|
Tie-breaker for serial you'd most like to find an episode from This poll is closed. |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve |
|
33 | 44.59% |
| The Highlanders |
|
41 | 55.41% |
| Total: | 74 votes | ||
|
Bicyclops posted:Don't condemn the poor man to death! We should be so lucky
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 14:24
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:49 |
|
|
 The War Doctor Volume 3 – Agents of Chaos begins with two stories that explore the ingenuity and sheer determination of the Daleks and the Time Lords’ desperate attempts to hold back the tide. And while most planets are keeping their heads down and trying in vain to avoid the crossfire, the third story showcases one of Doctor Who’s most essential alien races and their attempts to JOIN the Time War on either side. Most importantly tough, Agents of Chaos shows just how jaded and ruthless the War Doctor has become, incredibly close to going over the edge as the sacrifice of the innocent is rapidly becoming all too common for him. Cast John Hurt (The War Doctor) Jacqueline Pearce (Cardinal Ollistra) Neve McIntosh (Lara) Honeysuckle Weeks (Heleyna) Timothy Speyer (Kruger), Helen Goldwyn (Professor Crane) Gunnar Cauthery (Kavarin) Matthew Cottle (Leith) Dan Starkey (General Fesk/Sontarans) Josh Bolt (Kalan) Barnaby Edwards (Vassarian) Andrew French (Muren) Nicholas Briggs (Dalek Time Strategist/Daleks) Written by: The Shadow Vortext – David Llewleyyn The Eternity Cage – Andrew Smith Eye of Harmony – Ken Dorney Directed by: Nicholas Briggs Sound and Music: Howard Carter Released: 6 October 2016 Trailer - https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/popout/the-war-doctor-volume-03-agents-of-chaos-1382 Theme – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxdzcRQ45Fc **  Cardinal Ollistra exploits the War Doctor’s affection for Earth to send him to East Berlin, 1961, on the trail of a Dalek agent. Lara Zannis has breached the planet’s quantum shield on a very special mission for the Dalek Time Strategist. Caught between MI6 and the KGB, the War Doctor must first escape the Stasi before he can hope to stop Lara. Cold War scientists are about to make a breakthrough – the Daleks want control of the ‘Shadow Vortex’, and Agent Zannis can provide it. The Shadow Vortex takes place in the divided city of Berlin in the early 1960’s. In most circumstances, this story would have been a perfect fit in any of the other Big Finish Doctor Who ranges (or even The Avengers range) as a solidly written, enjoyable-but-ultimately forgettable Cold War thriller. However, those pepperpot Daleks add a dash of the Time War to the story by sending one of their human agents, Lara Zannis, to Earth. The planet had been spared the ravages and destruction of the Time War thanks to a quantum shield erected around the planet by the Time Lords, but the Daleks plan to change all that. As the Doctor finds himself the “guest” of the notorious East German secret police known as the Stasi, Lara plans to radically chance both Earth’s history as well as the Doctor’s by giving an English nuclear project in West Berlin “stolen” “East German” “reactor” blueprints. Instead of providing the West with a powerful weapon or unlimited power, the blueprints create the Shadow Vortex, a portal that allows the Daleks to slip past the quantum shield and being their invasion of Earth nearly two hundred years early! And while mass destruction and extermination is always a priority to the Daleks, this time their plan has a different primary motivation – the death of the Doctor’s companions, to ensure they never cross paths with the Doctor and thus radically change not only the Doctor’s path but the path of the Daleks as well! It’s a neat idea, though I wish they would have specifically mentioned Barbara and Ian in some capacity as they were the Doctor’s first companions and DID meet up with the First Doctor and Susan in the early 1960s. The Cold War setting does lead to a few neat moments, such as the Doctor managing to convince his captor to help him escape, the mention of Russia’s Torchwood equivalent which knows about the Daleks and send the local KGB agent to form an alliance with them, and the Dalek invasion of Berlin sounds as horrific as one might imagine. The acting is solid enough – Timothy Speyer, a well known and respect actor of the stage, brings depth to the Stasi officer Kruger, a man who serves his country while repressing the memories of child soldiers dying under his command during the final days of World War II. Neve McIntosh is best known to Doctor Who fans as Madame Vastra, lesbian, detective, Silurian, in that order. It’s good to hear her in a role outside of Vastra, and she does a fine job as Lara, Dalek time agent who is capable of giving the Doctor a run for his money. For most of The Shadow Vortex the Doctor is the one on defense, trying to escape from East Berlin as Lara tricks the leaders of the English nuclear project into helping her complete her mission. The acting of the cast and writing by David Llewellyn is solid enough to make The Shadow Vortex enjoyable, but there’s nothing that really stands out about it. It doesn’t waste its premise as much as it does the bare minimum with it to tie the story into the greater Time War and leave John Hurt to do the heavy lifting. The solution to the closing of the Shadow Vortex is unique enough, standing out as something only the War Doctor would consider as an option as it threatens one of the fundamental rules of time travel. More importantly, it feels earned as it’s the only way to stop Lara and the Daleks from invading Earth and killing the Doctor’s companions, a high-stakes decision for a high-stakes problem.  