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Has there even been confirmation that there will be a X-Mas episode this year?
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Aug 6, 2015 13:25
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Davros1 posted:Has there even been confirmation that there will be a X-Mas episode this year? I am pretty certain somebody mentioned it was in production while they were being interviewed at either SDCC or TCA press tour.
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Aug 6, 2015 14:27
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Barry Foster posted:Private Eye is also usually really good and reliable. I'm not familiar with them, is this serious or sarcastic?
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Aug 6, 2015 15:50
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surc posted:I'm not familiar with them, is this serious or sarcastic? Despite being satire, Private Eye are usually quite good on the news front.
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Aug 6, 2015 16:07
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Jerusalem posted:Yeah, every component part seems to suit Capaldi well (love those trousers Good. I'm bored of Doctors with outfits designed by a first-year fashion student.
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Aug 6, 2015 16:23
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), but as a whole the outfit is a mess.
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Trin Tragula posted:Good. I'm bored of Doctors with outfits designed by a first-year fashion student. God I wish he'd come back. 
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Aug 6, 2015 16:39
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The_Doctor posted:Despite being satire, Private Eye are usually quite good on the news front. It's not exactly The Onion, if anything it's a current affairs magazine first and foremost.
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Aug 6, 2015 17:30
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Burkion posted:Where'd the second come from?
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Aug 6, 2015 17:42
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Dr. Gene Dango MD posted:It was a joke on the general quality of the show since season 6.5. Aaah. See when a producer has literally washed away an entire season, jokes like that suddenly seem a lot more possible.
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Aug 6, 2015 17:43
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The_Doctor posted:Despite being satire, Private Eye are usually quite good on the news front.  I wonder if the BBC makes more from dvd sales/netflix paying for a new season of sherlock + Doctor Who every 3 years instead of a new season of one every year? I'd think if they weren't getting some benefit from it that they'd just be all "No, Steven, no. Work on one thing at a time and keep a schedule" at this point. (Alternatively I'd guess he's the only one making them money and they're terrified to cross him.) Also, I really like the hipster-magician doctor, I think the colors and style go with Capaldi's Doctor very well. I don't remember while posting if the video of him on Craig Ferguson was posted here or the other thread, so apologies if this is literally last page, but the whole thing about Capaldi coming up a skinhead made me actively appreciate the outfit outside of thinking it works fine for The Doctor, because it's neat that he basically gets to wear what he already wears. surc fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Aug 6, 2015 |
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Aug 6, 2015 18:20
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 A random landing in London and a trip to the Savoy Hotel yield unexpected results for the Doctor. Tea, scones, an American general who knows far too much, and the threat of a Dalek invasion of Earth. Meanwhile, the Doctor's companion Nyssa is in Rhodes during the time of the Crusades, where her position proves to be distinctly precarious. It seems the Doctor's deadliest foes have woven a tangled web indeed. And in order to defeat them, he must cross the forbidden barriers of time and walk into the very centre of their latest, most outlandish scheme of conquest... Peter Davison is the Doctor in Renaissance of the Daleks. X X X X X Cast The Doctor - Peter Davison Nyssa - Sarah Sutton General Tillington - William Hope Sergeant - Stewart Alexander Wilton - Jon Weinberg Mulberry - Nicholas Deal Floyd - Richie Campbell Alice - Regina Reagan The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs Written By: From a story by Christopher H. Bidmead Directed By: John Ainsworth Trailer - http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/renaissance-of-the-daleks-259 X X X X X It's taken me a while to write up this review, partially because of mandatory family events, partially because they released time-locked servers for Everquest 2 and I've been soaking in the nostalgia, but mainly because I really had no clue where to START with this review. So, let's just forsake the traditional format this time out and dive right in... Renaissance of the Daleks is less of a story and more of a series of individuals scenes tied together by a perfectly