|
Post by sherlock on Jun 21, 2022 20:38:27 GMT
56. The Axis of Insanity
Oh what a blessed relief this story is. A villain who is actually fun, a concept which works and a TARDIS crew not on the verge of each other’s throats constantly. And it’s well paced. What a relief.
There's some weird loose ends though. The instability of the Axis is never really fixed and then at the end the crew go off to tie up a dead timeline. Bit odd.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jun 25, 2022 16:03:24 GMT
244) Warlock's Cross: Hello Elizabeth! Always nice to have Elizabeth Klein in a story, although I always get the feeling that after her superb first trilogy they never really knew what to do with her. She was good in UNIT: Dominion, but after that her stories seem to flounder a bit. The main problem I have with this story, as in the entire trilogy, is that the emotional core is supposed to be the descent of Daniel Hopkins from an ideological ally of The Doctor's to a nihilistic enemy who is searching for a way to flee his humanity. We are supposed to be moved by this course of events, but we never get to know Daniel well enough for it to work. Of the three stories, this one may be my favorite. I do like Steve Lyons writing a lot and Tracey Childs and Sylvester always work well together. But as a whole the trilogy falls well short. 6/10
245) Muse Of Fire: Great, fun story. I love Hex so much, so anytime we get a new Seven, Ace, Hex story I'm usually all in. And while I'm not a big Iris Wildthyme fan, she is used really well in this story. (I've tried to listen to her own range of stories and I just don't see the appeal.) The setting in 1920's Paris is used wonderfully, Panda is hysterical and the story is a really good one. I have no complaints here. Thoroughly enjoyable! 9/10
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jun 26, 2022 16:26:15 GMT
246) The Hunting Ground: I remember when this story came out during the same month as the previous story in Dec. 2018 and all I could think about was what lovely presents we had gotten. This was another terrific story. It's quite a different kind of story for Colin. No companion, and a little out of his element. I love the Iceland setting, and the Marfac's are fantastic. And who knew that printers could be sentient?! 9/10
247) Devil In the Mist: I have to give a ton of credit to Scott Handcock, Jon Culshaw and the Big Finish crew for even attempting this trilogy. Kamelion is a character that has been left in limbo for decades and to be honest, for good reason. How do you take a character that was created to have not personality of their own and make it interesting it's own right? Anyway, I do like a lot of things in this story, the best being the alien hippos. And Jon Culshaw always gives 100% to everything he does. It's a pretty entertaining story, and even Kamelion has some good moments. 7/10
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jun 27, 2022 2:58:13 GMT
248) Black Thursday/ Power Game: Black Thursday: This one has some good, some bad. There's a very good story in there, and the setting at the coal mine is a harrowing one. Kamelion learns more about humanity in this one, and that works ok. But I have a hard time with some of the characterizations and writing in this. 5/10 Power Game: I like this one more than the first. The idea of Tegan having to run through the game show is a very good one. It's a fun story, although nothing major really happens. 6/10
249) The Kamelion Empire: This one is fine. That's about all I can really say. It's kind of forgettable. Kamelion ends on a positive note and they now have a reason why no one ever mentions him. After this entire trilogy I still think the character was best served in the story "Winter" in Circular Time. 5/10
250)The Monsters if Gokroth: I like this one. Jessica Martin is terrific as the returning Mags. There are some dodgy voices, but it's a good monster story in which things aren't as they first appear. Sylvester seems to be enjoying this new companion and I think he delivers a very good performance. 7/10
251) The Moons of Vulpana: This was better on second listen than the first. I really did enjoy Jessica Martin during this whole trilogy. I enjoyed this terrible Vulpanan family. There were times when this one dragged, though. 7/10
252) An Alien Werewolf in London: Any chance they did this whole trilogy just to be able to use that title? This one was possibly the worst story of the trilogy. I adore Sophie, but not really sure we needed Ace in this one. 6/10
253) Memories of a Tyrant: Excellent story that keeps you on your toes. Good use of Peri in this, and Nicola Walker does a fine job. Of course, Colin is terrific. 8/10
254) Emissary of the Daleks: Another good story with hints of Dalek Empire running throughout. Saskia Reeves is very good as a woman who has chosen to do the wrong thing for the right reasons and now has to deal with the consequences. 8/10
255) Harry Houdini's War: I love this one. Another winner by Steve Lyons. Harry is a great character in this and the use of time travel in the plot is always a winner for me. The surprise reveal still gets me when I listen to it, because I'm still not sure what exactly happen there. The scene in the airplane is fantastic, worth the price of the story alone. 10/10
