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 | Wow! A Historical episode..... |
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| What: | The Marian Conspiracy (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Greg Holtham, Mattydale, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 December 2006 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
OK, I'll be honest here. I really didn't think that a completely historical episode of Doctor Who could work in this day and age, let alone intrest audiences....until I realized that "Quantum Leap" essentially did the same thing 15 years ago. The historical aspect is the backdrop to the tale, its main ideas come from the characters, their interactions, relationships, and actions propels the story forward and (hopefully) makes it a story worth watching...er, hearing.
Which is something "The Marian Conspiracy" does very well(although I'm a little confused on where the title comes from; is this an English thing?) Rather than making Queen Mary an evil tyrant, she's depicted as a devout Catholic who truly believes that her action are pure and that God in the end will forgive all of their sins. In fact it's neat little touches like this that makes all the characters beliveable and well-rounded. Like Crow and Leaf saying that while burning Protestants is wrong, it's all right to burn sinners instead.
And then theirs the intro of Evelyn. This is perhaps Big Finish's best gift to the Doctor Who mythos: creating companions for the Doctor who from the starting gate are three-dimensional and fully realized. It in turn allows the "older companions" to become more 3-D as well (the interaction between Peri and Erinem, e.g) Evelyn, besides being older than previous companions, is far more acid-toungued and witty; making her more than a match for the 6th Doctor (who incidentally is FINALLY starting to live up to the potential the he was starting to show in his final televised season. Colin Baker is sounding fantastic in the audios and is truly a delight to hear him back in the saddle once again).
So, all in all this was a great story (even the minor annoyance about the 'temporal nexus point' to get the story running was good; it creates a unique way for the Doctor to meet Evelyn) and the start of more pure historical episodes in the future.
| What: | The Sirens of Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Greg Holtham, Mattydale,USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 10 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
...which it is. It's by far not the most engaging stories from the BF catalogue, but what it does do is provide a neat introduction to the world of Doctor Who, the character, several of his incarnations, his ship, background, etc. It also gives an idea of his adventures in space & time. Naturally, the final chapter is the best with all 3 Doctors working together (and apparently setting the 6th and 7th Doctors up in a relationship reminsincent of the 2nd and 3rd Doctors). As I said there are better audios out there (and I'm sure you can pick one out yourselves without my biased opinion), but "Sirens" is still a good way to introduce yourself to either the BF audios or Doctor Who.
| What: | Scaredy Cat (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 9 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Wow - this title has been totally trashed in these reviews!
I can't say I disagree to a great extent, but what I was going to say is that this story was not worse than The Twilight Kingdom, one of the divergent universe stories. I went over to look at the info on it again, and lo and behold - it too was written by Will Shindler. No wonder the bleakness of the storyline is familiar.
Well, Scaredy Cat actually kept my focused attention for a while, because at first I saw it as a simple (but rather miserable) story with well-designed suspense that kept me wondering what would happen. Then I began to note some elements that were very familiar to me. I'd heard this story before.
The real deal here is that Scaredy Cat is nearly a direct retelling of one of the first three Stranger videos by BBV - More Than a Messiah - in which Sophie Aldred plays the role that was adapted for this present title into the "elemental" Galayana. The disturbed apelike natives, the being with the link to the planet, the invading technological offworlders, the global upheaval, the Doctor/Stranger who befriends the elemental being... it was all in More Than a Messiah. A few little changes, and you have Scaredy Cat.
Still, I can't pan this one as badly as the others did.
And a possible explanation for how C'rizz could resist Flood: C'rizz is both a physical and psychic chameleon, and in the Doctor's presence, the Doctor's mind was actually more influential over him than Flood's was, since they have something of a history together now, and an established familiarity.
| What: | Gallifrey: Lies (Gallifrey audio dramas) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 5 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Lies is the first episode of the Gallifrey series' second season. The story is fairly well-written, except that some things are made to happen a bit too conveniently - in particular, the Matrix and K-9 come off as possessing nearly magical qualities here... Still, it is rather imaginative, and in this one brief episode, intriguing links are made to the events of Neverland and to Romana's regeneration in Doctor Who's seventeenth season (which is pretty well clarified here, imo), Braxiatel's role is uncovered and there is the beginning of a new revelation regarding ancient Gallifrey, and all of these are interconnected in a cohesive storyline. It's great to hear Mary Tamm back as the first Romana, and her scenes in the Matrix projection alone make this one worth listening to.
