|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Sept 14, 2022 8:13:36 GMT
Out now
|
|
|
Post by Max The Autist on Sept 14, 2022 13:19:12 GMT
Out now Somebody had better tell me if that "time war criminal" is the war master or not.
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Sept 14, 2022 15:27:45 GMT
Out now Somebody had better tell me if that "time war criminal" is the war master or not. Not though the placement of the Leela and Nyssa EPs will be interesting Regards mark687
|
|
|
Post by martinw8686 on Sept 14, 2022 15:28:40 GMT
Just out of curiosity, now that it's been established on TV that Tegan and Ace didn't meet that Doctor again for decades, are Big Finish allowed to make new stories in which they do and would they have to keep pulling out the old memory wipe if they did? Like in another thread Chibnall decanonised The Gathering, Dark Universe and the Sophie Aldred novel I think perhaps big finish should be considered it’s own timeline/ universe and should do any story they want (with approval from the bbc) because I think neither the tv show or big finish care anymore about continuity Chibnall really frustrates with canon changes, I don't mind Canon changes that progress the story forward but why spoil the work of past writers, if he wants to use classic characters and stories why not keep things vague or actually have respect for the media that many fans value.
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Sept 14, 2022 15:57:45 GMT
Nice little character pieces An excellent showcase for John Leesson Tennant's in "comfy shoe" mode An easy listen set Chronology wise Leela and Nyssa "Time War" Older Ace A Charitable Earth. Nyssa and Ace acknowledge that they've met other Doctors but 10 stops them from saying which ones (though Ace does imply she's met various different non-Scottish ones and one that had differences the others didn't, given time of recording that's probably alluding to 13 Regards mark687
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Sept 14, 2022 16:13:22 GMT
Splinters was fine. It took a long time to get into the swing of things, only to play its hand too late and end up being quite predictable. Ten & K9 are a joy as ever, although their interaction is minimal in this story. I liked that the inclusion of Leela didn’t descend into constant back referencing, but also felt that they didn’t do enough with her. It never goes beyond fleeting references to the events of Casualties of War. Perhaps less film references and a bit more depth were in order!
The Stuntman is an odd one. It’s breezy and fun enough, but it’s missing that heart that you get the impression the story thinks it has, but just doesn’t land for me. As a result Nyssa only appearing in the final few minutes falls completely flat. They had Nyssa be completely oblivious in the Eighth Doctor Short Trip. I think there’s a better story to be had that picks up on the ending of her appearance in the War Master, rather than artificial dreams that go against the premise of the set.
|
|
|
Post by timleschild on Sept 14, 2022 17:03:57 GMT
Just out of curiosity, now that it's been established on TV that Tegan and Ace didn't meet that Doctor again for decades, are Big Finish allowed to make new stories in which they do and would they have to keep pulling out the old memory wipe if they did? Like in another thread Chibnall decanonised The Gathering, Dark Universe and the Sophie Aldred novel I think perhaps big finish should be considered it’s own timeline/ universe and should do any story they want (with approval from the bbc) because I think neither the tv show or big finish care anymore about continuity Is there an established canon? Where those things ever officially announced as canon?
|
|
|
Post by themeddlingmonk on Sept 14, 2022 18:15:12 GMT
Quantum of Axos pretty much fits after the Centenery Special anyway. At least, assuming the Centenary doesn’t kill off Ace or something lol.
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Sept 14, 2022 23:17:33 GMT
Out now
|
|
|
Post by denyer97 on Sept 15, 2022 6:05:21 GMT
I've listened to the whole thing now. Relisten I think will be required esspecially for Episode 2. I think Episode 1, while not terrible in the slightest, was the weakest for me out of the three, but that's just personal preference. The fairy tale, mythical, type story just isn't for me. The Stuntman I enjoyed slightly more, but it seemed to be missing the emotional impact that the other two stories had in terms of the Doctor/Companion relationship. The Quantum of Axos was the standout for me. I mean I love Ace anyway, but I'm loving the handful of 'older' Ace stories we've been getting over the last few years and this story felt very close to School Reunion in terms of tone and emotion, which could be somewhat intentional I imagine. It's always baffled me that Big Finish have never done an Ace spin off, I've given up hope of expecting the BBC to get one comissioned. And this story is the perfect back door pilot for such a series. I'm potentially going to contradict myself but I think I would have liked it if Big Finish had chosen some Companions who's futures we don't know a lot about, if that was even an option to them. For example, Dodo, Turlough & Mel. Whether that would have been a big enough selling point however I'm unsure.
