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Post by nitronine on Sept 12, 2021 19:03:34 GMT
I love everything about this set. Stories 2 and 3 were both excellent, and in another set or told on their own they would probably be stars. However, in this set, they are just "the other two stories", because how can they compare with The Lost Resort? It truly is a work of art, and long overdue. Others have said it better than I, and I would just be repeating their comments. But it truly is outstanding. I do have one thing to say about Nightmare of the Daleks. It was a good exit for Marc, but I am sorry to see him go so soon. I really wanted to see more of his development after his experience in Conversion. It seems that gone are the days of taking a new character and allowing them space to develop (thank goodness for Constance). I was really hoping Marc would be as long a companion as Hex or Lucie, or even Erimem. Ah well. As I said, it was a good exit. I kinda get the impression from Scott Handcock's twitter that they knew the monthly range was ended so wanted to make their Marc (pun intended) in the little time they had. Although I don't think it's been explicitly stated so I could be away off the Marc (ok I'll stop). Plus I think there's definitely space for more stories on either side of the Nellie Bly story. I think Marc is still new in Nightmare but so is solo Constance by the end of her original run and that never stopped big finish from pushing that gap wide open.
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Post by barnabaslives on Sept 13, 2021 16:50:16 GMT
Dang, I probably shouldn't have peeked in here until I finished the whole set. I wanted to lavish some praise on the first two stories, though. I thought they were both outstanding.
I have a gripe with the first story but it has absolutely nothing to do with the author, I'm sure it's just me venting but I'm just weary of the trope that no one should want to live longer than they get and for as relatively few Big Finish Adric stories as there have been it's not the first time it's come up. Au contraire, I really wish my parents were still alive and what would the harm be if they were?
Sure, you can make endless stories about all the things that hopefully no one would really want to do to live any longer - everything from mechanizing yourself to vampirism to stealing a Time Lord's regenerations - but I always resent any insinuation that it would automatically be disastrous if people did live longer. To me, the things that motivates people to add to population growth including - well, you want to have kids by the time you're 20 so there's anything left of you by the time you pack them off to college, right? - aren't necessarily a fact of life for people with longer lifespans who have more time for parenting. If people typically lived to be 10,000, they could put off childbearing until they're 8000 or 9000 years old. I refuse - or just fail - to see longevity as an automatic death sentence for all of humanity.
Rather, I'd love to see sci-fi stories sometimes that have civilizations that live by rules like that. As I say, likely that's just me.
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Post by grinch on Sept 13, 2021 17:06:57 GMT
Dang, I probably shouldn't have peeked in here until I finished the whole set. I wanted to lavish some praise on the first two stories, though. I thought they were both outstanding. I have a gripe with the first story but it has absolutely nothing to do with the author, I'm sure it's just me venting but I'm just weary of the trope that no one should want to live longer than they get and for as relatively few Big Finish Adric stories as there have been it's not the first time it's come up. Au contraire, I really wish my parents were still alive and what would the harm be if they were? Sure, you can make endless stories about all the things that hopefully no one would really want to do to live any longer - everything from mechanizing yourself to vampirism to stealing a Time Lord's regenerations - but I always resent any insinuation that it would automatically be disastrous if people did live longer. To me, the things that motivates people to add to population growth including - well, you want to have kids by the time you're 20 so there's anything left of you by the time you pack them off to college, right? - aren't necessarily a fact of life for people with longer lifespans who have more time for parenting. If people typically lived to be 10,000, they could put off childbearing until they're 8000 or 9000 years old. I refuse - or just fail - to see longevity as an automatic death sentence for all of humanity. Rather, I'd love to see sci-fi stories sometimes that have civilizations that live by rules like that. As I say, likely that's just me. It’s an interesting point you bring up. Definitely think you could have a character appear who is practically immortal but sees it as a gift rather than a burden. Who considers their newfound longevity being the best thing that has ever happened to them.
