
Yup. Defying both my expectations and the cruel tendencies of probability, the final story absolutely lives up to the very high bar set by John Dorney's opening two-parter. And most refreshingly, it does so with a very different sort of tale--one much more subdued in tone and limited in scope, scale and stakes.
About halfway through, I had a bit of a startling realization (born on the heels of completing Ravagers): I genuinely cared about these characters and was anxious to see what became of them. This was startling because, the Doctor aside, I didn't really know any of them very well--and none of them were particularly unique or especially dynamic. Anya and her grandfather, the villain, the robots, the androids--all are very familiar character archetypes I'd seen a hundred times before.
And yet I still cared.
More importantly, I came to care about them without noticing it. If that's not a mark of subtle and effective writing, I don't know what is. I was invested in the story, and as a result found the ending (or, rather, the conclusion) especially poignant. The Doctor's lines about regret and sin hit hard; Anya's disappointment and bitterness with her grandfather, the competing urges to both condemn and forgive, hit harder.
Dalek Universe opened with soaring adventure, suspense, excitement and twists--and closed with focused and personal character piece. And I think I'm very nearly two-thirds of the way through convincing myself that this is my favorite Doctor-centric boxset to date.
....
It's something of a running-joke/tedious observation that Big Finish's Time War boxsets somewhat conspicuously tend to underuse the Daleks. You'd expect, being the principal foe in the conflict, they'd be rather common--but they're rarely present in the Time War stories, and when they are there, they're very often incidental threats. It is therefore perhaps a not-unprecedented irony that the Daleks are entirely absent from this first Dalek Universe boxset.
And you know what? I think that's actual, legitimate genius. In fact, I'd be perfectly happy, as much as I love my shouty boys, if the Daleks didn't feature in any of these sets at all.
Let me explain: what makes Dalek Universe so engaging for me, in large part, is the fact that the Daleks cast a shadow over everyone and everything in the setting. We are very much, it seems, in-between Dalek Wars: fresh from a victory, or at least survival, but fearful of the next conflict. And isn't that incredibly interesting? This isn't a universe that is owned by the Daleks, or a universe that exists to be conquered by the Daleks: instead, it's a universe that has survived the Daleks and has been, and will continue to be, affected by the Daleks. It's a universe full of people dealing with the lingering, inescapable trauma of those wars.
A very fitting place for the 10th Doctor to be, as he--moreso than any other incarnation--is deeply haunted by the Daleks.
With the added melodrama of his foreknowledge of the Time War. I cannot possibly stress enough how much I adore this set up, not how utterly perfect the execution has been thus far. I am extremely, edge-of-my-freakin'-seat excited to see where this goes next.
That said, I do have some issues. Because of course I do.
First and most immediate: the cliffhanger. What was that about? Why was it necessary? I got the feeling it was supposed to be a tense, suspenseful moment more than anything else. Why? Because I couldn't quite make out what Mark was saying. It sounded like "Ella," which is also the nickname the Doctor gives to one of the mechanioids, which does not make any sense. It feels almost like a cheap comic book cliffhanger--a monster popping up in the last panel, a sudden character death, mind control out of nowhere. It did nothing for me, and somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for the set (if you can believe it).
Perhaps more problematically, there's a lot of set-up in this boxset. And the thing about set-up? It's very dependent on payoff. Chekhov's gun needs to be fired. If future sets don't provide that pay-off, they will retroactively diminish these stories. That deliciously ominous foreshadowing about Gallifrey, for example, will be far less compelling if it doesn't turn out to actually be foreshadowing.
It's unfortunate that so excellent a set of stories could be unduly affected by subsequent releases, but such is the peril of serial storytelling.
I'm not saying I expect future sets to fail to live up to this set, but as perhaps my reticence to even finish this first boxset indicates, I've been burned too many times in the past to simply extend the benefit of the doubt: a defining characteristic of good writing is that it can only ever be exceptional.
Though at the end of the day, the great and terrible danger I'm expressing such overwrought anxiety over is merely that a nearly-perfect boxset might, in retrospect, become only very-good.
....
So, uh, wow. Really trying not to repeat myself too much here. Look, y'all know how it is. I've just gotta say, perhaps again, that I feel like this is the release where David Tennant has finally come into his own as one of the great Big Finish Doctors. Here is everything, or very nearly everything I love about Doctor Who and the 10th Doctor, with none of the bits that tend to annoy me. This is a beautiful place to be, don't ya' think? What can I say? When Big Finish hits a home run like this, they tend to knock the ball way, way outta the park. All it's missing is that weighty Murray Gold score.