over-the-top and overly complicated Dalek plot. An ambitious effort gets overwhelmed by a deluge of horrible accents, characters who develop no emotional attachment with the audience, series of lulls in the action, all which overshadow a unique temporal setting and a great Peter Davison turn. Nyssa and the Doctor are attempting an experiment in trans-temporal communication. However, thanks to the Doctor's absentmindedness, Nyssa finds herself smack dab in the middle of an invasion by the Knights of Saint John during the 14th century, while the Doctor lands on Earth in the year 2158 – one year after the Daleks' invasion and subjegation of the planet! Except...the Daleks haven't arrived yet. Instead, a world wide military effort in underway to prepare for an imminent Dalek invasion, one that General Tillington, of whom the Doctor is currently a 'guest,' knows will be coming thanks to the development of Time Line Technicians and the 3-D printings of their psychic imagery. Tillington explains that thanks to the TLT's, he knows the Doctor will help Earth defeat the Daleks. He just wants the Doctor to him Earth now, instead of ten years in the future. The Doctor insists that the Daleks already have invaded and that timeline shouldn't exist. But what neither party suspects is that the Daleks are already on Earth, and playing a much longer temporal game... Renaissance of the Daleks is based on a story by Christopher Bidmead, who served as script editor for Doctor Who in the late 1979's after the departure of Douglas Adams. Why is the writer's credit listed as “based on a story?” Instead of trying to explain in my own words, I will let the director of this story, John Ainsworth, outlined what happened. This below quote is taken from the comments section of Doc Oho Reviews, which is known as THE website for Big Finish reviews... John Ainsworth posted:Well, it's nice to read a review of this story that highlights some of the more positive aspects of the release. Reservations about the script aside, I was actually very pleased with the production of this story. Andy Hardwick brought a subtlety to his sound design that really brought the scenes to life and complimented them with some excellent music. I was also very pleased with the cast - including Regina Reagan who played the brash Alice, but nobody else seemed to like her unfortunately. You definitely can see Briggs and Ainsworth's concerns throughout the story. Renaissance of the Daleks does have an interesting idea at its very core – the Daleks puling together as many temporal and time tracks into a literal Dalek City, whose foundations, streets, and buildings are composed of millions of empty Dalek shells. By turning this metropolis into a temporal hub, the Daleks are able to send whispers throughout all of time. Not only does this inspire Nyssa to build the trans-temporal communicator (“pocket interocitor”) which kickstarts the Doctor's involvement, but the Daleks also send out voices that proclaim the spread of peace, justice, and liberty while subliminally encouraging rage, violence, brutality, and warfare. Considering this story was written and published during the much-publicized American troop surge in Iraq in late 2006/early 2007...well, I'll just leave it at that. The master plan of the Daleks is to spread not only their mantra but their actual essence to the Earth in the form of a molecular plague that, along with the subliminal messages, will turn humanity into a willing slave race for the Daleks! And how will this plague be spread? Through tiny Dalek toys. This is the highlight of the story to me. With shades of Jubilee in mind, the Daleks have ensured that even with the threat of invasion over humanity's head, capitalism still ensures thousands of tiny, remote control Daleks are sold to the masses, each only containing the seeds of humanity's destruction! It's a neat concept, played for both tensions and laughs as the TARDIS crew are chased by a tiny Dalek...until they realize it's a tiny Dalek and simply run the other way, all the while the Dalek screaming in a miniature voice for them to come back and face extermination! There's a good bit of The Key of Time/Keys of Marinus within this story, as the Doctor, Nyssa, and their temporary companions leap from one point in history to another in an effort to stop a much great catastrophe from happening, from the invasion of Rhodes, to the Battle of the Crater, to a helicopter assault in Vietnam. While these do give some unique moments (the TARDIS going to the wrong Petersburg in the wrong state when trying to rescue Nyssa!), there is a good bit of “sitting around in the TARDIS and talking” that occurs in the second and third episodes based upon what happened...but the historical scenes really serve to provide an introduction to the temporary companions for this story. Sadly, these companions really aren't much to write home about. Nicholas Deal plays a knight from Rhodes, Mulberry, who gets caught in with Nyssa in the Time Vortex and sacrifices his life to throw himself into the Time Vortex to help remove a bomb from the TARDIS. And that's all I remember about him. Jon Weinberg is Wilton, who helps the Doctor to easily escape the General because he's meant to help spy on the Time Lord. Wilton's shows Peri-esque flashes of being a