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Post by bonehead on Apr 9, 2022 15:09:22 GMT
42. The Dark FlameHow very generic. Cultists, loosely defined evil force from the end of time, companion possession; there’s just not much interesting stuff here, other than Joseph. What did you make of Michael Praed's performance? I couldn't work out if he was being deliberately arch, or if he was not bothering to act.
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Post by sherlock on Apr 9, 2022 15:36:45 GMT
42. The Dark FlameHow very generic. Cultists, loosely defined evil force from the end of time, companion possession; there’s just not much interesting stuff here, other than Joseph. What did you make of Michael Praed's performance? I couldn't work out if he was being deliberately arch, or if he was not bothering to act. I think he was just being arch.
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Post by sherlock on Apr 9, 2022 17:36:35 GMT
43. Doctor Who and the Pirates
Oh that was great. A really well done juxtaposition of tones, and the songs are genuinely good.
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Post by sherlock on Apr 10, 2022 12:15:29 GMT
44. Creatures of Beauty
Well that required a fair amount of concentration to follow but damn was that worth it. Probably the most experiment script I’ve heard of Nick Briggs which uses it’s out of sequence style to make a stinging indictment on the Doctor’s careless wandering.
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Post by sherlock on Apr 10, 2022 18:59:17 GMT
45. Project: Lazarus
Brutally effective. Poor Cassie.
It’s interesting how in the middle of what was the 40th anniversary years, Big Finish suddenly do two stories which really suggest the Doctor isn’t quite all he’s cracked up to be, with chaos following in his wake. I quite appreciate the boldness on show there.
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Post by grinch on Apr 10, 2022 19:01:22 GMT
44. Creatures of BeautyWell that required a fair amount of concentration to follow but damn was that worth it. Probably the most experiment script I’ve heard of Nick Briggs which uses it’s out of sequence style to make a stinging indictment on the Doctor’s careless wandering. From what I’ve heard (and I could be wrong) the out of sequence approach was entirely accidental. That’s even more impressive in my opinion.
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Post by sherlock on May 7, 2022 12:34:08 GMT
46. Flip-Flop
Well plotted but ultimately kinda hollow experiment. The angle of refugees either being conquerors by stealth or outright warmongers in disguise rather lacks nuance too.
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Post by bonehead on May 7, 2022 13:24:39 GMT
088. Doctor Who: Memory Lane.
An interesting tale for C'Rizz, Charley and the Doctor. Was this originally part of the DU series, I wonder, with things - as ever - 'not being quite what they seem?' There are similarities to Chimes of Midnight but this is nevertheless a very good story in its own right, and makes me want to revisit Eddie Robson's impressive body of work for Big Finish.
089. Doctor Who: No Man's Land.
A really enjoyable, sprawling, gritty tale featuring an impressive cast. I can't think why I don't listen to this more often. The Doctor, Ace and Hex - who is still a fresh and interesting character at this time - are all given good, emotive things to do and the plotline is anything but straightforward.
090. Doctor Who: Year of the Pig.
Matthew Sweet's brilliant, curious, fairytale-type story is a favourite of mine and it is always a pleasure to revisit. Sweet is an exceptional writer. I often wonder what he and Marc Platt (another of my favourite writers) could come up with if they put their heads together for a box set or something. Lyrical, uncompromisingly weird, and beautifully acted by a terrific cast, this rounds off Gary Russell's last 'traditional' four-part story as sole producer - and what a way to finish. As I recall, the main range entered a bit of a creative trough following this and I was less inclined to grab every release as I had been in the past. It got its act together after a while, thankfully, but under Russell's latter period as producer, audio Doctor Who produced some of its most interesting and experimental stuff. Truly, we never heard it so good.
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Post by sherlock on May 8, 2022 21:44:25 GMT
47. Omega
In which Nev Fountain turns up armed with an idea to cynically examine historical hero worship, and also the most batshit crazy twist in a Who story.
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Post by sherlock on May 22, 2022 12:33:47 GMT
48. Davros
Oh I’d forgotten what a belter this is. Molloy absolutely dominates this story and the story serves him some incredible material to do. Bernard Horsfall makes an especially good addition to the mix as well. The only flaw is the cliffhanger feels very arbitrary, as this story was already ignoring usual format honestly I wouldn’t have bothered with one.
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Post by sherlock on May 22, 2022 20:59:28 GMT
49. Master
An outstanding examination of evil with Beevers ruling the roost.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 2, 2022 7:56:34 GMT
50. Zagreus
Oh Zagreus. So many good ideas but combined with dire pacing, bizarre choices and just outright bad scenes. Just why is this four hours long.
Ugh it’s just not what the first 50 deserved as their finale.
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Post by elkawho on Jun 3, 2022 16:18:48 GMT
Ok, It's been a long time since I posted. I'm getting close to the end with my listening, and most of these are stories that I've only heard once before.