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Post by shallacatop on May 19, 2021 12:55:02 GMT
Given this a relisten this week.
I still think Buying Time is the best story of the set. It's brilliantly paced, doesn't waste a beat, our three leads are great together and I like the build up.
My original thoughts on The Wrong Woman was that the Monk revelation was one too many, curtailing the Whelan Doctor material and believing it only exists for the Doctor to realise that he's been dragged out of time in a pre-Time War era. My opinion has actually flipped! There's more to the Monk side of things than I first picked up on and it more than justifies its inclusion and I now feel it's the Whelan Doctor plot that gets in the way of the story.
Not enough is really done with it and it's inevitable that it won't stick. As soon as we begin to get used to her, the Doctor appears and reminds us that it's his story. And then as soon as she hits her stride, we're presented with the Monk revelation. In the end it's 20 minutes or so of wasted material that would be better served on the Sheldrake story, which is sorely undercooked. He's what Buying Time builds up to, the concept is interesting and when some time is spent with that plot, the imagery it produces in my mind is great. Sheldrake's established as a malevolent businessman and come The Wrong Woman we get absolutely nothing else about him. As he's sort of forgotten about, I was actually baffled as to what it is he's planning; he's in possession of time travel that functions, so what on earth is he doing or trying to achieve?
It does feel as though the two big twists were thought of and then the episode was written around those and it doesn't quite work for me. There's good elements there, I'm fond of the Monk material now, but it gets caught up in trying to pull the rug (which, keeping in mind, is a one-time thing) and it abandons the actual story. It's certainly RTD inspired; Buying Time is The Stolen Earth to The Wrong Woman's Journey's End, even to the copycat cliffhanger. Indeed, the same couple apply for Army of Ghosts / Doomsday and The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords. I expect that Whelan's Monk will turn up in set 2 or 3 and I'll be looking forward to it if that's the case.
The House of Kingdom has some great character stuff, and I enjoyed the diversion that the first 10 minutes or so brought, but it does sag in the middle. The dynamic between Anya & Merrick doesn't really extend much beyond Anya not being able to let go of what Merrick did. I hope that we move away from that when he returns in set 2. Having said that, it's a refreshing change to the frantic two parter, I like the worldbuilding and how hopeless the Doctor is without his TARDIS.
The highlight of the set is the portrayal of the Doctor and David's performance. He's written with that remorse and angst that naturally comes post-Donna, and isn't actually well portrayed in the Specials, and David latches onto that and runs with it. This really is the 2009 series we didn't get. I also love the glimpses of his arrogance and the extent of what he can do, which of course alludes to The Waters of Mars and Time Lord Victorious. It's forging a new era for Ten, but also honouring what's on screen, both the setting and the themes woven into his era. I really respect that.
And I can't talk about the Doctor without also mentioning Anya & Mark. They're an eclectic TARDIS team and it's been a pleasure to spend time with them.
