Doctor Who: "I've finally run out of corridor...there's a life summed up."

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Which non-Power of the Daleks story would you like to see an episode found from? This poll is closed.
Marco Polo	36	20.69%
The Myth Makers	10	5.75%
The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve	45	25.86%
The Savages	2	1.15%
The Smugglers	2	1.15%
The Highlanders	45	25.86%
The Macra Terror	21	12.07%
Fury from the Deep	13	7.47%
Total:	174 votes

[Edit Poll (moderators only)]

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

And because absolutely nobody demanded it...an index of all my reviews. Linked to my Wordpress so those without archives may enjoy.

X X X X X

Third Doctor
Classic Who
_Inferno

Fourth Doctor
Classic Who
_Robot | _{The Ark in Space} | _{The Sontaran Experiment} | _{Genesis of the Daleks} | _{Revenge of the Cybermen} | _{Terror of the Zygons} | _{Planet of Evil} | _{Pyramids of Mars} | _{The Android Invasion}

Big Finish
Fourth Doctor Adventures
Season One
_{Destination Nerva} | _{The Renaissance Man} | _{The Wrath of the Iceni} | _{Energy of the Daleks} | _{Trail of the White Worm} | _{The Osiedon Adventure}

Fifth Doctor
Big Finish
Main Range
_{Phantasmagoria} | _{The Land of the Dead} | _{Red Dawn} | _{Winter for the Adept} | _Loups-Garoux | _{The Eye of the Scorpion} | _Primeval | _{The Mutant Phase} | _{Spare Parts} | _{The Church and the Crown} | _Nekromanteia | _{Creatures of Beauty} | _Omega | _{The Axis of Insanity} | _{The Roof of the World} | _{The Game} | _{Three's a Crowd} | _{The Council of Nicaea} | _Singularity | _{The Kingmaker} | _{The Gathering} | _{Circular Time} | _{Renaissance of the Daleks} | _{Extron/Urban Myths} | _{Son of the Dragon} | _{The Mind's Eye/Mission of the Viyrans}

Fifth Doctor Box Set
_Psychodrome | _{Iterations of I}

Sixth Doctor
Classic Who
_{Attack of the Cybermen}

Big Finish
Main Range
_{Whispers of Terror} | _{The Marian Conspiracy} | _{The Spectre of Lanyon Moor} | _{The Holy Terror} | _Bloodtide | _{Project: Twilight} | _{The One Doctor} | _{The Apocalypse Element} | _...ish] | _{The Sandman} | _Jubilee | _{...and the Pirates, or the Lass that Lost a Sailor} | _{Project: Lazarus} | _Davros | _{The Wormery} | _{Arrangements for War} | _{Medicinal Purposes} | _{The Juggernauts} | _Catch-1782 | _{Thicker Than Water} | _{Pier Pressure} | _{The Nowhere Place} | _{The Reaping} | _{Year of the Pig} | _{I.D/Urgent Calls} | _{The Wishing Beast/The Vanity Box} | ₁₀₀

The Last Sixth Doctor Adventure
_{End of the Line} | _{The Red House} | _{Stage Fright} | _{The Brink of Death}

Seventh Doctor
Big Finish
Main Range
_{The Fearmonger} | _{The Fires of Vulcan} | _{The Genocide Machine} | _{Dust Breeding} | _Colditz | _{The Rapture} | _{Bang-Bang-A-Boom!} | _{Project: Lazarus} | _Flip-Flop | _Master | _{The Harvest} | _Dreamtime | _{Unregenerate!} | _{LIVE 34} | _{Night Thoughts} | _{The Settling} | _Red | _{No Man's Land} | _Nocturne | _Valhalla | _{Frozen Time}

New Virgin Adventures
_{The Shadow of the Scourge} | _{The Dark Flame}

Eighth Doctor
Big Finish
Main Range
_{Storm Warning} | _{Sword of Orion} | _{The Stones of Venice} | _{Minuet in Hell} | _{Invaders from Mars} | _{The Chimes of Midnight} | _{Seasons of Fear} | _{Embrace the Darkness} | _{The Time of the Daleks} | _Neverland | _Zagreus | _Scherzo | _{The Creed of the Kromon} | _{The Natural History of Fear} | _{The Twlight Kingdom} | _{Faith Stealer} | _{The Last} | _Caerdroia | _{The Next Life} | _{Terror Firma} | _{Scaredy Cat} | _{Other Lives} | _{Time Works} | _{Something Inside} | _{Memory Lane} | _Absolution | _{The Girl Who Never Was}

Doom Coalition
_{Doom Coalition 1}

War Doctor
_{Only the Monstrous}

Miscellaneous
Multi-Doctor
_{The Sirens of Time} | _{The Light at the End}

Companion Chronicles
_{Peri and the Piscon Paradox} | _Solitaire

Torchwood
_{The Conspiracy} | _{Fall to Earth}

Jago & Litefoot
_{The Haunting}

Twelfth Doctor
Season 8
_{Deep Breath} | _{Into the Dalek} | _{Robot of Sherwood} | _Listen | _{Time Hiest} | _{The Caretaker} | _{Kill the Moon} | _{Mummy on the Orient Express} | _Flatline | _{In the Forst of the Night} | _{Dark Water} | _{Death in Heaven} | _{Last Christmas}

Season 9
_{The Magician's Apprentice} | _{The Witch's Familiar} | _{Under the Lake} | _{Before the Flood} | _{The Girl Who Died} | _{The Woman Who Lived} | _{The Zygon Invasion} | _{The Zygon Inversion} | _{Sleep No More} | _{Face the Raven} | _{Heaven Sent} | _{Hell Bent} | _{The Husbands of River Song}

# ¿ Jan 17, 2016 06:53

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 21, 2024 07:19

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

When scientists unearth two seed pods deep in the arctic permafrost, the Doctor and Sarah Jane rush to investigate. Soon the Doctor's worst fears are confirmed: the pods house Krynoids, one of the most parasitic and dangerous life forms in the universe. One of the creatures has already infected a scientist, and how a hideous monster is rampaging through the base, intent on total destruction.

When the second pod is stolen amidst the escalating carnage, it is transported into the hands of insane botanist Harrison Chase. From his mansion in England, the plant-obsessed Chase will allow the pod to split open. Both the ruthless millionaire and the rapidly growing carnivorous Krynoid are intent on infecting and destroying our entire world.

Tom Baker is the Doctor in The Seeds of Doom.

X X X X X

Cast
Doctor Who�-�Tom Baker
Sarah Jane Smith�-�Elisabeth Sladen
Harrison Chase�-�Tony Beckley
Scorby�-�John Challis
Arnold Keeler�-�Mark Jones
John Stevenson�-�Hubert Rees
Charles Winlett�-�John Gleeson
Derek Moberley�-�Michael McStay
Richard Dunbar�-�Kenneth Gilbert
Sir Colin Thackeray�-�Michael Barrington
Hargreaves�-�Seymour Green
Amelia Ducat�-�Sylvia Coleridge
Guard Leader�-�David Masterman
Doctor Chester�-�Ian Fairbairn
Chauffeur�-�Alan Chuntz
Guard�-�Harry Fielder
Major Beresford�-�John Acheson
Sergeant Henderson�-�Ray Barron
Krynoid�Voice -�Mark Jones

Producer: Phillip Hinchcliffe
Writer: Robert Stewart Banks
Director: Douglas Camfield
Original Broadcast: 31 January � 6 March 1976

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sOD_2YPfpk

X X X X X

The Seeds of Doom is serial neatly divided into two sections. It packs a fast moving script, great characters backed with solid acting, and some of the most disturbing images in the history of Doctor Who, all of these coming together to provide one of the best stories not only of Tom Baker's run, but in the entirety of Doctor Who's time on television.

The World Ecology Bureau has something that might be of interest to the Doctor. A scientific expedition to Antarctica has discovered some sort of plant pod buried in the permafrost. The Doctor identifies it as extraterrestrial in origin and heads to the research station, Sarah Jane Smith at his side. The Doctor's not the only one taking a trip to the frozen continent. Environmentalist millionaire Harrison Chase has dispatched the hired gun Scorby to retrieve the pod for his own personal collection. But there's another player in this drama � the pod itself contains the genetic material to grow a Krynoid, an intergalactic weed that quickly overruns a planet's ecosystem while consuming all animal life in the process. All the pod needs to gestate is a little bit of heat and a warm-blooded host...

The Hand of Fear was supposed to be the six-part season finale for Doctor Who's thirteenth season, but Philip Hinchcliffe was concerned that there were too many problems with the serial that couldn't be resolved before production began. With that in mind, Hinchcliffe turned to Robert Stewart Banks, who had penned Terror of the Zygons, to write a back-up story in case The Hand of Fear couldn't be brought to production in time. Banks ended up submitting his script, called The Seeds of Doom, in an incredibly short amount of time. Even with the quick turnaround, both Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes were very impressed with the script. The Hand of Fear was pushed back to season 14 (eventually becoming that season's second story) and The Seeds of Doom went into production as the season finale.

