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Post by shallacatop on Aug 4, 2021 15:54:16 GMT
Hmm, not sure what to make of A Quiet Night In. It commits the two cardinal sins of audio; heavy exposition and a lot of talking out loud to yourself. It also plays its hand far too late. I sort of understand why, when Jo knows she’s up against the Master, there’s only so much she can do when he’s so deadly, but it’s the job for the writer to do something more creative. The final 20 minutes are great and Jacobi and Manning are both on blistering form. I’m always conscious about pairing characters for the sake of it, but there’s a lot of meaning behind this and what Jo goes through is more effective as we’re familiar with the character already. Jo really goes through the wringer in this and surely we can’t leave her as she is by the end? There’s a beautiful story to be told with the Doctor helping Jo overcome her ordeal. I think it’d require Matt, Peter or even Jodie to be with Big Finish, though, and at that point I wonder if it’s too late.
Maybe a future UNIT set instead? I haven’t got the answer, but overall feel there was a better way of handling the story structure and getting us to that final act.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 8:44:53 GMT
Like the previous story, I’m not sure what to make of The Orphan. The lead up to the revelation is better just because it’s a two hander between Jacobi and Sutton and they both play it beautifully. But again it plays its hand much too late. As mentioned above, I do understand why, but it’s the writers job to do something more creative and make it less like a 40 minute lead up to the inevitable. It also doesn’t take advantage of the Master and Nyssa confronting each other again compared to the material Jo got. And arguably Nyssa has much better scope for that.
Like Jo, Nyssa goes through the wringer in this. I’m wondering if the Tenth Doctor, Classic Companions set will build up on this? The three companions in it all have connotations to the Time War and yesterday’s announcement of The War Master: Self Defence will put Ten in the Time War. I’d rather it capitalise on their Time War versions, given Leela, Nyssa and Ace are very heavily used by Big Finish already.
Again, I don’t have the answer on how it could be improved. My mind is wandering towards the two companion episodes being 30 minutes apiece and adding a new episode three. Big Finish aren’t that flexible with their format, though.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Aug 5, 2021 10:47:34 GMT
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Post by jonny on Aug 5, 2021 11:18:08 GMT
I've listened to the first two stories, and wow, they're incredible. I had high hopes for this boxset but went into it cautiously. For me, these episodes are close to matching the Sky Man in terms of quality. Genuinely some of my favourite releases from this year.
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Post by outoftime17 on Aug 5, 2021 12:49:42 GMT
That's an interesting theory. {Spoiler} It could possibly be a case that Nyssa will be saved by Ten in Classic Companions next year. With Jo, possibly that plot thread will continue in UNIT or maybe a future set with one of the Doctors.
I've not been a fan of most of The War Master stuff. Derek Jacobi is incredible as always and is easily my favourite Master of the New Series (which is a bit of a cheat answer I know) but most of the stories have been a bit too heavy on the darkness and really do feel like I'm listening to the Unbound audios from 2003 which I also wasn't really a fan of. My favourite one of the War Master sets so far has been Anti-Genesis, thoroughly enjoyed that box set. Rage of the Time Lords is a close second. I also found out yesterday that all these sets are not technically in chronological order as the first box set Only The Good leads directly into Utopia. I'm sure with this new set Self-Defence, it will be a lot more fun because the Tenth Doctor really knows how dangerous this incarnation of the Master truly is. I mean he went through the wringer with John Simm's Master after what happened in The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords so Ten will probably know how to tackle a lot of the Master's tricks and deceit as well as trying to help him, he knows he's insane and knows he has to be controlled but would never kill him.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 13:00:18 GMT
Unfinished Business done. Really loved it. It’s essentially a two parter with the first episode, with the two companion stories showcasing how the Master rose to power after he’s on the back foot at the end of The Sincerest Form of Flattery.
Alexandra Riley is fantastic as Calantha and really sells the two eras of her; rise and fall. The Master is used effectively, he has a substantial presence in these pair of episodes, but is lurking in the background and you’re just waiting for him to step in and rule. As sadistic and awful he is, you’re always rooting for this incarnation. Derek Jacobi always pitches it perfectly.
Usually I’m not the biggest fan of James Goss, but he just gets the War Master, uses him appropriately and it always works well.
