3DA The Annihilators Out Now Spoilers Ok
Feb 21, 2022 2:57:49 GMT
elkawho, redsharkJason, and 4 more like this
Post by Kestrel on Feb 21, 2022 2:57:49 GMT
What I thought I wanted: 2nd Doctor/3rd Doctor fanservice.
What I actually wanted: Jaime/Liz fanservice.
So right out the gate, I gotta say that I love seeing the 3rd Doctor with Liz Shaw. She's such a great companion! I've definitely warmed up a lot to Jo Grant over the past year or so that I've been delving into the audios, but even at her best she just... lacks the agency and competence that Liz brings to these stories. I love it. My approach to the 3DAs has been pretty scattershot so far (I think this is only my third or fourth set) but if more of 'em have Liz, then im gonna prioritize then.
Story-wise The Annihilators is serviceable, if not terribly unique or otherwise compelling. The 3rd Doctor's era was certainly very constrained by formula, so I suppose one could say that having two "invading" alien species present was an interesting twist... but in the many eras since, well, we've seen this kind of thing before. And the plot revolves around the cliche of the nice-looking aliens being evil, where the ugly-looking aliens are (surprise!) actually good--and while, yeah, im fond of this trope, it's also something we've seen before. And to be honest, I don't really like the Doctor falling prey to these misconceptions so easily--the humans, yes, but he should know better. I suppose we could hand-wave that by saying the 3rd Doctor is "still young," at this point in his life, but that doesn't really sit well with me, either. The 3rd Doctor in my mind--and, likewise, the 2nd and 1st Doctors--would never be so quick to judge based on so little.
I did, however, really enjoy the way Jaime and the 2nd Doctor just sort of... wandered into this 3rd Doctor story. I love that we're getting to see an older, ostensibly more mature Jaime, and couldn't help but grin when the Brigadier recognized him. Jaime is just... great. When it comes to companion actors, I tend to praise Louise Jameson above all others, but come on: Frazier Hines is also totally awesome.
Quote of the story: "Having a little tiff, are we?"
The real draw of this set, of course, is the peak into what Beyond War Games might offer once the 2DAs start up. And from what I've heard... I'm very excited! My opinion of Tim Treloar's 3rd Doctor has steadily improved the more I've listened to, but even now he doesn't really sound like Jon Pertwee. At all. I enjoy his performances, partly out of nostalgia for the era, but I never really confuse his performance for the original as I sometimes can with David Bradley's 1st Doctor. Michael Troughton, though? Fantastic work. Instantly recognizable as Patrick Troughton's 2nd Doctor. I've said it before, I'll say it again: more important than mimicking the sound of the actors' voices is the ability to replicate and build off of their performances. This is something David Bradley does exceptionally well, and something that I suspect David Troughton will also do very well. It is perhaps too early to say for sure, but from what I've heard, I am very optimistic. Any misgivings I may have had about the 2DAs have been washed away.
One thing I'd hoped to see from the 2DAs was the 2nd Doctor operating alone, and/or with new companions, so the fact that Jaime is with him is almost disappointing--but at the same time, I'm never not going to love getting more Jaime. It's definitely going to be fun (and a very long-time coming) seeing his character get some proper resolution, now that he's no longer simply dumped off on Earth, mind-wiped and forgotten. Big Finish as the opportunity here to do some big character arcs, and I hope they take it.
Speaking of, I especially liked the 2nd Doctor acting as the "elder" of the two Doctors. The inevitable mindwipe, again, presents an opportunity for some bold new directions to take the character. This 2nd Doctor could, conceivably, be wrapped up in events that occur far into his own future. It would be interesting to explore just WHEN the Time Lords commanding him are from (assuming they're not contemporary) and really play around with the continuity knots that exist out there. And, hey, with Narvin not in the new Gallifrey: War Room sub-range, maybe he could show up as the Doctor's CIA handler in the 2DAs? I can dream.