|
|
|
Post by theillusiveman on Sept 15, 2022 6:44:24 GMT
I've listened to the whole thing now. Relisten I think will be required esspecially for Episode 2. I think Episode 1, while not terrible in the slightest, was the weakest for me out of the three, but that's just personal preference. The fairy tale, mythical, type story just isn't for me. The Stuntman I enjoyed slightly more, but it seemed to be missing the emotional impact that the other two stories had in terms of the Doctor/Companion relationship. The Quantum of Axos was the standout for me. I mean I love Ace anyway, but I'm loving the handful of 'older' Ace stories we've been getting over the last few years and this story felt very close to School Reunion in terms of tone and emotion, which could be somewhat intentional I imagine. It's always baffled me that Big Finish have never done an Ace spin off, I've given up hope of expecting the BBC to get one comissioned. And this story is the perfect back door pilot for such a series. I'm potentially going to contradict myself but I think I would have liked it if Big Finish had chosen some Companions who's futures we don't know a lot about, if that was even an option to them. For example, Dodo, Turlough & Mel. Whether that would have been a big enough selling point however I'm unsure. I think if there was going to be an ace spin off then they would test the waters by having her in a 8th of March Boxset for international womens day much like what they did with Rani and Romana in Protectors of time Personally Turlough seems like a good choice for seeing how he would adjust after his travels with the doctor and back on his homeplanet Would love to see the male companions like Steven, Turlough and Jackson Lake Star in a international mens day Boxset but that will never happen
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Sept 15, 2022 7:40:11 GMT
Quantum of Axos is the highlight of the set purely because it seems to do something. It's a nice runaround, the Doctor and Ace get their own nice little lead ins before they meet up. And their interaction feels both natural with a sense of history that the characters have. As mentioned, it's quite similar to School Reunion in structure, but it works well.
It's an odd set overall, disappointing even. Much has been said about the companion lineup when the set was first announced, they're the three most (over?)used companions with Big Finish. They all have a documented history post-Doctor, or at least post-show, with Big Finish. However, they all have the Time War as a connective tissue and they all have unresolved Time War fallouts to a degree, which is what K9 is on the lookout for. Leela's involvement comes to an abrupt end as The War Doctor 5 never happened, Nyssa was left on a cliffhanger in The War Master 6 and Ace was booted out of the Time War not long after it begins in Gallifrey: Time War 1. That's a really interesting concept for the set, particularly with a post-Time War Doctor who has a lot of guilt. And it's not actually touched upon whatsoever. Instead we get the Leela story lacking any depth, a Nyssa story that doesn't really feature Nyssa and the Ace has strong interaction, but much is left unsaid.
It's almost feels a bit misleading; subverting expectations, perhaps, but it's not done in a satisfying way. It just feels like something quickly cobbled together because they had David's availability, rather than something justified and with meaning and that's a shame, especially when there was already something connective built in to take advantage of. It's not like this was a one-off returning elements and nostalgia fest from Tennant's lockdown output, so it lacks that shine. It's comfortably my least favourite.
Still, David Tennant is a joy as ever and John Leeson is firing on all cylinders with various voices, characters and K9s! I'm interested to read the responses in the coming days.
|
|
|
Post by Ian McArdell on Sept 15, 2022 11:58:16 GMT
Like in another thread Chibnall decanonised The Gathering, Dark Universe and the Sophie Aldred novel I think perhaps big finish should be considered it’s own timeline/ universe and should do any story they want (with approval from the bbc) because I think neither the tv show or big finish care anymore about continuity Is there an established canon? Where those things ever officially announced as canon? The closest we get is Rose Tyler and her Dimension Cannon. Doctor Who's history has always been a moveable feast - and the TV show should never be limited by what's happened in related media.
|
|
|
Post by BHTvsTFC on Sept 15, 2022 14:17:53 GMT
To be fair the makers of the TV show should have better ideas up their sleeve than bringing back Ace or Tegan in the first place.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Sept 15, 2022 14:28:00 GMT
I just finished this and boy, was it fun! I agree with others that the Quantum of Axos was the best of the bunch, but I don't agree that it was the only one with any emotional weight behind it. I thought 10's outing with Leela was extremely emotional. I could feel how much Leela, in any incarnation, means to him. How much he wants her to be "his" Leela, and his compassion toward the person she is. When he says, "Hello, Savage", well it gave me a little chill.