companion, specifically trying to get the Doctor's attention while he's distracted, but there's not enough of a emotional stake for his final fate to really click with the listener. General Tillington himself is played by William Hope, aka Lieutenant Gorman from Aliens, and he does a wonderful job as the gung-ho, will-do-anything-to-protect Earth type without crossing over into full-blown parody. What's kind of funny with Hope's casting as an American general is that Nicholas Briggs stated that one of the biggest criticisms of Big Finish are the accents put on by American characters, so casting Hope was hopefully something that would appease the critics. Sadly...one, Hope is Canadian, and two, it definitely doesn't help that the other two American characters, Floyd and Alice, still manage to fall into the “horrible accents” camp. Floyd is probably the most interesting of the character, played by British actor Richie Campbell. A black Confederate soldier (...you know, I'm just going to let that one go) who is rescued by Nyssa and Mulberry after being shot, Floyd's accent comes really drat close to Amos and Andy territory at times. Thankfully his dialogue leans more towards the idea that Floyd is a clever man who's just lacking a proper education and also doesn't fall into “submissive black man from the mid 1800's” stereotypes. Alice, on the other hand...ok, Regina Reagan's character is supposed to be loud, bossy, brash, and used to blowing things up – in other words, an American soldier in the 1970's. And if one was just to take her on her dialogue along, other than her serving as the “exposition” character for a lot of scenes, then she would be perfectly fine, almost a mix of Peri and Tegan. But her accent...oh my dear sweet Buddha, her accent. It's on par from Becky Lee's from Minuet in Hell, Jersey Shore by way of the Bronx. It's an American accent, alright, done by somebody who didn't quite make the cut on Dead Ringers. The character is fine, but her accent...it just drags down the entire performance, which is a shame. And we can't forget the Greylish, who reveals himself at the true Big Bad right before the third episode cliffhanger stinger, causing me to go “oh crap, the Greylish! Wait, who the [BLEEP] is the Greylish?” While Sarah Sutton's Nyssa is regulated to the stereotypical companion role of damsel-in-distress/scientific-expositioner/sounding-board-for-the-Doctor, she does a solid job with the part. And really, in a story as crowded as this one, it's ok for the companion to take a bit of back seat as long as the Doctor steps up. Peter Davison's performance is easily the highlight of Renaissance of the Daleks as he works at peak Fifth Doctor, the scientist who lets his curiosity get the better of him. He knows the Daleks should have invaded Earth by now that the timeline is wrong, and grouses when all these strangers keep crowding their way into the TARDIS. When the Daleks crow about how the Doctor has no choice but to follow their orders and fly the TARDIS back to Earth to spread the final and ultimate nano-invasion, his response is...to do nothing. To literally sit there and vow to wait out the Daleks. The Doctor also has faith in his companions, as shown through a “Three Blind Mice” bit that goes on a bit too long but expresses what he wants them to do without giving the game away to the Daleks. It would have been very easy to throw one's hands up with all the behind the scenes mess, but Davison is a true professional and turns in a truly underrated performance. And of course, it's Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks, and he's awesome. Now, I hate being hard on a story. I can only imagine how hard is it to write, direct, produce, and act in any sort of production, especially one with rewrites and a bit of loggerheading involved. There are a lot of flaws with this story, but there is still a lot to enjoy about Renaissance of the Dalek, as the plot DOES make sense and comes together in the fourth episode, pulling all the different parts together into something workable. The sound work is quite good as usual, with the musical scores standing out as some of the best Andy Hardwick has done, specifically a bit of the poundy drums. It's a unique Dalek plot that involves time travel and “the TARDIS going through time sideways.” In the end, I don't think Renaissance of the Daleks is a classic story, but I can say it's a lot better than the overall reputation it seems to get. It's worth a listen if and when Big Finish puts it on sale, just be aware that it's a flawed gem at best. Pros + A fine performance by Peter Davison + A plot that makes sense and pulls together at the end + Tiny toy Daleks menacing our heroes! + Great music Cons - The “American” accents - For a story where a whole timeline gets erased, an “everyone laughs” ending seems out of place - Scenes are barely tied together in an overall story  Synopsis – Better than its reputation, Renaissance of thee Daleks's unique story and flashes of brilliance are muted by some behind-the-scenes concerns, a thin thread of an overall narrative, and horrible American accents. Next up - This is a world of organic-digital transfer and 'personality surgery' which the Doctor finds disturbing enough, until something far more deadly starts to emerge... Colin Baker is the Doctor in...I.D.
