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Post by tuigirl on Dec 6, 2023 21:21:53 GMT
The Sublime Porte- The Master has found his "Master"- in the shape of Billis Manger. Here we have the Master utterly terrified and on the wrong foot. Billis Manger plays with him like a cat would play with a mouse. We are never left in any doubt who was the more powerful villain here... and the Master only lives because Billis found him mildly interesting and amusing. The performances are impeccable.
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Post by shallacatop on Dec 8, 2023 17:46:42 GMT
Loved this, as mentioned earlier on in the thread, the best set since The Master of Callous. No slight on the rest of the range, but Only the Good, The Master of Callous and Rogue Encounters gives you the very best it has to offer.
Runtime is your usual War Master fare, but I think opposite one of the most memorable one-off guest characters of the range, which edges it towards being the best representation of this type of story; the Master puts himself into the centre of events, tricks everyone around him and then plays his hand in the closing scenes to get what he wants.
Manhunt could be the same as the above, but is set apart thanks to the setting. The X-Files-esque inspiration has already been noted, and works brilliantly.
The Sublime Porte putting the Master on the back foot is a cracking decision. To put him opposite a force that terrifies him brings a whole new side to not only this incarnation, but the overall character. The unstoppable hunt of the first half dovetails nicely into a second half which is essentially the Master and Bilis sparring and both actors relish it to deliver superb performances. My awareness of Bilis is only in his on screen Torchwood appearances, but will certainly be rectifying that with a few of the Big Finish releases.
All that praise and yet it’s Alone which was my favourite of the set! I was fascinated by its portrayal of Yana and the unfolding events. As Davy mentioned, it leans on Only the Good’s usage of TV events to its strength. And the switching between Yana and the Master was excellent stuff from Jacobi; I’d love to hear more from his pure maniacal portrayal.
I’ll be listening to the future instalments, but can’t help but wonder if this would’ve been the perfect note to end the range on. It’s the end of the Hancock run, it’s had a terrific innings at 10 sets and come full circle by leading into the events of Utopia in the same way Only the Good lead into the Master becoming Yana. Just slightly wary that a production change for another couple of sets may be to its detriment, as we saw with River Song earlier this year.
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Post by sherlock on Dec 8, 2023 17:54:29 GMT
Loved this, as mentioned earlier on in the thread, the best set since The Master of Callous. No slight on the rest of the range, but Only the Good, The Master of Callous and Rogue Encounters gives you the very best it has to offer. Runtime is your usual War Master fare, but I think opposite one of the most memorable one-off guest characters of the range, which edges it towards being the best representation of this type of story; the Master puts himself into the centre of events, tricks everyone around him and then plays his hand in the closing scenes to get what he wants. Manhunt could be the same as the above, but is set apart thanks to the setting. The X-Files-esque inspiration has already been noted, and works brilliantly. The Sublime Porte putting the Master on the back foot is a cracking decision. To put him opposite a force that terrifies him brings a whole new side to not only this incarnation, but the overall character. The unstoppable hunt of the first half dovetails nicely into a second half which is essentially the Master and Bilis sparring and both actors relish it to deliver superb performances. My awareness of Bilis is only in his on screen Torchwood appearances, but will certainly be rectifying that with a few of the Big Finish releases. All that praise and yet it’s Alone which was my favourite of the set! I was fascinated by its portrayal of Yana and the unfolding events. As Davy mentioned, it leans on Only the Good’s usage of TV events to its strength. And the switching between Yana and the Master was excellent stuff from Jacobi; I’d love to hear more from his pure maniacal portrayal. I’ll be listening to the future instalments, but can’t help but wonder if this would’ve been the perfect note to end the range on. It’s the end of the Hancock run, it’s had a terrific innings at 10 sets and come full circle by leading into the events of Utopia in the same way Only the Good lead into the Master becoming Yana. Just slightly wary that a production change for another couple of sets may be to its detriment, as we saw with River Song earlier this year. Isn’t it the next one, Future Phantoms, which is Handcock’s last one? Oh you should definitely pick up the Torchwood Bilis audios. Really well done standalone horrors.
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Post by shallacatop on Dec 9, 2023 8:42:10 GMT
Loved this, as mentioned earlier on in the thread, the best set since The Master of Callous. No slight on the rest of the range, but Only the Good, The Master of Callous and Rogue Encounters gives you the very best it has to offer. Runtime is your usual War Master fare, but I think opposite one of the most memorable one-off guest characters of the range, which edges it towards being the best representation of this type of story; the Master puts himself into the centre of events, tricks everyone around him and then plays his hand in the closing scenes to get what he wants. Manhunt could be the same as the above, but is set apart thanks to the setting. The X-Files-esque inspiration has already been noted, and works brilliantly. The Sublime Porte putting the Master on the back foot is a cracking decision. To put him opposite a force that terrifies him brings a whole new side to not only this incarnation, but the overall character. The unstoppable hunt of the first half dovetails nicely into a second half which is essentially the Master and Bilis sparring and both actors relish it to deliver superb performances. My awareness of Bilis is only in his on screen Torchwood appearances, but will certainly be rectifying that with a few of the Big Finish releases. All that praise and yet it’s Alone which was my favourite of the set! I was fascinated by its portrayal of Yana and the unfolding events. As Davy mentioned, it leans on Only the Good’s usage of TV events to its strength. And the switching between Yana and the Master was excellent stuff from Jacobi; I’d love to hear more from his pure maniacal portrayal. I’ll be listening to the future instalments, but can’t help but wonder if this would’ve been the perfect note to end the range on. It’s the end of the Hancock run, it’s had a terrific innings at 10 sets and come full circle by leading into the events of Utopia in the same way Only the Good lead into the Master becoming Yana. Just slightly wary that a production change for another couple of sets may be to its detriment, as we saw with River Song earlier this year. Isn’t it the next one, Future Phantoms, which is Handcock’s last one? Oh you should definitely pick up the Torchwood Bilis audios. Really well done standalone horrors. You're absolutely right. I thought they’d put the first of the new production up for preorder, which is why I assumed Future Phantoms was that one; my bad!
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Post by tuigirl on Dec 10, 2023 22:49:25 GMT
Alone- well, this deserves all the praise it gets! What a tragic little story built around Professor Yana. The the performance is stunning. Derek Jacobi switches effortless between nice Yana and the deranged and evil Master.
All in all, a wonderful set of stories for the Master. Totally worth it.
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,819
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Post by lidar2 on Jan 9, 2024 13:13:48 GMT
Agree with above comments, a very good set indeed. One of the best of this range. Let's hope Scott is building to a crescendo and vol 11 will be better still!
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Jan 15, 2024 6:40:22 GMT
No X-Men, 1 star.
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