tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261927082024-03-14T09:33:58.565+00:00NightJim: Geek and ProudAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.comBlogger336125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-56271469969873649682015-07-18T11:27:00.000+01:002015-07-18T11:27:01.657+01:00Putting the Crew Together - The Keeper of TrakenBeing that he was hard done by early in this run, I decided to address one of Tom Baker’s big moments. The big moment every Doctor has. His regeneration. From what I understand Baker’s end and Davison’s beginning is actually a trilogy starting with <i>The Keeper of Traken</i> which is a damn good idea. Why should an adventure end with a Doctor’s death, when you have the perfect story telling technique to have the bad guy win, yet the hero come back and right that wrong?<br />
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However, <i>The Keeper of Traken</i> also brings into stark relief the problem with my scattered approach to Who. Upon landing on Traken and meeting Tremas, I already know that this man will become the Master somehow.<br />
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We also meet Nyssa. A companion I've only really met back in <i><a href="http://nightjim.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/save-daleks-mutant-phase.html" target="_blank">The Mutant Phase</a></i> where she impressed me. She was also in <i>Earthshock</i>, but she might as well as not be. Her technical knowledge and engineering approach certainly sets her apart from the majority of companions. Unfortunately, that barely surfaces, the only really outstanding part so far is she’s the daughter of the man whose body is about to be stolen by the Master. The only time the technical knowledge surfaces is helping Adric, and building a stun device. The latter of which does impress the Doctor a fair bit.<br />
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Basically, with Tom Baker’s long reign as the Doctor coming to a close we’re being introduced to his successor’s companions before the successor actually appears. It’s the total Who reboot (though only really done with Three and Liz Shaw so far, and Eleven and the Ponds in New) but with a staggered approach. Allowing the viewer to learn the characters slowly instead of getting a whole new cast next season. It’s a neat approach. John Nathan-Turner was obviously a fan. He did it with every Doctor changeover he presided over. By Mel it starts getting a little ridiculous, although I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt there. I doubt they knew they were going to be sacking Colin Baker at the end of <i>Trial of the Timelord</i>.<br />
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However, I'm not so sure about it's actual feasibility. Adric does get a good showing here. I'd hasten to say his best, considering how he's generally seen by fandom. But Nyssa is a sidenote to him, Tremas and the impending doom hanging over the Doctor. The same is true of Peri in the future. Her arrival in <i>Planet of Fire</i> is completely overshadowed by Turlough leaving, since that's what the entire story revolves around.<br />
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In the end this is a okay episode, spurred along by the Master, and a ‘regeneration’ of his. As I came towards the end of part 4, and no real movement by the Master towards Tremas I wondered if this ‘trilogy’ was actually going to be far more epic than I thought. Maybe the Master is revealed, but gets away, and Tremas and Nyssa decide to help the Doctor track him down for what he did to their planet. Or maybe he kidnaps Tremas and Nyssa insists on coming along to save her dad.<br />
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Nope, instead it’s a last minute turn of events, with no build, tension or payoff. A split second of surprise, I guess, for those not expecting it. Oh, and Nyssa’s left on Traken. I’m jumping straight into <i>Logopolis</i> in the vague hope they can do so something with this set up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-437748130749137002015-07-06T08:31:00.003+01:002015-07-06T08:31:31.456+01:00Hello Charley, Goodbye Charley - Blue Forgotten PlanetRemember those points where the Doctor and companion go off and have adventures that we don’t need to see so the production skips them to give further writers the opportunity to use the pairing later? Those Moffat is so fond of scattering throughout his run? Big Finish dropped a major one for the Sixth Doctor and Charley with <i>Blue Forgotten Planet</i>.<br />
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On the one hand I was sort of amazed that <i>Paper Cuts</i> didn’t really address the Charley/Mila plot. Yes, Fisher made it obvious that she wasn’t Charley Proper, and that line at the end where she talks the fisherman out of joining them was very self obsessive Mila. But that was it. Which was fine because it gave Mila an adventure all of her own where everything was normal. Her and The Doctor needed a proper adventure without it being addressed. Here it shows that they’ve had many many more.<br />
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Usually when Big Finish have these status quo changes I argue that they have a tendency to drag them on longer than is necessary. Here it’s the exact opposite. <i>Blue Forgotten Planet</i> sets up that they’ve been together ages, but it’s anything but for us. Imagine how much impact it would have if we had three or four stories with Mila-Charley, her and the Doctor getting on better than ever and the swap just not being addressed, maybe the odd hint. Then out of nowhere we get here and we have the original Charley alongside the Viyrans. It would have way more impact, and sell the whole idea of them being separated for a very long time much better.<br />
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The interesting thing is that Big Finish themselves could be heading back there soon. With the upcoming <i>Final Adventure</i> for the Sixth Doctor spread across a number of his companions, we know that Charley is one of them, however, having now listened to her existing run with Baker, it makes more sense for ‘Charley’ to actually be Mila, because squeezing another adventure in before the swap just feels a little wrong. Mainly because that bit was a little overly long already.<br />
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<i>Blue Forgotten Planet</i> isn’t even about the two Charley’s, but about Earth getting one of those virus the Viyrans are tracking down. When it’s revealed the original has been working for the Viyrans and brings her present, it’d be easy to derail the story of the post-apocalyptic Earth. Instead we stick with the Viyrans being intergalactic dicks, everyone working to stop them, and the two Charley’s have to put it all aside and work together, bitching about it as they go. Then a decision is made where someone has to sacrifice themselves.<br />
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In the closing moments, we get an explanation of how the Doctor doesn’t remember Charley when he meets her two regenerations later. Unsurprisingly to anyone that listened to Five’s <i>Mission of the Viyran’s</i> it’s their mind altering techniques that seal the deal. But just how Charley does it is incredibly touching.<br />
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Only one of the two Charley’s survive the ordeal. Obviously it’s the original. Though the Doctor doesn’t know that, it’s clear to us as she finally tells the Doctor the full story of her time with his future incarnation to ensure the memory change takes. However, one final reveal shows that Charley and Mila’s adventures with Six aren’t removed from his memory. Charley knows him too well that if he ever came across a hint of those times he’d start digging, and the Viyrans would be after him again. Partly that’s why she tells him the truth, so he won’t fight the memory change too hard. The other side is he keeps their adventures, but with Mila and her Dalek back story become the whole truth. It’s a wonderful touch, and I’m looking forward to a bit more time with Charley in the future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-58931209893838095922015-06-30T08:25:00.000+01:002015-06-30T08:25:01.307+01:00Paper Cuts<i>Paper Cuts</i> is the audio story that basically derailed the entire project. I was that enthralled by the end of <i>The Girl That Never Was</i> that I decided to press on and finish Charley’s saga with the Doctor, not realising that the second to last one featured the Draconians from a Third Doctor story I’d not got round to. Abandoning my plans with Leela and Baker, I went back to Pertwee and made my way through Jo’s final season. <br />
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This story is practically the reason I abandoned the old release schedule, falling behind on watching with a bit too much Pertwee. However, it might have been worth it. The Draconian angle didn’t really require the Pertwee detour, only adding minor layers to the story as this is based way before in their history. A return in fact to the time of the Red Emperor, which was when he went before even Pertwee. Which Doctor it was is no clearer, though I got the impression it was probably the First.<br />
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It also further strengthens the Japanese quality to them, but goes some way of giving them more of their own identity, with them suspending Emperor’s in immortal undeath so they can ‘advise’ their successors. Which is where this story revolves around, with the passing of one Emperor and the machinations and manipulations going on around his death and replacement. It’s a very Doctor Who take on regal succession.<br />
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Of course, the other major factor here is that Charley isn’t Charley. India Fisher does a fantastic job of playing the imposter, hitting a lot of Charley’s notes but with far more eagerness and hero worship on them. Rather interestingly, her and the Doctor get along far better than original Charley ever did with Six. Maybe it’s the fact that the Doctor finally knows her history and believes there are no more secrets, or at least she's doing a good job of hiding there is. Maybe it’s the fact she worships him and has watched him through all five of his previous incarnations and knows how to be the perfect companion. The stalker knows how to manipulate him.<br />
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I like that we don’t address the fact she’s not Charley. The listener is put in a position of knowing what’s happening but the Doctor isn’t. Mila gives a decent explanation to Charley’s previous behaviour, and there’s a moment right at the end where we’re crushingly reminded how crazy Mila really is.<br />
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While the Draconian stuff isn’t the best Big Finish have done, Paper Cuts is not bad, and the Charley saga is dealt with brilliantly, with Mila’s whole deception seemingly working perfectly, and nearly winning the audience over till the last minute.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-62550693085919034202015-06-23T18:03:00.003+01:002015-06-23T18:03:47.032+01:00Charley takes a turn for the worst - Patient ZeroThis is one I’ve been building towards the entire time. It was part of my decision to go with Charley instead of Evelyn. Way back when I first started with Big Finish, one of the earliest serials I listened to was Five and Peri in <i><a href="http://nightjim.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/a-tour-of-who-audio.html" target="_blank">Mission of the Viyrans</a></i>. It stood out from all those from that drive by being really out there, and I really wanted to listen to the sequel. That made the decision to start on the Eighth Doctor a no brainer.<br />
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That this ended up finally moving the Mystery of Charley on rather significantly gave even more resonance to this serial.<br />
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After her complete cock up at the end of <i>The Raincloud Man</i> the Doctor’s had enough nonsense. But before anything can get resolved, Charley’s weirdly infected and we jump forward a few hundred years while he’s been hunting for a cure, and reached a point where he’s more bothered about Charley’s health then her history.<br />