Ok, a lot of these are short, I know. But I have another 14 releases to catch up to where I am now. I'll most likely finish listening before I get to posting about it.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jun 27, 2022 18:00:52 GMT
256) Tartarus: I'm a fan of Samuel Barnett and enjoy Cicero a lot. I didn't think his version of the famous Roman would work in a Doctor Who story, but I was completely wrong. This is a great one. I love the competitive relationship between The Doctor and Cicero as well as Janet Fielding fighting against the accepted norms of the time. There's a lot of potential in Marc, although whether or not that potential is put to good use is another discussion. 8/10
257) Interstitial/Feast of Fear: Scott Handcock really likes the 2 1-hour story structure for this Tardis Team, doesn't he? Two more good stories, although the second sticks with me longer. Interstitial time is an interesting concept, but Feast of Fear is better. We've had an evil Nyssa (and Doctor) in a few past stories and it's always a fun and/or interesting listen. This one is no different, and I think Sarah Sutton enjoys playing these as well. The setting during the Irish Hunger automatically gives it some historical weight. Interstitial: 6/10, Feast of Fear 8/10
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Jun 29, 2022 17:02:27 GMT
57. Arrangements for War
A very well made story. The Doctor and Evelyn get some stellar material and the last scenes might well be Baker’s finest performance. It’s both quite sweet and incredibly tragic.
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Jul 3, 2022 19:54:55 GMT
58. The Harvest
Finally the Main Range really finds a hook for the Seventh Doctor and Ace. Their appearances in the first fifty weren’t bad per se, but they felt a bit directionless and so-so at times. This changes things dramatically with a clear tonal shift to more modern storytelling and moving Ace slightly away from her TV persona (though still far from the drastic reinvention of the Virgin novels).
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jul 5, 2022 1:59:22 GMT
I finished my listen-thru!! Woo! 1 year and 3 months, almost exactly. April 3, 20201 to July 4th, 2022. I took some breaks here and there and was listening to new released throughout. It was definitely worth it!
However, I am far from caught up in my posting!
258) Warzone/Conversion: This is one of those releases that gets better every time I hear it. Both these stories are great, but for different reasons. The slow build of the danger and the stakes for our Tardis team in Warzone is fantastic. And the emotional fallout in Conversion feels like something we've been waiting for since Adric's death. If there is a downside to this duo of stories is that it means we won't get a chance to ever really know Marc. If we had, the emotional toll of these stories would be much greater. Warzone: 8/10, Conversion 9/10
259) Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories: I really like this one. It's a very fun holiday release and I have added it to my yearly rotation, along with Chimes, Relative Dimensions and Death in Blackpool. Six and Peri at their best. 8/10
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jul 5, 2022 2:00:39 GMT
I finished my listen-thru!! Woo! 1 year and 3 months, almost exactly. April 3, 20201 to July 4th, 2022. I took some breaks here and there and was listening to new released throughout. It was definitely worth it! However, I am far from caught up in my posting! 268) Warzone/Conversion: This is one of those releases that gets better every time I hear it. Both these stories are great, but for different reasons. The slow build of the danger and the stakes for our Tardis team in Warzone is fantastic. And the emotional fallout in Conversion feels like something we've been waiting for since Adric's death. If there is a downside to this duo of stories is that it means we won't get a chance to ever really know Marc. If we had, the emotional toll of these stories would be much greater. Warzone: 8/10, Conversion 9/10 269) Blood on Santa's Claw and Other Stories: I really like this one. It's a very fun holiday release and I have added it to my yearly rotation, along with Chimes, Relative Dimensions and Death in Blackpool. Six and Peri at their best. 8/10 In case I haven't said it before, I really enjoy reading your thoughts/reviews.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jul 5, 2022 13:51:05 GMT
Thanks! They've progressively gotten shorter as I try to catch up with my listening. LOL.
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Jul 9, 2022 12:02:55 GMT
59. The Roof of the World
This story suffers from taking an age to get to the point and a very ill defined villain (it’s just a “evil from the dawn of time” trope with no nuance or creativity). Peter Davison and Caroline Morris’ performances keep things interesting however.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jul 23, 2022 15:50:52 GMT
Ok, I really need to finish posting on these. Sorry it's been a while.