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Aug 6, 2015 19:59
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CobiWann posted:Synopsis – Better than its reputation, Renaissance of thee Daleks's unique story and flashes of brilliance are muted by some behind-the-scenes concerns, a thin thread of an overall narrative, and horrible American accents. That's interesting behind the scenes stuff that explains a lot about how the story ended up the way it did, thanks CobiWann. I said before that it probably would have been better to produce the story as Bidmead envisioned and then let the praise or criticism be dumped at his doorstep, but reading all that made me realize that what he'd produced was essentially impossible to produce. I do think the biggest flaw this story has (outside of how convoluted it is) is that it is clearly not suited to the audio format. As a televised episode it probably would have been naff too, because it would have been expensive as hell to produce, but just because you don't have to worry about a visual effects budget in an audio doesn't mean you can just throw everything and the kitchen sink in. Too much exposition is required and it bogs down an already crammed story - this would have worked better (outside of even more extensive rewrites) as a novel.
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Aug 6, 2015 22:24
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surc posted:I wonder if the BBC makes more from dvd sales/netflix paying for a new season of sherlock + Doctor Who every 3 years instead of a new season of one every year? I'd think if they weren't getting some benefit from it that they'd just be all "No, Steven, no. Work on one thing at a time and keep a schedule" at this point. (Alternatively I'd guess he's the only one making them money and they're terrified to cross him.) The licence fee probably isn't long for this world, after all. The Beeb have three big international moneymakers and Doctor Who and Sherlock are two of them. The other is / was Top Gear. Wheat Loaf fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Aug 6, 2015 |
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Aug 6, 2015 23:39
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surc posted:I wonder if the BBC makes more from dvd sales/netflix paying for a new season of sherlock + Doctor Who every 3 years instead of a new season of one every year? I'd think if they weren't getting some benefit from it that they'd just be all "No, Steven, no. Work on one thing at a time and keep a schedule" at this point. (Alternatively I'd guess he's the only one making them money and they're terrified to cross him.) I would expect that's the reason we're down to 13 episodes a year. How much money does the BBC lose from people picking up the DVD box set and going, "Well, maybe if there were 13 episodes..."? They basically save a whole episode's budget.
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Aug 6, 2015 23:48
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If Sherlock is really making big money for them on the level of Doctor Who they probably don't see much point of 14 episodes a year of Who when they could just have 9 episodes ever.
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Aug 7, 2015 00:17
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Jago & Litefoot are getting a butler. At least, for one adventure: http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/strax-meets-jago-litefoot
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Aug 7, 2015 10:12
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Davros1 posted:Jago & Litefoot are getting a butler. At least, for one adventure: That's amazing! I really wanted to see Strax in a solo adventure, but this is the story I never knew I wanted until now...
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Aug 7, 2015 10:54
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That's the big news? Aww.
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Aug 7, 2015 11:29
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The_Doctor posted:That's the big news? Aww. To be fair, they didn't say it was big news, we decided that.
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Aug 7, 2015 11:34
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The_Doctor posted:That's the big news? Aww. Shh! Do you want to get melted with acid? While the news isn’t as big as we all hoped it would be, it’s still pretty cool – a nice blend of a very recent episode and two all-time classic secondary characters. Hell, maybe we’ll get lucky and get Big Finish stories with the Tenth Doctor in 2016…
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Aug 7, 2015 11:43
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The big ask would be to have the Paternosters mention Jago & Litefoot on TV at some point.
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Aug 7, 2015 12:00
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I'm surprised Moffat hasn't done that yet, he's into referring reasonably obscure classic who characters
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Aug 7, 2015 12:26
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CobiWann posted:Shh! Do you want to get melted with acid? Haven't you seen the tabloids yet? Tennant and RTD spotted together in Cardiff? So OBVIOUSLY they're going back to Doctor Who!
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Aug 7, 2015 12:58
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I'd actually be curious to see RTD write a few things for Big Finish. Maybe not having all the visual stuff to lean on would fix some of the issues with his writing. Big Finish already lends itself pretty well to big emotional sweeps, since they're relying on voice to convey everything. E: Oh, looks like last year they adapted a novel he wrote like a decade before becoming showrunner. Not quite the same, but anybody have impressions on it? I missed it if Jeru/Cobi reviewed it. (https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/damaged-goods-standard-edition-1109) Rochallor posted:I would expect that's the reason we're down to 13 episodes a year. How much money does the BBC lose from people picking up the DVD box set and going, "Well, maybe if there were 13 episodes..."? They basically save a whole episode's budget. surc fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Aug 7, 2015 |
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Aug 7, 2015 16:16
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surc posted:E: Oh, looks like last year they adapted a novel he wrote like a decade before becoming showrunner. Not quite the same, but anybody have impressions on it? I missed it if Jeru/Cobi reviewed it. (https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/damaged-goods-standard-edition-1109) Not yet - I'm going to finish up to The Girl Who Never Was review wise, then focus on the new series/classic series for a bit solely so I can race through the EDA's/Dark Eyes range without having to stop to review them so I can be all caught up for when the new stuff starts flooding us in early 2016, with a sidestep into the FDA's and maybe Jago & Litefoot if I feel bold. But I'll probably toss RTD's thing on the pile as well...
