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Post by elkawho on Jan 2, 2022 16:36:41 GMT
181) Afterlife: I wish the first act of this one was a stand alone Short Trip. It's a touching, painful, in your face look at death and grief in a way that is rarely done in Doctor Who. The show is usually too fearful of grappling these topics, and it's refreshing, and heartbreaking and powerful to hear. Sophie and Sylvester are terrific, and you rarely see these characters in this way. It's unfortunate that the rest of the story doesn't come anywhere close to that first act. I do not like the Hector arc. What was the point of Hex's sacrifice if he just comes back as this awful prick. If they wanted to give the character a life after death, they set up what could have been a great arc for Hex with the Elder Gods at the end of Gods and Monsters. What they chose to do didn't work and felt like a cop out. So grading this one is difficulty. 10/10 for Act 1. 4/10 for the rest of the story.
182) Antidote to Oblivion: Terrible. Amatuerish. Not even Nabile Shaban's Sil could rescue this one. I have nothing else to say. 2/10
183) The Brood of Erys: There are some good ideas in this one. A living moon with it's own minions that do it's bidding. We've seen that before (The Doctor's Wife.). But the minions being it's rebellious teenage offspring is a new one for me. Lisa Greenwood and Colin Baker can elevate any story. With all that being said, it is just an ok listen. Fairly forgettable 5/10
184) Scavenger: A much better story than the previous one, and quite the cliffhanger ending. (And one that takes a long time to be resolved.) It's a love story with the background of mythology and hard sci fi and it works pretty well. That alone is feat of storytelling. 7/10
185) Moonflesh: Another middle of the road, forgettable release. Not terrible, but just kind of meh. I can't even pick anything out to comment on, except for the focus on the blatant sexism and imperialism of the time. And haven't we had that in multiple stories before and since? 5/10
186)Tomb Ship: I actually like this one. I know it doesn't get a lot of good reviews, but I enjoy the Base Under Seige/Indiana Jones feel of it. Virna is character that I do love to hate. How many kids does she have anyway??? I listen to this one and I think "Bugs! Why did it have to be bugs! Its a fun romp. 7/10
187) Masquerade: Another stinker. I don't care about anyone or anything that happens in this entire story. And why then, have Hannah stow away on the Tardis for one story to have her do nothing and then sacrifice herself in this one? What was the point of her? 2/10
188) Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories: Finally!! Finally some good stories that live up to Big Finish's past. I love this release, all of the stories are terrific, but The Curious Incident of The Doctor in the Night-Time is my very favorite of the release. I could listen to this over and over again, and I have. 10/10
189) Revenge Of The Swarm: And we are back to the mediocre. Or worse. There is so much I dislike in this story. I don't like The Swarm as an antagonist to begin with. The "infection" makes little sense. And is this Hector? Or Hex? It's hard to tell the difference in this one. 3/10
Ok, so this was not a good time for the Monthly Range, and it's making this part of the listen-thru quite a slog. Since the 50th Anniversary trilogy there is really only one excellent release, some mediocre ones and more bad ones than there should be. And the bad times stick around for a while longer. I can see why, at the time, people were wondering if it was time for the range to end back then. I'm glad it didn't and there's some terrific things to come, but we still have a few stinkers to get through first.