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| The Rani, The Master & Luddites, oh my! |
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| What: | The Mark of the Rani (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
"The Mark Of The Rani" one of the few offerings available on DVD from Colin Baker's run as the Sixth Doctor, and this story is a good story all around. The only story fault I find with it is that the historical part of the story goes out the window early in Episode 2. At that point, it could've been set anywhere and have done all right. Kate O'Mara's turn as The Rani is brillant, a coldly scientific, calculating woman who only cares for her experiments. It is a shame that she wasn't brought in earlier in the 80's, perhaps in Tom Baker's final season so she could be used more as the series went on. Anthony Ainley puts in a fairly alright turn as The Master, but his place in the story is questionable and one wonders if The Master should've sat this story out. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are a good team of The Doctor and Peri, their disputes, though sometimes very biting, belies the true warmness and closeness of this Doctor/companion team. The story as a whole is solid, with an imaginative backdrop of the Industrial Revolution (which gets lost as Episode 2 goes on). The Rani's experiments on the human sleep cycle is very brilliant and surreal, and the consequences make for heated showdown between some of the men who were experimented on and The Doctor. It truly is a shame that Colin Baker didn't get time to properly settle into the role of The Doctor before the BBC put "Doctor Who" on the shelf for 18 months. I honestly believe Colin Baker should have been given more time and "The Mark Of The Rani" stands testament to a big missed opportunity. Not the best story of the Colin Baker era (I believe that distinction goes to "Revelation Of The Daleks"), but all in all a good story nonetheless!
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| Unravelling the fabric of time....... |
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"The Greatest Show In The Galaxy" is a story that suffers so much from excess baggage that it is no wonder "Doctor Who" left the airwaves 4 stories later. Sylvester McCoy turns in an admirable performance as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred is an ok companion as Ace, but the chemistry that so many Doctor/companion teams have had is just not there, at least not yet (It would get stronger in the next season, especially in "Ghost Light" and "The Curse Of Fenric"). The guest stars seemed like they were bored and it showed in a lot of uninspiring performances. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, the story really falls flat on it's face. The clowns try to be scary but are not, the Gods of Ragnarok try to be menacing but are not, and the whole circus idea just flops badly. The action always seems to go at a snail's pace and it really just leaves the viewer guessing more often than not without explaining anything. You could tell the series was in trouble at this point as it closed out Sylvester McCoy's second season as The Doctor. I really wish this had been made as a three-parter as opposed to a four-parter, they could've tightened up the story that way and it would have been much better. I say give it a try and see for yourself, but I wouldn't hold my breath.....
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| A good Dalek story, but not great |
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| What: | Planet of the Daleks (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
"Planet Of The Daleks" is a serial that I have very mixed feelings about. On the one hand, Jon Pertwee turns in another great performance as the Third Doctor and Katy Manning is cool as Jo Grant. The guest stars were really good and made for a very interesting story. My problem, then? The story itself. The Daleks seem to just be going through the motions without any motivation or outstanding surprise. The story in some places moves too slow and the effects are marginal at best. Episode 3 exists only in black and white and gives a decent flashback to the days before color. If you're a Jon Pertwee or a die-hard Dalek fan, get this serial. It's an ok story that sets the stage for Katy Manning's departure in the next serial, "The Green Death".
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| Not one of Davison's best, but still... |
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| What: | Time-Flight (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
"Time-Flight" finishes out Peter Davison's first season as the Fifth Doctor and it ended on a bit of mixed note. On the up-side, the story is very solid (Concordes plucked out of mid-flight and hurtled 140 million years in the past, the fate of the Xeraphin and the ever evil machinations of the Master to try and outwit the Doctor) and the acting is very tight. Not great, but solid. Peter Davison is probably one of my favorite Doctors, and I always felt bad he was saddled with companions that whined and complained too much. Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Janet Fielding (Tegan) gripe and complain quite a bit, especially in the beginning over the death of Adric, but they do come through in the clinch when the chips are down. Anthony Ainley hams it up again as the Master. Ainley tries his best but sadly he is no Roger Delgado. On the down-side, the special effects (even for the early 80's) are at best questionable, at worst completely unbelievable and really drags the story down. Perhaps not the best serial of Peter Davison's run as The Doctor, but a good serial to have if your a fan of the Fifth Doctor!