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Which is a rather cheap way of getting around the issue that the last serial ended on. However, the rest of the serial makes this new set up work, so I’ll overlook it. While the Doctor runs around meeting the Viyrans and Daleks, the mystery of Charley’s illness is revealed to be another person aboard the TARDIS.<br />
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Turns out Mila’s been onboard since <i>The Chase</i> but thanks to one of those virus the Viyran’s are tracking down she’s out of phase with reality. Instead she’s sat and watched. Rather creepily too. She’s wanted to take part but everyone who’s been with the Doctor since then has been protected by the TARDIS. However, thanks to Charley’s status as an anomaly she’s not. Which is a great little bit of continuity wrangling. <br />
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Mila’s history is scary as hell, and quite sad all at the same time. She’s basically the Doctor stalker, but only because she was experimented on by the Daleks and his TARDIS was the escape route. She now basically worships the Doctor, and finally gets to become the perfect companion, by stealing the life of his current one. That Charley is such a bad companion for Six, but perfect for Eight, adds some wonderful irony to the situation.<br />
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That she finally explains Charley’s oddities through her own actual history with the Daleks fits great, and the Doctor falls for it hook, line and sinker. Which would seem off, if it wasn’t more believable than what really happened to Charley.<br />
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It’s easy to see Mila as the bad guy here, and having heard <i>Mission of the Viyrans</i> I can already workout the explanation of how the Doctor doesn’t remember Charley. Now the mystery becomes how does Charley defeat Mila? Which isn’t what I expected, nor really wanted, from this arc. However, it is interesting and I’m looking forward to the last two parts of Charley’s story with the Doctor.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-69320402073807231522015-06-15T19:34:00.000+01:002015-06-15T19:34:12.610+01:00Come up Trumps - The Raincloud Man<i>The Raincloud Man</i> is one of those stories that brings one of our protagonist's secrets into stark relief by having part of the episode deal with someone else in a similar situation. It's something New Who does quiet often now that we have long running storylines. Obviously it's Charley and her time with the Eighth Doctor we're dealing with here. It's still not addressed, but it's at a point where it’s got to be happening soon.<br />
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While I’ve mostly moaned in the last few serials that this isn’t being addressed, I feel <i>The Raincloud Man</i> hits the exact note in how not to. Mainly because it ends with Charley going far too far.<br />
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Either way we’re back in Manchester, which means a return for DI Menzies. Her time apart from the Doctor has been well spent as she has basically turned into a sheriff and fixer for the alien denizens of Manchester.<br />
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I quite like DI Menzies. Her casual acceptance of aliens in <i>The Condemned</i> and how it didn't really change her life was quite a refreshing change. She's a proper copper, and despite it all keeps the no-nonsense approach going. There you could tell the Doctor was warming up a companion invite right up to the point where she says she still has to do her job of catching criminals and how this doesn't change much was great. Maybe that's half the problem. The Doctor doesn't seem to want Charley as a companion. She forced herself on him at the end of “Condemned” when he was clearly gearing for Menzies. In “Brotherhood of the Daleks” he outright admits that he was going to ask Jesic. Menzies even asks to come along here, but the Doctor turns her down, not because he doesn't want her onboard, but because things with Charley are too complicated. As much as Charley was a perfect companion for the Eighth Doctor, she doesn't seem to match Sixth. Which is an interesting premise.<br />
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The closest we've gotten to that has been Peri, who got on famously with the Fifth Doctor, and bickered with the Sixth. They did get on, but it was no where near the best relationship. But the majority of her time with the Fifth Doctor is thanks to Big Finish. In the show she met him, then he regenerated, we've not really ever seen it play out before.<br />
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But anyway, there’s a whole lot going on, with multiple agendas across many characters and finally a reveal of an intergalactic war hinging on everything. So a usual Saturday for the Doctor. Then we get to the end, where everyone bar the incredibly aggressive aliens are finally on the side of the Doctor, and our pacifist hero makes a challenge to their leader to settle it all. That challenge? Top Trumps. It’s brilliantly the Doctor. I’ve not grinned at a solution for the problem for quite awhile before this. Obviously he nearly loses but through some Doctor trickery everything’s fine by the end.<br />
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However, during this Charley makes the insanely bad decision to try and steal a time machine and rewrite some history. Which is probably the one bad thing in this serial. Charley knows this is a bad decision. You can’t rewrite time. She’s the living embodiment of why you shouldn’t. I mean it’s a ploy for her to fix her own predicament, but it’s the sort of bad decision making that infuriates me about Charley.<br />
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When he finds out, we end up with the Sixth Doctor finally in position where he's stopped believing Charley's little lies because they got too big, well too obvious, and outright confronts Charley. Which is what makes the writing in the this last scene so good. He calls her Charley, the sign of a friend, something he's been reluctant to do until now, right as he confronts her. I can't wait for the next part.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-2322424707732441372015-06-08T20:37:00.002+01:002015-06-08T20:37:33.695+01:00Daleks and Krotons - Two Big Finish outingsIt's another duo as we press on with Six and Charley, and hope that somewhere we'll address the elephant that is Charley's time with the Eighth Doctor. We deal with two Classic enemies, the ever present Daleks, and the only seen once Krotons. It's an interesting pair.<br />
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This serial is basically a play on the same idea as <i><a href="http://nightjim.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/journeying-with-eight-two-more-big.html" target="_blank">Scaredy Cat</a></i>. That of the idea you can brainwash the evil out of someone. I've got no problem with Who reusing plot foundations. After 50 plus years it's bound to happen. But these two are both Charley stories which makes it stand out a lot more. Big Finish try to get away with it here by upping the factor to ‘can you brainwash a Dalek into being a Thal?’ Obviously it doesn't work, but thankfully we don't rely on just that to tell the story. Instead we focus heavily on the mystery of Charley. Which is pretty impossible to avoid with Daleks.<br />
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It takes the rather brilliant turn that these Daleks are post-Terror Firma, which is way in the future for the Doctor, yet awhile ago for Charley. That they recognise Charley, and make obvious future references to the Doctor starts getting him wondering what’s going on. And everybody else for that matter. But by the end, the Doctor is no closer to the answer as to when this story started. I’m starting to think this is getting a little silly.<br />
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However, let’s not takeaway from what is a fantastic performance by India Fisher. When the Daleks send in a replicant Doctor, who does confront Charley on her behaviour and secrets, she breaks down hard, and gives a heartfelt confession that is some of the finest acting Fisher has given in the role in the seven years she’d been performing at this point. It’s a shame that this was relegated to a non-confession, because this would have been a great scene to finally out it all.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFB7blN3RsoQyq8hf1_HQotXVjc_-SO5E42nVSJ1idIliVXx9tIk-LK3sdkvt6fiMvkTdABVUGma_8YwEvMxlMXkYqYBNKyG1RxBIiWrvxGzioYS0UT4qemODLIZ0QMzq6Zsk/s1600/Doctor-Who-return-krotons.jpg" /></div><b>Return of the Krotons</b><br />
Am I glad that I decided to throw in <i>The Krotons</i> during this round. Originally the plan had been just <i>The Ice Warriors</i> but the fact I had the first Peladon in Pertwee and <i>The Wheel of Ice</i> to read, at the last minute I threw in Zoe’s last two recommended appearances. Mostly for <i>Seeds of Death</i>, but <i>The Krotons</i> has had the most impact on Charley’s third and fourth season.<br />
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In her Eighth Doctor finale the HADS, an emergency relocation of the TARDIS, from that serial played a major plot device, now here with Six the actual race has come back. And I couldn’t be happier, because audio’s perfect for the Krotons. Their terrible design can be ignored, and we can concentrate on how alien they are. Which unfortunately doesn’t happen.<br />
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Not to say this isn’t a bad sequel. It’s <i>the Dalek Invasion of Earth</i> to <i>The Krotons</i>’ <i>The Daleks</i>. Instead of an alien world and a couple of Krotons, we have humans and enough Krotons for what eventually ends up an invasion. The Krotons are a race that could be so much more, and I’m glad Big Finish gave them this serial because one Troughton outing wasn’t enough. <br />
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There’s also references to <i>The Ark in Space</i>, a Fourth Doctor serial I’ve not got round to. The idea of Earth sending out colony ships to survive the Earth’s death. This this is a second ship that believes the first was a failure is another great touch. Again, it’s great the Big Finish are picking up on little bits of throwaway continuity from the old series to make a more fulfilling timeline. I realise that it’s more for the hardcore, but I’m long down that rabbit hole.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-25155318289457954872015-06-01T09:48:00.000+01:002015-06-01T09:48:06.034+01:00Once More Into The Fiction - The Doomwood Curse<i>Slight change of plans. I'm going back to just Mondays for Who postings. Mainly because I caught myself up.</i> Planet <i>was delayed because I was watching it in the days before release, I haven't even started</i> The Green Death <i>yet. This was the plan for after Capaldi Season 2, so I just brought it forward. So for now we're with Six and Charley while I get some TV under my belt.</i><br />
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<i>The Doomwood Curse</i> seems to be a play on the idea in <i>The Mind Robber</i>, where we have fiction coming to life. Only instead of it being a little haphazard with its approach to fiction, we basically get a re-do of Dick Turpin. However, where the Second Doctor's trip just went straight out balls to wall 'we're now in the land of fiction', Big Finish offer more of science-y explanation. That of an alien race that doesn't understand fiction, and take it for fact by running it through a machine. A machine promptly destroyed by Charley and its nanites start changing everyone's minds to operate like characters from a gothic romance.<br />
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Yes, it's a little bit dodgy. It takes a little of the romance out of the idea. Really it's an excuse to have Charley go completely off the reservation and the Doctor have to solve a problem where literary conventions, such as the quick passage of a lot of time, work against him. It's quite a clever trick, but not executed well enough to warrant an entire serial.<br />
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Big Finish clearly kept Charley going with Six, because despite their decision to end Eight's ongoing series they hadn't finished her story. Yet so far they've done their best to keep her and the Doctor apart. In <i>The Condemned</i> DI Menzies seemed to take on the Companion role, and here it's Eleanor, as Charley is whisked up into events.<br />
