9DA Vol 3 - Lost Warriors (spoilers on release)

I'm not terribly concerned with continuity either, but I like to think of the various Time Lord incarnations' character arcs, and sort of loosely chart where stories fit along those arcs. Like, the 5th Doctor has a very different vibe pre-/post-Adric. There are these, I dunno... fulcrum points where the characters change. Opinions on where, precisely, they are for each Doctor may vary, but to me the 9th Doctor has two: meeting Rose in Rose, and encountering the Dalek in Dalek.

...And now that I've written that last sentence, it suddenly becomes very conspicuous to me how identical those two episode titles are. Was that intentional, I wonder? It gives the impression that the one is of equal import and consequence to the other. Neat.

Anyway, the cool thing about the 9DAs (and what has been the cool thing about the 6DAs and 9DAs) that they haven't yet really done anything with is the potential to add additional "fulcrum points" to the character since there's no real starting point for the 9th Doctor. IE we can easily imagine the 9th Doctor's character immediately after regeneration being very different to the characterization we've seen so far.

Think how much Colin Baker's performance in the audios, especially with Evelyn, differs from his much more abrasive character in the first TV stories, for example.

I think it’s just one of those things where real life and in universe don’t quite reconcile. Eccleston wanted to not touch upon his TV series and so Big Finish have respected that and gone in a different direction. It’s very similar to Colin; his Ol Sixie persona bares little resemblance to what he’s like on screen, even in Trial of a Time Lord. It’s what Colin wanted to do and it’s a direct response to how unfavourable his era was deemed by the fanbase.

Whether it affects you or not will differ from person to person. Of course, that’s not to say they won’t provide a reason in later 9DAs.

I agree, this is this merry “run for your life!” Doctor, the “turn of the Earth” Doctor. He’s quippy, he’s clearly carrying baggage and he knows his place in the universe is to be the guy who pops in, fixes the current problem and potters off again. He has no and wants no long term commitments unless he meets someone he thinks is special (ie Fred or Rose) and by special I believe it means “someone whose compassion isn’t a shallow pool to be doled out from carefully” like how he sees his own, someone who he sees can help him rediscover the sparkle in the universe. He’s not ready to open up about what happened during the War but has had the long dark night they talk about in “Day of the Doctor” where he counted all the losses, but he plants that at the feet of his predecessor and uses “hello, I’mthe Doctor” as a rebuttal of everything that that version of his was. It’s not until “Dalek” that he sees in himself, in his current self, that very same rage and dangerousness that he used to think only belonged to his past self that he begins to face up to everything he did…which leads to the cartharsis of “coward, every time” in “Parting of the Ways” he accepts himself as The Doctor, former war criminal who knows that he’ll never do what he did again. 

Frankly though, Eccelston can play the character however he pleases.
It’s not as if Colin’s playing a TV accurate sixie.

Started on this.
Well, what a breath of fresh air. This was a step up from the recent offerings from Big Finish!

"The Hunting Season"- very interesting that the Doctor is charged here with saving some truly unlikable awful people. Nice change. Also, we get a nice little twist in there, that even had me on the fence if they were going for it or not.

"Curse of Lady Macbeth"- on the convention, Eccleston said at his panel that this was one of his favorite stories he had done for BF. Of course I was curious. Well, it sets the scene well, it is mysterious, has nice atmosphere, interesting characters and the pacing is good. The villain is not exactly the most original (how many aliens did we have so far that had fed on strong emotions?) but at least it is used well and effectively.

Overall, I am very happy with the performances, everyone does a great job.

About the above discussion of Eccleston's performance. I can see why some think he is too happy, not traumatized enough and not letting show the weight he carries.
Yes, the stories are very up-beat and the Doctor here reminds me a bit of what Tennant did.
However, I at least imagined that I could hear some doubt and sadness in the Doctor's voice, small paused and short remarks, that give you a glimpse at his soul, only to be hidden behind the "happy act" seconds later. As with Tennant, all the fear and pain and loss is just hidden behind a mask and an act.
But maybe I am just imagining things.
But I agree, these stories do not go into the depth of the Doctor's soul (this is reserved for "Dalek") but are more about happy entertainment. There is just a hint at the internal struggles going on.

Now I am curious for the Metropolis story, which appears to be a listener's favorite.

I wonder if the range will eventually have a story that could explain what caused "happy 9" to become "tv 9"...

That would be an interesting story, When the range first started, I would have said that it wasn't likely. The impression I got was that Eccleston was not interested in doing anything too continuity heavy/tied into past or future stories. Then .