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Post by mark687 on Jan 2, 2022 17:13:40 GMT
190) Afterlife: I wish the first act of this one was a stand alone Short Trip. It's a touching, painful, in your face look at death and grief in a way that is rarely done in Doctor Who. The show is usually too fearful of grappling these topics, and it's refreshing, and heartbreaking and powerful to hear. Sophie and Sylvester are terrific, and you rarely see these characters in this way. It's unfortunate that the rest of the story doesn't come anywhere close to that first act. I do not like the Hector arc. What was the point of Hex's sacrifice if he just comes back as this awful prick. If they wanted to give the character a life after death, they set up what could have been a great arc for Hex with the Elder Gods at the end of Gods and Monsters. What they chose to do didn't work and felt like a cop out. So grading this one is difficulty. 10/10 for Act 1. 4/10 for the rest of the story. 191) Antidote to Oblivion: Terrible. Amatuerish. Not even Nabile Shaban's Sil could rescue this one. I have nothing else to say. 2/10 192) The Brood of Erys: There are some good ideas in this one. A living moon with it's own minions that do it's bidding. We've seen that before (The Doctor's Wife.). But the minions being it's rebellious teenage offspring is a new one for me. Lisa Greenwood and Colin Baker can elevate any story. With all that being said, it is just an ok listen. Fairly forgettable 5/10 193) Scavenger: A much better story than the previous one, and quite the cliffhanger ending. (And one that takes a long time to be resolved.) It's a love story with the background of mythology and hard sci fi and it works pretty well. That alone is feat of storytelling. 7/10 194) Moonflesh: Another middle of the road, forgettable release. Not terrible, but just kind of meh. I can't even pick anything out to comment on, except for the focus on the blatant sexism and imperialism of the time. And haven't we had that in multiple stories before and since? 5/10 195)Tomb Ship: I actually like this one. I know it doesn't get a lot of good reviews, but I enjoy the Base Under Seige/Indiana Jones feel of it. Virna is character that I do love to hate. How many kids does she have anyway??? I listen to this one and I think "Bugs! Why did it have to be bugs! Its a fun romp. 7/10 196) Masquerade: Another stinker. I don't care about anyone or anything that happens in this entire story. And why then, have Hannah stow away on the Tardis for one story to have her do nothing and then sacrifice herself in this one? What was the point of her? 2/10 197) Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories: Finally!! Finally some good stories that live up to Big Finish's past. I love this release, all of the stories are terrific, but The Curious Incident of The Doctor in the Night-Time is my very favorite of the release. I could listen to this over and over again, and I have. 10/10 198) And we are back to the mediocre. Or worse. There is so much I dislike in this story. I don't like The Swarm as an antagonist to begin with. The "infection" makes little sense. And is this Hector? Or Hex? It's hard to tell the difference in this one. 3/10 Ok, so this was not a good time for the Monthly Range, and it's making this part of the listen-thru quite a slog. Since the 50th Anniversary trilogy there is really only one excellent release, some mediocre ones and more bad ones than there should be. And the bad times stick around for a while longer. I can see why, at the time, people were wondering if it was time for the range to end back then. I'm glad it didn't and there's some terrific things to come, but we still have a few stinkers to get through first. You've added a factor of 10 to your numbers as well your in the 180's not the 190's Regards mark687
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Post by grinch on Jan 2, 2022 17:31:55 GMT
190) Afterlife: I wish the first act of this one was a stand alone Short Trip. It's a touching, painful, in your face look at death and grief in a way that is rarely done in Doctor Who. The show is usually too fearful of grappling these topics, and it's refreshing, and heartbreaking and powerful to hear. Sophie and Sylvester are terrific, and you rarely see these characters in this way. It's unfortunate that the rest of the story doesn't come anywhere close to that first act. I do not like the Hector arc. What was the point of Hex's sacrifice if he just comes back as this awful prick. If they wanted to give the character a life after death, they set up what could have been a great arc for Hex with the Elder Gods at the end of Gods and Monsters. What they chose to do didn't work and felt like a cop out. So grading this one is difficulty. 10/10 for Act 1. 4/10 for the rest of the story. 