Sontarans are the ultimate warriors – so they believe – and the Time War the ultimate conflict. Denied that glory by Skaro and Gallifrey alike, General Fesk of the Eighth Sontaran Battle Fleet employs a dangerous strategy to draw both sides to the planet Rovidia and prove his forces worthy… Meanwhile, the War Doctor leads a rescue mission, aided by Rovidian street-urchin Kalan. Neither Daleks nor Time Lords expect the Sontarans to be so fearsome a foe, until they uncover the secret of the Eternity Cage. I’ve always had a problem with the portrayal of the Sontarans in the revival series. Aside from The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky, the Sontarans were more defined as well-meaning but bumbling buffoons as shown by Strax – a great character, but most certainly not a representative of the brutal and cunning Sontaran race that once invaded Gallifrey itself and gravely frightened no less than Sarah Jane Smith. Thankfully, The Eternity Cage shows the Sontarans at their absolute “best.” The Sontarans consider themselves to be the finest military force in the entire universe. To be allowed to fight in the Time War, the conflict to end all conflicts, would be the highest and most glorious honor the Sontarans could possibly achieve. However the Daleks see the Sontarans as an inferior species and would not even consider an alliance with them, while the Time Lords believe the Sontarans couldn’t stand up to the Daleks in a fight. In an effort to prove them wrong, the Sontarans kidnap both Cardinal Ollistra and the Dalek Time Strategist. While the Doctor and a crack team of Time Lord commandos make an attempt to rescue the Cardinal with the assistance of a local guide who may or may not betray them, the two mortal enemies have a front row seat as the Sontarans demonstrate their might by wiping out an entire Dalek battle fleet. The Sontarans have a new weapon, something powerful enough to slice through the Dalek’s defenses with ease and something horrifying enough to give the Time Lords pause. And if neither side will ally with the Sontarans, than the Sontarans will simply declare war on them both. The Eternity Cage does a great job of making the Sontarans great again. Much like the Eighth Doctor story The Sontaran Ordeal from Classic Doctors New Monsters Volume 1, the Sontarans are portrayed as cunning, tough, ruthless, honorable, pragmatic, and dedicated solely and utterly towards their goal of joining the Time War. Cost and sacrifice mean nothing to the Sontarans as long as the ends justify the means, and it shows as writer Andrew Smith (writer of several Big Finish stories involving the Sontarans) reveals the details of the Eternity Cage. Its very concept is enough to give Doctor Who fans a shudder, an absolutely horrible creation that gives the Sontarans their edge. Dan Starkey once again voices the Sontarans in a Big Finish story. For General Fesk of the Eighth Battle fleet, the moral implications of the Eternity Cage mean nothing to him or the Sontarans. If it allows him to fight in the Time War, then the cost is worth the price. Starkey hits the right notes with a bombastic portrayal of a Sontaran leader, whose voice booms and carries the burden of both command and absolute obedience. The Sontarans plan hinges around the kidnapping of the military leaders of both races – the Dalek Time Strategist and Cardinal Ollistra of the Gallifreyan High Council. The Dalek Time Strategist is, of course, voiced by Nicholas Briggs (as are all the other Daleks in the box set). Where most Dalek stories involved Daleks ordering other Daleks around in the same three voices, the Dalek Time Strategist has a very unique voice thanks to a good bit of reverb. The deep tonal quality of the Time Strategist’s voice gives him an aura of command that doesn’t resort to the stilted screaming that is a Dalek trademark. The creation of a centrally unified military command another example of how the Daleks are adapting to the Time War much faster than the Time Lords are. There are no schemes, betrayals, or backstabbing within the Dalek forces. The Time Strategist commands and the Daleks obey. On the other side of the coin, Jacqueline Pierce’s performance allows listeners to observe the cracks beginning to form in Ollistra’s veneer. The last two box sets portrayed Ollistra as someone who was in control, always with a pragmatic plan and schemes within schemes, all to ensure that the Time Lords emerged victorious in the Time War even if it meant all the Daleks were destroyed and only one Time Lord was left standing, preferably her. This aura of confidence persists during Ollistra’s screen time in The Shadow Vortex, but come The Eternity Cage Ollistra finds herself discussing the Time War with the Dalek Time Strategist. It tells her where the Time War began – when the Time Lords “fired first” and tried to stop the creation of the Daleks in the Fourth Doctor serial Genesis of the Daleks. Faced with that information as well as being held hostage throughout both this story and The Eye of Harmony, Cardinal Ollistra finally comes face-to-face with the Time War and the damage its done both to the universe and to the lives of those who inhabit it, and the smooth, calm, scheming surface begins to wither and peel. Pierce does a wonderful job with this slow and well-earned realization that the immoral actions and desperate efforts of the Time Lords to win the Time War have done irreparable harm to the universe…and that it’s all been for nothing, as the Daleks are about to kick in Gallifrey’s back door.  