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Aug 7, 2015 17:27
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I didn't mean to add to the pile, I was just wondering if it had been reviewed already! (I'm sure you really mind  )
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Aug 7, 2015 17:48
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If anything, they’ve become a convenient excuse! “No, sweetie, I can’t take you to see Fantastic Four, I have a review to write. Here, read this copy of Justice League Dark instead.”
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Aug 7, 2015 17:50
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I liked the Damaged Goods adaptation. Never read the original novel, but really liked what BF did. Sames goes for their The Highest Science adaptation. Love & War, however, can get tossed into the nearest supernova. That was a piece of poo poo.
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Aug 7, 2015 20:27
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Some turds just can't be polished.
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Aug 7, 2015 20:30
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CobiWann posted:Not yet - I'm going to finish up to The Girl Who Never Was review wise, then focus on the new series/classic series for a bit solely so I can race through the EDA's/Dark Eyes range without having to stop to review them so I can be all caught up for when the new stuff starts flooding us in early 2016, with a sidestep into the FDA's and maybe Jago & Litefoot if I feel bold. But I'll probably toss RTD's thing on the pile as well... Doing Girl Who Never Was right before Bride of Peladon, the way Nature intended, definitely made for a 1-2 punch of  Doctor."Everyone leaves... eventually."
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Aug 7, 2015 21:13
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 In the 32nd Century, the Doctor finds himself on a planet piled high with discarded computer technology. Picking over these remains are an army of Scandroids, a collection of unsavoury, illegal Data Pirates and a team of researchers from the mysterious Lonway Clinic. This is a world of organic-digital transfer and 'personality surgery' which the Doctor finds disturbing enough, until something far more deadly starts to emerge. Colin Baker is the Doctor in I.D.. (A Three-Part Story) X X X X X Earth, 1974. An innocent phone call. Okay, it was a wrong number, but there can't be any harm in that. Can there? Colin Baker is the Doctor in Urgent Calls (A One-Part Story) X X X X X Cast I.D. Colin Baker (The Doctor) Sara Griffiths (Claudia Bridge) Gyles Brandreth(Doctor Marriott) Helen Atkinson Wood (Ms Tevez) David Dobson (Scandroids) Kerry Skinner (Lake) Joe Thompson (Gabe Stillinger) Natasha Pyne (Denise Stillinger) Urgent Calls Colin Baker (The Doctor) Kate Brown (Lauren) David Dobson (D.J.) Kerry Skinner (Connie) Written By: Eddie Robson Directed By: John Ainsworth Trailer - http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/i-d-260 Link to Urgent Calls - https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-urgent-calls X X X X X quote:“Sicentia potentia est.” - Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan quote:“Information burns.” - Datajack Roze, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire I.D. is a solid story as well as a rushed story. A tale about personality modification, bioware, and data gathering, the three-part “base under siege” comes together quickly, with several intriguing characters and a few neat science fiction concepts. But the compressed run time of the story means that “intriguing” fails to become “interesting” with several important plot points being rushed through or glossed over, leading to a abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. The three-part serial leaves room on the CD, however, for an enjoyable “one-shot” adventure where a young London professional keeps calling wrong numbers, that the Doctor is compelled to pick up. In the 32nd century, information goes to die on a lonely planet at the edge of the galaxy. Tons of obsolete computer and electronic equipment is dumped into huge scrapheaps. But information can never truly be destroyed, and both a legitimate salvage corporation and a group of data pirates scour the abandoned computers, searching for scraps of important data that can be refurbished and sold to the right buyers. The Doctor lands on one of these scrapheaps and is taken prisoner by a mother-and-son team of data pirates who intend to ransom him back to the corporation, even though the corporation has no monetary reason to pay for this stranger's release! As the Doctor tries to talk his way out of the situation, a Scandroid finds a critical piece of data that MUST be shared with as many of its fellow Scandroids as possible, as well as its human masters. But while the Scandroids receive the information with the directive to pass it on to other Scandroids, any human who receives this information suffers severe cranial burnout...but that won't stop the Scandroids from forcibly downloading this priority information into their heads... Eddie Robson has written multiple stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who and Bernice Summerfield ranges, including two of Paul McGann's finer stories, Memory Lane and Human Resources. I.D. is a standard “base under siege” serial, but Robson adds in a few unique turns to the concept. The critical information that the Scandroids attempt