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| A very good story with cool extras |
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| What: | The Reign of Terror (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
"The Reign Of Terror" has rapidly become one of my favorite William Hartnell stories, and the French Revolution backdrop makes for lots of intrigue, plot twists and witty dialogue. The cast is in fine form here and the guest stars are totally up to the task of making the Reign Of Terror come to life. Episodes 4 and 5 are sadly missing, with them much of Robespierre's appearances (you get to see a little of him toward the end of Episode 6) but you get to see Napoleon (Tony Wall) begin his ascent to power. But Carole Ann Ford's linking naration brings the missing episodes to life in the mind. All around a very good story. Plus, if that wasn't enough, 3 orphaned episodes from the Patrick Troughton era are included from two incomplete serials. Episodes 1 and 3 from "The Faceless Ones", the final story for Michael Craze (Ben Jackson) and Anneke Wills (Polly Wright), are a lost treasure that tantalizes us with the possibilities of young people being kidnapped in mid-flight and aliens invading the earth in secret. Chameleon Tours indeed. Episode 1 of "The Web Of Fear" is also included and it features the first traces of what would become the UNIT family starting to surface, with Nicholas Courtney in his first appearance as Colonel (later Brigadier) Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart. Sadly, that performance is missing but Episode 1 sets the plot (re-activated Yeti terrorizing London, spreading a paralyzing web all over and causing the TARDIS to get stuck in mid-flight) and the combo of the Second Doctor (Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) make an awesome TARDIS crew. These 3 Episodes are now available in the "Lost In Time" DVD set, but just to get "The Reign Of Terror" was more than worth it!
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| It mangles history, but it's good fun |
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| What: | The Gunfighters (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Brian Ridder, Littleton, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
This story, one of the final serials of William Hartnell's run as the First Doctor is a fun little story for anyone just getting into Doctor Who. It completely mangles the actual historical gunfight at the OK Corrall, and the "Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" gets on your nerves fairly quick, but the acting, particularly of Hartnell as The Doctor and his two companions, Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane), as well as the guest stars more than make up for it. Not one of the best of the Hartnell years, not by a long shot, but still a funny and witty story as it counts down Peter Purves' departure from the series in the next story, "The Savages".
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| Enough With Rolling R's Already |
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| What: | Red (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Just how long can Sylvester McCoy roll an R? Writers at Big Finish seem determined to test that question, and so far Red comes up victorious. I think I had the rolled R thing figured in The Greatest Show In The Galaxy, so please, Sylv, if you are reading this, give 'em a rest.
OK, now on to the story. Red is one of the stronger dramas for 2006. It is certainly one of the goriest. I am reminded a bit of early Clive Barker in the depiction of uncontrollable urges to kill in horrible ways. There is clever play with colors: Red (rage), White Noise (logic), and Blue (depression). I felt this did not quite go far enough. Instead of unifying these three, we get diverted into the Red seeking out the Doctor and some nonsense about time. Oh, the Doctor is a time traveller, see, so everything he does has to involve time. Not when this makes the writer bypass a golden opportunity to work some clever plotting in which Red, White, and Blue (America? England? France?) form a folie a troix. So, high marks for atmosphere and a well-worked alternate society. Demerits for missing the obvious.
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| Blah Sequel To A Boring Story |
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| What: | Thicker Than Water (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
OK. It is nice to have Evelyn married off in the end, and in particular it is nice that the relationship was allowed time to develop in the way that relationships should. It is nice that every now and again in Doctor Who, someone has a happy ending.
Now. Thicker Than Water, sequel to Arrangements For War, is better than its predecessor, but that does not make it good. It is more consistent and tightly plotted. That said, there is too much soap opera domestic drama stuff between Evelyn and her new family. Also, it was pretty easy to spot the bad guy; just aim for the one that everyone says could not possibly be the bad guy. Give Colin Baker a chance to play moral outrage loudly, and, I suppose, you have what passes for a plot. There is just not much original for one to think about.
| What: | The Harvest (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The Harvest is mostly a way to introduce a new companion. Part One, especially, is more a Hex story than a Doctor story. Generally speaking, I am not a fan of Doctor Who as science fiction Mission Impossible. Having the Doctor and Ace infiltrate this society and that institution just does not work well for me in most cases. I forgive it here because the story itself justifies such a move to some degree. The story manages to hide just who are the baddies, what Dr. Farrow is up to, and what the actual plans are for quite some time. Also, the story has a realistic conception of politics and how xenotechnology might be used by a desperate world power.
