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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2021 7:36:31 GMT
Completed these yesterday and what can I say Two strong enjoyable stories that take me back in time and totally relistenable tales.Any apprehension about the recasting shave gone completely out the window.Tim continues to do a fantastic job.Had to say I did the Sarah tale first as I totally got Liz /Daisy from The Primords and now another tale where you just imagine Sarah Jane a great tribute by her daughter definitely .Hope we have many many more to come.Great tales and 5/5 from me
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2021 8:36:10 GMT
A outstanding pair of Third Doctor stories by Mark Wright and Tim Foley. Not just the writing and sound design, having Liz, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier in a single boxset gives a wonderful introduction to both Seasons 7 and 11 on audio.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2021 19:15:27 GMT
The Unzal Incursion.
After the slight blip this series took with the last set’s Operation Hellfire, this story is an absolute belter. From the re-introduction of the ‘double theme opening music’ (making a return from the original Series 7, to the audio Series 7), to some of the names of the supporting characters, you can tell Mark Wright has a lot of love from the era from which this is taken. Early on, The Doctor and Brigadier tolerate each other rather than being the friends they became, and UNIT was not yet the somewhat cosy Saturday tea-time rendezvous point for Benton and Mike Yates etc. This story takes advantage of that slightly spikier time, and I really like it. In fact, if they revisit it again, I hope they go even further with the veiled antagonism between the main characters. This reminds me of an episode from Counter Measures – partly, possibly, because of Nick Briggs’ wonderful Sixties style incidental score, which plays a big part in both series. Mark’s ‘Doctor Who made by ITC’ observation is spot on as far as I’m concerned – which is how Series 7 came across in many ways. The sci-fi elements are more restrained than they would later become (at least in the first half), and we’re left with lots of ‘real life’ adventure, the kind of thing you can imagine being filmed in the freezing January of 1970, with skeleton trees and lots of steamy breath and fog and ice. Mark Wright’s words in the extras are music to my ears. Before we sadly lost Caroline John, Big Finish took great steps in re-evaluating Liz Shaw, always somewhat overlooked on television, perhaps slightly ahead of her time? She’s at the centre of many dramatic scenes here and her knowledge and slightly un-companion-like personality is made a focus and used to her – and the story’s - advantage. We have a clever mixture of old and new. Regional accents and female sergeants, never a staple of Doctor Who in the Seventies, exist side-by-side with a perfectly written Doctor, Brig (“Lady with the scales there …”) and Liz, and a nicely realised villain. No Daleks, no end of the universe rhetoric – just exactly the kind of story I love: solid as the rock of Gibraltar. This is a very Letts-like story and could have been plucked out of Series 7. If only we could have had a six-parter! One day soon, BF?
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2021 7:09:27 GMT
Got to agree with a lot of the above comments I have listened to these again and been totally immersed in them even the editing cuts and incidental music seem so true to the era and the ending Unzal is such a good finale-no spoilers.Both Plots are excellent and agree with the Counter Measures Vibe Unzal gives off.The Gulf introduces a foe that is fun to imagine and a behind the scenes conglomerate type foe and an empire that’s worth revisiting and I hope they do get sequels to both tales. I guess with a first in it being totally recast leads (no Katy) am surprised I have liked this as much as I thought I would...but keep up this standard and it could become my most favourite range.
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Post by barnabaslives on May 20, 2021 7:17:29 GMT
I really enjoyed that. Not sure if the plot started to drag just a bit near the end of the second story or if I was a little distracted while listening (which I was), so I'll give it a break on that until I hear it again at a better time. (Not really a strike against it if did, every once in a while a bit of plot dragging - or a quarry, you know the one - might lend a little extra authenticity ;-)).
A bit bumpy with Sarah Jane but overall a real success. No worries there either, things were bumpy at first with Tim Treloar and Jon Culshaw but the Third Doctor is just rolling off Tim's tongue by now and Culshaw already has his Brigadier pretty much nailed too. It's the delivery, you know - not impersonation, I'd never say "I'd swear it's Pertwee and Courtney", I'd swear it's Treloar and Culshaw, lol, but they've got the delivery down so that it really brings the presence of the characters to the story.