191) Antidote to Oblivion: Terrible. Amatuerish. Not even Nabile Shaban's Sil could rescue this one. I have nothing else to say. 2/10 192) The Brood of Erys: There are some good ideas in this one. A living moon with it's own minions that do it's bidding. We've seen that before (The Doctor's Wife.). But the minions being it's rebellious teenage offspring is a new one for me. Lisa Greenwood and Colin Baker can elevate any story. With all that being said, it is just an ok listen. Fairly forgettable 5/10 193) Scavenger: A much better story than the previous one, and quite the cliffhanger ending. (And one that takes a long time to be resolved.) It's a love story with the background of mythology and hard sci fi and it works pretty well. That alone is feat of storytelling. 7/10 194) Moonflesh: Another middle of the road, forgettable release. Not terrible, but just kind of meh. I can't even pick anything out to comment on, except for the focus on the blatant sexism and imperialism of the time. And haven't we had that in multiple stories before and since? 5/10 195)Tomb Ship: I actually like this one. I know it doesn't get a lot of good reviews, but I enjoy the Base Under Seige/Indiana Jones feel of it. Virna is character that I do love to hate. How many kids does she have anyway??? I listen to this one and I think "Bugs! Why did it have to be bugs! Its a fun romp. 7/10 196) Masquerade: Another stinker. I don't care about anyone or anything that happens in this entire story. And why then, have Hannah stow away on the Tardis for one story to have her do nothing and then sacrifice herself in this one? What was the point of her? 2/10 197) Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories: Finally!! Finally some good stories that live up to Big Finish's past. I love this release, all of the stories are terrific, but The Curious Incident of The Doctor in the Night-Time is my very favorite of the release. I could listen to this over and over again, and I have. 10/10 198) And we are back to the mediocre. Or worse. There is so much I dislike in this story. I don't like The Swarm as an antagonist to begin with. The "infection" makes little sense. And is this Hector? Or Hex? It's hard to tell the difference in this one. 3/10 Ok, so this was not a good time for the Monthly Range, and it's making this part of the listen-thru quite a slog. Since the 50th Anniversary trilogy there is really only one excellent release, some mediocre ones and more bad ones than there should be. And the bad times stick around for a while longer. I can see why, at the time, people were wondering if it was time for the range to end back then. I'm glad it didn't and there's some terrific things to come, but we still have a few stinkers to get through first. Agreed. Hex should have never come back in my opinion. It’s a problem that’s reflected a great deal in a lot of modern companions where certain companions just refuse to stay dead.
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Post by elkawho on Jan 2, 2022 18:02:18 GMT
190) Afterlife: I wish the first act of this one was a stand alone Short Trip. It's a touching, painful, in your face look at death and grief in a way that is rarely done in Doctor Who. The show is usually too fearful of grappling these topics, and it's refreshing, and heartbreaking and powerful to hear. Sophie and Sylvester are terrific, and you rarely see these characters in this way. It's unfortunate that the rest of the story doesn't come anywhere close to that first act. I do not like the Hector arc. What was the point of Hex's sacrifice if he just comes back as this awful prick. If they wanted to give the character a life after death, they set up what could have been a great arc for Hex with the Elder Gods at the end of Gods and Monsters. What they chose to do didn't work and felt like a cop out. So grading this one is difficulty. 10/10 for Act 1. 4/10 for the rest of the story. 191) Antidote to Oblivion: Terrible. Amatuerish. Not even Nabile Shaban's Sil could rescue this one. I have nothing else to say. 2/10 192) The Brood of Erys: There are some good ideas in this one. A living moon with it's own minions that do it's bidding. We've seen that before (The Doctor's Wife.). But the minions being it's rebellious teenage offspring is a new one for me. Lisa Greenwood and Colin Baker can elevate any story. With all that being said, it is just an ok listen. Fairly forgettable 5/10 193) Scavenger: A much better story than the previous one, and quite the cliffhanger ending. (And one that takes a long time to be resolved.) It's a love story with the background of mythology and hard sci fi and it works pretty well. That alone is feat of storytelling. 7/10 194) Moonflesh: Another middle of the road, forgettable release. Not terrible, but just kind of meh. I can't even pick anything out to comment on, except for the focus on the blatant sexism and imperialism of the time. And haven't we had that in multiple stories before and since? 