to pass on could have easily been some sort of malevolent computer virus, but it turns out to be something much more complex and intriguing. The identity and purpose of this information directly ties into two other concepts that I.D. touches upon – personal identity and human augmentation, in a setting where personalities can be written (with easy payment terms) and humanity has forgone keyboards and data pads for direct communication with computers via bio-electrical equipment. It's all pretty interesting stuff, and I would have loved to have spent more time learning about this setting, peeling back the layers to get to the truth. Sadly, when the truth does come out, it comes out in the form of a rushed exposition that begged for a little more time to be truly explored. The story's well paced and things happen quickly with very little padding, but the crux of the third episode's conflict needed more backing and build-up to truly make “this Scandroid and this monster are now going to beat the crap out of each other” mean something, especially considering the ethical ramifications that color the final few minutes of the story. In something else I found interesting, Robson really doesn't give us a secondary character to root for, making them all flawed in some way. Some are more likable than others, such as the data pirate Gabe as played by Joe Thompson, but even then he's a mercenary type who tries to profit off the death of his own mother and only acts to save his own skin. Gyles Brandreth (writer, broadcaster, former Conservative member of Parliament) plays Doctor Marriott, the standard “greedy corporate scientist” who's on the planet looking for one critical piece of data which, of course, ends up almost dooming everyone. Helen Atkinson Wood is Tevez, company accountant, who acts solely to ensure the company's profit margin. Atkinson Wood plays the part well, and her ethical musings at the end of I.D. are interesting ones – in a group of people with the same downloaded personality, does that make the last person standing the “original” copy? The actress who plays Bridge has an interesting tie to the classic series of Doctor Who. Bonnie Langford was considering leaving the series during the filming of the Seventh Doctor serial Delta and the Bannermen. If that had happened, the character of Rachel Defwyyd, played by Sara Griffiths, would have become the Doctor's new companion. Instead, Langford stayed on for one more story, Sophie Aldred became a new companion, and history rolled on. Bridge is not a character to cheer for in this story – she isn't evil, but she's without conscience or feelings of guilt, looking at everything from a cost/benefit point of view. The reason for this ties into the concept of personality writing which brings about a moment of clarity late in the story. But the moment again feels a bit rushed and that there should have been more to it. It leads to Bridge's ending and final decision feeling...a bit hollow, like she's making a decision solely because it's what the Doctor wants to hear. It could have been meant as a moment of ambiguity, but doesn't feel like it was truly earned. This is Colin Baker's third main range story without a companion, the first one being the classic story Davros and the personal favorite The Wormery. It doesn't take long for the Sixth Doctor to find a pretty girl to tag along with of course, but Baker proves just how fine he can be when he's flying solo! This is the kind of adventure old Sixie thrives in; technology run wild, corporations and criminals trying to save their own skin, ethical standards being compromised, and there's the Sixth Doctor right in the center of it all, taking charge without anyone noticing, condemning technology progress made without morality or effort, dishing out the insults as well as taking them, and always looking forward to the small things, such as a future argument! If I had to pick a story that truly summed up just how awesome the Sixth Doctor is and what Big Finish has done to rehabilitate him, I admit I would probably choose I.D.. Davros is great, but it's because Baker and Malloy have such great chemistry, and the same goes for his time with Evelyn/Maggie Stables. I.D is carried by Colin Baker's performance, and it's a really cracker of a turn. The music and sound work by Steve Foxon ties in very well to the story. The Scandroids reminded me of old-school Cylons from the 1970's Battlestar Galactica with their proclamation of “priority information,” with the addition of thumping, heavy footsteps. The wild junkyards come alive through the falling of debris and wind whistling through canyons of discarded equipment, and the fight scenes between the mutations near the end of the story are vividly painted with thwacking impacts and laser beams cutting through the air. As I've mentioned earlier, I.D. is a three-part story. For this Main Range release, as well several other stories including the upcoming Extron and The Wishing Beast, Big Finish produced a one-part story and placed it on the second CD. I don't know why – budget issues, scheduling concerns, a little shake-up in the release schedule, or just the urge to try something a little different now and again. Urgent Calls sees a young London professional (Kate Brown of Nekromanteia and Cuddlesome) make several phone calls to wrong numbers, but each wrong number is picked up by a mysterious man who had the overwhelming urge to answer the ringing phone. It's a neat little story, with some moments of body horror, with the overall