In the aftermath of events on Rovidia, the Dalek Time Strategist is presented with a unique opportunity to strike a lethal blow to the heart of Gallifrey. A devastating power is set to be unleashed, and with agents in place ready to do the bidding of the Dalek Time Strategist, the future of the Time War could turn in an instant. Trapped inside a critically-damaged Battle-TARDIS, hopelessly adrift in the Time Vortex, the War Doctor and his allies have a final desperate fight on their hands... Eye of Harmony is all about big ideas boiling down to personal efforts and how one person, for better or for worse, can make all the difference. A traitor has taken Cardinal Ollistra hostage and hurled the Doctor out of a Battle TARDIS in mid-flight. The traitor has a long-standing grudge against not only Ollistra but all Time Lord, and the Daleks have promised her revenge. All she must do is make her way through to the room containing the TARDIS’ link to the Eye of Harmony, an exploding star trapped in a permanent state of decay whose boundless energy makes time travel possible. By the command of the Dalek Time Strategist, the traitor and a Dalek Time Assault Squad will do the unthinkable – use the Battle TARDIS’ link to the Eye of Harmony as a means to invade the heart of Gallifrey! Sowing death and destruction on the Time Lord homeworld is not among the Daleks’ plans however. Rather, their goal is something much bigger. The Daleks will ensure the erasure of the Time Lords from history by doing the unthinkable and allowing the Eye of Harmony to complete is collapse… In my head, this is the moment where the Daleks begin their march towards victory in Time War. Writer Ken Bentley (director of numerous Big Finish audios) manages to balance the huge threat of the traitor Heleyna working feverishly to open a transmat portal to allow the Daleks access to the Eye of Harmony with the Doctor’s attempts to traverse the Battle TARDIS, as well as the traps she has laid, in order to stop her. Assisting the Doctor is Kalan, a refugee from the Dalek extermination of his planet who does his best to believe in the goodness of humanity even with the chips are down. Josh Bolt (The Be All and End All) does a fine job playing the hopeful but naïve Kalan, who nicknames the Doctor “Graybeard” and tries so desperately to act tough as he threatens Heleyna. Heleyna, aka Dalek Agent Prydon, is played by Honeysuckle Weeks, who aside from having an awesome name is best known for her role in the series Foyle’s War. Her character blames the High Council for the death of her grandfather who was killed during a campaign against the Daleks that Ollistra argued to undertake that eventually turned out to have no military worth or value. The Daleks take advantage of her grief and convince her to assist them in destroying the Eye of Harmony, ensuring Rassilon and Omega never develop the means to travel through time and thus preventing the development of Time Lord society. Without the Time Lords, there would have been no offensive and thus her grandfather would have lived. Of course, it’s a bluff (“HU-MAN WEAK-NESS. YOU CAN NE-VER LET GO OF YOUR PAST,” says the Dalek Time Strategist) and Heleyna breaks down as the Daleks invade Gallifrey. In some ways, the climax of The Eye of Harmony isn’t about the Daleks, but about Kalan trying to convince Heleyna that there’s still a chance for her to do some good even though she’s done something absolutely horrible. Weeks does a solid job, much like bolt, in getting across Heleyna’s grief, breakdown, and eventual redemption. I mentioned earlier that Agents of Chaos shows listeners just how jaded and burned out the War Doctor has become. Upon finishing this box set and listening to John Hurt once again turn in a great performance at the War Doctor, I believe I’ve determined just what makes this incarnation of the Doctor one that his future incarnations tried to forget and deny ever existed. It’s not that the War Doctor did horrible things. The methods and solutions he utilizes throughout the box set are brutal and extreme, but they’re along the lines of the same types of methods and solutions that other Doctors have used when they had absolutely no other choice. What’s missing from the War Doctor, especially in the performance Hurt gives us this time out, is any sense of…enjoyment. That’s a poor word choice, but there’s very little pure mirth, glee, or excitement in the Doctor’s voice. Even in the worst of situations, there has always been a sense of “well, isn’t this fun” within the Doctor. After everything the Time War has thrown at him, the Doctor has stopped doing the one thing that has always defined him. He’s stopped caring. I don’t mean how the Eighth Doctor broke down and gave up. It’s more along the lines of when Eleven tells Amy why he takes on companions – “Because I can’t see it anymore.” All the wonders of the universe and the Doctor has seen them all. It’s his companions who provide the eyes for him now, his moral balance and emotional center. Without a companion, there’s no one to share his adventures with. No one to tell him that he did what he had to do. No one to tell him what’s wrong, or that he’s becoming