5/10 195)Tomb Ship: I actually like this one. I know it doesn't get a lot of good reviews, but I enjoy the Base Under Seige/Indiana Jones feel of it. Virna is character that I do love to hate. How many kids does she have anyway??? I listen to this one and I think "Bugs! Why did it have to be bugs! Its a fun romp. 7/10 196) Masquerade: Another stinker. I don't care about anyone or anything that happens in this entire story. And why then, have Hannah stow away on the Tardis for one story to have her do nothing and then sacrifice herself in this one? What was the point of her? 2/10 197) Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories: Finally!! Finally some good stories that live up to Big Finish's past. I love this release, all of the stories are terrific, but The Curious Incident of The Doctor in the Night-Time is my very favorite of the release. I could listen to this over and over again, and I have. 10/10 198) And we are back to the mediocre. Or worse. There is so much I dislike in this story. I don't like The Swarm as an antagonist to begin with. The "infection" makes little sense. And is this Hector? Or Hex? It's hard to tell the difference in this one. 3/10 Ok, so this was not a good time for the Monthly Range, and it's making this part of the listen-thru quite a slog. Since the 50th Anniversary trilogy there is really only one excellent release, some mediocre ones and more bad ones than there should be. And the bad times stick around for a while longer. I can see why, at the time, people were wondering if it was time for the range to end back then. I'm glad it didn't and there's some terrific things to come, but we still have a few stinkers to get through first. You've added a factor of 10 to your numbers as well your in the 180's not the 190's Regards mark687 Have I? I can't see where I went wrong.
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Post by sherlock on Jan 2, 2022 18:56:24 GMT
30. Seasons of Fear
A reinvented old enemy, an excellent foil for the Doctor and Charley on fine form. All round good time.
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Post by mark687 on Jan 2, 2022 23:52:30 GMT
You've added a factor of 10 to your numbers as well your in the 180's not the 190's Regards mark687 Have I? I can't see where I went wrong. It looks you leapt from correctly numbering The Jupiter Conjunction as 160 then incorrectly numbering The Butcher of Brisbane as 170 instead of 161 in your post on December 4th 2021 and you've off by 9 thereafter. Regards mark687
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Post by sherlock on Jan 3, 2022 0:36:09 GMT
31. Embrace the Darkness
Well this was a pleasant surprise. I’d heard it once before and forgotten everything about it. Creepy and using audio medium to its advantage. Excellent.
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Post by elkawho on Jan 3, 2022 1:25:42 GMT
Have I? I can't see where I went wrong. It looks you leapt from correctly numbering The Jupiter Conjunction as 160 then incorrectly numbering The Butcher of Brisbane as 170 instead of 161 in your post on December 4th 2021 and you've off by 9 thereafter. Regards mark687 Thank you! I will go ahead and fix that.
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Post by sherlock on Jan 3, 2022 17:52:10 GMT
32. The Time of the Daleks
Shakespeare, Daleks, temporal jargon; its an odd mix but kinda works.
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Post by sherlock on Jan 4, 2022 20:01:41 GMT
33. Neverland
The great culmination of the first Eighth Doctor arc. It’s just excellent.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Jan 5, 2022 10:05:39 GMT
32. The Time of the DaleksShakespeare, Daleks, temporal jargon; its an odd mix but kinda works. I love it, even though many dont
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Post by bonehead on Jan 5, 2022 14:13:07 GMT
062. Doctor Who: The Last.
Absolutely the grimmest, spookiest, bleakest Doctor Who story I can think of. Rather than try and bolster the premise with jokes or humour, Gary Hopkins instead delves into the twisted minds (to go with the twisted profiles) of the unpleasant, corrupt characters. The music, too, by genius David Darlington, is relentless in its haunting dirge. This has to be one of my favourite BF stories ever. C'Rizz is given possibly his most effective sub-plot - heading an army of the unseen across a ravaged surface is visual dynamite. I love it. Is it flawless? No - Charley's reaction to her fairly devastating predicament here is curiously muted and underplayed; the final (although not so final) resolution is very low-key - but that's inkeeping with 'The Last's appel for me. Absolutely superb.
