|
Post by elkawho on Sept 16, 2022 18:12:36 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. Overly hyperbolic? Really? Wow, that whole post was quite condescending. I liked something you didn't and tried to describe why. I wasn't trying to defend it. I really don't care if no one else but me enjoyed it. But I was trying to describe my reaction to the set as it related to the other posts I was reading. Did I misunderstand them? Maybe. But your opinion is just that. An opinion. It does not make mine wrong. I realized a long time ago that you and I have very different tastes, and that's ok. We get very different things out of these audio stories. And yes, I get excited when I enjoy something. If that's "overly hyperbolic" then so be it.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Sept 16, 2022 18:42:35 GMT
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. Overly hyperbolic? Really? Wow, that whole post was quite condescending. I liked something you didn't and tried to describe why. I wasn't trying to defend it. I really don't care if no one else but me enjoyed it. But I was trying to describe my reaction to the set as it related to the other posts I was reading. Did I misunderstand them? Maybe. But your opinion is just that. An opinion. It does not make mine wrong. I realized a long time ago that you and I have very different tastes, and that's ok. We get very different things out of these audio stories. And yes, I get excited when I enjoy something. If that's "overly hyperbolic" then so be it. Apologies if it came across as condescending, it wasn’t intended to be at all. Your post reads as very defensive of the set by responding to what people didn’t say. As a result I felt it was hyperbolic because your defence is at complete odds with what’s presented in the set. I appreciate that you say you weren’t trying to defend it, however. I have no issues with anyone’s opinion. I’m not saying your opinion of the set is wrong, and I never would. Indeed I said I was happy that you got so much out of the set. This is a forum for discussion, so I see no issue with challenging or discussing, particularly when there’s such a stark difference of opinion.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Sept 16, 2022 20:31:05 GMT
Overly hyperbolic? Really? Wow, that whole post was quite condescending. I liked something you didn't and tried to describe why. I wasn't trying to defend it. I really don't care if no one else but me enjoyed it. But I was trying to describe my reaction to the set as it related to the other posts I was reading. Did I misunderstand them? Maybe. But your opinion is just that. An opinion. It does not make mine wrong. I realized a long time ago that you and I have very different tastes, and that's ok. We get very different things out of these audio stories. And yes, I get excited when I enjoy something. If that's "overly hyperbolic" then so be it. Apologies if it came across as condescending, it wasn’t intended to be at all. Your post reads as very defensive of the set by responding to what people didn’t say. As a result I felt it was hyperbolic because your defence is at complete odds with what’s presented in the set. I appreciate that you say you weren’t trying to defend it, however. I have no issues with anyone’s opinion. I’m not saying your opinion of the set is wrong, and I never would. Indeed I said I was happy that you got so much out of the set. This is a forum for discussion, so I see no issue with challenging or discussing, particularly when there’s such a stark difference of opinion. Apology accepted. Sometimes it's hard to read intent. It's all good.
|
|
|
Post by timleschild on Sept 17, 2022 10:03:40 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. Why? Its an centenary special. Good idea to bring back old favourites.
|
|
lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,811
Member is Online
|
Post by lidar2 on Sept 17, 2022 11:39:51 GMT
No reversible cover. If there had been a poll I would have scored it 1
|
|
|
Post by Kestrel on Sept 17, 2022 14:45:40 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. "Movable feast" is such a fantastic way to describe it. Also, when it comes to canonicity -- or, rather, continuity and discontinuity -- between New Who and Classic Who, let us never forget (even if Big Finish consistently does) that the Time War can effectively allow everything to both exist and not exist simultaneously. Particularly relevant in this thread, where thanks to Time War shenanigans we get an entirely new Leela. And when it comes to the TV show never being limited by related media... I mean, come on, the TV show has never even been constrained by the TV show. New Who alone has changed showrunners twice (so far), and in both cases the new showrunner tossed out almost everything introduced by their predecessor to totally reimagine what the show was and could be. It always seems odd and misguided to me when fans get hung up on "canon," but doubly so when it comes to Doctor Who.