There is a lot to love about Banks' script. It continues the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era's tendency to draw upon other stories and genres, cherry picking the best aspects of each and combining them together. The Seeds of Doom pulls from Howard Hawks' classic sci-fi movie The Thing From Another World with its Antarctic setting (with an assist from HP Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness), and combines it with the alien body horror of Nigel Keane's The Quatermass Experiment, throwing in a hint of The Avengers along the way as it borrows from an episode where an alien plant takes over the mind of an insane aristocrat. There's no winking references or shout-outs to these stories as there would be in today's meta-heavy storytelling. The Seeds of Doom simply takes the best parts and combines them into something horrifying. And indeed, Mary Whitehouse had a field day with this one.

quote:

Strangulation � by hand, by claw, by obscene vegetable matter � is the latest gimmick, sufficiently close up so they get the point. And just for a little variety show the children how to make a Molotov Cocktail.

It's strange that Whitehouse focuses on the violence within The Seeds of Doom, considering there's no moment of extreme violence like the gunshot wound and blood spray from the previous story, The Brain of Morbius. To me, the singular most horrifying moment of the story came when a UNIT soldier was fed into a compost machine, complete with a close-up of its spinning teeth mixed with an uncaring Chase staring callously at the results. You don't see anything, but the direction from Douglas Camfield (this would be his last directing job on Doctor Who, having directed eight stories going all the way back to The Crusade) puts the viewer as close to the terror as one can get without actually being smothered in vegetation. The concept of being attacked by plant life is a bit silly, but Camfield plays is completely straight � branches are breaking through windows, Sarah Jane is wrapped up in vines, and Scorby is drowned after being held underwater by large leaves. The special effects crew does a very good job at making it look like the plants are alive and truly trying to kill all humans. And then there's the true horror of The Seeds of Doom � the slow transformation of two characters into Krynoids.

In Planet of Evil, the transformation of the lead scientist into a Hyde-like creature occurred with a bit of facial makeup and glowing red eyes. The Seeds of Doom goes the opposite direction. Once infected by the Krynoid, the infection takes hold slowly, spreading across the victim's body like Kudzu weed. Camfield and the special effect crew don't pull any punches, lingering on the infected areas so the viewer can see the full effects of the Krynoid. It's very unsettling, especially since the victims are still alive and full aware of their decaying mental and physical state the whole time until their final transformation ala the infected from the video game The Last of Us. To me, that's much more horrifying than Molotov Cocktails or a Krynoid being blown-up.

The supporting cast is this one is wide and varied, and to touch upon all of them would take too much space. I can say that there's nary a weak link in the bunch. The crew of the Antarctic science station, the servants of Harrison Chase, the World Ecology Bureau, even the non-Brigadier/Benton/Yates UNIT squad all add to the story by their presence. The two Krynoid victims lie at opposite ends of the spectrum. Winlett is the first to be infected by the pod, and John Gleeson (who played a Thal soldier in Genesis of the Daleks) plays him as confused, not knowing what's happening to him and easily succumbing to the weed, becoming a violent monster in the process. On the other side, Mark Jones' Keeler, a quasi-moral scientist under Chase's employ, knows exactly what's happening to him, begging Chase and Sarah Jane for help as he slowly becomes a Krynoid...and beyond.

Tony Beckley (best known for the original 1969 version of The Italian Job) starts off as a bit camp, almost like a scenery chewing 1970's era Bond villain with Chase's talk about plants being superior than humanity and how the trimming of a bonsai tree is akin to bodily mutilation. As the story progresses however, Chase becomes much more chilling. Beginning with his refusal to take an infected Keeler to the hospital so he can observe the effects of the Krynoid's infection, Chase slowly loses his emotions, dispassionately talking about how the world will be made perfect once covered by the Krynoid and feeding a UNIT soldier into the compost machine (and trying to feed Sarah Jane at one point) without a second thought.

The highlight of the secondary cast is easily Scorby, Harrison Chase's hired gun, played by John Challis who is best known for playing the part of Boycie in the long-running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. Scorby is the typical mercenary in that he's tough and all gung-ho when things are going his way and bullies his victims when he has the upper hand upon them, but easily falls to pieces when the chips are down. Challis plays the role with such relish. He doesn't get the one-liners or high speeches that other characters do but Scorby still commands the screen every time he's on it. He's the �Total Package� when it comes to henchman, and I was actually kind of bummed when he was drowned at the hands of Kyrnoid-controlled leaves. And I can't believe I just typed that sentence.

There are still a few damsel in distress moments (the third episode cliffhanger is a particular nail biter) for Sarah Jane Smith, but for the most part Elisabeth Sladen's character holds her own against the secondary cast. Her scenes opposite Scorby are a particular delight as both of them go back and forth, Scorby showing her no respect and Sarah Jane showing him no fear. By this point in her travels with the Fourth Doctor Sarah Jane is being written as almost the Doctor's equal, or as close as a human could be to a Time Lord. The Seeds of Doom is a very good capsule that captures the magic that made the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane one of the most memorable duos in the show's history. As a note, this story was to be the last story for Sarah Jane Smith, as Lis Sladen's popularity was leading her to having to turn down more and more television roles as well as a part in a movie. However, she stayed on for seven more months because of her interest in filming the next serial, season fourteen's opener The Masque of Mandragora, and would depart at the end of the following story, the finally produced The Hand of Fear.

The Fourth Doctor isn't really concerned about the World Ecology Bureau until the possibility comes up that the plant pod might be extraterrestrial. Then he leaps into action. It's a sign of Hinchcliffe's efforts to fully separate the Doctor and his time as a scientific advisor to UNIY. Indeed, this would be the last time UNIT officially showed up in a Doctor Who story until 1989 in the Seventh Doctor story Battlefield. Tom Baker's portrayal of the Doctor in this story shows just how concerned he is at the possible destruction of Earth at the hands of the Krynoid. Even his attempts at humor come off as deadly serious (�If we don't find that pod before it germinates, it'll be the end of everything. Everything, you understand? Even your pension!�). There's also a bit more violence on the part of this Doctor that we've seen in previous stories, including a fist fight with Chase to save Sarah Jane and his skylight entrance at the beginning of the fourth episode. We do get a little bit of padding as the Doctor will often escape from his captors by shouldering through them and taking off down the garden path, but it's not enough to truly be noticed as Baker keeps the story's energy up, including his own banter with Scorby (�I warn you Doctor, I'm not a patient man.� �Well your candor does you credit!�).

When I first saw that The Seeds of Doom was a six-parter, I cringed a bit. How the heck could a story about killer plants cover six episodes? I was pleasantly surprised as the first two episodes set in the Antarctic rolled right into the final four episode set in an English manor without any let up. Fast-paced, packed with great performances, and absolutely horrifying, there's a reason The Seeds of Doom is rightly considered a classic story after all these years.

Random Thoughts
- Due to the quick turnaround on this story, the costume for the humanoid form of the Krynoid is an Axon costume from the Third Doctor story The Claws of Axos that was spray-painted green.
- After years of use and abuse, the TARDIS prop used for its exterior finally collapsed, apparently with Baker and Sladen inside! A new exterior box was created for the following story.
- Robert Stewart Banks passed away on 14 January, 2016. RIP.

Cobi's Synopsis � The Seeds of Doom borrows from various sources to provide a serial with great performances across the board as well as some of the most skin-crawling images in the history of the show.

Next up - Between palace intrigue, the machinations of a sinister cult and a rogue fragment of Helix energy, the�Fourth Doctor�andSarah�have their hands full...

Tom Baker is the Doctor in...The Masque of Mandragora.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 00:03

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

I'm halfway through the box set now and I agree with your thoughts, Jerusalem. I'm definitely enjoying River Song as played by Alex Kingston as opposed to River Song as written by Steven Moffat.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 13:12

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Toxxupation posted:

i ended up watching the eleventh hour again today, for like the tenth time now

that episode is so goddamn perfect, man gently caress

"Basically, run."

One of the best moments in the show's history.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2016 21:25

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

The_Doctor posted:

Look, it's either the 70s or the 80s. Or both at the same time.

RIP Glenn Frey?

# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 14:51

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

So apparently Washington DC is going to get smacked by Mother Nature this weekend. They're talking at least 12 inches of snow, with 20 inches a possibility.

Sounds like a good excuse to bundle up and watch a whole bunch of Four/Leela.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 19:48

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

After The War posted:

When they announce whatever stupid name they're giving this winter event, make sure you always refer to it based on the serial you just watched: [Snowthing] of Evil, [Snowthing] of Death, Talons of [Snowthing], Horror of [Snowthing], etc.

[Snowthing] of Fear followed by The Deadly [Snowthing].