063. Doctor Who: Caerdroia.
A multi Doctor story no less. What great fun this was, Lloyd Rose's only Big Finish story sadly. After the gloriously unrelenting grimness of the previous story, this is enjoyable and bizarre, a although it could really be set on any planet in the 'normal' universe, works well in selling the DU's weirdness. The tiny cast works better here, for me, than 'Scherzo's reduced number of characters. Childlike in many ways, akin to the overwhelming oddness of Alice in Wonderland among others, I enjoyed this even more than I remember doing when I last listened.
064. Doctor Who: The Next Life.
A feature-length finale to the truncated Divergent Universe arc, to begin a clean slate in time for the returning TV series. This is very much an example of tidying things up, bringing things to a resolution, while attempting a story in itself and is marginally successful. That is to say, I enjoyed it more than Zagreus. Stephane Cornicard plays an interesting villain called Keep, but for me, Paul Darrow sterals the show - doesn't he always? - as Guidance. My favourite moments feature the brilliant pairing of Don Warrington and Stephen Perring as Rassilon and the Kro'ka respectively. I would buy a box-set featuring dedicated to these two without hesitation. I think I detect Gary Russell's hand in their final scene together - he is good at writing finales and this one is a cracker.
As things stand, I didn't find the Divergent Universe entirely successful, and it wasn't just because the idea was cut short. The idea of no time and no TARDIS was never really utilised or even explained to any degree. Whilst there were enjyoable moments, and some very good stories (the last three stories in particular), the arc was a mixed bag. A casualty of that was companion C'Rizz, who remains at this point, a collection of strange of unexplored ideas. Perhaps he'll become more cohesive now the Doctor has returned to the real universe to face ... well, that would be telling.
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Post by sherlock on Jan 6, 2022 20:07:30 GMT
34. Spare Parts
I’d somehow never noticed before that this came straight after the second season of Eighth Doctor. What a creative high for Big Finish this time period was.
Anyway nothing new to say on this one. A terrific work of pure tragedy.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2022 0:00:19 GMT
34. Spare PartsI’d somehow never noticed before that this came straight after the second season of Eighth Doctor. What a creative high for Big Finish this time period was. A high that they haven't reached since! The Doctor Who Main Range was on fire back then, month after month really excellent stories popped through out letter-boxes...
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Post by bonehead on Jan 8, 2022 18:08:55 GMT
065. Doctor Who: The Juggernauts.
Somehow, this story featuring Doctor 6 and Mel, Davros, Daleks and Machonoids isn't quite as exciting as it should be. Having said that, I did enjoy it. Mel's tale was a good sub-plot, and it's good to see Big Finish investing her with some much needed character and emotion after not being terribly well served on television. Terry Molloy is great as Davros, and that's where my issue is with this - and it's an issue that doesn't make a lot of sense, so bear with me! I like Davros as a maniacal, insane, twisted, perverse, inhuman, dangerous, frightening genius - efforts to give him depth and personality, to allow us to try to 'understand' him I don't find particularly interesting. I accept that my vision for the character is very limiting, but you can't help what you like. So, like 'Davros' before it, I found this story too 'gentle', although enjoyable.
066. Doctor Who: The Game.
Just to again praise Big Finish for employing so many new writers at this time. I seem to remember a year was given where only writers who hadn't written for Big Finish before would be used. This experiment went on for rather longer than a year as I recall, and gave some mixed results, but little gems too. That includes this tightly written six-parter. I remember being impressed with the casting of television 'hardcore copper' Chris Ellison, and William Russell, playing Morian and Carlysle respectively - both of whom are very good, although in retrospect, it is strange hearing Russell playing anyone but Ian for Big Finish, so distinctive is his voice. This is a story that gives lots of good things for the Doctor and Nyssa to do, and quietly impresses. I think it should be talked about more than it is.