Placement wise I love that this is during Only the Good, specifically The Sky Man. It feels as though the Master’s plans and intentions are varied and grand; he’s always got something bubbling away somewhere.
Overall, I’ve given the set a 4. Top marks for the opening and ending and middle of the road for the two companion episodes. The concept is there, the execution of them both is lacking, unfortunately, and I’d have liked a better confrontation between the Master and Nyssa.
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 5, 2021 14:53:43 GMT
Currently downloading in a state of sever agitation... often for much-anticipated releases like these, I like to set the, aside for a special day, both to better appreciate them and to diminish, even if only slightly, the next entry in the range. I really hate the idea of being "done" with a range and don't like the idea of ever not having anything to look forward to, so I was intending to sit on Killing Time for a while, but then they just had to announce WM7 and WM8! So now there's nothing to hold me back! I am a bit curious about the timing, though. At this point I've only been following Big Finish for a little over a year, so maybe it's nothing, but I can't help but wonder if this is unusual. Does Big Finish typically announce new sets in a range so soon after the "last" set drops? And if so, should we be concerned about the lack of any announcements for NABS, GAL, or 8DTW? Okay, so I'm curious about something (and maybe this would be better posted in the MR thread, but here we are): So this is w/r/t fictional stories bearing uncanny resemblances to real-world events. So I gotta ask, what were the two MR stories that got pushed back and what were the IRL events the precipitated the rescheduling? Gotta assume it wasn't COVID, because by 2020 there wasn't exactly much room to rearrange anything in the monthly range,
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 15:03:03 GMT
I am a bit curious about the timing, though. At this point I've only been following Big Finish for a little over a year, so maybe it's nothing, but I can't help but wonder if this is unusual. Does Big Finish typically announce new sets in a range so soon after the "last" set drops? And if so, should we be concerned about the lack of any announcements for NABS, GAL, or 8DTW? I don’t think there’s ever a set pattern to it really. War Master 7 and 8 were already recorded when they were announced and typically Big Finish do wait for a release to be in the can before announcing, although there are exceptions to the rule. As for the Eighth Doctor Time War, it’s been mentioned a few times now that more sets are on their way, so I wouldn’t worry.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 5, 2021 15:03:22 GMT
Currently downloading in a state of sever agitation... often for much-anticipated releases like these, I like to set the, aside for a special day, both to better appreciate them and to diminish, even if only slightly, the next entry in the range. I really hate the idea of being "done" with a range and don't like the idea of ever not having anything to look forward to, so I was intending to sit on Killing Time for a while, but then they just had to announce WM7 and WM8! So now there's nothing to hold me back! I am a bit curious about the timing, though. At this point I've only been following Big Finish for a little over a year, so maybe it's nothing, but I can't help but wonder if this is unusual. Does Big Finish typically announce new sets in a range so soon after the "last" set drops? And if so, should we be concerned about the lack of any announcements for NABS, GAL, or 8DTW? Okay, so I'm curious about something (and maybe this would be better posted in the MR thread, but here we are): So this is w/r/t fictional stories bearing uncanny resemblances to real-world events. So I gotta ask, what were the two MR stories that got pushed back and what were the IRL events the precipitated the rescheduling? Gotta assume it wasn't COVID, because by 2020 there wasn't exactly much room to rearrange anything in the monthly range,The Last Resort and Perils and Nightmares were supposed to be 2 separate MRs released in 2020 pushed back its believed because The Last Resort may've been too similar to real life. Regards mark687
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Post by sherlock on Aug 5, 2021 15:59:46 GMT
The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Oh it’s been ages since I heard a War Master story (need to catch-up on Hearts of Darkness) and this was a nice way to return to the character. The Master meets a society he can’t quite break into and gets an interesting opponent. Jacobi plays the more frustrated politeness here wonderfully.
The soundtrack here is lovely. The piano doesn’t seem to pop up among Big Finish scores that often, but gives a very grandiose backdrop to these power games.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Aug 5, 2021 17:08:04 GMT
Good grief, the final half of A Quiet Night In was brutal - I very nearly skipped the rest of the set.
The rest of the set was fine, but A Quiet Night would have been better left on the cutting room floor.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 18:14:37 GMT
Good grief, the final half of A Quiet Night in Interviews was brutal - I very nearly skipped the rest of the set. The rest of the set was fine, but A Quiet Night would have been better left on the cutting room floor. There is something off about that interview, isn’t there? I can’t quite place what it is. It’s as though Derek and Katy don’t have much of a rapport, and Derek would rather be somewhere else than recording! You absolutely cannot tell in the story, which is a testament to their performances, but the vibe was weird.