Apparently the nickname is "Snow vs Wade" because it's right off the coast.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 22:32

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

It's not an old school episode but it has a bit of an old school feel in my mind.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2016 10:25

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Big Mean Jerk posted:

Ok wow, Heaven Sent is a hell of an episode.

It's one of the best episodes in the show's history.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2016 03:19

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

MrL_JaKiri posted:

(Three Reigns of Terror if we count ~~serial~~ Triple H)

I thought this it what is originally said and five of us were about to nod sagely in agreement.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2016 01:06

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Wheat Loaf posted:

Well, at least Cobi's friend who he said wants Chibnall to replace Moffat will be happy, I suppose.

I MEANT PAUL CORNELL!!!!!!

(I'm not happy with this choice, not at all. I liked 42 and my stepdaughter loves Dinosaurs on a Spaceship...maybe he'll be a better showrunner than a writer)

# ¿ Jan 22, 2016 23:27

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

After The War posted:

On that note, how goes the snow-athon, Cobi? Each story brings you one closer to The Ribos Operation!

My stepdaughter has had the past two days off due to school closures while I had to work, so she's been binging HARD on Arrow to catch up so she can watch it with her Mom. She refuses to budge. I had to actually bribe her to give me half-an-hour to watch this week's Always Sunny for which I am ETERNALLY thankful, both because it was hysterical and because she wasn't in the room during the "saxophone" scene...

If I'm lucky I can wake up early tomorrow and sneak in The Hand of Fear.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 04:16

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Gentlemen, you can't talk about the show in here, this is the Who thread!

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 05:27

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Watching The Hand of Fear with the stepdaughter this morning...

"Ugh. Old school CGI is so UGLY."

Edit - "And why does the Doctor always have a female companion? Can't he ever just have a male companion without a female companion?"

CobiWann fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Jan 23, 2016

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 15:31

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

After The War posted:

Your anti-quarry bias isn't helping!

The very opening of The Hand of Fear.

Cobi and Stepdaughter - "QUARRY!"

# ¿ Jan 23, 2016 23:13

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

It has been four years since the Miracle, and Gwen and Rhys's lives�have gone back to normal, very normal. They're raising their daughter�(they've got pictures they'd be only too happy to show you), they're�living in a nice house, and they're almost on top of the laundry.

Captain Jack Harkness has been missing from the world and their lives�for a long time. But late one night the phone rings, and they're�summoned to an isolated part of North Wales. The Bryn Offa Nursing�Home contains a dark secret, an alien threat, and someone who really�shouldn't be there.

Gwen and Rhys are about to discover that Torchwood stays with you for�the rest of your life.

Eve Myles is Gwen Cooper and Kai Owen is Rhys Williams in Torchwood: Forgotten Lives.

X X X X X

Cast
Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles)
Rhys Williams (Kai Owen)
Griffith (Philip Bond)
Elunedd (Valmai Jones)
Gary (Se�n Carlsen)
Ceri/Nurse (Emma Reeves)

Written By:�Emma Reeves
Directed By:�Scott Handcock
Produced by�James Goss
Script edited by�Steve Tribe

Trailer - http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/forgotten-lives-1296

X X X X X

Torchwood: Forgotten Lives is a solid little audio. It's not because of the plot, or because of the secondary casting which includes a �recast� of a Torchwood mainstay, but because of the chemistry between the two leads, a bickering married couple, in a story which shows that Torchwood and its impact upon their lives will always be present.

It's been four years since the Miracle. Former Torchwood operative Gwyn Cooper and her husband Rhys Williams are enjoying a normal life in Cardiff with their daughter Anwen. No aliens, no cannibalistic Welshmen, no cyberwomen � just peace, quiet, and the occasional argument over whose turn it is to do the dishes. Gwyn's time with Torchwood is a distant memory...which makes the phone call from the Bryn Offa Nursing Home in North Wales very peculiar. It seems that there's a patient there who insists they know Gwyn from her time with Torchwood and that there's something very wrong with the staff � something of an alien nature...

After the exposition heavy The Conspiracy and the two-hander Fall To Earth, Big Finish takes the Torchwood range into familiar territory with a traditional, full-cast audio. Big Finish went with a first-time audio writer for Forgotten Lives, tapping Emma Reeves for the scripting duties. Reeves is known in Britain as an accomplished playwright and a writer/producer for a variety of children's programs. The plot for Forgotten Lives is one that would have been right at home during Torchwood's two televised seasons � a nursing home (in Wales, of course) where the residents are subjects in an alien experiment. The story ties into the larger �Committee� story arc in two ways. First, the alien race known as the Evolved are one of the few in the universe who have managed to resist being controlled by the Committee and have been brought to Earth to help fight them. Second, the Three Families who were behind the events of Miracle Day were actually controlled by the Committee. The Three Families/Committee tie is a bit of a throwaway line that exists only to tie the Big Finish audios into the main continuity, but the alien experimentation is very Torchwood � using alien technology to defend the planet, only to have it backfire spectacularly when it's revealed just WHO brought the Evolved to Earth...

(does anyone else get the feeling that the Torchwood organization isn't exactly the most elite group of agents defending the planet Earth?)

The Evolved remind me of the Eldar from Warhammer 40k. Utilizing the exchange of consciousness to transfer a being's memories and personalities from one body to another, the Evolved have developed what they consider a perfect society � no war, no disease, no poverty. They seek to expand their influence to other planets and other species that they deem worthy enough to carry their consciousness, whether or not the species actually WANT their gift. A nursing home in Wales is the perfect place to see if human beings can hold the essence of the evolved. The patients inside are barely remembered by their families and any alarm that they bring up can easily be dismissed as the ramblings of dementia. If Reeves is making a statement about nursing homes and how the elderly are often shoved there and forgotten, that statement definitely hits home.

The centerpiece of Forgotten Lives is the relationship between Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams, and it's nice to say that this story isn't �Gwen Cooper featuring Rhys Williams.� Even four years after the events of Miracle Day, Gwen leaps into action as soon as her curiosity is piqued (a character trait going all the way back to the show's very first episode) and Rhys is there to not only keep her grounded, but also to keep her safe. Rhys isn't just some tag-along character in this story, but a husband who understands why his wife dives right back into Torchwood's mess and even though he doesn't agree with it (and lets it be known), he has her back and will do anything, ANYTHING, to make sure no harm comes to her. While Rhys covers the family aspect, Gwen is all about the duty side of things. As soon as she figures out just who has brought her to North Wales, there's no doubt she's going to be on the job until everything is settled. But she goes in with her eyes wide open, actually acting as a competent agent and acknowledging just how messed up the entire situation is, with one of the best scenes in the story being when Gwen calls out the pensioner Griffith on just how he's cocked everything up before turn around and threatening the Evolved . But the mental strain from her time with Torchwood and her dedication to its members is on display with one of the other top scenes, where Gwen threatens the head of the nursing home, all but ready to pull the trigger unless she gives him what she wants. In the behind-the-scenes extras, Eve Myles and Kai Owen both talk about how much they enjoyed getting back into character for this story and it shows in their performances. The chemistry that made Gwen and Rhys an enjoyable pair as Torchwood progressed is on display, now with the added layers of marriage and parenthood to their banter and discussion but also with the weight of Torchwood hanging on their shoulders.

The standout of the secondary cast is Gary, the manager of the nursing home. He played by Sean Carlsen who has been a big part of the Gallifrey line as well as Dark Eyes 3, and also played a major role as the Sub-Editor in the Eighth Doctor story The Natural History of Fear. All the signs point to Gary being a part of the alien conspiracy surrounding Bryn Offa, but Carlsen plays Gary as having absolutely no clue what's going on. Indeed, he's nothing more than a underpaid, overworked member of the National Health Service doing the best he can with the limited resources he's given, which extends to bemoaning the fate of a flat-screen television as �he worked hard to get a grant for that!� He's truly a government flunkie who actually GIVES a drat about the people under his care and the rarest of things in the Torchwood world � a truly decent human being. Which makes his final fate that much more of a downer.

Philip Bond played Ganatus in a little First Doctor story known as The Daleks. Fifty-one years later, he's playing the pensioner Griffith, whose phone call kicks off the events of Forgotten Lives. On one hand, there's obviously more to Griffith that meets the eye as he plays the confused elderly man up to the point where the pretenses are dropped and his true identity is revealed. The switch is instantaneous and Bond plays both sides very well. On the other hand, when Griffith reveals the truth behind his ruse, it falls into the same territory that Jack Harkness inhabited in The Conspiracy � in order to advance the plot, Griffith has to taken a firm grasp on the idiot ball (much like the Carolina Panthers did on the passes of Carson Palmer). For who Griffith is revealed to be and even for WHY he's doing what he did, his actions are incredibly stupid even for Torchwood, and it erases any possible sympathy the listener might have had for him.