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Sept 17, 2022 19:08:36 GMT
First of all- I liked the 2nd and 3rd stories better than the first. And- how awesome is John Leeson? He really gets to show his versatility with different characters here, and he does a great job. Great!
The Stuntman- very nice run-around. I liked the changes in realities and the play with characters and all the action. I think it was very nicely done. I genuinely had fun listening to this. However, I share the criticism that we do not get enough time with real Nyssa.
Quantum of Axos- again, very much fun. Starting with a nice underlying sense of threat, which is nicely done with the sound effects and music creeping in. I thought Ace was fantastic, and even having a temporal throwback to earlier Ace was very well done. Sophie Aldred does a great job!
In conclusion- fun set. I enjoyed myself, but again, this is not a mind-blowing set. I just started with 9th Doctor into the stars, and I have to say, even the first story is a whole league ahead of what we get here. Still, David Tennant sounds as if he is having fun, and he is able to transport his enjoyment to me as a listener.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2022 12:56:24 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. Why? Its an centenary special. Good idea to bring back old favourites. 'Favourites' is subjective... Ace & Tegan were certainly not mine!!!
|
|
|
Post by timleschild on Sept 19, 2022 7:08:39 GMT
Why? Its an centenary special. Good idea to bring back old favourites. 'Favourites' is subjective... Ace & Tegan were certainly not mine!!! I know it subjective.
|
|
|
Post by BHTvsTFC on Sept 19, 2022 16:24:13 GMT
Why? Its an centenary special. Good idea to bring back old favourites. 'Favourites' is subjective... Ace & Tegan were certainly not mine!!! Ironically, Tegan is my favourite companion but I still think it's sad that the finale of the first woman to play Doctor Who should be overshadowed by all these returning elements. Jodie, Mandip, and the show, deserve better.
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Sept 21, 2022 12:09:35 GMT
New trailer.
|
|
|
Post by shallacatop on Sept 21, 2022 14:00:42 GMT
In the spirit of fairness, I've given the set a relisten.
None of them are bad by any means on an individual level. Splinters is a nice little fairy tale outing, I do think it has a long build up for quite an inevitable and undercooked payoff, and it doesn't really hold up to thinking about in any detail, but it's got some lovely imagery. The Stuntman is a lot of fun, a great concept that unfolds nicely as it goes on. Quantum of Axos I like a lot because it's breezy, the Axon lore is nicely done and the Doctor, Ace & K9 are a terrific trio.
I just don't think it comes together or feels very satisfying as one set and concept. Splinters or The Stuntman would be great opening stories for a Ten & Leela / Nyssa set, or offbeat 4/5DAs, but as one-offs with the guest companion they don't hit the mark for me. Leela's not really Leela and Nyssa only emerges in the closing minutes. It's not really got that interaction and reunion I'd want or expect from putting a future Doctor with a past companion. Quantum of Axos strikes that really well and the interaction between Ten & Ace is a joy, as well as giving them their own build ups before their meet. It's almost a cross between School Reunion & Partners in Crime.
And the Time War fallout plot that runs through is not only tenuous, but omits the cliffhangers those three particular companions were left on in other series. I can't believe that it never clicked as a natural thing to do. You get the opportunity to resolve existing plots and you've got the depth that the set is missing in the Doctor's interactions. You minimise the clunky placement that's prevalent in Splinters and The Stuntman in particular, and serve Ten's story as penance following the events of Donna, The Waters of Mars, etc.