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Post by IndieMacUser on Sept 16, 2021 17:39:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2021 14:48:56 GMT
PS: Considering that they were originally intended to be Main Range releases 268 and 269, I wonder if they'll add the PDF scripts and extended extras (interviews and music suites)? UPDATE: I contacted Big Finish and they said that they currently have "no plans" to add them.
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Post by Tim Bradley on Sept 17, 2021 15:01:11 GMT
PS: Considering that they were originally intended to be Main Range releases 268 and 269, I wonder if they'll add the PDF scripts and extended extras (interviews and music suites)? UPDATE: I contacted Big Finish and they said that they currently have "no plans" to add them. Shame that. It was nice to get those extras like scripts, extended interviews and bonus Short Trips to enjoy when subscribing to main range 'Doctor Who' via Big Finish. Tim.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2021 16:10:08 GMT
UPDATE: I contacted Big Finish and they said that they currently have "no plans" to add them. Shame that. It was nice to get those extras like scripts, extended interviews and bonus Short Trips to enjoy when subscribing to main range 'Doctor Who' via Big Finish. Tim. Somebody actually asked about this in Vortex 140 (page 17).
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Post by barnabaslives on Sept 18, 2021 23:03:25 GMT
Dang, I probably shouldn't have peeked in here until I finished the whole set. I wanted to lavish some praise on the first two stories, though. I thought they were both outstanding. I have a gripe with the first story but it has absolutely nothing to do with the author, I'm sure it's just me venting but I'm just weary of the trope that no one should want to live longer than they get and for as relatively few Big Finish Adric stories as there have been it's not the first time it's come up. Au contraire, I really wish my parents were still alive and what would the harm be if they were? Sure, you can make endless stories about all the things that hopefully no one would really want to do to live any longer - everything from mechanizing yourself to vampirism to stealing a Time Lord's regenerations - but I always resent any insinuation that it would automatically be disastrous if people did live longer. To me, the things that motivates people to add to population growth including - well, you want to have kids by the time you're 20 so there's anything left of you by the time you pack them off to college, right? - aren't necessarily a fact of life for people with longer lifespans who have more time for parenting. If people typically lived to be 10,000, they could put off childbearing until they're 8000 or 9000 years old. I refuse - or just fail - to see longevity as an automatic death sentence for all of humanity. Rather, I'd love to see sci-fi stories sometimes that have civilizations that live by rules like that. As I say, likely that's just me. It’s an interesting point you bring up. Definitely think you could have a character appear who is practically immortal but sees it as a gift rather than a burden. Who considers their newfound longevity being the best thing that has ever happened to them. Well, I guess that must be part of my gripe is that I think of The Doctor that way, so you know... I guess the whole "immortality is curse" trope might be sort of at odds with that? I think I might have figured out what's really bugging me, though - I mean there's a lot of the trope around and I know it and I usually don't complain, but this is the second Adric story where I felt like I SHOULD complain because it was part of the proceedings. I guess it feels like A Full Life and The Lost Resort are trying to console us that it's for the better that we can't have Adric come back which I also think was the mistake of a certain infamous Monthly Range story. That's probably not necessary because I don't know if I'm consolable about it in the first place - I don't think I'll ever think of it has being for the better, but if I were consolable, it probably begins and ends with the same consolation I accepted when I first saw Earthshock, which is that you can't just go around tweaking timelines to your own liking even if you lost a Companion to circumstances. That will suffice as consolation, it always has. I'm not sure stories need to KEEP explaining why The Doctor can't bring Adric back. Does any of that make any sense whatsoever? lol
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2021 13:19:42 GMT
PS: Considering that they were originally intended to be Main Range releases 268 and 269, I wonder if they'll add the PDF scripts and extended extras (interviews and music suites)? UPDATE: I contacted Big Finish and they said that they currently have "no plans" to add them. No plans doesn't mean it will never happen. There's a good few things Big Finish had no plans to do, until they did!