The presence of the idiot ball is no reason to give this audio a pass. We're halfway through the first series of Big Finish's run with Torchwood and so far the audios have been enjoyable, with Fall to Earth an instant classic. Forgotten Lives is a darker story that relies on how we treat our senior citizens which makes it a bit unnerving, even with the presence of Gwen and Rhys to balance things out. In many ways, Forgotten Lives is what the blueprint for televised episode of Torchwood should have been and a worthy addition to its overall universe � a darker take on the Doctor Who that doesn't rely on sex and violence, but how we as human beings treat each other and how aliens might taken advantage of it.

Pros
+ A bit of a darker story
+ Eve Myles and Kai Owen slipping right back into their roles
+ Sean Carlsen's performance as the manager of the nursing home

Cons
- Griffith's stupidity

Cobi's Synopsis � Forgotten Lives is what Torchwood should have been, a disturbing story about alien experimentation on the elderly balanced out by the strong chemistry and performances from Eve Myles and Kai Owen.

Next up - It�s been three weeks since the Mayor of Cardiff was killed by a shop dummy and the fight is on to see who will replace him...

Tracy-Ann Oberman is Yvonne Hartman in...Torchwood: One Rule

# ¿ Jan 26, 2016 03:57

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Hey, that's the beauty of this show. People like what they like and it's all good. There is so much out there to soak in and enjoy. And to some people, it's not even about the episodes so much as the Doctor...

(I say this as I'm in an argument on Facebook with a bunch of people who think The Rapture is McCoy's best story)

# ¿ Jan 26, 2016 23:45

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

And More posted:

I feel like I missed something. For example, there is generally nothing I disagree with in Cobi's review, but he also never really addresses the way the mystery is resolved. Even if everything else about it is perfect, Chimes simply fails at being good detective fiction.

I didn't want to give away anything about the actual plot if I could help it, which is why I didn't address the "solution." But I feel that it worked - the seeds are there with the time loop and the phrase "Edward Grove is alive." The little bit of exposition is mixed with the house taunting Charley so it doesn't feel like an info dump.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2016 01:53

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

And More posted:

I would agree if Edward Grove was the one responsible, but he's just a by-product of Edith's death. While the house itself is set up, and hinted at from the very first minute, Edith is mainly defined by being "nothing". Charley barely remembers her, and the listener can't remember her because she never was a character up to that point. It's basically a story about marginalisation that marginalises its characters. Admittedly, I didn't realise how old Chimes is. That makes it more understandable.

I took the marginalization to be part of the whole "upstairs/downstairs" concept that ran through the Edwardian era. The people downstairs were barely noticed by the people upstairs unless something went horribly wrong and then upstairs would criticize and complain. Charley was Edith's world but Charley didn't remember her, so the thin characterization made sense, and to me was just enough to make Edith an entity and the other servants a blank slate to be rewritten when needed.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2016 10:38

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

And he was the handsomest Doctor. :allears:

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 02:35

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Burkion posted:

Ahem.

Jon Hamm was a Doctor?

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 04:03

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

CaptainYesterday posted:

Derrick Childrens is a doctor.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 10:22

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

It�s been three weeks since the Mayor of Cardiff was killed by a shop dummy and the fight is on to see who will replace him.

Yvonne Hartman is visiting the city to retrieve an invaluable alien device. She's in charge of Torchwood One, she's saving the British Empire and she doesn't care about local politics. But she is going to find herself caught up in that fight. There�s a bloodthirsty alien stalking the streets and there�s a special offer on at the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

It�s the 26th of March 2005 and it�s the day that everything changes.

Tracy-Ann Oberman is Yvonne Hartman in Torchwood: One Rule

X X X X X

Cast
Yvonne Hartman - Tracy-Ann Oberman
Barry Jackson - Gareth Armstrong
Helen Evans - Rebecca Lacey
Ross Bevan - Dan Starkey
Meredith Bevan - Catrin Stewart
Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles (uncredited)
Andy Davidson - Tom Price (uncredited)

Written By: Joseph Lidster
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards
Produced by James Goss
Script edited by Steve Tribe

Trailer � http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/one-rule-1297

X X X X X

Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves. A good Joseph Lidster story.

Torchwood: One Rule focuses on a character who, while a part of Torchwood, never appeared on the actual show itself. But with a superb performance and some insight into the early days of the modern-era Torchwood carrying a below-standard plot, One Rule continues the Big Finish trend of providing different kinds of stories showing various aspects of what it means to be a part of the mysterious organization.

It's been three weeks since the Mayor of Cardiff was killed during an invasion of dummies, but that's the furthest thing from Torchwood One administrator Yvonne Hartman's as she embarks on an overnight trip. Head to Cardiff, grab a Drahvin scanner from Torchwood Three without Jack Harkness knowing about it, enjoy a nice relaxing massage in a high-end hotel, and be back on the morning train to London before anyone even knew she was gone. Too bad local councilor Barry Jackson knows she's in town and working with Torchwood. Too bad the hotel she was staying in burned down. Too bad there's an alien going around killing the mayoral candidates, one of which is Barry Jackson. Too bad the only place to eat is an all-night Chinese buffet. And too bad the only place to get a drink is a bar that makes certain parts of rural Wales look civilized...

I'm not a fan of Joseph Lidster's stories, but for the most part Lidster is NOT a bad writer. Otherwise, he wouldn�t keep getting work, would he? Lidster has written an episode of Torchwood (A Day in the Death), three episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and numerous audios for Big Finish's Dark Shadows range as well as contributing several adventures to the main range for Doctor Who. Lidster has a knack for coming up with interesting settings and situations, but his writing (at least to me) fails in one of two places � Lidster either attempts to add a new piece to Doctor Who canon such as a long-lost family relative (The Rapture) or amnesiac companions (Terror Firma that future stories never pick up on, or he drops what I call the �Lidster Twist� near the end of the story, a moment that absolutely gut punches the listener but does so in a way that doesn't enhance the story so much as distracts from it (The Reaping, Bedtime Story). The only time I've heard a Lidster-penned tale where both these traits come together in a great way is the Fifth Doctor audio The Gathering, where its established that Tegan is dying from terminal cancer and there's absolutely nothing the Doctor can do about it.

Taking place three weeks after the events of the Auton invasion that took place during Rose, One Rule can be summed up in four words - �One Night in Cardiff.� The story�s events occur over a single night, from Yvonne�s arrival in the early evening to her departure the next morning. The plot itself is neatly divided into two parts. The first part sees Yvonne (with the help of an off-screen Ianto Jones thanks to the magic of one-way cell phone conversations) using an alien device to stop time sneak into Torchwood Three past the frozen forms of Tosh, Suzie, and Jack Harkness to retrieve a Drahvin scanner which will help Torchwood One solve the mystery of the void ship seen in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday. While One Rule does add to Torchwood's canon, Lidster forgoes the �big event/twist� style that marked his work on the main range. Listeners instead get a whole bunch of little snippets, side comments, and one-line cameos that add a little bit of meta-spice to the story without drowning it in the sauce of continuity. These small moments also go a long way in establishing the difference between Torchwood One in London and Torchwood Three in Cardiff and how Yvonne (and by proxy the rest of Torchwood One) view the three-member Cardiff outfit.

The second part of the story makes up the large bulk of One Rule�s. Local government official Barry Jackson knows about Torchwood, or at least its invisible/underground presence in Roald Dahl Pass. He assumes Yvonne is part of Torchwood after seeing her emerge from Torchwood Three and asks for her help. Yvonne blows him off, stating that she doesn�t get involved in �local politics.� But when her hotel �mysteriously� burns down and Barry Jackson just �happens� to be there to save her from being stuck outside in nothing more than a bathrobe, Yvonne has no choice but to get mixed up in his affairs. Jackson is one of many people jockeying for the mayor�s office after the previous mayor died three weeks ago at the hands of a shop dummy. But anyone who has declared their interest in running for mayor seems to end up dead in a very messy and dismembered manner. It doesn�t take Yvonne very long to figure out that there�s an alien force behind the murders, one that�s invisible and strikes when the candidates are alone. This portion of the plot focuses very much on how �backwards� Cardiff is compared to London. Yvonne needs a new dress, but why get one from a fashionable boutique when there�s a 24-hour superstore just around the corner? She needs to sit down and figure out what�s going on, and the best place for that is one of the top-rated restaurants in the city�an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. It gets a bit repetitive after a while but it does show once again how Torchwood and Yvonne feel about backwater Cardiff.