someone who he isn’t. Without a companion, the Doctor isn’t the Doctor. All the actions he’s taken during the Time War and there’s no one around to help him put it in perspective except for civilians caught up in the crossfire, his fellow Time Lords who beginning to believe the ends justify the means, and the Daleks who just believe in the end. The Doctor has saved the day time and time again, but after seeing so much death and destruction no matter what actions he takes, he’s become numb to the consequences and the damage left behind. He WANTS to care, but he’s incapable of doing so anymore. The end of Eye of Harmony finds Hurt despairing about Heleyna, Kalan, and everything that’s happened, saying that it’s just one more battle in the Time War that will soon be forgotten when the next campaign begins. And he’ll go on and keep doing what he’s doing by reflex, because that’s what the Doctor does even if he can’t feel it anymore. He’s become the one thing he swore he’d never become – a soldier. The future incarnations don’t disavow the War Doctor because of what he’s done. They disavow him because he was incapable of caring anymore. My friend said it best when I proposed this theory to him… quote:That would explain why they were actually afraid of him in the Anniversary Special. You can't predict the actions of someone with nothing to live for. And that’s why the War Doctor so dangerous. Cobi’s Synopsis – Three solid stories about the widening of the Time War, including one concerning the Sontarans’ efforts to join the conflict, help Agent of Chaos shows the effect of the Time War on the War Doctor and how he’s finally burning out and risking becoming numb to the destruction around him.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 18:33
|
|
|
I gotta sit down and write down my thoughts on it properly later, but I gotta say I'm surprised we both had such different takeaways from this boxset. While I enjoyed the individual stories, I was most struck by how much of a "waste" I felt the stories were - it felt like any other boxset that could have been written for any other Doctor. The latter in particular is what I found the most disappointing, you note how this one really sells the impact the Time War has had on the War Doctor whereas I was struck by how as written this character feels almost indistinguishable from any other Doctor! Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy John Hurt's performance, if anything this story once again showcases what a great Doctor Who he would be if they'd ever cast him in the part for the regular series (as in 3-7 years of John Hurt's Doctor). But beyond the first story's solution he comes up with, there was no point in the box set where I felt like I was listening to a story about a man pushed beyond his edge, a guy who had lost all hope or stopped caring - if anything, this should have been an 8th Doctor story because as it is, my takeaway on this special War Doctor boxset was that there was nothing particularly "War Doctor"y about it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 21:05
|
|
|
Tim Burns Effect posted:man I've heard mixed things about John Levene in the past but I didn't realize until listening to the newest Big Finish podcast that he was such a loving kook  lmao
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 21:23
|
|
|
I always forget that Nick Briggs looks like Goofy Dalek Dad, as he should.
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 21:28
|
|
|
Bicyclops posted:I always forget that Nick Briggs looks like Goofy Dalek Dad, as he should. Davros' wacky brother. The Cool Uncle of the Daleks. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 21:35
|
|
|
THE HYOO-MAN WILL... WILL... ...TELL ME A STORY! 
|
|
#
?
Dec 16, 2016 21:36
|
|
|
Bicyclops posted:THE HYOO-MAN WILL... WILL... WE HAVE BETRAYED DAVROS! ONLY DALEKS ARE SUPERIOR! DAVROS IS NOW AN ENEMY OF THE DALEKS! .......CAN WE CRASH AT YOUR PLACE TILL WE FIGURE THINGS OUT, UNCLE NICK!?!
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2016 05:36
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:WE HAVE BETRAYED DAVROS! ONLY DALEKS ARE SUPERIOR! DAVROS IS NOW AN ENEMY OF THE DALEKS! .......CAN WE CRASH AT YOUR PLACE TILL WE FIGURE THINGS OUT, UNCLE NICK!?! "Well, there may be a problem. Dan Starkey is crashing with me at the moment..."
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2016 17:27
|
|
|
Heheh, David Tennant is the new voice of Scrooge McDuck! 
|
|
#
?
Dec 17, 2016 23:09
|
|
|
Wheat Loaf posted:Heheh, David Tennant is the new voice of Scrooge McDuck! The rest of the cast is strangely awesome too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 06:49
|
|
|
In twenty years, you'll be able to judge exactly when and where somebody grew up by what role they know David Tennant for playing.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 12:09
|
|
|
Cleretic posted:In twenty years, you'll be able to judge exactly when and where somebody grew up by what role they know David Tennant for playing. I feel for the poor bastard that only knows him from Gracepoint.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 12:28
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:I feel for the poor bastard that only knows him from Gracepoint. Never mind that, it's the Secret Smile generation that deserves our pity.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 13:35
|
|
|
I've spoken to someone who had no knowledge of Tennant outside Jessica Jones.