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Post by sherlock on May 19, 2021 13:55:17 GMT
It's something of a running-joke/tedious observation that Big Finish's Time War boxsets somewhat conspicuously tend to underuse the Daleks. You'd expect, being the principal foe in the conflict, they'd be rather common--but they're rarely present in the Time War stories, and when they are there, they're very often incidental threats. It is therefore perhaps a not-unprecedented irony that the Daleks are entirely absent from this first Dalek Universe boxset. And you know what? I think that's actual, legitimate genius. In fact, I'd be perfectly happy, as much as I love my shouty boys, if the Daleks didn't feature in any of these sets at all. Let me explain: what makes Dalek Universe so engaging for me, in large part, is the fact that the Daleks cast a shadow over everyone and everything in the setting. We are very much, it seems, in-between Dalek Wars: fresh from a victory, or at least survival, but fearful of the next conflict. And isn't that incredibly interesting? This isn't a universe that is owned by the Daleks, or a universe that exists to be conquered by the Daleks: instead, it's a universe that has survived the Daleks and has been, and will continue to be, affected by the Daleks. It's a universe full of people dealing with the lingering, inescapable trauma of those wars. A very fitting place for the 10th Doctor to be, as he--moreso than any other incarnation--is deeply haunted by the Daleks. ith he added melodrama of his foreknowledge of the Time War. I cannot possibly stress enough how much I adore this set up, not how utterly perfect the execution has been thus far. I am extremely, edge-of-my-freakin'-seat excited to see where this goes next. See this is the thing. That setting is genius and has a lot of potential. It only really comes into the picture in House of Kingdom but that’s when it clicked for me of why this storyline is being given three boxsets and the potential it has. It’s not a big Doctor vs Dalek lore epic, it’s the Doctor surviving in a universe scarred by the Daleks. But the marketing did not highlight this. If the marketing had been more straight forward with the concept here, I’d have been onboard way earlier. Seriously Big Finish’s marketing needs to have faith in the story concept rather than just the photoshopped old foes on the covers. Looking ahead to Dalek Universe 2, I’m very pleased there the Daleks only seem to be in one story and the premise for that seems to lean towards someone else’s plot involving the Daleks. The Daleks are difficult villains to keep interesting as so often they default back to “they’ve just come up with a new way to kill lots of people at once”, but the idea of the evil people might do to fight back against them is tantalising. It’s the similar territory as Dalek Empire, but that was in midst of a war with right and wrong gone out of the window just for survival’s sake. This is an inter-war period where the Daleks aren’t invading, but they could at any moment. The paranoia inherent in that setting could inspire horrors, and in House of Kingdom we got our first glimpse at that. And that’s a damn good idea for a story.
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Post by shallacatop on May 19, 2021 15:20:27 GMT
It's something of a running-joke/tedious observation that Big Finish's Time War boxsets somewhat conspicuously tend to underuse the Daleks. You'd expect, being the principal foe in the conflict, they'd be rather common--but they're rarely present in the Time War stories, and when they are there, they're very often incidental threats. It is therefore perhaps a not-unprecedented irony that the Daleks are entirely absent from this first Dalek Universe boxset. And you know what? I think that's actual, legitimate genius. In fact, I'd be perfectly happy, as much as I love my shouty boys, if the Daleks didn't feature in any of these sets at all. Let me explain: what makes Dalek Universe so engaging for me, in large part, is the fact that the Daleks cast a shadow over everyone and everything in the setting. We are very much, it seems, in-between Dalek Wars: fresh from a victory, or at least survival, but fearful of the next conflict. And isn't that incredibly interesting? This isn't a universe that is owned by the Daleks, or a universe that exists to be conquered by the Daleks: instead, it's a universe that has survived the Daleks and has been, and will continue to be, affected by the Daleks. It's a universe full of people dealing with the lingering, inescapable trauma of those wars. A very fitting place for the 10th Doctor to be, as he--moreso than any other incarnation--is deeply haunted by the Daleks. ith he added melodrama of his foreknowledge of the Time War. I cannot possibly stress enough how much I adore this set up, not how utterly perfect the execution has been thus far. I am extremely, edge-of-my-freakin'-seat excited to see where this goes next. See this is the thing. That setting is genius and has a lot of potential. It only really comes into the picture in House of Kingdom but that’s when it clicked for me of why this storyline is being given three boxsets and the potential it has. It’s not a big Doctor vs Dalek lore epic, it’s the Doctor surviving in a universe scarred by the Daleks. But the marketing did not highlight this. If the marketing had been more straight forward with the concept here, I’d have been onboard way earlier. Seriously Big Finish’s marketing needs to have faith in the story concept rather than just the photoshopped old foes on the covers. Looking ahead to Dalek Universe 2, I’m very pleased there the Daleks only seem to be in one story and the premise for that seems to lean towards someone else’s plot involving the Daleks. The Daleks are difficult villains to keep interesting as so often they default back to “they’ve just come up with a new way to kill lots of people at once”, but the idea of the evil people might do to fight back against them is tantalising. It’s the similar territory as Dalek Empire, but that was in midst of a war with right and wrong gone out of the window just for survival’s sake. This is an inter-war period where the Daleks aren’t invading, but they could at any moment. The paranoia inherent in that setting could inspire horrors, and in House of Kingdom we got our first glimpse at that. And that’s a damn good idea for a story. I think you're spot on there and I find myself in complete agreement. We've been told previously that the reason the marketing emphasised old foes and elements was to hide secrets. That may be true in the future sets, but the secrets in the first set was another returning foe and a cliffhanger that had already been done for the Tenth Doctor and didn't contribute much, if anything, to the story. And to be completely honest, I can't really imagine what secrets you'd hide that aren't returning elements or monsters; we know how the Tenth Doctor's era pans out and we can see Anya is in the three sets. The Doctor being in a universe scarred by the Daleks, making his way through it and trying to survive it is a great concept that should have been capitalised on in the marketing.