As for the actual �who is killing the mayoral candidates� plot, it�s nothing that really stands out. Who is behind it doesn�t come as a surprise and the why is revealed in that the person has been recruited by the Committee (in their only mention) as a patsy. The plot serves only to provide some sort of narrative strand to knit the story together. It does provide a few moments however. There�s a scene where Yvonne spills to Barry about how the twenty-first century is when everything changes, tying in the events from Rose and the 1999 murder-suicide of Torchwood Three in the Torchwood episode Fragments. There�s another scene where the alien gets to one of the mayoral candidates, and there�s nothing Yvonne can do but watch helplessly as they plead for their lives, mixed in with a lot of crunching and ripping. It�s a scene Lidster pulls off very well making it incredibly disturbing and just long enough to stick with the listener without being overkill. And finally, the ending scene shows just how ruthless Yvonne is capable of being as she confronts the final mayoral candidate, hobbles them, and convinces them that even though they give lip service to the committee, they really work for HER. And what she asks is that, since Jack Harkness will likely keep his arrival a secret, is for them to keep a lookout for a blue police box�

One Rule lives and dies by the performance of Tracy-Ann Oberman. Everyone else in the story is really just a one-note cardboard cut-out of a Cardiff resident, save Gareth Armstrong who hams it up enough as Barry Jackson to make his turn a memorable one. Perhaps he borrowed from his 1970�s appearance in Doctor Who as Giuliano in the Fourth Doctor story The Masque of Mandragora. I did wonder why Big Finish would go with a Torchwood character who didn�t even appear in the television series, but my misgivings were soon forgotten as Oberman dives right back into the role. Hartman talked of �For Queen and Country� in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday and her dedication to the Crown is on display during this story, even though its portrayed in a manner of �what _I_ do for Queen and Country is important, the little people can go hang.� The annoyed disdain of London vs. Cardiff is very evident throughout, but we also get to see a bit of Yvonne�s human side when she fails to protect one of her charges. Although, is it a human side, or is it just fear brought about by failure? Oberman doesn�t chew the scenery or go over-the-top, instead playing Yvonne as an ambitious and pragmatic human being who only gets ruthless when the situation calls for it. While it�s not a mandatory companion piece to Army of Ghost/Doomsday, it does shed some interesting light upon her turn in those stories, and I have to give props to Lidster for playing to his strengths and not going overboard with this script. Perhaps his time away from the main Doctor Who range with Dark Shadows has tempered his writing style. At the very least, it�s now much more agreeable to my audio palette�

I�ve come to see One Rule as a sort of �Torchwood Issue #0.� The Big Finish Torchwood range has given listeners a variety of different story and plot styles so far. There�s been the exposition heavy pilot episode (The Conspiracy), the day-in-the-limelight episode (Fall to Earth), the darker-side-of-human-nature episode (Forgotten Lives), and now the how-did-we-get-here episode with One Rule, with the next serial (Uncanny Valley) containing the�ahem�adult themes. One Rule takes a minor character in the Torchwood continuity and breathes her to life, focusing less on the plot and adding just enough bits and pieces to the show�s continuity to make this one a worthwhile pick-up at full price if you�re a Torchwood fan and one to consider purchasing if and when Big Finish puts it on sale.

Pros
+ Solid performance by Tracy-Ann Oberman
+ The best parts of a Joseph Lidster script without his �twists�
+ Bits and pieces of Torchwood continuity sprinkled throughout

Cons
- Flat, clich�d secondary characters
- Mundane plot

Cobi�s Synopsis � Torchwood before Torchwood, One Rule boasts the best parts of a script from Joseph Lidster and a top-notch performance from Tracy-Ann Oberman that help to carry the run-of-the-mill plot.

Next up - A couple of years ago, Neil Redmond was in a terrible accident. His recovery has been long and slow, but now he's back and looking better than ever. Much better than ever�

John Barrowman is Captain Jack Harkness in�Torchwood: Uncanny Valley.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 19:59

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Pesky Splinter posted:

[e]: With Tracy-Ann Oberman in that, I might just have to take the plunge into the murky Torchwood audio waters.

I'm enjoying the Big Finish audios a hell of a lot more then I did the actual television show.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2016 04:38

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

qntm posted:

"I know I recognise this face somehow, but from where? Who could it be?"

Maybe give her an Irish accent?

# ¿ Jan 31, 2016 00:10

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

jivjov posted:

Well, in my 8th Doctor Catch Up, I finally got out of the Divergent Universe. Time for Terror Firma! I hear some people consider it a classic!

I'd put it up there with Medicinal Purposes!

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 00:23

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

What has made billionaire Neil Redmond emerge from his long seclusion? Captain Jack knows the answer, and is prepared to go to any lengths to prove it.

A couple of years ago, Neil Redmond was in a terrible accident. His recovery has been long and slow, but now he's back and looking better than ever. Much better than ever.

Dark forces have been behind Neil's transformation. Dark forces that Jack has been hunting for a long time. But Captain Jack's never been able to resist the darkness.

John Barrowman is Captain Jack Harkness is Torchwood: Uncanny Valley

X X X X X

Cast
Captain�Jack Harkness�-�John Barrowman
Neil Redmond�-�Steven Cree
Miss�Trent�-�Emma Reeves

Written by: David Llewellyn
Directed by: Neil Gardner
Produced by�James Goss
Script edited by�Steve Tribe

Trailer - https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/uncanny-valley-1298

X X X X X

Torchwood: Uncanny Valley isn�t your normal audio.� It�s disturbing, it peers into what it means to be human, gives the listener a look at narcissism in its purest form, and there�s a good bit of sex involved.� Pretty much what one might expect from a Jack Harkness serial.� The story isn�t carried by John Barrowman, however but rather Steven Cree in a well-written and well-acted dual role that manages to touch upon the more �adult� themes of Torchwood without turning into a sopping and gratuitous mess.
�
Billionaire armaments manufacturer Neil Redmond was in a car crash a few years ago.� Robbed of the use of his legs, Redmond confined himself to his wheelchair and shut himself off from the rest of the world.� Two years later however, Neil Redmond reappeared at a New York fashion show with full use of his legs, beginning a whirlwind social tour that coincided with the signing of weapons agreements across the globe.� Now, on the verge of the opening of a grand weapons bazaar in St Petersburg, Neil Redmond has decided to fly in the face of his critics and mingle with suspected terrorists and Third World dictators.� But even as Redmond appears on international television, Captain Jack Harkness is knocking on the door of Redmond�s Scottish estate, and he isn�t surprised when a wheelchair-bound Neil Redmond answers�
�

quote:

�Un�can�ny val�ley (noun)�- used in reference to the phenomenon whereby a computer-generated figure or humanoid robot bearing a near-identical resemblance to a human being arouses a sense of unease or revulsion in the person viewing it.

�
There were two themes that Torchwood attempted to explore during its time on the air.� One was the exploration of human corruptibility.� The other was sex.� The first two episodes of the show contained an alien that killed its victims by orgasm (including a massacre at a fertility clinic) and one of the Torchwood Three team members using a mind control device to convince women (and men) to sleep with them.� Fortunately these overt moments faded as the show progressed, focusing more on the relationships between Torchwood Three and its various members, people they met during the course of their cases, and lovers from both the past and present.� The series gave heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual relationships the same amount of narrative weight, never judging or, no matter what the critics said, shoving Russell T Davies �big gay agenda� in Britain�s face.�

Of course, there were still a few missteps�
�

�
(I don�t know which I get more mileage out of, the Cyberwoman or that one picture of the Myrka from Warriors of the Deep)
�
David Llewellyn penned the opening audio for the Torchwood range The Conspiracy, which also featured Jack Harkness and kicked off the Committee story arc.� The Conspiracy was enjoyable but packed with a lot of exposition, understandable since it was the very first story in the range.� Uncanny Valley sees Llewellyn follow the same blueprint.� The first 2/3�rds of Uncanny Valley are very much �this is how we got here,� with Neil Redmond laying out to Jack Harkness how he�s both in Scotland and Russia � a synthetic double created by a robotics company who looks like Redmond and is taught by the billionaire how to think and act like him.� There is a little bit of �let�s get on with it� in Llewllyn�s script, but the story as a whole fails to drag along thanks to the performance by Steven Cree (Outlander, Lip Service) who brings Llewllyn�s words to life as both Neil Redmond and the robot double who comes to be known as NJ.

In the hands of a lesser actor, Uncanny Valley could nothing more than a boring slog.� But Cree easily breathes life into both roles. �With Redmond, Cree starts with showing just how broken and frustrated the wheelchair bound Redmond is and how so very easily he leaps into the �arms� of a robotics company (which is of course a front for the Committee) in order to have some semblance of a life again. Any initial apprehension quickly disappears as Redmond slowly walks his robot double, who he calls �NJ,� through the details of his life and his personality. Redmond's glowing joy is evident in Cree's performance as well as his growing infatuation with NJ, who sees as a means to interact with the world. At first, it's all just fun and games to Redmond as he watches NJ wheel, deal, mix, and mingle with clients and supermodels, all observed through NJ's high-definition video feed that's transmitted directly back to Redmond's castle in Scotland. Redmond lives vicariously through his robot double, but over time slowly starts to come to resent NJ � not just for leading the life Redmond can't, but for the business decisions that NJ starts to make on his behalf without consulting Redmond. This turn of events, an artificial intelligence taking on a personality of its own, is a standard theme in science fiction, but it's the HURT that Cree puts into Remond's realization that truly sells it.