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Post by Kestrel on Sept 21, 2021 6:07:57 GMT
If the premise, which is known beforehand, would actually cause someone pain, wouldn't they just not listen to it? Theoretically yes, but the fun(?) thing about deep-seated trauma is that we never know what might reawaken it. Like if someone has trauma associated with hospitals, they might be fine with most stories set in a hospital, but be bowled over by a scene in a hospital cafeteria, with characters eating bad food and making small talk while trying to avoid thinking about the reason they're there in the first place. It's all about mental associations--and they can be anything. A sight, a sound, a smell. This is part of the reason why content warnings are ultimately futile: all we can really do is mention the broad-strokes content that might be problematic for some people. No one's reading synopses and going, "this will definitely trigger an unpleasant psychological reaction in me." But they'll understand that it might, and use that knowledge to determine whether or not consuming the media in question is worth the risk. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not, and I think it's valuable to give people that choice rather than simply blindsiding them, especially with content that is rather commonly associated with trauma--like abuse and sexual assault. Like... I've definitely gotten some shit for this opinion, but even before the whole term "trigger warning" blew up, I'd advocated for content-warning labels for all forms of media, in the same way we have content advisory boards for film and video games. It's good to know what's in media before consuming, yeah? Just like, a general idea.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Sept 23, 2021 12:13:02 GMT
Overall didn't really enjoy this one much, the first story was the best (but very flawed & nothing I'd return to), the 2nd story very average & uneventful & the 3rd story, daleks again. Marc as a character is fine but I never felt really invested in enough get drawn into the emotional hook.
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Post by timegirl on Sept 23, 2021 14:28:41 GMT
I liked the first two stories in this set a lot! It’s strange, 5is my least favorite tv Doctor, but I love gruff older BF 5 and I think almost all of his BF stories that I have listened to (well except for Necromantia) have been really strong! The Last Resort was very disturbing and sad but very well done. I thought the scenes with Adric’s ghost were very effective. I always think there is something (I don’t know if special is the right word but) special about when the Doctor speaks to a deceased companion. I kind of agree with barnabuslives point though, I don’t know what would be wrong about these characters being brought back to life? Especially since Adric was a teenager when he died, surely giving someone who died so young a second chance would would be good. The twist about the hospital being for the dead was interesting and I was surprised I didn’t guess that earlier. I liked the robot child and his odd quirk of saying “The Doctor” all the time when talking to 5.
The Perils of Nelie Bly was a good change of pace with a very light hearted pure historical. Is it just me, or were Tegan and Nelie’s interactions slightly flirtatious? There seemed to be an interesting playful flirty subtext between their relationship the entire story. I liked the race against time and mistaken identity were fun and well done. I didn’t know anything about Nelie so that was cool. I liked her pet monkey because it reminded me of all the stories I heard about my great uncle’s pet monkey he had years ago when he was a sailor. Overall really light and fun!
Nightmare of the Daleks: I think the concepts in this one were a bit overdone for my taste. I’m a bit daleked out and sleep pods and dreams gone wrong have been done better before in DW. I thought they could have been more creative with the nightmare sequences and it all blended together into a forgettable blur. I did think Mark’s goodbye was effective though, and it was interesting having cyber technology being used for good against the Daleks. Other than that I think this was a bit of a dud for me.
Good set overall but I think I much prefer the first two stories to the last.
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Post by barnabaslives on Sept 23, 2021 19:47:11 GMT
Okay... I've spent two posts now bagging on the first story because of my pet peeve about a particular trope and even compared it to a certain sometimes dreaded story from the Monthly Range. For the sake of fairness, maybe I should also put some emphasis on some of the positives for me about The Lost Resort?
I've been something of a fan of A.K. Benedict ever since she wrote for Torchwood audios. I may not be able to define it but I feel like she brings something special to the table. Maybe part of it is excellence as a storyteller, case in point here you can see what a touchy subject Adric can be for me, and to write a story where Adric and Marc both appear and have me find it palatable really is quite an achievement in itself. I'm not at all convinced that just anybody writing for Big Finish could have done that.