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So what of Charley's story? The obvious part that needs addressing is that she's with an earlier Doctor, and it's clawing at the scenery to be addressed. Six keeps catching her out as Charley slips up and mentions something she shouldn't know yet. The big mystery should be, and as set up in <i>The Condemned</i> is the Doctor wondering what the hell is going on with this strange girl. Here it's totally sidestepped. Which is why I think <i>The Doomwood Curse</i> ultimately falls flat.<br />
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We fully know that when the Eighth Doctor meets Charley it's like it's the first time for him, so we have the added mystery of how he doesn't recognise her despite one of his predecessors having her as a companion for a short time. No one for a second would believe The Sixth Doctor can't work out that she's a dab hand at this TARDIS malarky, and delaying that seems a little disingenuous.<br />
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Not that I'm against Six and Charley having normal adventures, which is really what the <i>The Doomwood Curse</i> is about. But I think we need to solve the problem of the Doctor figuring Charley out, and the one Doctor that most definitely wouldn't let go of that mystery until it's solved is Six. Any other might let it play out, but not Six. Have the mystery of how Eight doesn't recognise her hanging over the series, which would be much more intriguing than what we're getting.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-46955062661498170032015-05-25T10:38:00.000+01:002015-05-25T18:37:41.632+01:00It Was All Going So Well - Planet of the DaleksI think I've figured out why <i>Frontier in Space</i> was included in the list of recommendations I built this whole enterprise out of. It’s counterpart isn’t that good.<br />
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In one aspect <i>Planet of the Daleks</i> is great. A return of Dalek vs Thal, with the other Skaro natives now from the future no less, with early space travel and trying to put a stop to a big Dalek plan. Clearly it’s another riff on the the original serial with a few tweaks here and there. Which can be done well. But the execution is pretty awful.<br />
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Things start out well. The Doctor going into some sort of healing coma that almost has you worried it might regenerate, Jo beside herself with worry, heading off into a mysterious jungle of a planet she has no idea about in the vague hope of finding something. That jungle being a minefield of dangerous plants and an invisible enemy stalking her. A spacecraft turns up with a rather violent crew.The first two parts are genuinely very watchable. <br />
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However, after that, problems a plenty start. Mostly it’s over written. Constant cuts back to the Daleks as they explain their plans, meaning that when we actually see it there’s no impact whatsoever. Everything that <i>Day</i> did right to make the Daleks scary again, <i>Planet</i> does wrong. Complications spring up with obvious solutions, and ten minutes later it’s like it might as well not have existed, as it was just treading time.<br />
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Once the Daleks are involved the Spiridons are pushed aside with nothing to do as well. The slave workers seems strangely loyal too, with some finding the Thals, and taking them captive, which just doesn't ring true for a race currently being experimented on. Even the one Jo befriends disappears, and only reappears to end a storyline that wasn't going anywhere in particular. Which is possibly a saving grace, as nothing is really done with their invisibility other than a reason of the Daleks are trying to steal it. The Spiridons themselves spend the majority of their appearances wearing purple rugs around them so everyone can see them.<br />
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It also heavily relies on the shortcomings of the Dalek design for the Doctor and the Thals to get away. The act of throwing a coat over the top of them is awful, especially if you do it multiple times, or just standing behind it. It’s pretty clear why the two arms were made to spin independently later on. If you want to keep your biggest bads actually that bad, maybe you shouldn’t point out all of their design inadequacies. <br />
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Though the speech about not glamourising war from the Doctor right at the end is one of his better ones.<br />
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At the time, <i>Frontier in Space</i>’s poor ending was excusable because it promised the story wasn't done, and with the Daleks now revealed we’re going to see some real action. That it devolves into yet another standard Dalek story is almost unforgivable.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-50356005387435959902015-05-23T19:44:00.000+01:002015-05-23T19:44:09.953+01:00Charley Goes Off With A Younger Man - The Condemned<i>The Condemned</i> starts with a fantastic opening sequence as Charley does everything she can to avoid the Doctor’s questions, which obviously only raises his suspicions more. The fact she seems to know so much about the TARDIS and isn't surprised it’s a time machine adds to it.<br />
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However, the best bit might be rather simple in comparison when she utters her infamous “My friends call me Charley”. and the Sixth Doctor replies with “I’ll bear that in mind if we become friends.” Such a foreign thing for Eight to say, but for the more prickly Six it rings totally true. Or perhaps the Doctor's shocked at her not being that amazed at the TARDIS being “bigger on the inside” and Charley mutter she thinks it’s kinda small.<br />
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Only when they come out in 2008, she starts making things more obvious as to her true time. Asking for an operator on the phone, being confused that you can get Indian food in Manchester, but then her travels start to show as she asks for proper Indian food and totally confuses her ‘host’.<br />
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But the two of them are split up for the majority of the serial, mainly because if the Doctor spends too much time with her then things get a little problematic for them. Instead the Doctor hangs around with a Mancurian Copper, DI Menzies, who at first suspects him to be a murderer, quickly comes to accept aliens are real and shits weird. She’s a really nice character, and I love her quick acceptance of the strange when faced with facts. She comes across as a proper policewoman when faced with the evidence. Her no-nonsense approach to it all is a very different take on this then we’re used to seeing.<br />
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Meanwhile, Charley gets to play hostage, but as the Doctor has only just met her, he doesn't massively worry about her absence and gets stuck into the mystery of the locked room murder mystery. Again it’s a nice twist, and we focus on a Manchester that is seemingly rife with aliens making dodgy deals which fits Menzie’s involvement. I also know that she’s coming back in a few serials time, so I'm not going to do my usual and wish about seeing more of this.<br />
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The final reveal about the murder, and how Charley’s disappearance ties into it is properly Doctor Who. The one thing this serial doesn't do is really address the Sixth Doctor and Charley. This entire season hangs on the mystery of how they hang out, but he doesn't remember when they meet again in two regenerations time. However, <i>The Condemned</i> manages to do address it brilliantly. It doesn't feel forced, but I'm not sure how long that will keep.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-59956335252612212782015-05-18T07:52:00.001+01:002015-05-18T07:52:52.599+01:00The One that Started it all - Genesis of the DaleksOver the last wee while, my watching has been getting closer and closer to the blog deadline. Mostly thanks to new job and things like Netflix's <i>Daredevil</i> (which is awesome!). I was worried that at some point I'd fall behind. That's now happened. As I write this I'm a third of the way through <i>Planet of the Daleks</i>. Instead, I figured since he's been hard done by this run through, we'd go back to Tom Baker.<br />
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I’ve probably mentioned this in a few places by now, but <i>Genesis of the Daleks</i> was the first proper Classic Who I watched, and quite possibly the serial that started this whole thing rolling. This is simply because I didn’t like it.<br />
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Yep, one of the serials often held up as one of the best Classic ever did and I think it’s a bit rubbish.<br />
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Not the premise of the story. Going back to the final days of the Thal/Kaled war is genius, even if I lacked any context at the time. Davros figuring out that a potential future evolution of his race was a slimy mutated tentacle thing consumed by hate, and fell in love with the savagery of it, and then set about creating this creature a battle tank and making sure they were hate incarnate is fantastic.<br />
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In fact a lot of what <i>Genesis</i> does is great. The set up, the Nazi-esque Kaleds, Davros. Davros' wheelchair and life support gear resembling the Dalek armour is an incredible genius move. No, what ruins it are what most consider to be two plot holes.<br />
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We’re told that the war has reduced both sides down to two massive city states hidden under domes that protect from nuclear attack. Which is fine. But then we have the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Davros travelling between these two cities with no real time penalty, and they move at the speed of plot. It made what was a horrible world consuming nuclear war into a bickering argument between two neighbours.<br />
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But much worse than that, was after Davros had finished crossing the road a couple of times, he’d managed to manipulate both the Thals and the Kaleds into destroying each other, leaving just the people hidden away in the Kaled Science Bunker alive. However, rather than be consumed that the entire population has been eradicated, the Science Council somehow seem more consumed about whether Davros’ experiments with the Daleks is valid or not. Erm, your entire race has just been wiped out. There are slightly more pressing matters than a battle tank.<br />
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Between those two flaws in logic, I was completely and utterly taken out of the story. It nearly put me completely off Classic Who, and it was only when another mate suggested one serial per Classic Doctor for the 50th that reignited my interest. Appropriately enough, that serial was <i>The Daleks</i>.<br />
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We have a ship destined for disaster, a girl pretending to be a boy as a stowaway, and the Cybermen. It's Charley's first two adventures as the end. It forms a fantastic full circle, and a great ending to this pair.<br />
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<i>The Girl That Never Was</i> pulls off a nice little trick with the Eighth Doctor too. When this was released Big Finish were clearly wrapping things up, and the BBC had already shown the entirety of Ecclestone's season, and Tennant's first season was out of the way. It's not hard to imagine that this could be marketed as the end of the Eighth Doctor. So when Eight gets fried in the closing half hour and Charley steps up, it would pull a hell of a double bluff on the audience who might think they're witnessing Eight's regeneration scene. Sure it doesn't work now, not only do we know Big Finish kept going with Sheridan Smith, but we've seen that actual regeneration in 2013 as part of the 50th Anniversary. But it's still clever enough to warrant a smile as you realise just what Big Finish were trying.<br />