On the flip side, Cree's performance as NJ starts off as slow, stilted, and open. The robotic lilt is in NJ's voice as he slowly adapts Redmond's personality, vocal style, and body language, the hesitancy in his words slowly giving way as he grows more familiar with them. NJ's introduction/Redmond's �return� to the world is played as the listener might expect, with NJ slowly growing more confident within his programming and stepping beyond his designated parameters in an attempt to soothe and comfort Neil through the live feed. Even without the slight robotic tone the voice filter adds to Cree's turn as NJ, it's very evident which character Cree is playing at any given time even as NJ becomes more �human� as the story goes on. The twist to NJ's creation an his ultimate purpose is standard sci-fi fare, but even to the end of the story when NJ is trying to kill Jack, he's not full blown �all humans must die,� but a creation who values human life and truly regrets taking it.

Where Cree's performance shines is through the �love� that the two Neil Redmonds share with one another. It's a bit creepy and unnerving, ala th3 2013 Joaquin Phoenix/Scarlett Johansson movie Her. Loving one's self is the highest form of narcissism (or masturbation if you stop to think about it...and let's just move on, shall we?) and Llewllyn's script doesn't pull any punches in attempt to explore it. Redmond soaks in the depravity and excess of NJ's lifestyle as his only outlet into the world, soon coming to see NJ as the only person in the world who truly loves and understands him. As much as his wheelchair can allow, even when NJ is beginning to change and evolve Redmond still loves him. Is it because NJ is the �perfect� form of Neil Redmond? Is it because NJ is the only thing in Redmond's life and you just love the one you with? Or is there something deeper there?

On the other side of the coin...

quote:
�I�m a fantasy. �I�m either the man you want to be or the man you want to have�I won�t get upset that you don�t call me back, and I won�t stalk you online or leave messages on your voicemail. �I don�t have mood swings and I don�t sulk. �I�m perfect�so what are you waiting for?�

NJ's entire existance (save his deep programming) revolves around Neil Redmond. Is this love just software and firmware? Is it something that evolved in his programming over time? Did NJ somehow become a real boy? Or is the love as �real� as the kind between two human beings? Whichever it turns out to be, Cree plays both sides of the relationship as honestly as one could. The listener might not understand what exactly kind of �love� exists between Neil Redmond and NJ, but there's not doubt that something called �love� exists between them. Which makes the final scene between the pair that much more shocking and potentially deeply moving.

I haven't mentioned Captain Jack Harkness much in this review. That's because for the most of Uncanny Valley's runtime, Jack is a passive observer. Redmond spends much of the story relating the background between him and NJ to Jack, who throws in a couple of observations about how strange everything is, from the car crash up to NJ's evolution as well as mentioning conspiracy theorist George Wilson in order to tie this story back to The Conspiracy. John Barrowman is Jack Harkness � that's the best way to describe his turn in this story. It's the Captain Jack Harkness listeners have come to expect. He's straight forward, a little coy, incredibly flirtatious, and very impulsive. It's the only way I can possibly explain why there's a scene where Jack and NJ bang each other. And I use the word �bang� because there sure as hell ain't any level of �love� involved like there was between Redmond and NJ. Of course, this being Jack Harkness it shouldn't come as a surprise as he's Doctor Who's answer to James Bond, which includes sleeping with people who are obviously trying to kill you. At the end of the story, the focus switches to Jack and his attempts to escape from a rampaging NJ (for once showing bit of smarts and not holding the Idiot Ball like he did in The Conspiracy and Forgotten Lives). Llewllyn uses Jack's immortality in a unique way in order to save the day, but even in defeat, NJ manages to reveal a bit of crucial information to Jack about the Committee's true purpose on Earth before shutting down for good...

I have to give Uncanny Valley credit for taking sexual themes and a look at a non-normal relationship in a respectful way. This is another Big Finish story that I could easily imagine as a televised Torchwood episode, and I would have loved to have seen Steven Cree given a shot at pulling off the dual roles of Neil Redmond and NJ to a wider audience. When I think of a show tackling �adult� themes, Uncanny Valley is the kind of story that best addresses those themes without being over-the-top and gratuitous.

Pros
+ Steven Cree with two great performances in the role the same individual
+ Addresses adult themes and sexuality in a respectful manner
+ �I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you...�

Cons
- NJ's master plan is standard �artificial intelligence gains sentience� fare

Cobi's Synopsis � A story focusing on the relationship between a man and his robotic twin and all the mental, emotional, and physical aspects involved, Uncanny Valley is worth a listen for the performance of Steven Cree as the crippled billionaire and his synthetic double.

Next up - Gwen Cooper has triumphed against impossible odds before, but now�she's finally met her match: Roger Pugh, Planning Officer for Cardiff�City Council...

Eve Myles is Gwen Cooper in...Torchwood: More Than This

CobiWann fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Feb 2, 2016

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 02:24

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Jerusalem posted:

I will never give up on harping on about this - he doesn't use the device to "convince" them. He completely ignores them as people, their objections or complete lack of interest is irrelevant. He uses the device to FORCE them to act in the way he wants, to bypass them as people and turn them into slavering objects for his own pleasure. It's rape, pure and simple, and remains the most baffling and awful creative choice to introduce a character who we're eventually supposed to feel sympathy for and buy into his "redemption".

And what makes it worse is Burn Gorman is a good actor - his turn in And Then There Were None is fantastic. But when your opening characterization is a second-rate Kilgrave, that better be some drat good writing to make us buy his redemption. And there just wasn't any in the two series he was featured in.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 03:55

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

cargohills posted:

Is that why it looks like the screen has been smeared by vaseline in Series 1?

Speaking of Captain Jack Harkness...

http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/torchwood-the-victorian-age-coming-soon

Captain Jack and Queen Victoria at the dawn of Torchwood? I'm intrigued...but it's the story after this one that has my attention as Tosh deals with the Russian counterpart to Torchwood about a radio signal that's been broadcasting for 40 years.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 14:37

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

The_Doctor posted:

Ooh they're investigating UVB-76?

That's the exact same thing I thought when I read the synopsis.

Please get out of my head, The_Doctor.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 17:40

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Wheat Loaf posted:

I'm a bit reminded of that one Alex Rider book where the villain is this Bob Geldof stand-in whose master plan is to commandeer Air Force One and start a literal nuclear war on drugs.

Anyway, you know how in "Earthshock" there's a bit where the heroes sneak past a couple of Cybermen in the freighter's hold? Said Cybermen appear to be engaged in a casual conversation. I am curious about what Cybermen would have to talk about.

"Mondas!"

"Telos!"

"Mondas!"

"Telos!"

"Mondas!"

"Telos!"

"What about an alternate Earth?"

"Shut up!"

# ¿ Feb 4, 2016 14:43

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Jerusalem, how would you compare the Eighth Doctor audios to the modern TV series, since Big Finish wanted to try to make the EDA's more accessible to new viewers than the main range?

# ¿ Feb 6, 2016 16:34

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Robot is enjoyable if you look at it as the bridge between the Pertwee-era UNIT stories and the Baker-era Hinchcliffe stories, like Jerusalem said. While the special effects are INCREDBLY dodgy (the tank in Robot makes the green bubble wrap in The Ark in Space look positively CGI-ish), you can tell the level of enjoyment that the actors and crew are putting into the episode. The enthusiasm helps overcome the production�s limitations.

And speaking of classic �Who��

http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/doctor-who-special-offers-on-main-range-51-100

# ¿ Feb 8, 2016 13:52

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

computer parts posted:

I have Scherzo, Night Thoughts, Time Works, Red, Memory Lane, and Frozen Time already, are any others pretty good?

Arrangements for War + Thicker Than Water
Faith Stealer (personal favorite)
Singularity
The Kingmaker (worth it solely for the third act cliffhanger alone!)
The Gathering (for Tegan's "final" exit)
Son of the Dragon (a pure, no science fiction historical)

Tim Burns Effect posted:

I love creepy 7th Doctor stories, is Rrrrrrrred worth the purchase?

Red.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2016 23:30

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

The Diary of River Song - Series 1 is one of Big Finish's biggest and most ambitious releases, taking a much beloved (and somewhat polarizing) character from the revival of Doctor Who, the time-traveling archaeologist River Song, and throwing her into a series of grand adventures. Four different stories, each with their own distinct tone, showcase Alex Kingston's turn as River as Big Finish attempts to expand upon and add to her character without the spectre of the Doctor looming over her shoulder. While the box set doesn't quite succeed in that regard, that doesn't stop Kingston and the supporting cast from putting on a smashing show that will delight both fans of River Song and fans of Doctor Who.

X X X X X

Cast
Alex Kingston�(River Song)
Paul McGann�(The Doctor)
Alexander Vlahos�(Bertie Potts)
Alexander Siddig�(Marcus Gifford)
Imogen Stubbs�(Isabella Clerkwell)
Gbemisola Ikumelo�(Prim)
Charlotte Christie�(Daphne Garsington)
Alisdair Simpson�(Colonel Lifford)
Oliver Dimsdale�(Archie Ferrers)
John Banks�(Professor Straiton)
Letty Butler�(Spritz)
John Voce�(Jenkins)
Aaron Neil�(Sanukuma Master)
Samuel West�(Mr Song).