| What: | Flip-Flop (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Jonathan Morris has pulled off a very difficult feat in creating a convincingly circular story. Whichever Part Three one chooses (white disc part one or black disc part one), one starts listening for all the cues about the effects from the Doctor and Mel on the other disc. The concept is marvellous. On the other hand, the human colonists just do not grab my interest; they are weak, wimpy, selfish, and annoying. I understand Morris's attmept to satirize political correctness, but it is not a wholly convincing satire. There are some realism glitches, too. The two pairs of Stewart and Reed would not look so identical that no one can tell them apart. Having grown up in different circumstances and taken on different social roles (soldiers in one, rebels in another) they would be wearing different clothes, have different hair styles, probably even have differing manners and deportments.
| What: | Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
This story is mainly a satire on Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space 9, and some good satire it is. Both programs are far too self-important and need a good belittling. A couple of the jokes are old hat, such as the "he's dead" cue portentous music bit. However, there are some very funny parts as well, especially involving Patricia Quinn's madly over the top Angvia. One perplexing question: why have a program about a song contest and not have Bonnie Langford sing? The Doctor's spoons just do not make an adequate substitute. Also, the second ending after the false ending (sorry to spoil a little surprise) runs on too long. Not as brilliantly sustained as The One Doctor, but a good example of how Doctor Who can be used humorously.
| What: | The Rapture (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
There is so much pop psychology drivel in The Rapture that it is just hard to listen to. We get several speeches about what kids seek in Ibiza (the previous reviewer did mention how talky this show is), a drugged out depressive, an insane artist, some nonsense about co-dependency so that the story can justify a fourth, otherwise pointless, episode. All of it comes straight out of Psychology For Dummies. The confrontation between Liam and Ace seems designed mainly as an excuse to have Sophie Aldred go on another spree of "acting" in the form of petulant over-reaction. This is not her fault, just the fault of the way Ace is constantly being miswritten. A surprise is Tony Blackburn, who handles his role very well. It is not all that easy to play oneself in a drama. He is especially good in the montage segment when Caitriona is freaking out.
| What: | Colditz (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Colditz would have fit well in the McCoy run on TV. His part is particularly well written, with him reasoning out the reality of the situation, then working out what his own plan was, rather than what it will be (sort of like Battlefield, but handeld better). Like the McCoy TV run, at least part of the writer's intent is to have the situation teach Ace some sort of lesson. Ace, however, is one of the problems - reacting without thinking just a little too often. The big problem is Kurtz, a melodrama baddy if there ever was one. (Kurtz and Klein, short and small, hmmm). A peculiar bit is constant reference to a Kommandant who never actually appears in the story, complete with shootout in his office. The story is not brilliant, but it is entertaining.
| What: | Dust Breeding (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
I am afraid I cannot agree with the rather high assessment other reviewers here have attached to "Dust Breeding." One reviewer noted a serious lapse that should not go overlooked. The "warp core" idea just makes no sense. Another problem not noted is that three bad guys, Warp Core, Krill, and Master, is just a bit too much in the way of evil. It is like watching those dreadful Batman movies in which our hero has to fight multiple baddies all competing for the spotlight. Then, we have to bring back a character from a previous story with little probable reason for it. We also get a convenient load of dead Daleks buried in the sand just waiting to be blown up. There is just too much stuff, and the whole thing goes kerblooey. On the positive, Geoffrey Beevers is superb as the Master, truly frightening, though I still miss Roger Delgado's dry wit in the role.
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| An Entertaining Historical |
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| What: | The Fires of Vulcan (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The Doctor visits Pompei. Though it might seem a bit of a throwaway idea, it is actually handled quite well. There are a few "adult" elements snuck in, which goes in line with treating the Romans more historically accurately than in "The Romans." A real bonus is good writing for Mel and strong performance by Bonnie Langford. On the downside, we have a rather stock villain priestess and an overacted gladiator. Still, the good outweighs the bad.
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| Antoher Strong Dalek Story |
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| What: | The Genocide Machine (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 2006 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
The Daleks come across as much more menacing in audio than in video. Mike Tucker has written a taught story in the Saward Dalek story mould. The Daleks have a cunning plan, and execute it to near perfection. The secondary elements are well thought out, too. The library protected by a time projection, the living water, and the wetworks computer are interesting ideas tied together quite well. The relationship between Elgin and Prink is a bit twee for my tastes, though. Perhaps Tucker felt a need to lighten what is otherwise a heavy story.