Really brave of Big Finish to step beyond the borders of Third Doctor and Jo stories, but I do believe it's working well - just so long as Jo still gets equal time :-)
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2021 7:19:13 GMT
I really enjoyed that. Not sure if the plot started to drag just a bit near the end of the second story or if I was a little distracted while listening (which I was), so I'll give it a break on that until I hear it again at a better time. (Not really a strike against it if did, every once in a while a bit of plot dragging - or a quarry, you know the one - might lend a little extra authenticity ;-)). A bit bumpy with Sarah Jane but overall a real success. No worries there either, things were bumpy at first with Tim Treloar and Jon Culshaw but the Third Doctor is just rolling off Tim's tongue by now and Culshaw already has his Brigadier pretty much nailed too. It's the delivery, you know - not impersonation, I'd never say "I'd swear it's Pertwee and Courtney", I'd swear it's Treloar and Culshaw, lol, but they've got the delivery down so that it really brings the presence of the characters to the story. Really brave of Big Finish to step beyond the borders of Third Doctor and Jo stories, but I do believe it's working well - just so long as Jo still gets equal time :-) Well she has the next set to herself 😉
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Post by Timelord007 on May 20, 2021 8:08:49 GMT
Most importantly does the Third Doctor get to say "reverse the polarity"? 7 volumes in 14 stories but still no sign of this iconic line. That’s pretty standard. He only said it once during the whole Pertwee era. Edited to add - oh, hold on - that’s with ‘neutron flow’, isn’t it? As you were. This made my day, just one "reverse the polarity" quote for old times sake please John
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Post by shallacatop on May 20, 2021 11:11:47 GMT
I thought The Unzal Incursion was solid. It's a great recreation of Season 7 without being backwards facing or limited by the creative cul-de-sac that plagued Volumes 5 & 6. Liz is well served, the villain feels rounded, the sound design and music is great, as are our leads; it's all good stuff. The dour closing moments and the post-credits track are all indications that there's a sequel on the horizon and I like that much more than a sequel to Inferno, Planet of the Daleks, etc.
It's things like the tweak to the opening theme music, the relationship between the Doctor and the Brigadier and the grittier feel of the story are all very authentic, but the story stands on its own and that's exactly how it should be. I could have done without the "Lady with the scales there... five rounds rapid" line, as that's a prime example of where this range has gone wrong for half of its life, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed the story so much it's minor.
Looking forward to The Gulf.
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Post by theillusiveman on May 20, 2021 11:29:48 GMT
Finished The Unzal Incursion- Either 5/10 or 6/10 If Captain America Winter Soldier was written as a 70's Doctor Who Story its solid but ehhh
Tim Trelore's Performance was decent just a shame that the characterization of The Third Doctor was completely inaccurate to Season 7's Third Doctor Jon Culshaw's Performance as The Brigadier was Great truly a highlight of The boxset Daisy Ashford was great as Liz Shaw though there was moment that seemed completely forced and out of character Music Design was Excellent for some reason of the soundtrack with The Unzal reminds me of The Batman Arkham Games The Side Characters felt boring and their acting was subpar Pacing was way too slow.
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Post by Who Review on May 21, 2021 12:32:55 GMT
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Post by relativetime on May 21, 2021 14:08:27 GMT
Listened to The Unzal Incursion twice. I fully admit I’m biased - Season 7 is one of my favorite seasons period - but this story was leaps and bounds above both stories from the last set. There are times in this set I just sat back and marveled at the performances here. Jon Culshaw has never sounded more like the Brig and Tim Treloar is great as always, but the real standout is Daisy Ashford. She was great in Primord, but here she really stole the show for me. She has Liz Shaw down perfectly.
The story itself is a fantastic thriller. Definitely got the Winter Soldier vibes and seeing as that’s one of my favorite MCU films and the fact that this story was so well done, the comparison only increased my enjoyment. My only minor complaint is that I kinda wish this had come at a later point in the Third Doctor’s timeline after we’d seen more of these new characters and maybe grown to care for them.
Actually, building off that complaint, I do hope the new UNIT characters introduced in these stories do keep reappearing in later sets. I think it’d help make these stories feel more alive and rewarding to experience. In future sets, I’d really like to see the characters here or characters like Ron and Tony show up from time to time. I think that’d really help disguise the absence of characters like Benton and Yates and it’d keep that UNIT family feeling. I hope that’s a direction Big Finish takes these sets in the future as they continue to experiment more with this range.
Okay, tangent over!
Really enjoyed the first story! I’m listening to The Gulf later tonight!
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Post by thegreatone on May 21, 2021 18:54:47 GMT
The next set in October is a Jo and Sarah set one story each. Conspiracy In Space and The Devils Hoofprints.