Written by:
The Boundless Sea - Jenny Colgan
I Went to a Marvelous Party � Justin Richards
Signs � James Goss
The Rulers of the Universe � Matt Fitton

Directed by: Ken Bentley

Trailer - https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/the-diary-of-river-song-series-01-1313

Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncNzZPaN1TM

X X X X X

River Song has had more than enough excitement for a while. Deciding the universe � and her husband � can look after themselves, she has immersed herself in early 20th century academia, absorbed in writing archaeological theses. But when a mysterious tomb is found in a dry, distant land, excitement comes looking for River.

Can Professor Song stop any more members of the expedition from dying? What deadly secrets lie buried within the crypt? And will British Consul Bertie Potts prove to be a help, or a hindrance?

The box set kicks off (after a bombastic theme song that feels time-and-space spanning appropriate) with The Boundless Sea. Taking a bit of a break from the whole �traveling across time and space� grind, River Song heads to 1905 and takes up a position at a London university, spending her days researching and writing about the past and doing everything she can to avoid getting involved with the politics of academia and, heaven forbid, actually teaching. It's not until reports come in about a newly discovered tomb in the Turkish portion of Mesopotamia and the disappearance of one of the excavation crew that River's interest is piqued. Along with the British Consul from Constantinople, one Bertie Potts, River soon finds that the tomb is much more than simply the burial chamber for an ancient king. Aside from the dust mites that feed off of sweat and tears, the tomb holds a living resident, one who has survived for nearly 2000 years in total darkness and craves nothing more than the embrace of the ocean...

Jenny Colgan, who penned the Eleventh Doctor novel Dark Horizons, grew up watching Tom Baker's run as the Doctor. Her love for that era is evident as The Boundless Sea could have come straight from the Tom Baker/Philip Hinchcliffe era of the show. The story borrows from the discovery (and subsequent �curse�) of Tutankhamun's tomb and as well as the Universal/Hammer versions of The Mummy and the concepts of love and life after death taken in a horrifying direction. Gbemisola Ikumelo plays Prim, the Surene princess who was buried alive inside her husband's tomb, but kept alive for nearly 2000 years thank to a series of microscopic alien drones that fell to Earth (�Probably debris from a passing starliner� River suggests) and absorb saline and electroytes from their victims in order to keep their host alive, in this case Prim. 2000 years has left her desicated from lack of water, insane from being trapped in darkness, and most of all angry at her fate because of her marriage. �I loved him enough to die for him, not die with him!� Ikumelo plays the perfect Fourth Doctor era villain � angry, vengeful, and her dessicated form would look horrific on television.

Alexander Vlahos joins the cast as Bernie Potts, British Consul, who turns out to be more than he seems and a player in three of the four stories that make up this box set. Vlahos has experience with the audio format, having played Dorian Gray in Big Finish's range The Confessions of Dorian Gray as well as turns in the BBC series Merlin and Versailles. In The Boundless Sea Bernie is your standard young British diplomat abroad � a little haughty, a little charming, a little mad for wearing a three-piece suit in the desert, and a little brave when the situation calls for it. The listener finds out though that the Bernie Potts we meet in the desert is actually a clone and the real Bernie Potts sent him to give River an invitation to an exclusive party, as well as seeing her in action to confirm if the rumors about her are true. And this Potts, once we meet him, is your standard middle manager craving advancement up the ladder, brash, arrogant, and completely falls apart once the chips are down. Vlahos does a wonderful job with both roles, making the switch from the clone-Potts in this story to the manager-Potts in the next story.

River Song always enjoys a good party, even when she�s not entirely sure where or when the party is taking place. But the party she ends up at is one where not everything � or indeed everyone � is what it seems�

Being River, it doesn�t take her too long to go exploring, and it doesn�t take her too long to get into trouble. The sort of trouble that involves manipulating other civilisations, exploitation, and of course murder.

River is confident she can find the killer. But can she identify them before anyone else � or quite possibly everyone else � gets killed?

I Went To A Marvelous Party finds River invited to a most exclusive engagement.� Taking place on a modular starship in an isolated solar system, the Party (note the capital letter) is an gala that never ends.� Guests come and go at the whims of its organizers, along the way sampling the finest of endangered species and rarest of vintages.� The high-class function would normally be River�s glass of champagne, save for two minor details.� First, the hosts of the Party use part of their spaceship to meddle in the affairs of developing societies.� An earthquake there, the introduction of the microprocessor there, all to shape and alter the planet�s future to their own monetary benefit.� Second, one of the Party�s hosts had been found dead in his suite. �And in both cases, River just might be the perfect participant�
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The manipulation of the lower-classes by the higher-classes who wallow in their own decadence with the main character trying to solve a murder while navigating the social labyrinth?� I Went To A Marvelous Party (a story name that�s only topped by the never-produced Yellow Fever and How to Cure It) could have come straight out of the Sixth/Seventh Doctor era.� Justin Richards (who has written a ton of stuff for both the Who novel range and several Big Finish ranges including the Fourth Doctor Adventure The Renaissance Man) gives us a story where the rich and powerful of the universe do whatever they drat well please, either to make an obscene amount of money or to further their own ambitious or personal whims.� To them, the lower classes aren�t worthy of their time.� Even the servants onboard the party ship are robotic so the elite can avoid mixing with the masses, and any �savages� brought on board by the elite are seen as �quaint distractions.�� The listener can FEEL the disdain just dripping from every word River utters, no matter if she�s trying to play a bit dumber than usual or talking up her credentials in an effort to solve the murder of Jenkins, one of the elite who thrilled in the �decadence of the uncivilized.�� And in this case the uncivilized savage is Spritz, taken from her planet by Jenkins for his amusement.� Letty Butler plays Spritz as both overwhelmed by the incredible wealth and waste around her and abhorred by it, and her anger and hatred towards the dead Jenkins comes out in every word she utters about her former �handler.�
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The other two main members of the party elite are veteran actors Imogen Stubbs as Isabella Clarkwell and Alexander Siddig (aka Bashir, O�Brien�s better half, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as Marcus Gifford.� Both are fine in their roles as the upper class who pull the strings of those beneath them, although nothing really standouts in either performance.� I Went To A Marvelous Party is more about the investigative side of River Song, a chance to show off her smarts as she pieces together the true culprit and their motivation.� It�s a Miss Marple/Inspector Periot affair that works quite well with River putting on the �upper-class� airs to fit in with the real Bertie Potts trying to suck up to his superiors (�you don�t want the famous Melody Malone solving the murders,� he says in a nice call back to The Angels Take Manhattan.�
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While its an enjoyable story, the biggest surprise of I Went To A Marvelous Party comes at the very end when Bertie introduces River to a man who has been looking all over for her.�
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�Hello, sweetie.�
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Her husband.

River Song is on the trail of the mysterious, planet-killing SporeShips.

Nobody knows where they come from. Nobody knows why they are here. All they do know is that wherever the SporeShips appear, whole civilisations are reduced to mulch.

But River has help. Her companion is a handsome time-travelling stranger, someone with specialist knowledge of the oddities and dangers the universe has to offer. For Mr Song has a connection to River�s future, and he would never want his wife to face those perils alone�

Signs is the Twelfth Doctor mind-screw episode of the box set. This time out, River Song is in full blown planet-saving mode as she rushes about the galaxy in an effort to stop a serious of biological satellites from wiping out one planet after another. Along side of her is none other than her husband, a quick-witted and dashing hero who bickers with his wife as much as he flirts with her as they attempt to save the day. There are a few concerns however. One, River has been dosed with an intense amount of radiation after an attempt to disarm a SporeShip and she's slowly dying by degrees. Two, its not the TARDIS that's racing across the galaxy to stop the SporeShips, but a second-hand spaceship called the Sarah Jane. And three, her husband might call himself the Doctor, but he wears a face she has never seen...

James Goss, a writer of numerous pieces of media for the expanded Doctor Who universe, follows up the incredible audio Torchwood: Fall to Earth with the best episode of the box set and perhaps one of the best single stories Big Finish has released in recent months. The story opens with River contracting fatal radiation poisoning at the hands of a SporeShip. As Signs progresses, it focuses on her slow descent into delirium while filling in the backstory about her relationship with this mysterious new Doctor. This Doctor says all the right things, knows about River's past, has a working knowledge of Time Lord society, and even possesses the Doctor's 500-Year Old Diary. River has seen all of the Doctor's regenerations, but perhaps it's entirely possible that this Doctor is somehow a regeneration past the eleventh and final one. Signs is a two-hander story, like Fall to Earth, and Goss uses that format to its advantage. There's a lot of banter, a lot of flirting, a lot of arguing, and both failure and triumph in the dialogue between River and the Doctor, with nary a dull moment or a sense of boredom.