229) The Silurian Candidate: It wasn't great on first listen and somewhat better on second. I find this a pretty forgettable story with some lackluster performances. I remember feeling pretty let down by the Mel and Ace team up by this point. I actually don't think they work all that well together. 5/10
230) Time In Office: I just love this one. It's so good, and quite a unique anthology release. Leela is a great addition to this Tardis Team (minus Turlough). Davison is a terrific comedy actor and this one really lets him shine. One of my very favorite 5th Doctor audios. 10/10
231) The Behemoth: I remember originally not liking this one as much as most people, but I'm happy to say that I stand corrected on second listen. This story is a joy to listen to. Every single performance is wonderful. I do think the Doctor's characterization is somewhat off at times, but I still enjoyed it. The anti-slavery storyline is somewhat heavy handed, but works very well. 9/10
232) The Middle: Another terrific Six, Constance and Flip story. By this time they really have come into their own as one of the strongest BF original team ups. A great story about the value of people of all ages and what we can expect from each other. Great work all around. 9/10
233) Static: And now the crowning glory of this terrific trilogy. One of the best Sixth Doctor stories in a long time. Creepy and harrowing, it grabs your attention from the start and runs with it. This is one of the more recent MR stories (as is Time in Office) that I've listened to a few time since it's release. Poor Constance. These three stories did really show that the MR still had much to offer. 10/10
234) Kingdom of Lies: A fine, enjoyable if forgettable story. One of those solid MR releases that does what it's supposed to do but now more. Good story and performances. 6/10
235) Ghost Walk: A very good, creepy, fun tale that uses all of our Tardis team very, very well. A fabulous cast in this one, including Sacha Dhawan, Stephen Greif and Carolyn Seymour (boy, do I hate her character in this) make this one that much better. Ghosts and Time Travel and witch hunts make this one fun as hell. I try and listen to this one on Halloween when I can. 9/10
236) Serpent In the Silver Mask: This audio is amazing, but mostly due to the performance of Samuel West. It's funny when it wants to be and serious when it needs to be and he takes on a lot! The story itself isn't anything special, although it is fun. 7/10
OK, head hurts and flu symptoms are taking over. More when I feel up to it.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 4, 2022 16:40:04 GMT
51. The Wormery
First time hearing this and my first encounter with Iris Wildthyme. This is the perfect antidote to Zagreus; an irreverent attitude to continuity and angst.
52. Scherzo
Doctor Who vs Existential Dread. Only Robert Shearman could pull off this premise, whilst simultaneously fixing the Doctor and Charley’s friendship from the nuclear bomb that was Zagreus.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 6, 2022 19:20:01 GMT
53. The Creed of the Kromon
It goes on, and on, and on and on and becomes less and less interesting in the process. Impressively this competes with Zagreus for getting the Doctor’s characterisation spectacularly wrong.
Also C’rizz is present.
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Post by elkawho on Jun 8, 2022 11:05:35 GMT
53. The Creed of the KromonIt goes on, and on, and on and on and becomes less and less interesting in the process. Impressively this competes with Zagreus for getting the Doctor’s characterisation spectacularly wrong. Also C’rizz is present. Yeah, agreed. It's a pretty bad one.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 8, 2022 22:22:51 GMT
54. The Natural History of Fear
This is sadly one where the first experience is always the best, as once you know the twists at the end in advance they lose much of their impact. But it’s still a very good Orwellian nightmare and the regulars’ unusual characters make a compelling listen.
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Post by sherlock on Jun 18, 2022 12:25:33 GMT
55. The Twilight Kingdom
Oh this was tedious. Charley bickers with the Doctor, Koth talks about what a great opponent he is for the Doctor whilst doing practically nothing and I don’t know what these rebels are fighting for nor particularly care.
Oh and the Doctor’s looking for Rassilon now. Dunno why.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2022 12:44:57 GMT
55. The Twilight KingdomOh this was tedious. Charley bickers with the Doctor, Koth talks about what a great opponent he is for the Doctor whilst doing practically nothing and I don’t know what these rebels are fighting for nor particularly care. It's been a long time since I re-listened to this but I don't recall it being that bad...
Looks like tonight's entertainment will be The Twilight Kingdom !
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Post by elkawho on Jun 19, 2022 2:27:36 GMT
237) The Heliax Rift: Here we begin the Daniel Hopkins trilogy. I am somewhat ambivalent about this story. The good: I think Peter gives a terrific performance. He feeds off the animosity between the Doctor and Price. The aliens in this are interesting and their motives are unique. I do like the relationship between Daniel and The Doctor in this one. Now for the bad: The previously said animosity between The Doctor and Price. The attitude of UNIT towards The Doctor makes no sense. There is nothing in his history with the organization that would warrant such a response to his presence. It feels more like the way Torchwood would react, but not UNIT. This taints the whole story and it just feels off. I tend to judge stories and performances by how believable it seems to me, and I had a hard time believing much of this due to that relationship. And as much as I usually like Scott Handcock's writing, it just seems really off here. Awkward and unrealistic dialogue, nonsensical choices by characters. I think it does have a satisfying ending, but this whole story is frustrating and it makes me uncomfortable. 4/10
238) The Lure of the Nomad: Another interesting male companion...or is he? Another good story that does what it sets out to do, tell an engaging and interesting story. It's not a MR classic, but it gets the job done. I like the reveal regarding Mathew. Worth a listen. 6/10
239) Iron Bright: I very good historical. I know nothing about The Brunels, maybe that's because I'm not British, and I always have a good time when I can learn something from a Doctor Who story. 7/10
240) Hour Of the Cybermen: As the second installment of the Daniel Hopkins trilogy, I believe this is an overall better story. It takes a ton of risks with the plot, including placing Britain under the most severe drought it may as well be the Sahara. I do find that the idea of taking a friend of the Doctor's and give him a personal trauma so terrible that it makes him lose his desire to be human is an interesting one. But we never get the time to know Daniel enough to care about him. He just seems like he's being an ass. 6/10
241) Red Planets: This is my favorite of the Seven/Ace/Mel stories up to this point. Cold War, alternate histories, and an Ace holding her own. There's so much here to sink your teeth into. 8/10
242) The Dispossessed: This story has some good ideas, and it's pretty well done. It was a little forgettable for me, but I did enjoy it. But, hmm. I guess I don't really have much else to say. 6/10
243) The Quantum Possibility Engine: Fun!! I love this story. I didn't know anything about Dogbolter when I first heard this story and I still don't know anything about him other than this story, but I do think he's a terrific character. 9/10
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