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Post by masterdoctor on Aug 5, 2021 18:49:22 GMT
I think this is up there with Master of Callous for best War Master set imo. Every episode is easily a 9 or 10 for me, and I struggle to pick a favourite, though A Quiet Night In might pull ahead for me, just because it is Katy Manning and Derek Jacobi.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 5, 2021 20:19:25 GMT
Good grief, the final half of A Quiet Night in Interviews was brutal - I very nearly skipped the rest of the set. The rest of the set was fine, but A Quiet Night would have been better left on the cutting room floor. There is something off about that interview, isn’t there? I can’t quite place what it is. It’s as though Derek and Katy don’t have much of a rapport, and Derek would rather be somewhere else than recording! You absolutely cannot tell in the story, which is a testament to their performances, but the vibe was weird. 2 Remote Recordings cut together perhaps? Regards mark687
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 5, 2021 21:05:28 GMT
There is something off about that interview, isn’t there? I can’t quite place what it is. It’s as though Derek and Katy don’t have much of a rapport, and Derek would rather be somewhere else than recording! You absolutely cannot tell in the story, which is a testament to their performances, but the vibe was weird. 2 Remote Recordings cut together perhaps? Regards mark687 They're definitely together and Killing Time was recorded December 2019. I met Katy early March 2020, a few weeks before lockdown hit the UK, and she told me about the set then and how much she enjoyed recording with Derek. It’s just an odd interview that’s all, I don’t think there’s anything sinister about it; the two stars seemingly don’t know each other and they’re recorded at the end of a long day’s work.
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Post by sherlock on Aug 5, 2021 22:13:37 GMT
A Quiet Night InThis one was bizarre. It’s the Master back in control but throws in some random elements that don’t add up to much. I think with some ruthless editing, you could lose half of the first forty minutes without losing anything vital. {Spoiler} The Master kinda explains that he used some kind of pollen or something to influence Jo to get her to bring the vial...so what was the point of the party, the papers and the psychologist?! If he wanted to just be cruel to Jo, he could have done it much more simply.
As for the ending, Jo losing memory of her uncle and only remembering the Master in his place seemed brutal enough. Having her beg to be sectioned just seemed ludicrously cruel, like I get this is the darkest corner of the Whoniverse but even so.
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melkur
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,967
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Post by melkur on Aug 6, 2021 1:41:01 GMT
Whilst I'm not entirely sure of Jo's 'twist', and did find this set a little long in places, I did enjoy this release pleasantly enough.
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Post by coffeeaddict on Aug 6, 2021 9:22:27 GMT
Good grief, the final half of A Quiet Night in Interviews was brutal - I very nearly skipped the rest of the set. The rest of the set was fine, but A Quiet Night would have been better left on the cutting room floor. There is something off about that interview, isn’t there? I can’t quite place what it is. It’s as though Derek and Katy don’t have much of a rapport, and Derek would rather be somewhere else than recording! You absolutely cannot tell in the story, which is a testament to their performances, but the vibe was weird. The interview did seem awkward, but it was not nearly as brutal as the episode.
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Post by shallacatop on Aug 6, 2021 9:24:14 GMT
There is something off about that interview, isn’t there? I can’t quite place what it is. It’s as though Derek and Katy don’t have much of a rapport, and Derek would rather be somewhere else than recording! You absolutely cannot tell in the story, which is a testament to their performances, but the vibe was weird. The interview did seem awkward, but it was not nearly as brutal as the episode. Ah, I think autocorrect crept up in your post. I thought you were talking about the interview specifically rather than the episode! I did think it was a bit extreme to nearly skip the rest of the set based on the interview alone!
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Post by sherlock on Aug 6, 2021 9:25:57 GMT
The Orphan
I thought that was better than the previous entry. The Master’s reasons for being here made much more sense, and his treatment of Nyssa comes across as casual cruelty on his part rather than the ludicrous methods he employed against Jo. Yes it takes a long time for the cards to be on the table, but this story actually plays on the audience knowing the Master’s identity when Nyssa doesn’t.
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