260) Dark Universe: Such a good story that could have been so much better if they had trusted themselves to give it its own boxset. It would have been great to be able to really explore the relationship between Ace and The Eleven, and especially between Ace and The Doctor at this point in her life. And to see the Eleven relish his position as Master of The Dark Universe. After Mark Bonnar's turn with the Sixth Doctor in The Eleven, I think it shows what he could have done if he really had the opportunity to sink his teeth into this one. It very unusual for Big Finish to shy away from a boxset. And even more unusual to wish a 2 hour story could have been longer! So not a bad turn with this one, just a missed opportunity to make something even better. 8/10
261) The Psychic Circus: Ok, I'm just going to say it. I like James Dreyfus' Master. I think he got better with every story he was in. I do think it's a shame the way things panned out because I would have liked to see more of him. It's a good story. Maybe not a great one, but worth a listen. That being said, I didn't really need a sequel to The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Still, it's definitely worth a listen. 6/10
262) Subterfuge: I do like this one. WWII espionage is always intriguing. I love the stranded aliens plot and they are performed very well. Especially Mimi Ndiweni as Alicia. Rufus Hound is excellent in this one. He tones down the campiness a bit and seems that much more sinister. And Ian McNeice is a joy, no matter how you feel about the Doctor Who version of Churchill. 9/10
263) Cry of the Vultris: Great to have this Tardis Team back. We haven't heard Constance and Flip since Static, over 3 years (and a full 40 MR stories) earlier!! It seems Constance has recovered admirably since that ordeal since she is on good form here. I like the truly alien species and culture we get in this story. This team never fails to entertain. 7/10
264) Scorched Earth: We may be getting to the end, but the range still shows that it has life in it yet. I love this story. I love the tension between Constance and Flip. They are both very much in character here, even if Constance seems to lose her way a bit at the beginning. But it makes sense given her history. I do think that the switch of the Germans soldiers not being the villains here is a good one. The trauma to the average person that was apparent as the war receded was terrible. I saw it in my mother, and she never truly got over it. People are complex, and that is what I believe a lot of this story is about. I even have no problem with The Doctor sending the fire entity off to Skaro. It actually makes me chuckle a bit. There's no way it destroys the Daleks, but I like the idea of it causing them some difficulty for a while. 10/10
265) The Lovecraft Invasion: I liked this one a lot more on the second listen. But I do think the social commentary was a little overbearing. I know that some of it was added on due to current events at the time but still, I wish they had stuck to the story. I mean our travelers have seen Nazi's, Daleks, The Rani who experimented on people, slavers, and all sorts of horrendous people doing horrendous things, yet a pathetic little man that may have awful beliefs but really no power is their tipping point? The trip through his mind is a cool idea, and I kind of like Calypso Jonze, although again, some of her commentary was over the top. Unfortunately, this would be the last we would hear from Lisa Greenwood due to damned Covid. I do hope she gets better and we can have some new Flip stories soon. 6/10
266) Time Apart: If you can get past the fact that the placement of this release seems a little startling given the cliffhanger that was left at the end of the last Fifth Doctor story, then good. Because there is some terrific stuff in this anthology. My favorite by far is the first story Ghost Station. It's a creepy, atmospheric and original two hander that is completely captivating. But every story in this set is recommended, and they are all very different. 8/10 as a whole, 10/10 for the first story.