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And Charley saves the day, and seemingly goes down just like Adric. The TARDIS gets out of there due to the HADS (I am glad I managed to fit in <i>The Krotons</i> before this. There it was a passing cliffhanger, here it's a vital story component) and the Doctor wakes up with no memory of the adventure, and upon finding the note Charley wrote at the start he delivers the rather frosty “Everyone leaves” line. The ending music plays. That's it. It falls a little short. The Eighth Doctor thinking Charley went off in a huff after his reaction to C'rizz's death ruins their relationship somewhat, no matter how endearing her goodbye note was.<br />
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Then we get the epilogue. Somehow Charley survived. She's praying for help. The wheezing and groaning is heard and she runs to the TARDIS. Bursts through the doors in utter joy, and utters that she was expecting someone else. The Colin Baker-era theme tune kicks in. Absolutely epic!<br />
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Here we reach the end of Paul McGann's run in Big Finish's main range. He was given his own standalone series after this, as Big Finish realised what a draw they had being the main output for one of the Doctors. Yet, along with Charley, we're leaving him too. At least for a bit anyway.<br />
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Why are we following Charley now that she's teamed up with the Doctor generally considered to be the worst in the entire run of the show? Because many figure Big Finish is where Colin Baker redeemed himself. I'm one of them. Many moons ago when we started this I listened to <i>The Sirens of Time</i> while halfway through watching Colin Baker's run as the Doctor on TV. As a result I appreciated Six a lot more. The brief foray into his time with Evelyn before I decided to concentrate on Eight and Charley only furthered to reinforce that belief. So next, we continue with the Redemption of Six. Besides, it should be interesting to see how his best friend gets along with the prickliest of his predecessors.<br />
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But with this finale, Big Finish have finally managed to do it. I class the Eighth's main range serials as three seasons. The first is Charley's, from <i>Storm Warning</i> to <i>Zagreus</i>. Then the Divergent Universe, and finally the return. <i>Zagreus</i> and <i>The Next Life</i> both ended their seasons rather damply. But <i>The Girl Who Never Was</i> is almost perfect. It's a fantastic season ender. Serials like this one are exactly why Big Finish are so highly regarded by Who fandom.<br />
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There were times when I wondered just how Charley had earned her own series. During the Divergent Universe her writing was terrible. But if we can keep this up with Six, then I'm actually looking forward to see how she gets on.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-84687078539957984412015-05-11T08:23:00.000+01:002015-05-11T08:23:39.729+01:00There's a War Coming - Frontier in SpaceI’m not sure what I expected here. I knew the next serial hinged on <i>Frontier in Space</i>. No one recommended it, so I figured a pretty shaky story just to get to some Dalek action. Instead we get a 70’s sci-fi version of <i>24</i>, by which I mean lots of political intrigue, war brewing and some casual torture thrown around.<br />
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It’s utterly brilliant and unexpected.<br />
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However, every single character does suffer incredibly bad from the small mindedness TV usually loves to give to war minded Generals. In a political powder keg against the Draconians, where they and Humanity keep refusing that they aren’t responsible for the attacks on the transport ships, no one wants to believe them. The closest you get is the President of Earth who is at least willing to say it might be renegades.<br />
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It gets silly the amount of scenes we have where high class political dignitaries from one side accuse the other, and the immediate retort is along the lines “Nu-uh. You Did It!”<br />
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Then the Doctor turns up, offers an explanation that a third party is faking the whole lot, and not one single person will listen to him. Even the President, who was once trying to find a solution that war wasn’t brewing, just wants him to admit his culpability to being a spy for the Draconians. I half expected Jack Bauer to turn up and shoot his kneecaps in an effort to get him to ‘talk’. No matter how far they go, the Doctor sticks to his story. Obviously, since it’s the truth. But no one can even process that it’s possible and just insist they come clean.<br />
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The decision of keeping the Master, the man behind it all, hidden for two parts is masterful. Bringing in the Ogrons brings to mind the Daleks, since that’s the only people we’ve seen them work for so far. So throughout, we’re in the same predicament as the Doctor and Jo. Just who is behind it? It keeps an air of mystery in the proceedings, which I feel this era is all to happy to throw away if the Master is involved.<br />
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The for it all to be a double bluff, and the employer the Master’s vaguely referred to, to actually be the Daleks and precisely why the Ogrons be involved is another great touch. It might be ruined by the fact we know <i>Planet of the Daleks</i> follows on from this, but in the story it doesn’t feel like it’s a foregone conclusion.<br />
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The Draconians are a great race. Nice design, bit too Japanese influenced. By that I mean, western idea of classic Japanese ideals. But it’s definitely nice, even compared to other ambiguous races like the Ice Warriors they come off a lot better. It’s a shame they’ve never appeared in the show again. But then again, these guys are the exact reason I’m doing this detour, for their appearance alongside the Sixth Doctor and Charley.<br />
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Female president of Earth in the early seventies is great. That and Pertwee tells Jo off for referring to Draconians as Dragons, something she’s overheard from the locals, because it’s a nasty derogatory term. It’s a nice reminder of what Doctor does, and especially obvious after the rather OTT <i>Talons of Weng Chiang</i>.<br />
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the escape attempt from the master’s ship is a brilliant bit of tele, where Jo just doesn’t shut up. Her resisting the Master’s mind control with nursery rhymes, then doing it again with the auditory device was damn epic of her too. Almost as good is when the Doctor is put under a mind probe and is genuinely amused at it breaking under the pressure of his own brainwaves. It immediately brought to mind a great line from <i>Caerdroia</i> where McGann moans about how many people drag the damn things out and are really a waste of time.<br />
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This serial is pretty much only on the list because <i>Planet of the Daleks</i> is a direct continuation of it. Yet it’s possibly one of my favourites of Pertwee to date. Maybe it suffers a bit because the resolution of the pending war gets almost brushed past as we get the reveal that the Daleks <i>are</i> behind the whole thing. The bit in the prison seems almost pointless and simply to make time and vaguely paint a slightly worse image of what’s going on back on Earth.<br />
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After my first stint with Pertwee he was the one Doctor I really didn’t like. He’s no longer that. Now I don’t mind him. I wouldn’t complain if I was to watch one of his serials, which by Inferno I certainly was. Despite it coming after <i>Ambassadors of Death</i> which I’d say is a perfect serial in many ways. Recently though Pertwee’s Doctor has certainly mellowed out a lot, and his relationship with Jo is a big part of that. It’s utterly fantastic. It’s possibly become one of the best Doctor/Companion relationships I’ve seen in Classic Who. There’s better companions, but for chemistry between our two leads, Pertwee and Manning are up there with Tennant and Piper.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;">Second art piece courtesy of Doctor Who Magazine.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-16544369610088743022015-05-09T15:27:00.001+01:002015-05-09T15:27:24.710+01:00Goodbye C'rizz - AbsolutionAnd thus we reach the end of C'rizz's journey inside the TARDIS.<br />
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He's quite an interesting companion. Certainly not a standard template. First of all he's visibly not human, which is something the show still hasn't done. But then the constant make-up would be expensive and time consuming. It also creates an issue whenever you do a modern day or history based story, as everyone first has to react to the alien walking around with the Doctor before we get on with things. It could be interesting for half a season, but after that it would just get in the way.<br />
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Big Finish got round this problem to start with by having C'rizz's first season in his home dimension. Upon returning to the Doctor and Charley's universe it did get in the way a few times. People finding the strange lizard boy weird. But it was also here that C'rizz's actual character started to shine.<br />
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When we first met him back in <i>The Creed of the Kromon</i> we, and the Doctor, were told that there was more to C'rizz than there first appeared. It wasn't really dealt with again until the finale of the Divergent Universe saga <i>The Next Life</i> where we find out that before he met the Doctor he was a bit of a serial killer. A Church sanctioned one anyway. It was classed as 'saving', but he wasn't overly keen since he gave it up to be with the woman he loved. Who he then killed. To save her, mind.<br />
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This history was left unbeknownst to the Doctor, but his second season was spent with ever threatening behaviour, and the appearance that his 'saving' might be even worse then just killing them. Something like he absorbed their personalities as they died. This was bypassed for a less thrilling conclusion. And unfortunately the same goes for the character as well.<br />
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Most of the above is ignored for his finale. His personality absorbing is strangely turned into full blown psychic powers, and the religion aspect is picked up on, sort of. Rather than anything with the Church of Foundation we get general Hell beings and a war on a planet that has suffered a weird extinction event where everyone stopped ageing. In the centuries that have passed the majority of people also have forgotten technology and turned religious. None of it makes a great deal of sense, and the lack of addressing any of C'rizz's long running plots really ruined the whole affair. He might sacrifice himself just to save the planet, but that doesn't make for good storytelling. So much more could have been done with him.<br />
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The unstuck from time was a nice idea, as was the fact that this group of scientists over the course of centuries they now lived, left behind the science that had trapped them and turned to some made up religion. Though the execution, and the attempt to wrap C'rizz into it left <i>Absolution</i> lacking.<br />
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Sadly the same can be said for C'rizz on the whole. Big Finish clearly tried something very different with him. There's a lot of good ideas bubbling under the surface. They just never fully form. Maybe it was the constant changing of Big Finish's plans, pulling out of the Divergent Universe long before they had originally planned, and then deciding to just restart the Eighth Doctor all together with Lucie Miller. I'd like to think the C'rizz was a victim of bad timing, because the idea behind him shows far more potential than we ever get to see.<br />
<br />