And yes, the Nyssa story is more restrained, but isn't the whole of the Fifth Doctor era emotionally restrained? It always seemed that it was a conscious choice of JNT to make it that way. No physical contact, no humor, nothing too emotional. Even after Adric's death. Yes, it has loosened at Big Finish, but I always feel like the actors are pushing up against that restraint, even in audio. And that's what makes a lot of it work. So 10's interaction with Nyssa seems much more genuine than if he approached her with the same kind of emotional response as he does with Leela, or especially Ace, who is an emotional powder keg in the best of situations.
I'm so glad we have as much 10th Doctor content as we do right now. I know it won't last, but I'm relishing every last minute of it. I'm so very glad they did this set.
|
|
|
Post by martinw8686 on Sept 15, 2022 19:48:09 GMT
Is there an established canon? Where those things ever officially announced as canon? The closest we get is Rose Tyler and her Dimension Cannon. Doctor Who's history has always been a moveable feast - and the TV show should never be limited by what's happened in related media. I know what you mean, I suppose my complaint is that some of the recent series changes to canon have felt unecessary, my main gripe with the timeless child story was that the recently revived Timelords were killed off behind the scenes, it seems a little mean to make these changes that have ultimately come to nothing and then cheapen previous time war endeavours the Doctor has undertaken. That's just my gripe though, I'm just one person and Chris Chibnell can't write to solely please me, the shows all about change and takings risks.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Sept 16, 2022 6:42:36 GMT
I just finished this and boy, was it fun! I agree with others that the Quantum of Axos was the best of the bunch, but I don't agree that it was the only one with any emotional weight behind it. I thought 10's outing with Leela was extremely emotional. I could feel how much Leela, in any incarnation, means to him. How much he wants her to be "his" Leela, and his compassion toward the person she is. When he says, "Hello, Savage", well it gave me a little chill. And yes, the Nyssa story is more restrained, but isn't the whole of the Fifth Doctor era emotionally restrained? It always seemed that it was a conscious choice of JNT to make it that way. No physical contact, no humor, nothing too emotional. Even after Adric's death. Yes, it has loosened at Big Finish, but I always feel like the actors are pushing up against that restraint, even in audio. And that's what makes a lot of it work. So 10's interaction with Nyssa seems much more genuine than if he approached her with the same kind of emotional response as he does with Leela, or especially Ace, who is an emotional powder keg in the best of situations. I'm so glad we have as much 10th Doctor content as we do right now. I know it won't last, but I'm relishing every last minute of it. I'm so very glad they did this set. I think you’re misunderstanding the other posts in this thread and as a result your post reads overly hyperbolic because it’s defending something nobody’s actually said. Nobody mentioned emotional weight with regards to Splinters. denyer97 said it wasn’t their cup of tea, which is fine, not everything is. I said it lacked depth because it, quite frustratingly, never really goes beyond references to the events of Casualties of War. The interaction becomes stunted due to the placement. Not to mention there is then a twist in the story, that is revealed too late in, that means it’s not properly been Leela. I don’t disagree that the Doctor means so much to Leela, but we know that already, she’s met enough incarnations. And I agree that the “Hello Savage” lands well, but that should be the start of something, not the epitome of it. denyer97 said that The Stuntman lacked the emotion of the other two stories and I said it lacked the heart that you think the writers thinks it has in spades. And I maintain that. Nyssa doesn’t actually appear until the last few minutes and the interaction between her and the Doctor is just flat. It’s partially flat because, for me, the heart in the story didn’t land, so to only get Nyssa in the final minutes is disappointing, but to then do nothing with that is bizarre; she accepts it’s the Doctor, thanks him and he buggers off. Your talk of restraint on screen is at complete odds with what The Stuntman is trying to do. I don’t understand how you could defend and praise it with the reasoning of it’s how the era was on screen. Apples and oranges. I completely appreciate that everyone has their own opinions. I’m really glad you got a lot out of the set, but reading your post seems not only a misunderstanding of what others have said, but I think it’s at odds with what’s presented in the stories in order to defend them. I suppose it just seems odd to me that they’ve scraped the gimmick barrel to produce this set, but then have two of the stories not really being the companions and lack any depth beyond the high level concept of Ten meets a classic companion. It’s also odd to me that they had three natural cliffhangers to pick up on that all relate to the Time War and its fallout (which is supposed to be the linking premise of the three stories!) that offered the perfect opportunity for some more meaningful stories. Instead we get a trio of stories that, for the most part, don’t feel very satisfying as overall stories, nor do they really fit the criteria of what you’d expect to get with these reunions. School Reunion and Death of the Doctor they’re not.