267) Thin Time/Madquake: Another good 2-story set. My biggest criticism is that we have to wait until the second half to see how our abandoned Tardis Team is doing. And they are not doing very well. The first story is interesting, but not Earth shattering, and I felt as if I spent the whole time wanting to yell at the Doctor to go back and get his friends. Nice to see what a non-psychopathic Slytheen is like. Marc is quite broken, mentally and physically. I wish that there had been time to get to know him better, so that there would have been a greater impact to this final story. Thin Time 6/10, Madquake 8/10
268) The Flying Dutchman/Displaced: At this point, any Seventh Doctor story that includes Hex will get an automatic 2 points tagged on to it. The terrific chemistry these three actors have is always entertaining, even if the story is just ok. And that's not the case here. These are both pretty good stories. I've never been a big fan of pirate stories, but I enjoyed this. More than I did the first time I heard it, although that may have been my state of mind at the time. The second story is creepy and clever. A fun 2 hours of audio. The Flying Dutchman 7/10, Displaced 8/10
269 & 270) Shadow of the Daleks 1&2; These are fantastic releases. And knowing the real life situation that forced these releases to happen make them even more amazing. The fact that I had no clue as to what was going on while listening to them was part of what made them so very good. And they were still great the second time. They are clever and creepy, and the fact that the Daleks are almost nowhere to be seen make them even better. We know that they have something to do what's going on. We feel their presence but not overtly. So good. 10/10
271) Plight of the Pimpernel: A good, fun Six and Peri story. I love it when Peri gets to be snarky and capable. There is a darkness underneath the swashbuckling that makes for a terrific plot twist. Why do they need to end this range? 9/10
272) The Grey Man of the Mountain: The Brigadier! Jon Culshaw at his best playing ol' Alistair. there's a lot of action and danger in this story. Sophie Aldred gets some great stuff to do with Ace in this story, and her friendship (or more?) with Kirsty is really lovely. It was tough getting Seventh Doctor content around this time, so it's a story that's nice to have. 8/10
273) The Colony of Fear: A good base under siege story with a twist. I never like to think that the Doctor would forget a companion, but this story does a good job with that premise. We are getting really close to the end now, and it seems the range is still going strong. 8/10
274) The Blazing Hour: Until this one. I do not like this one. I can even say that the first time I heard it I absolutely HATED it with a passion I hadn't felt for a long time. I hoped that my opinion would mellow this time around, but it didn't. Here is what I said after my first listen, and I feel the exact same way. "I hated it so much. Yes, hate is a strong word, but that's how I felt. The actors were great, this one was all down to the writing. It was every nonsensical cliche about government they could cram into one story. I didn't believe a single character in here could actually exist. The Doctor was written as a blind, gullible idiot and Turlough did nothing for this at all. There were times when I was driving to work that I was actually yelling about how stupid the characters were. There were one or two of them that made me actually feel bad that the actor had to figure out how to say those lines. And it made me mad that with only 2 MR releases left, THIS is what they gave us. I gave it a 2/10 because I was feeling generous toward the talented individuals that tried their hardest to make this mess of a story work." And it stands and 2/10.
275) The End of the Beginning: And here it is folks! The multi-Doctor story we've been waiting for! A story so good that it's worthy of wrapping up almost 22 years of Doctor Who wonderfulness! Hmmm, well...it is a multi-Doctor story. The rest is up for debate. It's not a bad story, but it surely isn't the blockbuster I was expecting. But I believe that was done purposely. BF didn't want this story to feel like an ending to anything, more like a jumping off point. It was one of the most middle of the road stories I think I've ever heard from them. Not bad at all, but not special. Although I did love the Eight/Charley pairing again. So it's a perfectly passable, unremarkable story that does what it's supposed to do but comes nowhere near the best the range has to offer. 5/10; 6/10 if only for the multi-Doctor aspect of it.
And that's it! It's done! To be honest, I still miss this range. The boxsets have not come anywhere near what this range could do. And I do not feel the kind of excitement that I used do knowing that a new MR story was coming out. Oh well, they had a good run.