Charley's departure from Eight is up next. Hopefully she fares better.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-10050086779921483182015-05-04T09:51:00.000+01:002015-05-04T09:51:00.547+01:00Back to Three - Carnival of MonstersYes, we are back with Pertwee. As much as I’m enjoying Baker and Leela, and had intended to stick with her for her entire run, I hit a bit of a hitch. See I’m way ahead on my audio listening. I’ve actually nearly finished Charley’s time with Six, nevermind Eight, and one of the last audios in that series has connections to “Frontier in Space”.<br />
<br />
So in order to keep Charley on track, I’m derailing Leela. Besides <i>Weng Chiang</i> was not only the end of that particular season, but the end of Hinchcliffe’s time as Producer. I’d already earmarked it as point of a potential Doctor switch before I settled on my schedule. With the added audio wrinkle, well, on with Pertwee!<br />
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<br />
<i>Carnival of Monsters</i> is notable for the reason that it’s the very next serial after <i><a href="http://nightjim.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/doctor-who-turn-50-part-35-three-doctors.html" target="_blank">The Three Doctors</a></i>. In other words, the Doctor has full control of the TARDIS again. Well, at least as much as he ever does. It’s a return to the tried and tested formula of the Doctor and companions travelling the universe and stumbling into problems they then help resolve.<br />
<br />
<i>Carnival</i> addresses that full force with the Doctor believing they’ve arrived in some distant corner of the galaxy, only for Jo to point out that they’re still on Earth, or at least that they appear to be. I love the way Pertwee just outright refuses to believe he could have got it that wrong, and it’s with good reason too. They aren’t on Earth, just a ship stolen from there. They are in the another part of the universe, and trapped in a shrunken cage as part of the titular carnival.<br />
<br />
But this is also Jo becoming a regular companion sitting on the TARDIS instead of operating out of UNIT base, and perhaps the most obvious thing here is that this doesn’t even address that. It’s almost business as normal here. I know it’s not her first trip off world, or even to the strangeness of the Doctor’s world, but I’d have thought that she’s now onboard permanently would at least draw at least one comment.<br />
<br />
Other than that, I’m not sure I have a whole lot to add about <i>Carnival</i>. For some reason it’s generally regarded as one of the best Pertwee stories ever. I have no idea how it ended up on this list. I went and had a quick read as to why it has this moniker. From what I can gather, it does things that are a bit unusual for the Pertwee era, but are staples of Doctor Who as a whole. It certainly does. I wouldn’t expect to see Vorg in any other serial of his.<br />
<br />
However, I think my jumping around has neutered that effect, and instead it’s a pretty standard serial that for me doesn’t manage anything really new. Though the solution of the timeloop cliche is fantastic. Rather than try and knock the time loop out, the Doctor wanders off and just ignores it as he works on resolving the problem, or Jo’s outright mocking of it.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-79100092447318909952015-05-02T17:41:00.001+01:002015-05-02T17:41:51.396+01:00The End is in Sight - More Audio Trips with EightWe're closing in on the end of this season with Eight, which also sees Charley and C'rizz depart the TARDIS. Or at least this one anyway. This week we cover the penultimate three episodes before we hit those departures. So hopefully we get a properly look at C'rizz's weird abilities that are starting to become a bit murky.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKq4NW_AN1Ph-alXH4rOoHWm7z5CSrEnnUrwXJuUFBlzwqleRq69OtCsmF3LXwgNX4hYFdD59Yr-jFchKBRYBlEhveLVR3izTQ-vUkMeiSB4So086KFgLrkj8qZoQ-2d1xtsM/s1600/Doctor_Who-time_works.jpg" /></div><b>Time Works</b><br />
Weird planet with a strange history, time out of sync, and everyone obsessed with clocks. This is a Divergent Universe script right?<br />
<br />
Okay, I know it is. Seems that with Eccleston's debut having happened in the real world Big Finish decided to end the Divergent Universe and go with a something a bit more new-listener friendly. That makes a lot of sense, and to re-work a bunch of already commissioned scripts also does. <i>Scaredy Cat</i> was also one, and looking back I can totally see it. But <i>Time Works</i> pulls off the Divergent Universe better than half the ones we got during the original run, but is also incredibly blatant about its origins. Not that's a bad thing.<br />
<br />
However, the decision to skip parts of the story through narration didn't work for me. Especially as the framing device was wrapped up before the actual story. Like someone couldn't get the story to work and just jumped past the problematic parts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-0EJSvkWccplmj8urcKUtLJmN-QvJy6JakL18WXM7wdwaktbQyTQ232yBw7xmhZAFDmaBnmAfGzAeEfPEpZKj6eLWZofHiqBpAcJ3kqgk6AYMYD3IXzw3OtbDnVYWdUgadY6/s1600/Doctor_Who-Something_inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-WBJ5_RX87m2LKxUEBPipvI8hw0HjZ42nyHUBRYMRlFpqntVkEpk4Wi6QtshYy9oqAHNIrowBFJvyngVw6OzQgyWB_17DD123PbCwA99KjgVUNVRcCgntwOWFgkbq66RaOav/s1600/Doctor_Who-Something_inside-sm.jpg" /></a></div><b>Something Inside</b><br />
Oh Dear. Another Eighth Doctor with a memory problem serial. Only this one manages to do something different, and actually didn't bother me that much. Instead of him wandering about not quite sure what's going on, the Doctor just gets about business, left with an understanding of how he works, his memory being missing allows a couple of walls to come down and the usually very nice Eighth Doctor gets quite a hard edge to him.<br />
<br />
The actual story of psychics, is a neat look at what would happen if we start playing with genetic engineering during war time and the fallout after that. I'd like to see a bit more of this time period, because the quick shot of the jail wasn't enough. Not much more to say about this one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eTAmsQSktEcY5yjUqwmOvB9lnCqEv2ZgIKhke3WvF7tW_NJGyqhP87Rslibruh1g3Jp7BGGK2hyphenhyphensgqISRVRa4_Y8DglfmL9e9wO8BdNolxHkpGW41Qxryk1il0bspDyrHtk9/s1600/Memory_Lane_comic_preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGbglrGK5JZI3q-lI5iXxOni5gjApicpaSOMkcYsrX1OSDpOTfhunGeBjIvzTgH0iI3cAbh9gAFUZyKNnFVAvNsQzpXwa2sNwQKtYaOcW2xL54MWO8ZguHr9lQwKF-BZE2zNJ/s1600/Doctor_Who-Memory_Lane.jpg" /></a></div><b>Memory Lane</b><br />
I really liked this one, I didn't expect to as it started. But the novel idea of how the alien's minds worked, that they really have no long-term visual memory, and how the prison generated cells out of memories was just really well done.<br />
<br />
It's also quite notable that we finally get a proper explanation for C'rizz's ability to 'save' people is given. Not quite as creepy as I thought, or hoped. The fact he absorbs their personalities just by being near them too long is a little mundane to the threatening “Do you want to be saved?” questions from earlier this season that seemed to indicate he only absorbed them if he killed them. It almost derails the whole affair.<br />
<br />
That aside, fun little serial.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-10635994704880720012015-04-27T08:27:00.002+01:002015-04-27T08:27:46.451+01:00Casual British Racism - The Talons of Weng Chiang<i>The Talons of Weng Chiang</i> is one of those big named serials that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Not only is it generally held up as one of the best, Big Finish hang a lot off of it, including Jago and Litefoot getting their own long running series.<br />
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It’s, erm, it’s a bit racist.<br />
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The depiction of the Chinese is absolutely horrific. Not even the fact that they all do kung fu comes close to rating on how bad the depiction is. The main point is that the main Chinese guy is played by an obvious white guy putting on a dodgy accent, the type that some people do when they talk about ordering takeaway, and a bit of makeup around his eyes to make them appear more oriental. Everyone seems to talk about the Chinese derogatorily, I can let that slide and the copper calling them “Chinee” on the vague hope that it was done on purpose to try and emulate the Victorian mindset. But even Tom Baker’s throwing around casual racism during the conversation. If there’s one person who shouldn’t, it’s the Doctor.<br />
<br />
All that said, <i>The Talons of Weng Chiang</i> actually manages to be pretty decent. The idea of an human from much later in our evolution experimenting with time travel, ending up being stuck in a primitive time period and using their advance knowledge to appear almost God-like, and using that to his own advantage is a great move. That the serial keeps this buried and instead has us follow “Chinese bloke” as the main villain for the first few episodes, only to be shown to be a snivelling sycophant is great.<br />
<br />
Like the Mad Monk, Weng Chiang comes across as the anti-Doctor, as it would be so easy for him to do that, and has done only to rush to correct their misunderstanding. I’m pretty sure the Master has used it too, and it suits him pretty well, if it wasn’t for the being stuck here part. Though admittedly I couldn’t help wonder if “Talons” started life as a Master story before heavy rewrites. Along with the plot fitting him quite well, the destroyed DNA would fit nicely with his last appearance three serials ago in <i>The Deadly Assassin</i>.<br />
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Jago and Litefoot are great too. It’s understandable how they become such a big part of the spin-off material, even if they don’t meet until part 5, and not at all what I expected.<br />
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Leela slips a little at the start here, and I can start seeing the treatment of her as a savage idiot everyone complains about, but its passing. During a fight with the Chinese is the most obvious actually. Towards the end she’s also captured, and becomes a simple bargaining tool for Chiang and the Doctor. The rest of the serial she manages to come across pretty decent, standing on her own, saving someone and getting far closer to the person behind it all before the Doctor has a decent inkling of what’s going on, again. But the violent aspect that I can’t believe the Doctor having issue with is getting more and more obvious. She openly tries to kill Chiang. I can appreciate that she stowed away on the TARDIS, but the Doctor seems to have accepted her, and the most we’ve had for him addressing it is a small moment in <i>Robots</i> about her not bringing a gun along.<br />
<br />
I’ve noticed this numerous types over the last three serials, but for a ‘savage’ Leela can sometimes be very well spoken. Louise Jameson occasionally delivers a line totally out of character in a proper London trained actor voice. It’s fine, sometimes it really helps. There’s also one moment in <i>The Robots of Evil</i> where it was to great effect.<br />
<br />
But <i>The Talons of Weng Chiang</i>. There’s no doubt it’s good. But watching it today, especially for the first time like me, there’s a lot of themes and decisions that make it unwatchable to anyone who isn’t a Whovian. It’s racist. A good story dragged down by racism. <i>The Talons of Weng Chiang</i> was one of the first stories on the recommended list that started all this. It shouldn’t be. Despite how good it is, the racism drags it down to “If you’re already hooked on Who, here’s a great story hamstrung by the time it was made”. Which is a shame, because beneath the racism it’s great.<br />
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</iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-25236629873022899672015-04-25T13:19:00.000+01:002015-04-25T13:19:20.350+01:00Journeying with Eight - Two More Big FinishOnce again into the full swing of an audio season with Eight, we have two adventures with C'rizz and Charley as we see what they get up to in the normal universe. Only the first one, we kind of don't.<br />
<br />
<b>Scaredy Cat</b><br />
Now we get to the standard Who fare of travelling around the universe visiting nice places and things inevitably going tits up. Here we have a visit to a garden world to show C'rizz something nice, and discover a scientific research lab on there that shouldn't.<br />