In some ways, the biggest success of Signs is showing how the relationship between the Doctor and River would beyond from the brief interactions on the television series. There is a level of comfort and familiarity between River and this new Doctor, and credit can do to Goss, Kingston, and Samuel West as this mysterious Doctor. West has done it all � actor, director, writer, screen, stage, movies, and a ton of acclaimed audio books, with the Daily Telegraph calling his reading of Brighton Rock one of the best audio books ever. West is simply perfect as the Doctor, feeling like he could have come from an alternate universe or the Unbound range. The charm, the optimism, the callbacks (including a dislike of spiders dating back to the Third Doctor), the ease at which he deflects questions to keep River calm as she dies...it's all there in a great performance. I'm talking a �could we somehow cast him at a television Doctor� type of great.

Of course, there's much more than meets the eye to this Doctor. Goss' script keeps River's sense of determination and curiosity as she drags her way through the Sarah Jane, trying to figure out the source of mysterious noises and a voice calling out to her. Once River figures out what is going on, the revelation and twist immediately brings to mind Heaven Sent, including River's absolute fury and anger at her situation. The Doctor drops the pretense while revealing his relationship to the SporeShips as well as the party elite. However, the party elite decides that this knockoff Doctor hasn't done enough with River to advance their plans, and decide to instead send an invitation to the real thing...

As shocking secrets are exposed, and a grand plan for the universe is revealed, River decides it�s time she took control of events once and for all.

Out in deep space, a clandestine society faces off with an ancient and powerful alien force � but, for River, there�s an added complication.

The Eighth Doctor has been caught in the middle, and she must make sure her future husband can arrive at his own destiny with all his memories � not to mention his lives � intact�

The Rulers of the Universe closes out The Diary of River Song's first box set with a major event (even though the cover of the box set kind of spoils the entire thing) � River Song crosses paths with the Eighth Doctor, a Doctor she has never met and has been specifically forbidden to �play with� by the Doctor's future incarnations. The party elite, the self-style �rulers of the universe� have their own concerns about the SporeShips and their impact on the bottom line. River Song was supposed to be the answer, but with the passage of time and the failure of �the Doctor� to provide a solution, Bertie Potts has his own idea. An invitation to this grand gala finds its way to the real Doctor, currently in his eighth incarnation and doing his best to avoid the Time War that even now is on the lips of party goers...and the party elite who are trying to find a way to profit from it. The Doctor is of course disgusted by the whole concept and wants absolutely nothing to do with the rulers of the universe and their plans for the Time War. But Bertie �convinces� the Doctor, via kidnapping his TARDIS, to infiltrate one of the larger SporeShips and figure out what makes them tick. For Bertie, its about how to profit from the biological weapons. For the Doctor, its about how to stop the SporeShips and recover his TARDIS. For the mysterious creators of the SporeShips, its about offering their services to the Time Lords to help fight the Daleks.

For River Song, its about beating the living hell out of Bertie Potts for putting her husband in danger helping the Doctor navigate the SporeShip without revealing her identity to him, and stopping both the creators of the SporeShips and the rulers of the universe once and for all.
Matt Fitton brings River's first adventure to a close with The Rulers of the Universe. The writer of The Last Sixth Doctor Adventure - Stage Fright, Starlight Robbery, and Doom Coalition 1 - The Eleven turns in a solid script that brings together the purpose of the SporeShips and the motivations of the party elite while throwing both the Eighth Doctor and River in the middle. Fitton reveals the reason behind the SporeShips and their creators; they are an ancient race who helped seed a good bit of the universe during its early days, and are now using the SporeShips to clean up planets and civilizations that don't meet their standards.

Alexander Vlahos is in great form in the �in charge until he's not in charge and panicking� Bertie, but the center of this story is obviously the Eighth Doctor, which has both its pros and cons. On one hand, it's Paul McGann who been on fire for Big Finish in recent years and his presence probably helped sway a few customers who weren't River fans to grab this box set. During this story, the Doctor is on the edges of the Time War doing what he can to minimize the damage and keep the conflict away from the civilized worlds. The weariness that would eventually doom this incarnation out peeks through his demeanor during The Rulers of the Universe. He still has the charm and the hopeful words, but the optimism is slowly, ever so slowly, being burned out of his hearts to be replaced by despair and cynicism. But he's still the Doctor, and he puts on a brave front and cheery smile as he works his way through the gunk and plant matter towards the heart of the SporeShip and its alien pilots.

The core of The Rulers of the Universe is the interaction, via communicator, between the Doctor and River, aka �Spritz.� River can't reveal her relationship to the Doctor, but she knows he has to survive the SporeShip and does her best to balance the need to help him and the need to keep her presence a secret. Kingston and McGann click as a duo, which does go a bit to alleviate one of my concerns with this story. I felt that this box set should have focused on River without the presence of the Doctor, to show just how great a character she could be standing on her own two feet (and also to see how the character could be written by someone other than Steven Moffat, but that's a whole other discussion I am not drunk enough for). Putting the Doctor in the final story as well as Signs could have undermined the character of River Song. But instead it helped to expand it a little bit, as we got to see how River would interact with the Doctor as his wife as well as a companion, and it's a fun, positive dynamic between River and the Eighth Doctor, which I feel helps take River in a direction away from that of solely �The Doctor's wife� or �Amy and Rory's kid who was raised to shoot the Doctor in front of her parents.�

So, after four episodes and interacting with two Doctors, how is Alex Kingston's first Big Finish turn as River Song? In one word - �fantastic.� Kingston embraces the audio format with ease, never faltering or sounding unsure with her delivery. Her voice and accent are an aural delight and her performances throughout all four stories each showcase a different aspect of her personality and character. The Rulers of the Universe shows the ruthless side of River, the one that television viewers have been shown snippets and glimpses of with her imprisonment and how others react to her. She takes down the party ship and the rulers of the universe with ease, utterly destroying the ship while giving the party guests a chance to get away...but as for the rulers themselves? The Doctor has always tempered River's more violent impulses, and seeing how River reacts when its the DOCTOR has been put at risk is a bit shocking but completely in character, and Song sells both the fury and...the pride...at what River has done.

Taken as a whole, The Diary of River Song � Series 1 is definitely worth a pick up for fans of River Song as it showcases various aspects of one of the revival's most famous characters in four uniquely different stories, each one with solid-to-great performances. For those who are a bit iffy on River, I would still recommend this box set solely for Signs, one of Big Finish's best stories in recent months as Alex Kingston and Samuel West steal the show. The Diary of River Song continues the trend of solid releases based upon the revival of Doctor Who and bodes well for not only the future of this particular range, but for Big Finish's future revival stories.

Cobi's Synopsis � The Diary of River Song � Series 1 is four unique stories showcasing the different aspects of the space-faring, time-traveling archaeologist as Alex Kingston's audio debut is simply smashing, specifically her chemistry with Paul McGann but also an absolutely fantastic turn with Samuel West.

Next up - Kate Stewart, Osgood and the UNIT team confront an alien invasion by the Nestene Consciousness and its army of plastic Autons...

Jemma Redgrave is Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver is Osgood in...UNIT � Extinction.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2016 04:35

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

They said during the commentary that there was a shortage of Oriental actors in England in the 70's and they had to make due.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2016 03:51

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

Jerusalem posted:

Final Thoughts:
Unfortunately for me, I felt this was more like Kill the Moon and The Zygon Invasion where any interesting debate that might arise couldn't change the fact that the story that presented them wasn't very good.

Darn. I was looking forward to this one because I so enjoyed The Ark in Space, but it sounds like it suffers from one of my biggest literary criticisms - if you're going to tell a story about hard choices and moral quandaries, the story surrounding those choices has to be solid to cracking good to carry the weight.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2016 14:38

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

twistedmentat posted:

I should have mentioned this earlier, but the end of Hand of Fear is kind of amazing.

Oh Eldrad, you're so loving evil and we hate you so much we suicided our entire race so you could not return, take over and conquer the galaxy. What a bleakly awesome ending.

On one hand, that's a great ending to the main story.

On the other hand, the complete tonal shift from the first three episodes is really jarring. Three awesome episodes in a working nuclear facility and one that spends fifteen minutes crawling through the caves of ice before Sarah Jane leaves.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2016 14:44

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

jivjov posted:

Whole slew of Big Finish news that I spotted this morning.

1) War Doctor Box 2 coming next Monday, the 22nd

While I'm happy for more releases, I haven't had the chance to listen to anything in the main range since freakin' August! I've had The Bride of Peladon on my phone since the summer...

# ¿ Feb 14, 2016 15:56

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 21, 2024 07:19

CobiWann: Oct 21, 2009; Have fun!

"You don't REALLY want to write that Masque of Mandragora review, do you?"

# ¿ Feb 16, 2016 16:36

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Doctor Who: "I've finally run out of corridor...there's a life summed up."

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