Yeah, a bit of a misfire for me still on repeat listening, but there's 15 other David Tennant outings from this lockdown output that are joyous.
|
|
|
Post by cwm on Sept 26, 2022 7:03:14 GMT
Axos is definitely the best - very RTD-ish, and the way "Axos has to be invited in" was used genuinely made me go "Oh, that's really clever" - but it's a fun set overall, and nice to have as probably the last Tennant BF for quite a while.
|
|
|
Post by Kestrel on Sept 26, 2022 16:58:22 GMT
After relistening to Splinters my opinion of it has improved a bit (not that I ever disliked it, but you know) but I'll wait until I finish the set before commenting in-depth. Basically, I think the Spriggan works better than I initially thought, but Leela winds up working... not as well as I initially thought. Indeed, it is one of those stories that doesn't hold up to scrutiny as well is it maybe should. I wonder if perhaps it's a result of Big Finish remaining beholden to the (very) anachronistic, archaic, even, CD format. Just how much are runtime issues affecting story content? There's a moment near the end of Splinters that where Leela straight up asks the Doctor to explain why and how she exists -- crucial information for the story -- but he just shrugs it off with an, "I dunno." This feels like either the writer, likewise, shrugging -- which ain't a great look -- or, perhaps more likely, saying to themself, "Eh, this exposition isn't necessary, so let's cut it." And there's definitely a fine line between necessary and unnecessary exposition, and I do think fans tend to err on the side of desiring the latter... but I very much think Splinter-Leela's origin was more the former. And the Time War fallout plot that runs through is not only tenuous, but omits the cliffhangers those three particular companions were left on in other series. I can't believe that it never clicked as a natural thing to do. You get the opportunity to resolve existing plots and you've got the depth that the set is missing in the Doctor's interactions. You minimise the clunky placement that's prevalent in Splinters and The Stuntman in particular, and serve Ten's story as penance following the events of Donna, The Waters of Mars, etc. I am reminded of the Mel story... forgive me, I can't remember the title, but it was from the MR, that was supposed to unravel the weird paradox of her timeline with the Doctor, only to just make that particular knot even more tangled and confusing and impossible. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but I have noticed that Big Finish has a tendency to just... ignore cliffhangers. 16 by my count. I can't remember if it was a spoiler or not, so tags to be safe: {Spoiler}9 stories in the Dalek Universe mini-series, 3 in the River Song 10DA set, the 3 Out of Times and -- lastly -- his 1 appearance in the (fantastic) Peladon boxset.
|
|
|
Post by IndieMacUser on Sept 29, 2022 19:47:16 GMT
|
|
|
Post by theillusiveman on Oct 3, 2022 8:08:22 GMT
Anyone noticed there is a 1 on the spine
Wonder if this means we will get a second Boxset with more classic companions
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Oct 4, 2022 14:22:00 GMT
Regards
mark687
|
|
|
Post by ryan on Oct 27, 2022 18:45:27 GMT
Listened to Quantum of Axos, which really felt like a mid-season RTD episode. Nothing groundbreaking but good fun.
However, I really do miss Bernard Holley's voice. He WAS Axos. It'll be interesting to see how Richard Goulding does in the UNIT set next month.
|
|
|
Post by cjr on Nov 2, 2022 7:05:06 GMT
Listened to this set over a few days, and enjoyed some parts more than others. The Doctor interacting with Nysa was great, but too brief. Ace was served better. A decent set, but not too memorable 6/10.
Post Nov. 1st, 2022 rating: 4/10. The lack of consequence for this set leaves me with a “meh 🤷🏻♂️” feeling. To anyone outside the UK, this was a reasonable set at about half the price. For Australian customers I’d recommend looking to other stories for a good fix of 10 / companions rather than this gimmicky set. This falls more into the realm of x meets y with little merit. For Nyssa or Ace, the main range is great (lots of reviews available!). For the 10th Doctor, Dalek Universe is definitely worth listening to!
|
|
|
Post by grinch on Nov 2, 2022 14:17:39 GMT
Anyone noticed there is a 1 on the spine Wonder if this means we will get a second Boxset with more classic companions Considering their greater prominence recently, it wouldn’t surprise me if a second volume had an appearance from both Dodo and Harry Sullivan.
|
|