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Everyone involved is super dodgy, and all told it gets a bit ridiculous. Especially when they drag out the Hannibal Lector type who they're experimenting on to cure evil. Though the Doctor's speech is pretty good.<br />
<br />
C'rizz is getting more character development in his second season then he ever did during his original run. I know it took four episodes to even really use him during the Divergent Universe storyline, here we've had two proper looks at him. Though the constant reminders of "Reptile boy" are a touch too far. It was good in <i>Terror Firma</i>, but don't keep pulling the same joke/trick.<br />
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However, not a great serial. I said after <i>Terror Firma</i> that I hoped that this season didn't pull another like the last, where it fell apart after a great opening. After <i>Scaredy Cat</i>& I'm kinda worried it is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8aNEpmwMnHLRSGQsLcwv7gInZ_PPFPN5LQJXVrKe_PXaeUk3eajEaYfKOuETDOg3b2wIK02kGKBNN0EblczMCO9JqOJKVhXCZYb2SjLeIQ2S7n5sAUol6noTncIekY79vC7b/s1600/doctor-who-other-lives.jpg" /></div><b>Other Lives</b><br />
This is an actual Eight Historical. A proper one. The only otherworldly influence is the Doctor, and the whole thing kicking off because two French nobles accidentally nick the TARDIS.<br />
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With an adventure under way and the TARDIS gone <i>Other Lives</i> looks at who would cope the best stranded in Victorian England. The answer is obvious. Charley. Wait. What?<br />
<br />
It sells the Doctor's less than ideal circumstances quite well, with a number of complications all set up before the TARDIS is removed from the events. The Doctor carries on regardless knowing he can just run away. Once that's removed, then he has to face the music. And a rather mentally disturbed woman.<br />
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It's quite a nice little adventure, especially for what we see of C'rizz. There is a bit more of the “Reptile Boy” but it's taken to a nice conclusion, and C'rizz's behaviour is highlighted, and he's starting to get a bit worrying.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-13414329520467238402015-04-20T11:18:00.000+01:002015-04-20T11:18:00.571+01:00Agatha Christie IN SPACE! - The Robots of DeathLeela's second outing, <i>The Robots of Death</i> is one of those highly regarded episodes. But I'm not overly sure why.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. It's good. But it's not amazing. There's not much more to it than robots reprogrammed to kill.<br />
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It starts out well, with the murder mystery that comes across almost like Agatha Christie style whodunnit, except the title tells us that. There's obvious I, Robot influences, and a lot rolling around the three laws of robotics. When it hits robot revolution time it does flows perfectly, and is a proper progression of what we've seen and been told.<br />
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It's also another fairly well thought out sci-fi universe that once again I'd not mind seeing more of. The crews rather decadent living while on a mining operation and just leaving the day to day stuff to robots is damn interesting. I've already done the checks and can see that The Doctor never comes back in the show. Which is annoying as he certainly seems au fait with it. Just like <i>The Face of Evil</i> we're now well past the point where the show makes it clear that we don't see everything. The setting apparently gets an outing elsewhere, which is something I might keep in mind.<br />
<br />
On a minor note, there’s an actual full blown change of the ‘desktop’ of the TARDIS to a wooden version. I realise it’s probably been around for a while for Baker, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a different Console Room in Classic. I thought there it was all minor changes and it was New that introduced the idea of the desktop, which helped explain the Eight’s gothic setup.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I’ve come to yet another realisation about Tom Baker, and why he’s so highly regarded. Over the last two or three years, I’ve made many references to the different types of Doctors. There’s the version started by Hartnell, the grumpy no-nonsense Doctor, then there’s Troughton's which is zany. David Tennant did a great job of playing the spectrum, though was more melancholy by default. So did Matt Smith, but was also possibly the zaniest ever. Finally there’s the great manipulator as seen with Sylvester McCoy. Tom Baker manages to encompass them all, and plays the extremes brilliantly.<br />
<br />
Watching the end of the Hinchcliffe era, and watching the lack of goofiness and a more serious Doctor by Baker, has made me come to appreciate him a lot more. I finally understand why many hold him up as the best. Even if I don’t agree. While he can hit the extremes of the range required for the role, the middle ground is a little less well defined.<br />
<br />
Leela herself gets a decent second outing. She proves herself quite capable, despite her less advanced upbringing, and even impressing the Doctor with a bit of first aid. Unfortunately, her rather unique entrance into the TARDIS isn't addressed. Except that she kept a gun from “The Face of Evil”, allowing the Doctor to give his no weapon speech, but doesn't seem to apply to Leela's ever present knife.<br />
<br />
Then there's the reveal of the undercover agent. Leela spots it way before anyone else because of body language. Not only setting up something important for later in the story, but showing her to be quite capable.<br />
<br />
That the security guy later has a mental breakdown is a great move. As well as the Doctor defeating the mad scientist with helium so the robots he's co-opted won't recognise his voice pattern. There's no denying <i>The Robots of Death</i> is good, and should definitely be on a recommended list, but probably not a Must Watch list.<br />
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They have also decided to address a rather large elephant that has been in the room for seventeen years. Just how exactly are the Daleks about after Skaro was blown up in <i>Remembrance of the Daleks</i>?<br />
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The answer is the rather obvious Davros, who is always good for a Dalek resurrection. Seems he went to Earth and got bioengineering again. Which is nice. It also means that we have human Daleks again. However, the insane Emperor (who we'll get to in a minute) did this (or will do this) to resurrect the Daleks after the Time War as revealed in <i>The Parting of Ways</i>, and the Doctor was suitably shocked at this. So we have another conflict between Big Finish and New Who after the fate of Rassilon in <i>The Next Life</i>.<br />
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It introduces another one before the serial is finished too. That of Davros. We all know he returns to fight the Tenth Doctor as himself, not a completely transformed Emperor. How does that happen? Big Finish have said <i>Parting of Ways</i> Emperor isn't him anyway. Guess that's something to look forward to.<br />
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The funny thing is, thematically I thought this felt very New Who. I figured it debuted after <i>Rose</i>. After all, once Charley and C'rizz leave, the Eighth Doctor is more or less removed from the monthly range and given his own series that closer matches New Who's structure. This is still broken up into four episodes like Classic Who, but the broken Doctor struggling with a 'kill or don't kill' decision feels something that New would do, that Classic might not. Or at least the fact he has to turn to his companion for a bit of advice at least does.<br />
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The fact <i>Terror Firma</i> only came out three months after <i>Rose</i> debuted is a bit of a shock, if I'm honest. It feels like it took a lot of notes from how RTD restyled the programme, but three months isn't enough time to turn around a script. Though they could well have had a preview, it's still pretty quick, especially as a lot of the pieces in play in have been building for a while.<br />
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The story itself does the rather brilliant manoeuvre of introducing us to some forgotten companions. There aren't many Doctor's you can get away with that with. Seven, Eight and Nine are about it. Maybe Six considering how many he's got through thanks to Big Finish. It also fits Eight's constant memory problems trope though.<br />
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We flashback to a slow reveal of just who Samson and Gemma are, and it works well even going in knowing. The truth behind them is pretty horrific. They also seem like a lot of fun (pre-horrific departure), and I wouldn't mind the odd Monthly Release for the Eighth Doctor starring these two. I'm starting to say that a lot aren't I? Anyway, it's a shame their only other two appearances are in out of print short story compilations.<br />
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On the normal companion track, Charley finally starts to sound like herself with a bit of good characterisation. However, it's C'rizz that's far more notable,. There's that reveal from <i>The Next Life</i> taken a bit further, that C'rizz was once a mass murder spurred on by his Church. I forgot that it was never really addressed in <i>The Next Life</i>. Apparently people don't die the same in his universe as they do here, and what ever lets him do it, works here too.<br />
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It's pulled off quite brilliantly too. He isn't the only person hearing voices during the episode. By the time Samson's are explained, you sort of forget that the explanation wouldn't work for C'rizz either. Only at the tail end of the episode do we get the reveal and its genius. Sets up a nice little bit of tension for the audience about this companion too. Once again, the Divergent Universe trick of time is used better here than it was for most of the series that was based there.<br />
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<i>Terror Firma</i> starts this third season of McGann off brilliantly. After the disappointment of the Divergent Universe this was really needed. Hopefully it doesn't pull a <i>Scherzo</i> and is the only decent part of the season.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-14835903747772741272015-04-13T09:42:00.000+01:002015-04-19T11:06:38.578+01:00The Doctor Makes Mistakes - The Face of EvilAgain we reach Tom Baker. Despite that he's the Doctor that's got the most TV appearances, he's one of the two that I've spent the least time with. Mainly due to my reticence since I disliked <i>Genesis of the Daleks</i> which is meant to be one of his best. However, this means there's a lot of material here that Big Finish rely on that I haven't gone near. <br />
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We've already hit one of these in a major way. Leela. When I listened to <i>Zagreus</i> I had my first meeting with this companion, and it meant nothing. So I figured this Who run through would entail a big stop off with Four, like last year and Three. What better place to do that with Leela's hoping on board the TARDIS?<br />
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Leela's an odd one. I try to avoid most companion's until we reach a significant story for them. Or at least a decent one. She's one of two that I've messed that up with. The other is Nyssa, but <i>The Mutant Phase</i> did her quite a lot of justice. Yet when I heard Leela in <i>Zagreus</i>, and I was confused how this savage woman (I know that much) was on Gallifrey. Which pretty much spoils how her story goes. But that was all I got from it. <br />
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Here, I really like her so far. How straight forward she can be is quite a refreshing chance. When the Doctor starts his crazy explanations or hypothesising she just looks at him like he's mental. Yet at the same time she does rack up a bit of a body count. On the second the Doctor has to tell her to stop. It's kind of a surprise that she becomes a companion. Then again, I don't think the Doctor did have any intention of making her one. Leela follows and asks if she can come, and he gives her one more chance. A simple question “Why?” that if she answers correctly then maybe she might just have the right stuff. Instead she says the two of them get along. It's not enough. But Leela just runs in the TARDIS and hits a button, luckily for her the de-materialisation one, and that's it. The fact she invites herself along has quite endeared this new companion to me. <br />