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Post by thegreatone on May 21, 2021 19:13:26 GMT
I really enjoyed that. Not sure if the plot started to drag just a bit near the end of the second story or if I was a little distracted while listening (which I was), so I'll give it a break on that until I hear it again at a better time. (Not really a strike against it if did, every once in a while a bit of plot dragging - or a quarry, you know the one - might lend a little extra authenticity ;-)). A bit bumpy with Sarah Jane but overall a real success. No worries there either, things were bumpy at first with Tim Treloar and Jon Culshaw but the Third Doctor is just rolling off Tim's tongue by now and Culshaw already has his Brigadier pretty much nailed too. It's the delivery, you know - not impersonation, I'd never say "I'd swear it's Pertwee and Courtney", I'd swear it's Treloar and Culshaw, lol, but they've got the delivery down so that it really brings the presence of the characters to the story. Really brave of Big Finish to step beyond the borders of Third Doctor and Jo stories, but I do believe it's working well - just so long as Jo still gets equal time :-) Well she has the next set to herself 😉 No she doesn’t see my post above.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2021 14:27:39 GMT
The Gulf.
The Third Doctor is in a very good place, I think. I don’t mean the ocean rig frequented by artists in this strange and uncharacteristic story – I mean that, BF have proved adept at Third Doctor stories, both traditional and otherwise, and their recasts have proven, and are proving, to be hugely successful. Sadie Miller has more hits than misses as Sarah in The Gulf than she did in her previous Cyber outing. There are times when the resemblance to Elizabeth’s voice is really uncanny (the same can be said for Daisy Ashford as Liz – I hope we hear much more from these wonderful actors). With Katy Manning, John Levene and (hopefully) Richard Franklyn, we have a perfect marriage of the old and new (not forgetting the Brig of course). BF have really established the Third Doctor ‘family’.
This story is very odd, but I enjoyed it a lot. Like the previous tale, it is very female-centric, which is a departure from 3DAs on television. Sometimes it is a little difficult to differentiate one voice from another. Keeping everyone in one location brings back memories of the Peladon tales, but this is markedly different – and in some ways, one of the scariest BF stories I’ve heard in a long while. Haunting. I think Nick Briggs mentioned in the extras how Tim Foley captures the spirit of the Pertwee in era but creates an entirely new kind of story for the Third Doctor. He is spot on: a very atmospheric and spooky tale which I absolutely lapped up. Get it? A story set at sea - lapped up. I'll get me cloak.
This has been an exceptional set, probably the best so far. It’s also proved that The Third Doctor can survive perfectly well without his ‘original’ friends, although it is great that Jo is returning in the next story. I’d go as far as to say I think the Third Doctor is currently the best served by BF.
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Post by antartiks on May 23, 2021 22:47:51 GMT
I've got nothing else to add.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 24, 2021 9:12:56 GMT
This is my favourite release so far of 2021.
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Post by IndieMacUser on May 24, 2021 9:44:08 GMT
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Post by tuigirl on May 24, 2021 11:28:23 GMT
I had been holding back buying this, however, all these positive reviews convinced me to get this. I usually enjoy the Third Doctor, even if I prefer Jo to Liz and Sarah Jane. So I think I will give this a go.
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Post by tuigirl on May 24, 2021 18:02:04 GMT
And I finished the whole set, all in one go (while doing some painting in the sunshine on my balcony). The first story was a more "standard" Who story, featuring classics like an alien invasion, mind control, the Brigadier shooting things and the Doctor tinkering.
While the second story was more unusual and featured a creepy tale which was genuinely haunting in places with great atmosphere. In stories that completely rely on recasts, how did that work out? I have to say, I had no issue with the recasts from the start. In previous stories, I was not always happy with the results, but I have to say that they are getting much better at it. This time around, I think they really got the performances as perfect as one could realistically expect. I think they did a very good job.
Also, the sound effects and the incidental music are a near perfect match for the era they are supposed to represent.
Personally, I am in two minds about this- on the one hand, yes, it is great that they perfectly mimic the past, on the other hand, for me, missing the nostalgia, the past soundscape has not aged very well.
It is fine watching these old shows (since I recently started to re-watch TOS, I realized Star Trek did a similar thing back in the day) but it is none the less a bit jarring when I listen to this right after having listened to some of the "modern" sounding BF audios. Yes, I am aware it is supposed to set the atmosphere and the style, but at the same time, I wonder how much "better" this would be with modern style music (as I said, I miss the nostalgia feeling here completely). But that is just my personal feeling, so feel free to call me a heretic. Otherwise, taken as a whole, this was a great effort. The writing was good, the pacing was good, the performances faultless, this might be one of the best releases I have listened so far for this year.
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Post by elkawho on May 25, 2021 20:13:18 GMT
Re-listening to The Gulf. My favorite line: "The Tardis has enough power to tow a planet! If you're lucky one of these I just might show you." Ha ha ha ha ha. Well done Tim Foley!
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