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Jul 23, 2022 16:04:28 GMT
Ok, I really need to finish posting on these. Sorry it's been a while. 270) Dark Universe: Such a good story that could have been so much better if they had trusted themselves to give it its own boxset. It would have been great to be able to really explore the relationship between Ace and The Eleven, and especially between Ace and The Doctor at this point in her life. And to see the Eleven relish his position as Master of The Dark Universe. After Mark Bonnar's turn with the Sixth Doctor in The Eleven, I think it shows what he could have done if he really had the opportunity to sink his teeth into this one. It very unusual for Big Finish to shy away from a boxset. And even more unusual to wish a 2 hour story could have been longer! So not a bad turn with this one, just a missed opportunity to make something even better. 8/10 271) The Psychic Circus: Ok, I'm just going to say it. I like James Dreyfus' Master. I think he got better with every story he was in. I do think it's a shame the way things panned out because I would have liked to see more of him. It's a good story. Maybe not a great one, but worth a listen. That being said, I didn't really need a sequel to The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Still, it's definitely worth a listen. 6/10 272) Subterfuge: I do like this one. WWII espionage is always intriguing. I love the stranded aliens plot and they are performed very well. Especially Mimi Ndiweni as Alicia. Rufus Hound is excellent in this one. He tones down the campiness a bit and seems that much more sinister. And Ian McNeice is a joy, no matter how you feel about the Doctor Who version of Churchill. 9/10 273) Cry of the Vultris: Great to have this Tardis Team back. We haven't heard Constance and Flip since Static, over 3 years (and a full 40 MR stories) earlier!! It seems Constance has recovered admirably since that ordeal since she is on good form here. I like the truly alien species and culture we get in this story. This team never fails to entertain. 7/10 274) Scorched Earth: We may be getting to the end, but the range still shows that it has life in it yet. I love this story. I love the tension between Constance and Flip. They are both very much in character here, even if Constance seems to lose her way a bit at the beginning. But it makes sense given her history. I do think that the switch of the Germans soldiers not being the villains here is a good one. The trauma to the average person that was apparent as the war receded was terrible. I saw it in my mother, and she never truly got over it. People are complex, and that is what I believe a lot of this story is about. I even have no problem with The Doctor sending the fire entity off to Skaro. It actually makes me chuckle a bit. There's no way it destroys the Daleks, but I like the idea of it causing them some difficulty for a while. 10/10 275) The Lovecraft Invasion: I liked this one a lot more on the second listen. But I do think the social commentary was a little overbearing. I know that some of it was added on due to current events at the time but still, I wish they had stuck to the story. I mean our travelers have seen Nazi's, Daleks, The Rani who experimented on people, slavers, and all sorts of horrendous people doing horrendous things, yet a pathetic little man that may have awful beliefs but really no power is their tipping point? The trip through his mind is a cool idea, and I kind of like Calypso Jonze, although again, some of her commentary was over the top. Unfortunately, this would be the last we would hear from Lisa Greenwood due to damned Covid. I do hope she gets better and we can have some new Flip stories soon. 6/10 276) Time Apart: If you can get past the fact that the placement of this release seems a little startling given the cliffhanger that was left at the end of the last Fifth Doctor story, then good. Because there is some terrific stuff in this anthology. My favorite by far is the first story Ghost Station. It's a creepy, atmospheric and original two hander that is completely captivating. But every story in this set is recommended, and they are all very different. 8/10 as a whole, 10/10 for the first story. 277) Thin Time/Madquake: Another good 2-story set. My biggest criticism is that we have to wait until the second half to see how our abandoned Tardis Team is doing. And they are not doing very well. The first story is interesting, but not Earth shattering, and I felt as if I spent the whole time wanting to yell at the Doctor to go back and get his friends. Nice to see what a non-psychopathic Slytheen is like. Marc is quite broken, mentally and physically. I wish that there had been time to get to know him better, so that there would have been a greater impact to this final story. Thin Time 6/10, Madquake 8/10 278) The Flying Dutchman/Displaced: At this point, any Seventh Doctor story that includes Hex will get an automatic 2 points tagged on to it. The terrific chemistry these three actors have is always entertaining, even if the story is just ok. And that's not the case here. These are both pretty good stories. I've never been a big fan of pirate stories, but I enjoyed this. More than I did the first time I heard it, although that may have been my state of mind at the time. The second story is creepy and clever. A fun 2 hours of audio. The Flying Dutchman 7/10, Displaced 8/10 279 & 280) Shadow of the Daleks 1&2; These are fantastic releases. And knowing the real life situation that forced these releases to happen make them even more amazing. The fact that I had no clue as to what was going on while listening to them was part of what made them so very good. And they were still great the second time. They are clever and creepy, and the fact that the Daleks are almost nowhere to be seen make them even better. We know that they have something to do what's going on. We feel their presence but not overtly. So good. 10/10 281) Plight of the Pimpernel: A good, fun Six and Peri story. I love it when Peri gets to be snarky and capable. There is a darkness underneath the swashbuckling that makes for a terrific plot twist. Why do they need to end this range? 