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The rest of the story does just as well too. To start with the whole barbaric world believing in some weird mumbo jumbo felt pretty awful, but quickly you realise that they have some sci-fi stuff they have laying around and don't understand. It quickly escalated with the Doctor's “Evil one” moniker revealed as a mistake he made on a previously unseen journey. The crashed ship, generations split apart and sort of at war with each other, alternate words bastardised over time such as the tribes name of Severteem originally being Survey Team. It builds up into an awesome little universe. However, the Tesh's costumes and their bowing are utterly ridiculous.<br />
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But it's a minor thing, and overall it's a brilliant serial, and a great introduction to a new companion.<br />
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Thankfully Swallow manages to take the setting of the Orion war and use it well again (or the first time, since this came out first). It almost would work without it, but it just adds a nice bit of flavour and helpfully explains the presence of the two androids there. Once more he manages to perfectly characterise the androids, their abilities, and their similarities to Humans. It seems he's a much better suited writer to the whole android/human dichotomy. Not really that surprising from the guy who wrote the recent <i>Deus Ex</i> games.<br />
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It seems the most disappointing part of the war is the actual war itself. Which is a shame, because it had some serious promise (yes I am going to keep moaning about it).<br />
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<i>Kingdom of Silver</i> makes a brilliant companion to <i>Cyberman 2</i>'s ending, and finally does something the idea of a Cyber tomb world while avoiding Telos. In fact having a situation very different to the one we saw in <i>Tomb of the Cybermen</i>. I think I finally found something that can stand alongside <i>The Sword of Orion</i>.<br />
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Big Finish also did something a little different here. <i>Kingdom of Silver</i> is only three parts, and the traditional fourth instalment is taken by a sort of sequel in <i>Keepsake</i>. That follows the two android agents and shows where they went after the events on and offers a nice little nod to Corvus from <i>Cyberman 2</i> too. I can't quite remember who he is over there, and a quick google on all the usual places seem to indicate no one else has really bothered to keep track, other than admit it is followed up.<br />
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There's also a lovely little reference to the 'desktop' of the TARDIS, bridging that whole Classic/New gap of Who, with Two'Mark the scrap dealer referring to the Gothic interior as seen in the TV Movie being better than the Roundels but Coral (Tennant's) being his favourite.<br />
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Again, I find myself in the position of wanting to see more of the Orion War, but with the knowledge that means something along the lines of <i>Cyberman</i>, I'll ignore it this time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-5701401533984713132015-04-06T10:13:00.000+01:002015-04-06T10:13:00.346+01:00In The Navy - The Sea DevilsAs what is basically the sequel to <i>The Silurians</i> I expected so much more from <i>The Sea Devils</i> instead it's the Master's rather devious return to the show after getting captured at the end of <i>The Daemon</i>s. Of course we just read “The Face of the Enemy” so it's a slightly different spin here.<br />
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Taking into account the novel (which it would be criminal not to) this is clearly a good few months after <i>The Curse of Peladon</i> which happened at the same time. It would explain why the Master is so ingrained at this new prison (which is also mentioned in the novel). I love the fact that he's managed to wriggle himself into a similar position as the one we previously saw. Once again the entire staff wait on him rather than guarding him.<br />
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However, once we get past that, this basically turns into another rerun of <i>Terror of the Autons</i>. By which I mean it’s a remake of the villains’ previous appearance with the Master taking over the central plot. Which is a great shame because I believe that the Silurians have a lot more to offer Who. Even their return in New Who in <i>The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood</i> plays practically the same plot with the added benefit of 38 years so the public forgot and much better special effects. We might get Vastra a year later, but she’s a one-off, a fantastic character nonetheless, but not doing anything interesting with the race as a whole. It might be intriguing to see how Clara, someone very offay with Vastra, deals in a proper Silurian plot.<br />
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So without the Silurians - which is how I’m referring to them despite their aquatic nature, The Doctor makes it quite clear they’re the same race and the only difference is because the production crew wanted to do an underwater story- what do we have? A return to the standard Pertwee story. Sort of.<br />
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First we had a non-Unit story with <i>The Curse of Peladon</i>. Then we had a totally UNIT story with no Doctor in <i>The Face of the Enemy</i>. Now we seem to have a UNIT story without UNIT. <br />
This may seem a little strange, but it does actually help the serial. Alongside UNIT and the Brigadier, the Doctor says aliens and everyone jumps into action. Even if that week’s bureaucrat don’t believe, UNIT is there to make sure they do what’s needed. It removes an obstacle that shouldn't always be removed. By having this as the Royal Navy and giving Captain Hart the usual Brig role the Doctor spends a lot of this serial fighting against authority as well as the Master. Which is exactly what this serial needed to keep it interesting.<br />
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Not that the shift to Master is bad. I’m not sure but this also might be where it’s revealed that the Master and the Doctor are old school buddies. Even if it's not this is the earliest I've seen the show use that to its maximum. The serial starts with Jo and the Doctor heading to the Master's prison to check up on him. But while Jo is clearly still in the “this man is evil” thinking, the Doctor's attitude comes across more as he is checking up on an old friend, or even that he's a bit lonely being stuck here on Earth with the humans, and his recent trip off-world prompted him to go see his old friend.<br />
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Numerous times the two of them are hanging out, having proper chats between squaring off when shit gets serious. It’s a side of the Master/Doctor relationship that practically disappears when Anthony Ainley takes over. New Who brought it back a little, with Simm’s death scene (both of them) and the sex change and the reveal that Missy’s feelings go a little deeper.<br />
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On the other side of the coin. This is perhaps the first time I've seen the full-on action stuff that Pertwee gets accused of so often. The sixth episode is basically a protracted fight between the Royal Navy and the Silurians and the Doctor gets a bit fighty a couple of times, even jumping in to help the odd sailor. Then there's the sword fight. After one of their chats, the Doctor and the Master have a big old fencing match, no holds barred. Unbelievably it's used, in full, in two episodes. Episode two ends with it, and the next episode shows it again. I’ve often wondered (and I know some exist) how well you could edit Classic Who into a shorter format for today’s audience. Just knocking that repeat fight out would get you five minutes back without even trying.<br />
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Not to miss out, Jo does a pretty decent job for the first half of this serial sneaking about and infiltrating places. All that talk of being a proper UNIT agent is starting to show again. Things look like they’re about to fall apart as she’s gets all screamy when the Doctor goes underwater, but during the final battle she’s off piloting a hovercraft.<br />
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At the start I compared this to <i>Terror of the Autons</i>, but <i>The Sea Devils</i> manages the retelling with the Master far better than the previous attempt. As with most six parters, it could easily trim a bit an episode off and not lose anything, but it’s a pretty decent serial. One that shows that having the Doctor be a regular part of UNIT might have been interesting, but it’s not the best setting for the show. After this and <i>The Curse of Peladon</i> it’s no surprise that this season ended with <i>The Three Doctors</i> and Pertwee given control of the TARDIS once more.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-58724390523461612562015-04-04T21:07:00.002+01:002015-04-04T21:07:13.474+01:00Doctor Who without the Doctor - The Face of the EnemyAgain we divert from the usual audio fare to dive into written Who. Why? Because this is Pertwee-era without Pertwee. <i>The Face of the Enemy</i> is also pretty highly regarded, and since it takes place at the same time as <i>The Curse of Peladon</i> I figured it was the perfect opportunity.<br />
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Besides, a look at ancillary characters without the Doctor about and see how they cope in a situation that greatly needs him sounds right up my street.<br />
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The UNIT storyline, feels exactly like a Pertwee era story about the investigation of a crashed ship, except the Doctor's missing. In New Who this could easily be a Doctor-lite episode where we concentrate on what people in the Doctor's orbit do when the Time Lord isn't about. This story proves what a shame it was that it was never experimented with earlier. Seeing UNIT deal with a mission without him would have been incredibly intriguing.<br />
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Having the Brigadier bring in Ian and Barbara to fulfil the Doctor's normal role is great, after they've acknowledged that they can't get hold of Liz Shaw. They also strike a nice balance. They've been back on Earth for ten years. They're used to normal life again. Diving back into situations that the Doctor specialises in is a little exciting and a little daunting all at the same time. It's really good to see the life of a companion so far removed from their actual time on the TARDIS.<br />
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On the other hand you have the story of Detective Boucher and the bank robbery, which feels like a gritty 70s cop serial. It's a stark contrast to what's going on back with UNIT, as we have shoot-outs, grasses, drinking coppers and a scene straight out of The Godfather Part 3. Even the first meeting of the Master fits it perfectly, with him practically running the prison he's been thrown into.<br />
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It could all fall apart, except McIntee does a fantastic job of switching between the two. Yes, they feel completely different, but they're also the same story, as you read on aspects from each slowly start to trickle through. Once the crime story has been fully integrated, the remaining non-dimensional elements are dealt with harshly to remind you just how this all came to be.<br />
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The Master is one of the points that hold the whole story together, and as such we get a deeper look into the character than we have before. It also makes his various appearances throughout this era of Who all the more feasible, by just giving us this insight into what the Master is doing when he's not mid-scheme against the Doctor, because he had all these things behind him, just to keep things rolling and in money. The idea he views it all as an inconvenient necessity too just sells it even more.<br />