067. Doctor Who: Dreamtime.
Gary Russell said that this release wasn't an ideal story to put out to herald the return of Doctor Who to television - in fact, Big Finish sales took quite a thumping when the show came back, surprisingly enough. Here we have a weird tale set in a very visual setting; in fact, the whole thing is ideal for the Seventh Doctor, Ace and their new friend Hex. I absolutely love this story, and it's a pleasure to have a reason to return to it. Sometimes I appreciate a tale so convincingly steeped in mythology completely alien to me. It's a concept far bigger than me, not easily understood - mystifying would be a better word - and I find it all spellbinding, strange, complex and distinctly Doctor Who-ian. Nice to hear the Galyari back and, while I loved their original voices, sounding a little more comprehensible now. Some have commented that they expected the Mara to pop up in this on - which is a good sign of the mystical qualities herein.
068. Doctor Who: Catch-1782.
This has a serene quality to it for me. One of the good things about so many different writers is that all bring their own distinctive lightness (or otherwise) of touch to their tales. Alison Lawson places the Doctor and Mel in various dangerous situations, as every writer does with their characters, but there's a cosiness about this somehow. The Doctor is as mellow as he has ever been here, and the other characters have a period charm about them. Not a favourite story then, but nice to revisit nonetheless - to describe it as inoffensive doesn't quite do it justice, but it's in that ball-park.
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Post by grinch on Jan 8, 2022 18:34:45 GMT
065. Doctor Who: The Juggernauts.
Somehow, this story featuring Doctor 6 and Mel, Davros, Daleks and Machonoids isn't quite as exciting as it should be. Having said that, I did enjoy it. Mel's tale was a good sub-plot, and it's good to see Big Finish investing her with some much needed character and emotion after not being terribly well served on television. Terry Molloy is great as Davros, and that's where my issue is with this - and it's an issue that doesn't make a lot of sense, so bear with me! I like Davros as a maniacal, insane, twisted, perverse, inhuman, dangerous, frightening genius - efforts to give him depth and personality, to allow us to try to 'understand' him I don't find particularly interesting. I accept that my vision for the character is very limiting, but you can't help what you like. So, like 'Davros' before it, I found this story too 'gentle', although enjoyable.
066. Doctor Who: The Game.
Just to again praise Big Finish for employing so many new writers at this time. I seem to remember a year was given where only writers who hadn't written for Big Finish before would be used. This experiment went on for rather longer than a year as I recall, and gave some mixed results, but little gems too. That includes this tightly written six-parter. I remember being impressed with the casting of television 'hardcore copper' Chris Ellison, and William Russell, playing Morian and Carlysle respectively - both of whom are very good, although in retrospect, it is strange hearing Russell playing anyone but Ian for Big Finish, so distinctive is his voice. This is a story that gives lots of good things for the Doctor and Nyssa to do, and quietly impresses. I think it should be talked about more than it is.
067. Doctor Who: Dreamtime.
Gary Russell said that this release wasn't an ideal story to put out to herald the return of Doctor Who to television - in fact, Big Finish sales took quite a thumping when the show came back, surprisingly enough. Here we have a weird tale set in a very visual setting; in fact, the whole thing is ideal for the Seventh Doctor, Ace and their new friend Hex. I absolutely love this story, and it's a pleasure to have a reason to return to it. Sometimes I appreciate a tale so convincingly steeped in mythology completely alien to me. It's a concept far bigger than me, not easily understood - mystifying would be a better word - and I find it all spellbinding, strange, complex and distinctly Doctor Who-ian. Nice to hear the Galyari back and, while I loved their original voices, sounding a little more comprehensible now. Some have commented that they expected the Mara to pop up in this on - which is a good sign of the mystical qualities herein.