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 15:14
|
|
|
He will always be Casanova to me
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 15:46
|
|
|
He will always be the failed actor from People like Us
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 15:56
|
|
|
Wheat Loaf posted:Heheh, David Tennant is the new voice of Scrooge McDuck! Look how much fun he's having in this video
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 16:52
|
|
|
Merry Christmas, one and all! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ1tkEFLRBM
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 17:11
|
|
|
Cleretic posted:In twenty years, you'll be able to judge exactly when and where somebody grew up by what role they know David Tennant for playing. I know Ringo Starr was Mr. Conductor, but he played the drums too?!?!?
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 18:58
|
|
|
aaaah the Doctor and Susan's reunion in An Earthly Child is perfect. And Carole Ann Ford's appearance in The Five Doctors makes a great visual reference point for Susan in this story.Astroman posted:If you've never heard any of the Peter Purves Missing/Early Adventures, then this is just the beginning for you. His Hartnell is bar none the best, right up there with Frazier's Troughton. He's done a ton of great stories and it's like your in 1965. I've heard most of his Companion Chronicles and stuff and adore his audio work, this was just the first of the newer line that I've heard. vegetables posted:I was really disappointed they didn't design a 60s-esque Sontaran for the cover, even though I know that's not a realistic thing to demand or expect. They did get pretty elaborate with the video trailer for it. The_Doctor posted:Merry Christmas, one and all! That was neat. Glad they managed to work the bit from Feast of Steven in 
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2016 22:10
|
|
|
all-Rush mixtape posted:I know Ringo Starr was Mr. Conductor, but he played the drums too?!?!? There wasn't a Mr Conductor character in UK Thomas - we didn't have the "Shining Time Station" framing device. Michael Angelis was the definitive Thomas narrator in any event.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 00:11
|
|
|
Wheat Loaf posted:There wasn't a Mr Conductor character in UK Thomas - we didn't have the "Shining Time Station" framing device. I bet your favorite Doctor is Four 
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 00:30
|
|
|
all-Rush mixtape posted:I bet your favorite Doctor is Four I just started watching The Face of Evil and based on the first episode alone, yes.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 00:51
|
|
|
One of those amusing username/post combos.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 05:33
|
|
|
TWANG! Cheers Big Mean Jerk!
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 05:34
|
|
|
Glad to hear it arrived okay.  I placed the order weeks ago and Booktopia took their sweet time getting it out of the warehouse.Enjoy!
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 06:17
|
|
|
The_Doctor posted:I've spoken to someone who had no knowledge of Tennant outside Jessica Jones. That wouldn't be that surprising, especially if they're American. Until Jessica Jones he was mostly ubiquitous in British things; he'd been in some American stuff, but honestly if you hadn't even seen Doctor Who you'd probably have missed him. And I do want to say, I think we're all on the same page that, no matter what, anybody that says Harry Potter is lying.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 07:15
|
|
|
MrL_JaKiri posted:He will always be the failed actor from People like Us People Like Us was so good. Shame it'll never get shown again ever.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2016 10:06
|
|
|
TIL Santa lives in Maryland! It doesn't say who my Santa was, but thanks for the books and the Old Bay! The cookies were delicious and didn't survive long enough to be pictured. I gotta find a place online that ships them to Texas, because  they were delicious.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 01:31
|
|
|
Big Mean Jerk posted:TIL Santa lives in Maryland! Glad you enjoyed them. They NEVER last long enough for a photo.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 01:47
|
|
|
Big Mean Jerk posted:TIL Santa lives in Maryland! I like how creepily positioned Tom there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 01:49
|
|
|
I hope my gift made it to my Santee okay. When I sent it, it said "Me? I'm allowed everywhere!" and jumped into a slot intended for (I believe) much lighter packages. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 07:14
|
|
|
The third volume of the War Doctor by Big Finish delivers a very entertaining, enjoyable set of stories that do a lot of interesting and fun things. The problem is.... there is nothing in this story that feels specific to the War Doctor himself, even down to John Hurt's (charming and thoroughly enjoyable) performance. Rarely does the volume deliver on the promise that the height of the Time War was a period of near incomprehensible insanity. Rarely does it deliver on the promise of the Doctor being pushed to extremes or performing acts so heinous that they destroy his perception of himself as a person. Coupled with some missed opportunities for interesting characterization/development of supporting characters (and the mind-bending stupidity of others) and ultimately I was left extremely disappointed in what was, after all, actually a pretty good volume of stories! Synopsis: In 1960s Berlin, the Doctor and a humanoid agent of the Daleks (Lara) have been captured by the East German Police. Lara intends to open a portal to allow the Daleks to bypass a quantum shield keeping Earth free of the Time War, wiping out the planet and changing the Doctor's own personal history in the process. With time (almost literally) running out, the Doctor has no choice but to violate one of the first rules of Time Travel. What I thought: A completely stand-alone story that vaguely echoes the basic idea of Genesis of the