theme being “how does interacting with the Doctor's life change someone else's?” The story is told solely through the main character's eyes, but just being introduced to the idea that there's alien life out the in the galaxy radically changes everything about her life. How could she see her mundane job in the same way again? She never meets the Doctor directly, but years after the fact she pens a letter to him and drops it in the mail, knowing that somehow, it will find its way to him. It's a nice tale that encapsulates how I think most of us would react if we met the Doctor or found out that there is life on other planets. I.D. is a solid “base under siege”story that suffers from being too brief, feeling rushed with several potential concepts and plot points underdeveloped, but containing a wonderful turn by Colin Baker at the Sixth Doctor. When put together with the one-shot story Urgent Calls, I.D. is a story I have no problems recommending. Pros + Colin Baker is great in both stories + Good sound work in both stories + I.D. - Interesting societal, ethical, and science fiction concepts... Cons - I.D....that sadly don't get the time to properly developed - I.D. - Hard to root for any of the secondary characters  Cobi's snynopsis – I.D. feels rushed and underdeveloped, but it's still a solid “base under siege” serial with a great Colin Baker performance. Urgent Calls is a enjoyable one-part tale that shows just how a normal person reacts when the Doctor keeps picking up their phone calls. Next up - How are the Exotrons controlled, and where did the colonists find the resources to build them? The Doctor wants answers... Peter Davison is the Doctor in...Extoron. CobiWann fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Aug 9, 2015 |
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Aug 8, 2015 17:13
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The three episode format really didn't work for Big Finish, they just didn't seem to quite manage the pacing right. The first two episodes would feel paced for a four-episode story, then you'd get a rushed ending in the third episode that left everything feeling flat. It's a shame, because I.D in particular had a really fascinating premise to work with and based on the writers' other works for BF, it could have been something really drat good.
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Aug 8, 2015 23:32
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Series 8 is now on (US) Netflix, for anyone who wants to revisit it.
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Aug 9, 2015 05:30
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Hate to correct you Cobi, but The Womery was another companionless Six story so I think I.D. is his third solo outing.
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Aug 9, 2015 07:00
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computer parts posted:Series 8 is now on (US) Netflix, for anyone who wants to revisit it. Not the Christmas special though for some reason 
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Aug 9, 2015 09:13
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2house2fly posted:Not the Christmas special though for some reason That is a really bizarre omission since it's such an integral part of the season. Do they include The Snowmen in season 7?
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Aug 9, 2015 09:33
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The Christmas specials used to have their own individual entries on Netflix rather than being put in with the rest of the series; everything now goes under one entry and the Christmas specials are put at the end of the season (Widow/Wardrobe at the end of series 6, The Snowmen halfway through series 7) but I wonder if they're still not considered to be part of the series and get added to something like Netflix later due to being sold separately, as it were.
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Aug 9, 2015 10:14
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Wonder if there's more budget fuckery going on and the christmas special is technically season 9?
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Aug 9, 2015 11:47
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Each DVD set includes the previous year's Christmas special, so "The Christmas Invasion" is on season two, "The Runaway Bride" is on season three, and so on. The sole exception (quite frustratingly) is "The Time of the Doctor", which doesn't show up on season eight. It's only available on a DVD that has all of Eleven's Christmas specials. You know, which someone who already owns the DVD sets is already going to have, aside from "Time". 
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Aug 9, 2015 12:01
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Wheat Loaf posted:Each DVD set includes the previous year's Christmas special, so "The Christmas Invasion" is on season two, "The Runaway Bride" is on season three, and so on. The sole exception (quite frustratingly) is "The Time of the Doctor", which doesn't show up on season eight. It's only available on a DVD that has all of Eleven's Christmas specials. You know, which someone who already owns the DVD sets is already going to have, aside from "Time". Time had its own DVD release. I know, I have it. http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Ti...e+of+the+doctor
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Aug 9, 2015 15:50
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