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Post by Kestrel on May 21, 2021 20:14:04 GMT
Yeah... as my comments on TLV attest, I have some serious issues with Big Finish' marketing. And I definitely wasn't super excited for Dalek Universe back when it was announced, because I simply assumed--like so many other stories--it was built around a cheap gimmick. I have the same concern for the next non-DU 10DA, and WM6, because both feature the same gimmick of "Classic Companions." Which is just... not an inherently interesting premise.
And in the case of the War Master, I'd argue it's actively disinteresting, because the companions are, as-always, protected by the inviolable status-quo.
And, of course, with the 10th Doctor, we've all seen School Reunion, and it's unlikely, I think, that any of the audio adventures will top that.
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Post by TinDogPodcast on May 24, 2021 14:56:49 GMT
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Post by thelonecenturion on May 25, 2021 16:56:43 GMT
Music suite now available in the 'bonus content' section in downloads.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2021 21:47:46 GMT
My Dalek Universe (Vol.1) vinyl arrived today, so that was this evening's listening sorted. It's a beautiful triple LP package I must say, and a nice clean press with no noise, about the only thing missing was Daleks ... so I've added my own.
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Post by constonks on Jun 2, 2021 0:34:13 GMT
My Dalek Universe (Vol.1) vinyl arrived today, so that was this evening's listening sorted. It's a beautiful triple LP package I must say, and a nice clean press with no noise, about the only thing missing was Daleks ... so I've added my own. Dang, that's beautiful. Great showcase for the artwork!
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Post by tuigirl on Jun 5, 2021 20:01:33 GMT
Uhm.... what? This definitely will benefit from a second listen. Just made it through part 1 & 2. And I admit, the pace is breathtaking and it lost me a couple of times. There is just soooo much going on and all these time/ space jumps...
Anyways. Performances are top notch. David is brilliant. Good story, and what a surprising cliff-hanger and solution. That one was definitely interesting. And I really like you know who- I enjoy his shenanigans and I was surprised we get another story of him doing an impersonation/ gender flip since that was not the first time. But maybe that is his new thing/ running gag. And also great performance and the banter/ bouncing off between the old adversaries was priceless.
But what about Mark Gatiss and his villain? He just gets lost somewhere in this whole fireworks of action. I think this is a bit disappointing.
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Post by ollychops on Jun 7, 2021 20:22:30 GMT
Relistened to this over the weekend and whilst it's just as fab as it was the first time... is anyone else confused as to why this time zone is supposedly meant to be off-limits to Ten? I know it's explained that it's "Pre-Time War" but surely that means 21st century Earth counts as pre-Time War? Or is it just the 41st century that's off-limits?
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Post by sherlock on Jun 7, 2021 20:32:14 GMT
Relistened to this over the weekend and whilst it's just as fab as it was the first time... is anyone else confused as to why this time zone is supposedly meant to be off-limits to Ten? I know it's explained that it's "Pre-Time War" but surely that means 21st century Earth counts as pre-Time War? Or is it just the 41st century that's off-limits? I think the 41st century in general is accessible to Ten, as he doesn’t realise he’s pre-Time War till quite late into the story so clearly doesn’t think getting to the 41st century is impossible to him normally. However here he’s specifically in the pre-Time War version of the 41st century. There seems to be a consistent idea developing that there is a distinct version of the Whoniverse pre-Time War and another version post-Time War. Exclusive aspects of the pre-Time War universe includes The Smugglers leading directly into The Tenth Planet (See First Doc Comanion Chronicles 2 for how they got altered) and Bliss studying robotics and never meeting the Doctor (see Ravenous: Companion Piece). Travel between the two is only possible by jumping time tracks, which Ten has now done twice (here and in the novel Prisoner of the Daleks).
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Post by tuigirl on Jun 8, 2021 21:52:21 GMT
Finished this. I liked this! This had lots of energy and it was a change of pace just by removing the TARDIS. So the Doctor really has to hang about for 12 hours to wait for his shuttle transfer. Nice. Well written, well performed and curious what comes next.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2021 6:50:59 GMT
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