Ultimately I think I'll give The Annihilators a 4/5. A very solid, fun adventure with some great character interactions and a fun peak into the upcoming 2DAs, but otherwise nothing terribly exceptional or ambitious.
What I actually wanted: Jaime/Liz fanservice.
So right out the gate, I gotta say that I love seeing the 3rd Doctor with Liz Shaw. She's such a great companion! I've definitely warmed up a lot to Jo Grant over the past year or so that I've been delving into the audios, but even at her best she just... lacks the agency and competence that Liz brings to these stories. I love it. My approach to the 3DAs has been pretty scattershot so far (I think this is only my third or fourth set) but if more of 'em have Liz, then im gonna prioritize then.
Story-wise The Annihilators is serviceable, if not terribly unique or otherwise compelling. The 3rd Doctor's era was certainly very constrained by formula, so I suppose one could say that having two "invading" alien species present was an interesting twist... but in the many eras since, well, we've seen this kind of thing before. And the plot revolves around the cliche of the nice-looking aliens being evil, where the ugly-looking aliens are (surprise!) actually good--and while, yeah, im fond of this trope, it's also something we've seen before. And to be honest, I don't really like the Doctor falling prey to these misconceptions so easily--the humans, yes, but he should know better. I suppose we could hand-wave that by saying the 3rd Doctor is "still young," at this point in his life, but that doesn't really sit well with me, either. The 3rd Doctor in my mind--and, likewise, the 2nd and 1st Doctors--would never be so quick to judge based on so little.
I did, however, really enjoy the way Jaime and the 2nd Doctor just sort of... wandered into this 3rd Doctor story. I love that we're getting to see an older, ostensibly more mature Jaime, and couldn't help but grin when the Brigadier recognized him. Jaime is just... great. When it comes to companion actors, I tend to praise Louise Jameson above all others, but come on: Frazier Hines is also totally awesome.
Quote of the story: "Having a little tiff, are we?"
The real draw of this set, of course, is the peak into what Beyond War Games might offer once the 2DAs start up. And from what I've heard... I'm very excited! My opinion of Tim Treloar's 3rd Doctor has steadily improved the more I've listened to, but even now he doesn't really sound like Jon Pertwee. At all. I enjoy his performances, partly out of nostalgia for the era, but I never really confuse his performance for the original as I sometimes can with David Bradley's 1st Doctor. Michael Troughton, though? Fantastic work. Instantly recognizable as Patrick Troughton's 2nd Doctor. I've said it before, I'll say it again: more important than mimicking the sound of the actors' voices is the ability to replicate and build off of their performances. This is something David Bradley does exceptionally well, and something that I suspect David Troughton will also do very well. It is perhaps too early to say for sure, but from what I've heard, I am very optimistic. Any misgivings I may have had about the 2DAs have been washed away.
One thing I'd hoped to see from the 2DAs was the 2nd Doctor operating alone, and/or with new companions, so the fact that Jaime is with him is almost disappointing--but at the same time, I'm never not going to love getting more Jaime. It's definitely going to be fun (and a very long-time coming) seeing his character get some proper resolution, now that he's no longer simply dumped off on Earth, mind-wiped and forgotten. Big Finish as the opportunity here to do some big character arcs, and I hope they take it.
Speaking of, I especially liked the 2nd Doctor acting as the "elder" of the two Doctors. The inevitable mindwipe, again, presents an opportunity for some bold new directions to take the character. This 2nd Doctor could, conceivably, be wrapped up in events that occur far into his own future. It would be interesting to explore just WHEN the Time Lords commanding him are from (assuming they're not contemporary) and really play around with the continuity knots that exist out there. And, hey, with Narvin not in the new Gallifrey: War Room sub-range, maybe he could show up as the Doctor's CIA handler in the 2DAs? I can dream.
Ultimately I think I'll give The Annihilators a 4/5. A very solid, fun adventure with some great character interactions and a fun peak into the upcoming 2DAs, but otherwise nothing terribly exceptional or ambitious.