Daleks - if the Daleks can invade and destroy Earth before the Doctor meets Ian and Barbara, hijacks them and ends up meeting and defeating the Daleks for the first time.... then the Doctor will never have been a thorn in their side for all these years. Of course that also raises the question of wouldn't that prevent the Daleks ever learning of space travel (and especially time travel) and thus never actually leave Skaro in the first place? Yes and no, the Doctor will never have crossed their paths early in his lives, but their own present would remain unaffected by the changes to their past - that's the nature of their kind of time travel and the hosed up continuity-mess that is the Time War. And that's it... that's the closest thing in this volume we see to the overall hosed up consequences of a "Time" War where cause and effect cease to have meaning and nobody knows if they're fighting people from their past, present or future or whether they're even allies or enemies in the first place. That's the really odd thing about this story, it doesn't really tie into the other two stories in the volume at all and yet it's the only one that really (barely) touches on both the complications of temporal warfare AND the War Doctor's willingness to do things his other incarnations would never consider. The War Doctor is constantly running behind in this story, but he's always in control nonetheless. When Lara escapes ahead of him, he simply talks his way out of the situation he is in and catches up to her, and even when he runs head-first into complications/obstacles he's already accounted for them and negated them. Upon his first face-to-face encounter with Lara he uses his Sonic Screwdriver and she assumes he has tried to dismantle the Shadow Vortex she is building. What he's actually done is place a beacon for his own future, as he travels back in his own personal time-stream and negates the wannabe invasion of the Daleks. It's a complete violation of his principles and long-held beliefs on what is and isn't allowed, and the only time in the volume where the War Doctor actually does anything that wouldn't or couldn't be done by any other Doctor in any other story. The actual bulk of the story is fine enough - there are good performances though a bit of a waste of the supporting characters/actors. The best scene is when the War Doctor calmly chats with his interrogator and slowly convinces him to trust and work with him, and then runs rather quickly through the now traditional exposure of a new companion to the TARDIS interior. It all ends rather abruptly though and segues rather clumsily into the next story in the volume, and the stakes of the story (the destruction of Earth and the attempt to rewrite the Doctor's personal history) never really come across. Synopsis: Offended by their exclusion from the Time War, the Sontarans have somehow developed technology capable of fighting on an equal or greater level than the Time Lords or the Daleks. Taking both sides top strategists hostage, the Sontarans have an ultimatum for Dalek and Time Lord alike: Let us fight on ONE of your sides or the Sontarans will wipe out EVERYBODY! What I thought: This is the story where I really started to think,"...huh? Are they actually gonna do anything with this?". The "failing" of this story is that it squanders some really interesting potential. Ignoring the use of the Sontarans for a moment, one of the pivotal elements of the story is that a weapon has been developed that cuts through the defensive and offensive capabilities of Dalek and Time Lord alike. It's an adaptation of a technology designed for a completely different purpose, weaponized completely by accident and gifting even a race as "backwards" as the Sontarans the ability to sit at the big kids' table. So how do people react to this weapon? To this perversion of a life-saving medical device? Mostly they just ignore it or seem to see it as irrelevant. This might be an accurate portrayal of Dalek short-sightedness (if it isn't Dalek technology, it's inferior!) but Ollistra is a character who has shown time and again she is eager to grasp any advantage she can, to turn anything into a weapon. That she doesn't is, in my opinion, a failure of the story and the volume as a whole, going completely against what I personally think is the way this whole Time War thing should be going. This is a personal assessment of course, but so is this review and that's the way I feel! CobiWann posted:On the other side of the coin, Jacqueline Pierce’s performance allows listeners to observe the cracks beginning to form in Ollistra’s veneer. The last two box sets portrayed Ollistra as someone who was in control, always with a pragmatic plan and schemes within schemes, all to ensure that the Time Lords emerged victorious in the Time War even if it meant all the Daleks were destroyed and only one Time Lord was left standing, preferably her. This aura of confidence persists during Ollistra’s screen time in The Shadow Vortex, but come The Eternity Cage Ollistra finds herself discussing the Time War with the Dalek Time Strategist. It tells her where the Time War began – when the Time Lords “fired first” and tried to stop the creation of the Daleks in the Fourth Doctor serial Genesis of the Daleks. Faced with that information as well as being held hostage throughout both this story and The Eye of Harmony, Cardinal Ollistra finally comes face-to-face with the Time War and the damage its done both to the universe and to the lives of those who inhabit it, and the smooth, calm, scheming surface begins to wither and peel. Pierce does a wonderful job with this slow and well-earned realization that the immoral actions and desperate efforts of the Time Lords to win the Time War have done irreparable harm to the universe…and that it’s all been for nothing, as the Daleks are about to kick in Gallifrey’s back door. While I agree with your reading on how Ollistra is portrayed, it's a portrayal I think is absolutely the wrong way to go. Ollistra should remain aloof and untouched by the tragedies and immorality of her actions/consequences, or