9/10 282) The Grey Man of the Mountain: The Brigadier! Jon Culshaw at his best playing ol' Alistair. there's a lot of action and danger in this story. Sophie Aldred gets some great stuff to do with Ace in this story, and her friendship (or more?) with Kirsty is really lovely. It was tough getting Seventh Doctor content around this time, so it's a story that's nice to have. 8/10 283) The Colony of Fear: A good base under siege story with a twist. I never like to think that the Doctor would forget a companion, but this story does a good job with that premise. We are getting really close to the end now, and it seems the range is still going strong. 8/10 284) The Blazing Hour: Until this one. I do not like this one. I can even say that the first time I heard it I absolutely HATED it with a passion I hadn't felt for a long time. I hoped that my opinion would mellow this time around, but it didn't. Here is what I said after my first listen, and I feel the exact same way. "I hated it so much. Yes, hate is a strong word, but that's how I felt. The actors were great, this one was all down to the writing. It was every nonsensical cliche about government they could cram into one story. I didn't believe a single character in here could actually exist. The Doctor was written as a blind, gullible idiot and Turlough did nothing for this at all. There were times when I was driving to work that I was actually yelling about how stupid the characters were. There were one or two of them that made me actually feel bad that the actor had to figure out how to say those lines. And it made me mad that with only 2 MR releases left, THIS is what they gave us. I gave it a 2/10 because I was feeling generous toward the talented individuals that tried their hardest to make this mess of a story work." And it stands and 2/10. 285) The End of the Beginning: And here it is folks! The multi-Doctor story we've been waiting for! A story so good that it's worthy of wrapping up almost 22 years of Doctor Who wonderfulness! Hmmm, well...it is a multi-Doctor story. The rest is up for debate. It's not a bad story, but it surely isn't the blockbuster I was expecting. But I believe that was done purposely. BF didn't want this story to feel like an ending to anything, more like a jumping off point. It was one of the most middle of the road stories I think I've ever heard from them. Not bad at all, but not special. Although I did love the Eight/Charley pairing again. So it's a perfectly passable, unremarkable story that does what it's supposed to do but comes nowhere near the best the range has to offer. 5/10; 6/10 if only for the multi-Doctor aspect of it. And that's it! It's done! To be honest, I still miss this range. The boxsets have not come anywhere near what this range could do. And I do not feel the kind of excitement that I used do knowing that a new MR story was coming out. Oh well, they had a good run. Firstly well done Second you've Added a factor of 10 to the numbers again your right until Tartarus which should be 256 Not 266. Regards mark687
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jul 23, 2022 16:11:59 GMT
Ok, I really need to finish posting on these. Sorry it's been a while. 270) Dark Universe: Such a good story that could have been so much better if they had trusted themselves to give it its own boxset. It would have been great to be able to really explore the relationship between Ace and The Eleven, and especially between Ace and The Doctor at this point in her life. And to see the Eleven relish his position as Master of The Dark Universe. After Mark Bonnar's turn with the Sixth Doctor in The Eleven, I think it shows what he could have done if he really had the opportunity to sink his teeth into this one. It very unusual for Big Finish to shy away from a boxset. And even more unusual to wish a 2 hour story could have been longer! So not a bad turn with this one, just a missed opportunity to make something even better. 8/10 271) The Psychic Circus: Ok, I'm just going to say it. I like James Dreyfus' Master. I think he got better with every story he was in. I do think it's a shame the way things panned out because I would have liked to see more of him. It's a good story. Maybe not a great one, but worth a listen. That being said, I didn't really need a sequel to The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Still, it's definitely worth a listen. 6/10 272) Subterfuge: I do like this one. WWII espionage is always intriguing. I love the stranded aliens plot and they are performed very well. Especially Mimi Ndiweni as Alicia. Rufus Hound is excellent in this one. He tones down the campiness a bit and seems that much more sinister. And Ian McNeice is a joy, no matter how you feel about the Doctor Who version of Churchill. 