Second, because that succeeds so well, the story for me does tons to elevate the legitimacy of Marc as a character. I mean, Marc is brilliant in part for the same reasons I think Katarina is brilliant, but more and more I think I'd prefer for Big Finish to introduce new characters less and make the most of classic cast more. Maybe we have Marc because it just wasn't feasible, but I'd MUCH rather have had Turlough in these stories than Marc, so that is really another big challenge for any writer here and I think A.K. made all of that work with flying colors. As much as I may like the character of Marc, The Lost Resort is really the first time for me that it felt like he belonged to the Fifth Doctor era, which basically lends that sense now to his entire tenure. That's easily worth a big "Bravo!" in my book.
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Post by barnabaslives on Sept 27, 2021 22:10:55 GMT
Finished the set. I'll say "All's Well That Ends Well" but I think there is a little bit of optional decision-making involved just how to spin the ending. I think there's been a lot of healing over the loss of Adric for The Doctor involved so if one isn't careful it's almost like Marc's departure is met with uncharacteristic nonchalance, but I think one can choose to see it as The Doctor having done enough healing though the course of it to face up to the loss of Marc more stoically, if that makes sense? Hope I'm not just full of sour grapes because I'd rather have had Turlough, lol. :-)
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Post by Digi on Sept 28, 2021 0:50:28 GMT
Listened to this set last night and today. Lost Resort didn't quite hold my attention, though admittedly I was a little distracted during, and had the distinct feeling that it'll grow on me in subsequent relistens. Nellie Bly was just a ton of fun, really enjoyed it a lot. Nightmare was an enjoyable listen, but I'm not sure it'll go down as one that I feel especially compelled to go out of my way to revisit over and over.
Stray thought as I was finishing it up: I wonder if perhaps the closing scene of Tartarus might work better if it's separated from the rest of the story and moved down to post-Nightmare.
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Post by tuigirl on Sept 28, 2021 20:25:45 GMT
Started on Lost Resort. Off to a good start! I like the atmosphere in this. I also like the more emotional Doctor, he is on edge and barely holding it together. Also, the Tardis team have some conflicts and they are not trying to mimic a happy little family.
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Post by tuigirl on Sept 29, 2021 21:18:48 GMT
Finished the set! I really liked it. The second story is fun,just a fun run around, chases on ships and trains and great characters. And the last story was sufficient dark and tragic, even if I am really getting tired of Daleks. But at least they are used in a different way here. Mark does get a good finale and a satisfying send-off. All in all, I really liked the darker tone and the emotional, shaken 5th Doctor. The whole story line with Marc has been great and might be among my favorite 5th Doctor stories.
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Post by Ian McArdell on Oct 2, 2021 13:29:34 GMT
My take is now up at CultBox - enjoyed this set, especially the historical with Nellie Bly.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
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Post by lidar2 on Oct 14, 2021 19:42:20 GMT
Overall a great release. 3 very different but enjoyable stories.
My fave had to be Perils, a fun romp. It reminded me A LOT of the Perils of Penelope Pitstop with the TARDIS crew in the role of the Ant Hill mob and the heroine going from one trap to the next
I did wonder though why neither the Dr nor Nyssa referred to the boy that time forgot in the lost resort. Even though Adric apparently survived Earthshock, the lost resort took it as read that he did in fact die in Earthshock after all.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2021 21:49:23 GMT
I did wonder though why neither the Dr nor Nyssa referred to the boy that time forgot in the lost resort. Even though Adric apparently survived Earthshock, the lost resort took it as read that he did in fact die in Earthshock after all.
A) The Boy that Time Forgot is a story that everybody should forget.
B) Adric did die in "Earthshock".
C) Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey!
Take your pick ...
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