any qualms she does have should end up being either squashed or just part of some deeper game she is playing to get what she wants. This is the way I think the Time War should go based on what we saw on the show, the Doctor being surrounded by increasingly immoral actors who see only the utility of people/objects/technology for their potential military applications. When Ollistra discovered how the Eternity Cage had been perverted, she should have immediately been intrigued/eager to figure out how to mass replicate the process. For a character like Ollistra the end should always justify the means, because it's only when the War Doctor is so surrounded by such immoral actors, whether the Time Lords have become as bad or worse than the Daleks, that he should be in a position where using The Moment feels like the ONLY option left to him. Instead, the War Doctor is offered the use of the Eternity Cage as a weapon and insists on first giving the Daleks a chance, while Ollistra doesn't seem to even consider the possible uses it might have as a weapon. Ollistra feels detached from the story and the greater Time War as a whole, not even really particularly sharing all that many similarities to her portrayals in previous War Doctor volumes (which makes the accusations leveled against her in the next story all the more laughable). The story also blows the chance for Ollistra to get a warped mirror held up to her face. Held in a room with the Dalek Time Strategist, the two actually have an opportunity to speak to each other as equals.... and the supposedly intelligent and long-term forward planning strategist just comes across like any other Dalek. There's a point to be made there I'm sure, but if they did want Ollistra to face up to the reality of the horrors of the Time War for the first time, it would have been a golden opportunity to make her realize she shared more in common with a Dalek than with one of her fellow Time Lords. As for the Sontarans themselves? They're used well and mostly get treated more seriously than the (often funny if something "lolrandom") comedic figures they have usually been in the TV series. It's not quite as good as the portrayal from Classic Doctors, New Monsters boxset but even with use of the Eternity Cage their successful kidnapping of Ollistra and the Time Strategist seems far beyond their capabilities and only serves to undercut the quality of the Time Lords and Daleks as opposed to elevating the Sontarans. That said, I did enjoy the way the Sontarans bristled at the way the two powerful races perceive them, both in the bemused patronizing manner of the Time Lords and the disgusted contempt of the Daleks. That they never quite grasp how far out of their depth they are works well, especially in how they misread the situation when the key to their successes are exposed and they don't grasp they're not truly in charge, with lethal consequences. Synopsis: With the Sontarans disposed of, the Dalek Time Strategist's plan can proceed at last. Ollistra has been taken hostage AGAIN, betrayed from within, the War Doctor plummeting to his death. The Daleks intend their plot from Shadow Vortex to unfold in a far greater scope - they will collapse the Eye of Harmony and prevent the Time Lords from ever developing Time Travel. The War Doctor and his quasi-companion chase Ollistra and her captor through the inner-workings of a damaged Battle TARDIS, can they reach the Eye in time... and can they do anything to stop it collapsing? What I thought: My major issue with this final story is that I simply couldn't buy the character decisions that make it possible, so much feels not only out of character but poorly written. As a result, whatever qualities that the storyline did have are undercut, because the actions and motivations and beliefs of major characters is just so unbelievably stupid. There's a message that is trying to be delivered, the idea of one person making a difference, of being the best "you" that you can be, of letting go of hate and negativity and do something greater for other people. A wonderful message to be sure, but one that feels out of place in the universe of the War Doctor and the ultimate destination it must eventually get to (the War Doctor despairing and deciding to end it all for everybody). But whether the message is appropriate or in place or not doesn't really matter because, as said, it relies on some terrible decisions and poorly written characters. The biggest offender being the traitor who is working on the basis of,"The Daleks told me they'd do a deal with me and I will take them at their word!" - it's such an appallingly stupid decision that even other characters comment on it, constantly bringing up,"Why the hell would you EVER believe that the Daleks aren't just going to exterminate you the first chance they get? Then lo and behold, after the traitor gets the Daleks what they want, they are shocked and surprised when the Daleks try to exterminate them the first chance they get! No amount of writing/justification can forgive how ridiculous this whole thing is, even the supposed desperation the character is feeling to achieve their goals doesn't excuse the idea that they would believe the Daleks would hold up their end of the deal. I just don't buy it, at all. The other issue being... CobiWann posted:I mentioned earlier that Agents of Chaos shows listeners just how jaded and burned out the War Doctor has become. Upon finishing this box set and listening to John Hurt once again turn in a great performance at the War Doctor, I believe I’ve determined just what makes this incarnation of the Doctor one that his future incarnations tried to forget and deny ever existed. It’s not that the War Doctor did horrible things. The methods and solutions he utilizes throughout the box set are brutal and extreme, but they’re along the lines of the same types of methods and solutions that other Doctors have used when they had absolutely no other choice. What’s missing from the War Doctor, especially in the performance Hurt gives us this time out, is any sense of…enjoyment. That’s a poor word choice, but