068. Doctor Who: Catch-1782.
This has a serene quality to it for me. One of the good things about so many different writers is that all bring their own distinctive lightness (or otherwise) of touch to their tales. Alison Lawson places the Doctor and Mel in various dangerous situations, as every writer does with their characters, but there's a cosiness about this somehow. The Doctor is as mellow as he has ever been here, and the other characters have a period charm about them. Not a favourite story then, but nice to revisit nonetheless - to describe it as inoffensive doesn't quite do it justice, but it's in that ball-park.
Good to see someone’s a fan of Dreamtime. I must confess even after a few listens I do find parts of it borderline incomprehensible. (And this is coming from someone who rather likes it when Big Finish go out there!) Still, gives me an excuse to brush up on my Australian Mythology I suppose.
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Post by sherlock on Jan 10, 2022 20:10:00 GMT
35. …ish
Well kudos for Big Finish’s experimental phase but this did not work for me at all. I have barely any idea what happened as it was so densely written.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2022 20:18:46 GMT
15: the Mutant Phase
Really high quality in all aspects. The ending was a bit confusing, but that’s not something to fret about.
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Post by bonehead on Jan 11, 2022 19:47:20 GMT
069. Doctor Who: Three's a Crowd.
Erimem's continual uncertainty as a travelling companion raises its head again here in a story that features a fairly standard story with some interesting elements, and a villain who likes the sound of his own voice (played by Richard Gauntlett who was Urak in 'Time and the Rani) - and I really, really like this. The characters are interesting if flawed, and the sound design is excellent. David Darlington again. It's nice to hear Debbie Watling, but again, odd in retrospect that she's not playing Victoria - her 'Auntie' is a very different character. A really enjoyable revisit, deceptive deep too.
070. Doctor Who: Unregenerate!
An acomplished writer, an interesting setting, a good cast including Toby Longworth and Jennie Linden - but for some reason, this never takes off. Efforts to be clever and interesting don't really work, and I had to fight not to go and do something else. I don't remember finding this quite so forgettable on first hearing, but then have rarely returned to it, which tells its own story. Possibly listening to it as part of a regular commemorative relisten works against it - but I can find little to recommend this, apart from the skill in turning a potentially interesting premise into something completely uninvolving.
071. Doctor Who: The Council of Nicaea.
Erimem's continual doubts about her place as a time traveller are given another outing here, but such are the well-written characters and predicamenmts, this never gets repetitive. Also, it's possible to side with both her and the Doctor and Peri, which gives this a far from predictable outcome. There's a real sense of a convincing historical setting here - it's a shame this was the last time Caroline Symcox would write Doctor Who for Big Finish. A really enjoyable, involving character driven piece - which also features the wonderful David Bamber, who has one of ther greatest voices ever.
072. Doctor Who: Terror Firma.
At the end of TV's 'Resurrection of the Daleks', Davros was telling us he was not a Dalek: he was Davros. In this story, he's not quite so sure. Chronicling the transition between man and machine, this is a terrific, morbid, disturbing piece of work. I lamented previously that Terry Molloy's Davros didn't get as much chance to rant and rave as much as I would have liked - that's somewhat rectified here. This is all about Davros, and he truly has an identity crisis. It's good that C'Rizz finally meets Daleks, and good also that The Eighth Doctor is back in 'our' universe. This is a far more interesting study of Davros than his debut Big Finish story in my view.
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Post by elkawho on Jan 30, 2022 16:26:26 GMT
I have kept up with my listening, but not my posting so there is a lot to get through.