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The Master is one of the bad guys I can't make my mind up about. However, I love the concept of an evil Doctor and here that mirror is held up in even starker contrast. By going to UNIT and getting the Brigadier to reluctantly have the Master take the science role he literally becomes a violent unscrupulous Doctor. All those people that talk about how they'd prefer a Doctor who's a bit more violent get to see what the UNIT-era would have been like if that was the case. It's a fun distraction, but Who would never have lasted with it.<br />
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Of course there's the <i>Inferno</i> tie, which as it became more obvious I was uncertain about. Apart from not liking that particular serial, it's also quite self contained. Until McIntee brought the science out and made it make so much sense. Combined with him giving a very brief history lesson in the world, it adds a nice couple of layers that were missing from the original story. It also uses various aspects from the show's run on Earth to form a single narrative for this other world.<br />
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Throw in a young Harry Sullivan getting his start in UNIT and this feels like an important piece of the puzzle that makes Doctor Who more a tangible universe than a show just trying to meet deadlines.<br />
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While the <i>The Wheel of Ice</i> felt like an additional entry to the franchise just because the author could, <i>The Face of the Enemy</i> fills in a lot of gaps, yet managing to stay entertaining. By acknowledging the personal lives of everyone, something the show ignored, it breathes life into them, and the whole era. Not only have Ian and Barbara got a child (who we don't meet as they are responsible parents left him with his grandparents) but they lost their jobs for disappearing for two years, but thanks to connections with other people the Doctor met both eventually landed on their feet. The Brigadier is worrying about his own personal life in the aftermath of Barbara's supposed death. It bring a lot of humanity to the players that was missing from before<br />
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Using the continuity to frame a fantastic story, instead of being a slave to it and just being a set of tick boxes of Master, <i>Inferno</i>, Ian and Barbara, anything else that would help. This book most certainly is an essential addition to Who.<br />
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Fair enough, at the end we're told that it was likely the Time Lords doing, but it comes across as bolted on. Like a traditional Doctor Who script was written and at the end someone realised they had to explain how Jo and the Doctor are here.<br />
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The rest of <i>The Curse of Peladon</i> doesn't start off well either. The set dressing is awful. The Centuari delegate is atrocious. Some simply godawful voice over. Yet these are things I swore I wouldn't moan about. <br />
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<i>The Curse of Peladon</i> is a prime example as to why I shouldn't either. A great bit of political intrigue, and the use of the Ice Warriors is masterful. Here's a race we've met twice before, both times incredibly warlike and on the last they were after terraforming the Earth. Just like the Doctor we're predisposed to not trust them. For them to turn out to be his closest allies is a great move.<br />
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It's eked out too. They keep you believing it just long enough, then it's proven and something else is thrown in just to make you wonder if it's all a double bluff. Then the real bad guy is shown and things turn into a man-hunt, with one of the double crosses still going on and the Doctor actively having to prove his innocence while at the same time trying to resolve everything.<br />
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I genuinely loved this serial. As much as I enjoyed <i>Day of the Daleks</i> it's been awhile since I've been able to say that. If the story can make you look past the production short comings then it's a very good thing, and <i>The Curse of Peladon</i> certainly did that.<br />
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That's three of the four outings of the Ice Warriors done in one run through. It's a shame I'm not carrying on with Pertwee for the final one this time. But then <i>Planet of the Daleks</i> is also not on this run through, and I think every other Dalek encounter will have featured before we return to Capaldi.<br />
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So why aren't I staying for more Pertwee? Because he got a hell of a run last year with six serials, and the fourth and seventh doctors are woefully under represented in my watching. Something I aim to fix before the return of 12. So I can't dawdle on Pertwee. Next week's <i>The Sea Devils</i> is the last before we leap to Baker.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26192708.post-63888472058831892422015-03-28T09:17:00.001+00:002015-03-28T09:17:46.144+00:00The Story of an Empire - the Drashani Empire trilogyWith eight episodes done and the Doctor and Charley, along with C'rizz, now back in the proper dimension it felt like the perfect end of season. Which also allowed me to take a break from them. Now I've been doing a bit of planning for the blog, and once again it looks like Doctors 5, 6 and 7 are going to be hard done by before 12 comes back for his second season. So I took this season break as an opportunity to dip my toes into their respective audios.<br />
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Long time readers will know I've had mixed success with this. Big Finish continuity is all over the shop because they're producing regular material for five Doctors all at once. With the first three getting the odd look in with spin-off series too. But I found a trilogy that was perfect.<br />
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Now we're used to the Doctor turning up somewhere, solving a problem and buggering off without really worrying about the consequences. It's not something that can be really addressed in the show, unless you decided to change things up and have the Doctor jump forward a hundred years or so and check up how everything turned out. Which is a bit unlike him. Or the reality of doing a sequel to a serial several years old might alienate some of your audience.<br />
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However, Big Finish are in the perfect place to show that sort of thing, by spreading it out across three of the Doctors currently in their care. Which is what usually causes me trouble with their continuity. But this is a different kettle of fish, as this was written as a self contained trilogy. Also no companions, which helps.<br />
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<b>The Burning Prince</b><br />
This is a lovely and dark little tale with the Fifth Doctor that manages to set the scene of two warring factions of a split empire, and put in place all the major players for the rest of the trilogy. All without sacrificing its own integrity and story. A brilliant start.<br />
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It's also one of those adventures where the Doctor completely and utterly fails. In fact not only does he fail, he probably makes things worse, as without his interference no one would have survived long enough for the big bad to have pulled off the last part of their plan. It's a dark day for the Doctor, one that reminds you of moments like “The Waters of Mars” when Tennant was at his lowest.<br />
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<b>The Acheron Pulse</b><br />
But time and distance can put a different spin on things. Such as thirty years and no survivors allows the universe to look at the event with extremely rose tinted glasses, and peace be brought to the Empire in the name of the two Royal 'lovers' that died that day. Which is where we find the Sixth Doctor turning up, and the daughter of one of the few good characters from “The Burning Prince” now crowned Empress. It even picks up a plot point from Five's outing that was woefully underused.<br />
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It's a shame then that it absolutely drops the balls about halfway through. The big bad Lord Tenebris gets all monologuey at the start of part 3, and part 4 just sort of bumbles along with a concept that is nowhere near as good as the writer probably hoped. Tenebris and the Doctor thrown into a psychic plane, where we've just been told no one can come back from, to have an argument. Which deflates its existence somewhat. With Tenebris' arrival there, there was a chance to do something epic. Instead we get something entirely disappointing, and poor resolution to one of the driving forces of the first half.<br />
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Even the setup for the third part is both blatant and slightly eye-rolling. For some reason, “The Acheron Pulse” doesn't seem up to the usual Big Finish Six material either. At points, despite it being Colin Baker, it didn't even sound anything like the Six we've come to know. Except towards the end. It is one of the most disappointing audios I've listened too. <br />
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However, the Doctor's return to this part of space does work well. In the intro I pointed out it was unusual for him to come back to check. Five's part had him given a keepsake for the daughter. Here he finally gets round to returning it. The fact it's a companion-less Six that finally does deliver it does scream classic Doctor behaviour. <br />
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<b>The Shadow Heart</b><br />
Another Fifty years pass, and to start with you almost wonder if you're listening to the right audio. We start in what almost feels like Mos Eisley. Aka a spaceport full of scum and villainy. A little different to royal family story we've followed so far.<br />
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After “The Acheron Pulse I was a bit worried that maybe my choice of this trilogy was a bad one. Turns out I was wrong. It's a great adventure with the Doctor, with multiple moving parts, build on the previous parts before it yet has plenty of its own material to make it all work. There's also a bit of the Master Manipulator everyone goes on about for Seven but I've not seen so far (excusing Fenric cos I was drunk which is probably why I'll rewatch it when we get there).<br />
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Also debuting Chase Masterson as Vienna Salvatore. Now that's not a name that might mean much to a lot of people. But some Star Trek fans might remember her as Leeta. The dabo girl that took the Ferengi Rom's heart. Leeta never was a major part, but it was a reoccurring one, and as I was fifteen when DS9 was going, Leeta stood out for … certain reasons. Here she's cast in a totally different role. That of a ruthless mercenary. But this is Chase Masterson, and it appears that even in audio she can do the same thing that grabbed me as a teenager. Just in her voice Masterson manages to pour sexy tones in it, and Vienna comes across as a fantastic femme fatale as a result.<br />
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She obviously was received well as Big Finish gave her (yet another of their) mini-series, and is soon to get a second and third season. She's certainly a different kind of character. Who rarely relies on sex to sell (Peri not-withstanding), but that's clearly the idea with Vienna, and by the fact that she's American already puts some distance between her and most of the cast as Big Finish have kept the old tradition of everyone being distinctly British.<br />
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Suitably epic, nice finale, that wraps everything up<br />
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Overall, the Drashani Empire trilogy is quite good. The middle part is the obvious weak link, but the tight and dark beginning with Five, and the timey-wimey manipulation heavy end with Seven are both fantastic and make it worth the time.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07958211820506721065noreply@blogger.com0