there’s very little pure mirth, glee, or excitement in the Doctor’s voice. Even in the worst of situations, there has always been a sense of “well, isn’t this fun” within the Doctor. After everything the Time War has thrown at him, the Doctor has stopped doing the one thing that has always defined him. See I didn't take this away at all, if anything the opposite. This is the most "Doctor" that the War Doctor has been so far, even his protests about being called "Doctor" seem even more half-hearted than normal. John Hurt gives a fantastic performance as "the Doctor" and it ties in very nicely with his portrayal in Day of the Doctor, But it doesn't feel anything like the burned out, numb figure who has been pushed so far over the edge that he has stopped caring. The character we're supposed to believe he'd become just before the events of that excellent anniversary special. As mentioned earlier, I could see almost any other Doctor fit into this part, and if anything would have preferred it to be 8 in the early days of the Time War because then the still hopeful and earnest Doctor we get in this story would feel more appropriate. The Dalek Time Strategist is a new character and is supposed to be very calculating, a warped reflection of Ollistra. The only thing that makes him stand out though is that he has a more calm way of speaking than most Daleks and a slightly different voice modulation. He sounds too close to the Dalek Time Controller though, and seems to be simultaneously both hopelessly one-dimensional (he IS a Dalek after all) as well as several steps ahead of everybody. I would like to think that the suggestion is that he is playing a longer game when he meets Ollistra, pretending to be one-dimensional so she won't grasp that he's setting her up so he can get to the Eye of Harmony later. But if that is the case, then Big Finish is demonstrating a subtlety and restraint they usually don't, because it's certainly never made clear at any point that this was actually the intent. He only stands out against other Daleks, put him against other intelligent beings and he's still basically just a Dalek - shouting about extermination and refusing to countenance outside ideas. But then we're supposed to believe he was charismatic and clever enough to convince the traitor he intended to hold up his end of the bargain and help save their family. Final Thoughts: I've criticized the story a lot and with good reason - I was really let down by this volume as compared to the previous two. But as I've gone to great pains to note multiple times, the stories and the volume as a whole are for the most part actually very enjoyable and a lot of fun to listen to. It's just that the atmosphere and characterization feel off to me for the rather unique setting and character of the War Doctor and the Time War. A lot of stupid things get done by characters who can't really justify that stupidity, but I'm more upset by the War Doctor lacking the uniqueness - and Big Finish failing to capitalize on the opportunity to play around with the darker side of the Doctor - that the potential of the Time War presented. All Big Finish has done here is produce a solid story that could be played by almost any one of the other actors to have portrayed the Doctor. They're wonderful chaps, all of them, but I want John Hurt to get to show off that something just a little different, a little darker, a little more depressed - I want to see the weight come down on his shoulders because Hurt can hold that up, and I want to see the eventual decline that leads to his beautiful redemption in Day of the Doctor. If they just keep producing standard Big Finish stories for "standard" Doctors and then just end things at the Doctor stealing The Moment, then they'll have missed a golden opportunity to do something really unique and, more importantly, take the chance to get weird with it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 07:37
|
|
|
Wheat Loaf posted:Heheh, David Tennant is the new voice of Scrooge McDuck! Doctor Who-oo!
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 07:51
|
|
|
I feel like unless Big Finish really hits it out of the park with the last War Doctor set and the 8th Doctor Time War set, they'll just end up proving Davies and Moffat right in that the Time War was something best left to the imagination.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 08:11
|
|
|
Yeah, 3 volumes in and they haven't really delivered on showcasing the hyper-weirdness of the Time War. If they couldn't (or wouldn't) do that, they should have really dialed in deep on the War Doctor's self-loathing/guilt/depression and how all his attempts to retain some sense of self failed against the "need" to subsume himself totally in the role of "soldier" (until he recovers so wonderfully in Day of the Doctor). They kinda went in that direction in the first volume but haven't really done much with it since then. Hopefully they stick the landing. On a tangential note, since 8 is set to be around for the early days of the Time War, I wonder if Molloy will feature as Davros in it? I think that would be cool but I'd also prefer they didn't attempt to quantify in any way just what The Nightmare Child is.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 08:19
|
|
|
If only we had known in advance that Big Finish could get hold of a premise that allowed for weird, unique storytelling and completely squander its potential. *glares at the Divergent Universe arc*
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 08:24
|
|
|
Ahhh man don't remind me. Scherzo was so loving good.... 
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 08:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 22:49 |
|
|
Considering there's a whole year before the 8th Doctor Time War set comes out, I can't help but wonder if there'll be another season of War Doctor stories before that comes out. There's a whole bunch more Time War to play with, and it certainly feels like they're deliberately not going as dark as they could with the War Doctor.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2016 09:27
|
|