190) The Mask of Tragedy: I remember seriously disliking this one, but it wasn't as bad as I remembered. When taken as a tongue-in-cheek, light hearted romp rather than a serious Seventh Doctor story it seems to work much better, and that was the difference in my listening. Even saying this, it's another mediocre story from this Hector arc, although I think this is much better story than the previous one. 5/10
191) Signs and Wonders: Or it's other title; Hex Gets To Be Happy. Ok, yes it was great to hear the real Hex return and find a place in the world to be happy. That character gets put through some of the worst things that The Doctor's life can throw at him and he has some of the hardest times in the Tardis of any companion. He deserves this ending, and I want it for him. But the path to getting there is just so.....meh. 6/10 (an extra point for Happy Hex)
192) The Widow's Assassin: Finally!! The Monthly Range coming back to quality stories! Peri has never been a favorite companions of mine, but this is one of the many stories written by Nev Fountain where she shines. I really do like this story, and this meeting of Six and Peri is a long time coming. The twist is done well and Colin's voice work is terrific. 9/10
193) Masters of Earth: Did we need another story set in the Dalek Invasion of Earth? Apparently we did! It's a gorgeous story. Tracy Wiles gives a fantastic performance. 9/10
194) The Rani Elite: Of Siobhan Redmond's two Rani stories, this is the one I prefer by far. She seems to have the character down and is enjoying herself quite a bit. It's a good story and really works for the Rani. 7/10
195) Mistfall: I will always remember this story as the first Monthly Range story I listened to at the time of it's release. I had listened through all the backlog of MR and this was the first story of the first subscription of yet to be released stories. Unfortunately, it was a pretty bad story. It just felt completely pointless. There was no need for it to be set on Alzarius, as it seemed to have little to no connection with Full Circle. And while I do love Gemma Redgrave, she does have a tendency to sound extremely flat on audio. Her Kate Lethbridge-Stewart has improved immensely since she first played her on audio, but she sounds terribly wooden in this story. 3/10
196) Equilibrium: Another beautiful story and the beginning of a damned good run of stories for Five. This is a great story for each of our Tardis team, and one of the few stories that I listen to the music suite. Every element comes together perfectly, and it's no surprise that Annette Badland plays a major role. I find her a remarkable actress and she lifts every single thing I've ever seen her in. From Doctor Who to Outlander to Ted Lasso and more. The premise of this world is a disturbing one, yet the people who populate it are written with depth and hope. 10/10
197) The Entropy Plague: This is pretty dark story to end this trilogy, and end the era of Older Nyssa. It's quite a good one, although it's hard to find much hope here. Nyssa's sacrifice is in keeping with her character and makes for quite the sober ending to her story with the Doctor. 7/10
198) The Defectors: Why? That is the question in my head when I hear this story. I do feel they completely missed the mark with this one. Mixing Seven with Third Doctor companions is a terrific idea that didn't lead anywhere. Not to mention that they completely wasted Richard Franklin. The idea for this story was also pretty weak. I could see it being used as the backdrop for a Short Trip or Companion Chronicle, but it lacks the depth needed for a MR story. It just felt like a wasted opportunity. 3/10
199) Last of the Cybermen: Much better than the last story. I think ol' Sixie works very well with Jamie and Zoe. I do like Jamie's distrust of this Doctor. I know some people find Lanky annoying, but I like him. It uses it's time travel elements well, and I think it's a lot of fun. A much better us of the Locum Doctor idea than the last story. 6/10
200) The Secret History: Not just the best use of the Locum Doctors idea, but just an excellent MR story in it's own right. It's uses all three Tardis Team members pretty well, with even Vicki getting her chance to prove herself. Steven in the chariot race is a highlight. And it is the only story that has been done other than Dark Eyes that deals with the fallout from Lucie Miller/To The Death. Which just baffles me. As much as I like Rufus Hound as The Monk, I do miss Graeme Garden's incarnation quite a bit. Rufus Hound's Monk could never have done what Garden's did in those EDAs, he just doesn't have that kind of personality. 10/10
201) We Are The Daleks: A good, fun Seventh Doctor story that let's Mel shine. It really puts her in her element and allows her to show that she really does know how a computer works. Nothing extraordinary, but definitely worth a listen or two. 7/10
Thanks for reading!
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