9/10 273) Cry of the Vultris: Great to have this Tardis Team back. We haven't heard Constance and Flip since Static, over 3 years (and a full 40 MR stories) earlier!! It seems Constance has recovered admirably since that ordeal since she is on good form here. I like the truly alien species and culture we get in this story. This team never fails to entertain. 7/10 274) Scorched Earth: We may be getting to the end, but the range still shows that it has life in it yet. I love this story. I love the tension between Constance and Flip. They are both very much in character here, even if Constance seems to lose her way a bit at the beginning. But it makes sense given her history. I do think that the switch of the Germans soldiers not being the villains here is a good one. The trauma to the average person that was apparent as the war receded was terrible. I saw it in my mother, and she never truly got over it. People are complex, and that is what I believe a lot of this story is about. I even have no problem with The Doctor sending the fire entity off to Skaro. It actually makes me chuckle a bit. There's no way it destroys the Daleks, but I like the idea of it causing them some difficulty for a while. 10/10 275) The Lovecraft Invasion: I liked this one a lot more on the second listen. But I do think the social commentary was a little overbearing. I know that some of it was added on due to current events at the time but still, I wish they had stuck to the story. I mean our travelers have seen Nazi's, Daleks, The Rani who experimented on people, slavers, and all sorts of horrendous people doing horrendous things, yet a pathetic little man that may have awful beliefs but really no power is their tipping point? The trip through his mind is a cool idea, and I kind of like Calypso Jonze, although again, some of her commentary was over the top. Unfortunately, this would be the last we would hear from Lisa Greenwood due to damned Covid. I do hope she gets better and we can have some new Flip stories soon. 6/10 276) Time Apart: If you can get past the fact that the placement of this release seems a little startling given the cliffhanger that was left at the end of the last Fifth Doctor story, then good. Because there is some terrific stuff in this anthology. My favorite by far is the first story Ghost Station. It's a creepy, atmospheric and original two hander that is completely captivating. But every story in this set is recommended, and they are all very different. 8/10 as a whole, 10/10 for the first story. 277) Thin Time/Madquake: Another good 2-story set. My biggest criticism is that we have to wait until the second half to see how our abandoned Tardis Team is doing. And they are not doing very well. The first story is interesting, but not Earth shattering, and I felt as if I spent the whole time wanting to yell at the Doctor to go back and get his friends. Nice to see what a non-psychopathic Slytheen is like. Marc is quite broken, mentally and physically. I wish that there had been time to get to know him better, so that there would have been a greater impact to this final story. Thin Time 6/10, Madquake 8/10 278) The Flying Dutchman/Displaced: At this point, any Seventh Doctor story that includes Hex will get an automatic 2 points tagged on to it. The terrific chemistry these three actors have is always entertaining, even if the story is just ok. And that's not the case here. These are both pretty good stories. I've never been a big fan of pirate stories, but I enjoyed this. More than I did the first time I heard it, although that may have been my state of mind at the time. The second story is creepy and clever. A fun 2 hours of audio. The Flying Dutchman 7/10, Displaced 8/10 279 & 280) Shadow of the Daleks 1&2; These are fantastic releases. And knowing the real life situation that forced these releases to happen make them even more amazing. The fact that I had no clue as to what was going on while listening to them was part of what made them so very good. And they were still great the second time. They are clever and creepy, and the fact that the Daleks are almost nowhere to be seen make them even better. We know that they have something to do what's going on. We feel their presence but not overtly. So good. 10/10 281) Plight of the Pimpernel: A good, fun Six and Peri story. I love it when Peri gets to be snarky and capable. There is a darkness underneath the swashbuckling that makes for a terrific plot twist. Why do they need to end this range? 9/10 282) The Grey Man of the Mountain: The Brigadier! Jon Culshaw at his best playing ol' Alistair. there's a lot of action and danger in this story. Sophie Aldred gets some great stuff to do with Ace in this story, and her friendship (or more?) with Kirsty is really lovely. It was tough getting Seventh Doctor content around this time, so it's a story that's nice to have. 8/10 283) The Colony of Fear: A good base under siege story with a twist. I never like to think that the Doctor would forget a companion, but this story does a good job with that premise. We are getting really close to the end now, and it seems the range is still going strong. 8/10 284) The Blazing Hour: Until this one. I do not like this one. I can even say that the first time I heard it I absolutely HATED it with a passion I hadn't felt for a long time. I hoped that my opinion would mellow this time around, but it didn't. Here is what I said after my first listen, and I feel the exact same way. "I hated it so much. Yes, hate is a strong word, but that's how I felt. The actors were great, this one was all down to the writing. It was every nonsensical cliche about government they could cram into one story. I didn't believe a single character in here could actually exist. The Doctor was written as a blind, gullible idiot and Turlough did nothing for this at all. There were times when I was driving to work that I was actually yelling about how stupid the characters were. There were one or two of them that made me actually feel bad that the actor had to figure out how to say those lines. And it made me mad that with only 2 MR releases left, THIS is what they gave us. I gave it a 2/10 because I was feeling generous toward the talented individuals that tried their hardest to make this mess of a story work." And it stands and 2/10. 