|
|
|
Post by Kestrel on Sept 16, 2022 7:24:21 GMT
I think I'm gonna have to give 'Splinters' a relisten before I weigh in. I enjoyed it, but I found it... really confusing. Like how and why is the Spriggan who and what he is with Leela being who and what she is? How is this splinter of Leela able to exist as a(n indistinguishable) "splinter" of Leela,while the Spriggan just comes across as a generic evil monster rather than a similarly splintered (and corrupted) version of the Doctor?
Feels like it'd make more sense if somehow the Spriggan was an extra dimensional creature/weapon that somehow imprinted itself on Leela and the Doctor at some point in their travels, and reconstructed itself around the, (like maybe even intentionally, as part of the Time Lords trying to raise an army of Doctor-clones with his most martial companion to fight in the war).... but instead it's just a series of increasingly impossible coincidences? I dunno. My first impression after finishing the story was, "I think that one needed a bit more time in revision."
Hopefully it'll make more sense to me in revision.
The Stuntman was a lot of fun, I found, and a perfect "popcorn adventure" for a middle story. I think it could've used a bit more time in the denouement (just give the Doctor and Nyssa enough time to have a proper conversation with each other already) and the shifts in location were a bit hard to follow... but overall very fun. I was not expecting K9 to be the big star of the story, so that was a really fun subversion of my expectations, along with a really cool twist. (And it occurs to me this may be, in fact, the best K9 story to date. It's certainly the first I've heard where he's allowed to be more than the robot sidekick dog).
Haven't listened to Quantum of Axos yet, but I'm definitely very curious how this boxset is going to end. A lead-in to a new story arc? Or another abandoned plot thread? Love the idea of Romana sending K9 to the Doctor to put him on a mission... could be really cool to see Lalla Ward hop onto the 10DAs now that she's no longer on Gallifrey.
|
|
|
Post by theillusiveman on Sept 16, 2022 7:38:03 GMT
I’ve only listened to quantum of axos So far it’s a pretty comfy story, Ace and 10 share a lot of chemistry The ending does help set up a potential Ace Spin off
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Sept 16, 2022 7:56:20 GMT
Started with "Splinters" last night. I agree that it was a bit confusing and the "how and why" did not really make sense to me.So yeah, I agree with Kestrel here.
Otherwise, I liked how Leela was characterized here, even if I by now find it very tedious that she does not recognize the simplest of word-plays.
Hey, I am from the most directest most literal part of Germany language wise, I once brought a literal plate to a potluck party because they said "Bring a plate" (in NZ) and even I (!!!) have learned all these words and phrases very quickly. Leela who spend most of her life outside her birthplace and her being very intelligent, she should have really picked that up easier. It is really getting tiresome for me.
The beginning of the story is also very good, exciting, base-under-siege, Leela really doing her best as a warrior defender. Sadly, it devolves into confusing in the second half.
What really makes this story is the performances. David Tennant is such an amazing voice talent. His audio books, especially the Warhammer ones, were absolutely stunning. It took me a while recognising him with his monster voice!
|
|