285) The End of the Beginning: And here it is folks! The multi-Doctor story we've been waiting for! A story so good that it's worthy of wrapping up almost 22 years of Doctor Who wonderfulness! Hmmm, well...it is a multi-Doctor story. The rest is up for debate. It's not a bad story, but it surely isn't the blockbuster I was expecting. But I believe that was done purposely. BF didn't want this story to feel like an ending to anything, more like a jumping off point. It was one of the most middle of the road stories I think I've ever heard from them. Not bad at all, but not special. Although I did love the Eight/Charley pairing again. So it's a perfectly passable, unremarkable story that does what it's supposed to do but comes nowhere near the best the range has to offer. 5/10; 6/10 if only for the multi-Doctor aspect of it. And that's it! It's done! To be honest, I still miss this range. The boxsets have not come anywhere near what this range could do. And I do not feel the kind of excitement that I used do knowing that a new MR story was coming out. Oh well, they had a good run. Firstly well done Second you've Added a factor of 10 to the numbers again your right until Tartarus which should be 256 Not 266. Regards mar687 Damn my brain. I knew something seemed off. Thanks for being my editor! LOL
|
|
|
Post by mark687 on Jul 23, 2022 16:18:02 GMT
Firstly well done Second you've Added a factor of 10 to the numbers again your right until Tartarus which should be 256 Not 266. Regards mar687 Damn my brain. I knew something seemed off. Thanks for being my editor! LOL Your Welcome Regards mark687
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Jul 25, 2022 8:59:50 GMT
60. Medicinal Purposes
Well this spectacularly messes up Sixie’s characterisation after Arrangements for War. Was no-one checking for consistency here? Anyway Sixie goes from wanting to shake Burke and Hare’s hands for their jolly good work graverobbing and murdering to coming to the shocking conclusion that maybe these murderers aren’t all that nice. It’s also a bit rich for him to lay into Knox for exploiting the murders for money, given that his reason for getting involved was purely for name-dropping purposes.
Speaking of Knox, he’s just a poor man’s Master isn’t he. He speaks incredibly elaborately, delights in being evil and has a TARDIS. He’s just the Ainley Master but with an even more convoluted plot. If he’s not even really bothering to try to find a cure anymore why is he still in Edinburgh at all - is Burke and Hare tourists really that lucrative (and we don’t see any of these supposed punters)? If that’s his scheme why did he delete Burke from existence until the Doctor started messing things up? If his only reason for hiring Burke and Hare was because he couldn’t risk murdering people himself due to the virus being loose, why does he literally join Hare in a murder at the start of Part 3?
Also Evelyn’s present, with little more to contribute than gently nudging the Doctor that maybe this pair of murderers shouldn’t be idolised even if their actions did have long term benefits to science.
|
|
|
Post by elkawho on Jul 25, 2022 17:32:52 GMT
60. Medicinal PurposesWell this spectacularly messes up Sixie’s characterisation after Arrangements for War. Was no-one checking for consistency here? Anyway Sixie goes from wanting to shake Burke and Hare’s hands for their jolly good work graverobbing and murdering to coming to the shocking conclusion that maybe these murderers aren’t all that nice. It’s also a bit rich for him to lay into Knox for exploiting the murders for money, given that his reason for getting involved was purely for name-dropping purposes. Speaking of Knox, he’s just a poor man’s Master isn’t he. He speaks incredibly elaborately, delights in being evil and has a TARDIS. He’s just the Ainley Master but with an even more convoluted plot. If he’s not even really bothering to try to find a cure anymore why is he still in Edinburgh at all - is Burke and Hare tourists really that lucrative (and we don’t see any of these supposed punters)? If that’s his scheme why did he delete Burke from existence until the Doctor started messing things up? If his only reason for hiring Burke and Hare was because he couldn’t risk murdering people himself due to the virus being loose, why does he literally join Hare in a murder at the start of Part 3? Also Evelyn’s present, with little more to contribute than gently nudging the Doctor that maybe this pair of murderers shouldn’t be idolised even if their actions did have long term benefits to science. I agree with you regarding Sixie's characterization in this one. It's disturbing.
|
|
|
Post by sherlock on Nov 27, 2022 15:01:59 GMT
61. Faith Stealer
Yes I am still going but mixture of new releases keeping me busy, Medicinal Purposes leaving a bad taste and just life in general have delayed me.
Anyway, I really enjoyed revisiting this story. The first of the Divergent arc to remember Who is supposed to be fun sometimes too.
|
|