|
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 | ||
|
Valeyard posted:I really need to start reading through the rest of the Eighth Doctor Adventures There's some fantastic gems in those. City of the Dead being my personal favourite.
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 01:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 19:15 |
|
|
Tim Burns Effect posted:Tamsin Grieg I want to believe someone would leave Episodes for Doctor Who, but somehow I just don't think it is going to happen. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 01:30
|
|
|
 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 posted:one of the Torchwood Three team members using a mind control device to convince women (and men) to sleep with them. 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".
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 03:01
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
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 the thing is, you're like "maybe I can try to ignore that, and it was a one-off joke about the character that went completely wrong somehow," but he remains an entitled, self-centered, blatantly cruel, pointlessly contration character. But all of the women, even those in happy monogamous relationships, want to have sex with him, because... uh, he's a brooding... fixer-upper...?? You know there's a problem with a character when Joseph Lidster is writing his best episode.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 04:45
|
|
|
SiKboy posted:Honestly, I disagree. Neverwhere hasnt aged massively well (and had a budget of about 17p and whatever they could steal from the BBC costume department recycling bin) but I still think its worth a watch. I'd put it almost on par with the book and better than the comic adaptation. Never listened to the radio adaptation because as much as I like Neverwhere there is a limit to how many formats I want to experience the story in. I would admit that growing up watching low budget BBC kids TV may be a prerequisite to enjoy the TV version of Neverwhere without being put off by the fact it looks kind of lovely in general because it was shot on video. Apparently it was lit to be put through some sort of film-simulating process but then they for some reason decided not to bother. Probably because that 17p had finally run out. When you say film-simulating, are you maybe talking about field removed video? Because if they HAD done that to it it would look even more dated now, as that's the garbage technique they use on poo poo like soap operas to make them look less cheap but which actually just makes them a blurry mess.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 10:47
|
|
|
It's what Doctor Who did under RTD 
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 12:09
|
|
|
Is that why it looks like the screen has been smeared by vaseline in Series 1?
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 12:39
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
Ooh they're investigating UVB-76?
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 17:09
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
I sit inside your head, I live among the dead, I see you in your bed, And eat you when you're sleeping.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 17:46
|
|
|
Presented without comment; E: (I know someone posted the link already...but god drat the art)
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 17:54
|
|
|
jivjov posted:Presented without comment; Season 5 of Arrow is going to have Ra's Al Ghul's canonical facial hair, nice.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 18:03
|
|
|
jivjov posted:Presented without comment; Is that even Barrowman's torso? It looks like they glued the mutton chops to his face and then his face on someone else's body.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 18:18
|
|
|
CobiWann posted:That's the exact same thing I thought when I read the synopsis. My thought was an epic Lost crossover
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 18:20
|
|
|
Fil5000 posted:When you say film-simulating, are you maybe talking about field removed video? Because if they HAD done that to it it would look even more dated now, as that's the garbage technique they use on poo poo like soap operas to make them look less cheap but which actually just makes them a blurry mess. I'll be honest; I havent got a drat clue. I'm just going off something I read ages ago which at least partially explained why the lighting of Neverwhere is so obviously bad. When it comes to anything technical about TV production I know precisely 2 things. Jack and poo poo. I can tell you that the lighting in the show reminds me VERY strongly of the low budget UK and Australian kids genre shows that the BBC used to show in the early 90s, and I'm not sure that Blurry Mess wouldnt be an improvement. If they filmed with the effect in mind then I'd hope that having the effect would look better than not having it! Having said that, I still do really like the show, as long as you can get over the "This feels cheap as poo poo" hump. Partly probably nostalgia, there wasnt nearly as much "urban fantasy" stuff on TV when Neverwhere came out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2016 19:42
|
|
|
I'm on The Sea Devils in my run forward through classic doctor and I think I've figured out how to write a third doctor episode: Doctor: This is a problem Brigadier: Don't worry We'll take care of it Doctor: The army is dumb. Jo/Liz: Can I help? Doctor: No, because Technobabble Karate karate karate; it was the Master all along. (Loving it.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 00:52
|
|
|
 Short Synopsis: A rockstar germinates the seed of a doomed idea. Long Synopsis: The 8th Doctor returns to Earth via an unusual request, and encounters an old threat he thought had been dealt with long ago. Ecological, moral and political debates are tossed aside momentarily in favor of survival, leading to the question of whether survival comes at any cost, when is sacrifice the moral choice, and who gets to make that decision? What's Good:
What's Not:
Final Thoughts: The Hothouse is a fun follow-up to an absolute classic Tom Baker story. It furthers the theme of the Doctor's detachment from Lucie slowly being broken down and the two coming to like and appreciate each other all over again. There are some good body horror elements, and it raises some interesting philosophical and ethical arguments and has a pretty solid antagonist who is unfortunately undermined by an odd choice of background. The story is at its best when the Doctor and others are arguing about right and wrong, though the moments where they are racing for survival or holing up in fear from the encroaching Krynoid-controlled vegetation are also very good. Some dodgy accents undermine some of the more serious moments, but by the end when the Doctor and Lucie emerge as the sole survivors, there is the sense that nothing was a waste of time because we've seen those two come out of their experience once again closer for it, and on their way to getting back to the way things were before Morbius. That kind of development is good, even if it is development of a theme that was only introduced in the first story of the season.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 01:57
|
|
|
CommonShore posted:I'm on The Sea Devils in my run forward through classic doctor and I think I've figured out how to write a third doctor episode: The soundtrack for the Sea Devils is like nails on a chalkboard, but it gets a free pass because of the mid sword-fight sandwich. Jerusalem posted:
I think I was just so happy that Orbis's amnesia plot was neatly swept under the rug for this that I was breathing a sigh of relief the whole time. You're right, though . Its most fun moments are the arguments between the Doctor and the villain and the audio equivalent of "dashing through the corridors." The accent thing I've just gotten so used to at this point. I've more or less accepted that every other story is going to have some goofy fake American saying "Hyow do we stahp it, Doc-turr?" Half the time it's a Canadian ex-pat and you have to wonder what on earth they were trying to do. That's to say nothing of the zneaky German zscientizts or occasional French love interest.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 06:00
|
|
|
Bicyclops posted:The soundtrack for the Sea Devils is like nails on a chalkboard, but it gets a free pass because of the mid sword-fight sandwich. Indeed   Bicyclops posted:I think I was just so happy that Orbis's amnesia plot was neatly swept under the rug for this that I was breathing a sigh of relief the whole time. You're right, though . Its most fun moments are the arguments between the Doctor and the villain and the audio equivalent of "dashing through the corridors." Yeah by this point I think they must have been doing,"Does he have amnesia?" bits just for a joke, because there's no way they can't have noticed how often they were going to that well. Bicyclops posted:The accent thing I've just gotten so used to at this point. I've more or less accepted that every other story is going to have some goofy fake American saying "Hyow do we stahp it, Doc-turr?" Half the time it's a Canadian ex-pat and you have to wonder what on earth they were trying to do. That's to say nothing of the zneaky German zscientizts or occasional French love interest. I guess nothing is ever going to top the American accents in Zagreus anyway v  v
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 10:17
|
|
|
Fil5000 posted:Is that even Barrowman's torso? It looks like they glued the mutton chops to his face and then his face on someone else's body. Jerusalem posted:The only reason I can think is because he is played by Nigel Planer (best known as Neil from The Young Ones) in reference to his membership in spoof rock band Bad News. Picklepuss fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Feb 3, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 13:11
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:Marlowe's background. Harrison Chase was a millionaire environmentalist, believable as a figure with enormous resources but content to live in mostly isolation exploring his anti-social interests. Marlowe is the leader of a worldwide organization dedicated to radical environmental activism. He needs to be a charismatic, intelligent and believable cult-leader type figure. For the most part he plays the part pretty well.... except for some bizarre reason the decision was made to make his background an ex-rockstar member of a popular group. Why? This has zero bearing of any type on the story, his character, the setting etc. The only reason I can think is because he is played by Nigel Planer (best known as Neil from The Young Ones) in reference to his membership in spoof rock band Bad News. Unfortunately this decision basically colored my perception of the character whenever he was around, because I kept thinking,"Wait, some ex-rockstar is running an 80,000 member strong group of radical activists from his country mansion/laboratory?" The villain is Peter Garrett?
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 22:16
|
|
|
greententacle posted:The villain is Peter Garrett? Well I suppose my confusion over the simultaneous "it's the modern world"/"it's a near-apocalyptic hellhole" setting could be explained if the setting was Australia....
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2016 22:41
|
|
|
I always assumed the guy from Hothouse was supposed to be a Sting/Bono analogue. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 02:19
|
|
|
I guess Bono could work.... the whole thing just seemed so out of place though.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 02:47
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 14:06
|
|
|
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. THIS PLAN IS DEFINITELY EXCELLENT. I AGREE. EXCELLENT.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 14:21
|
|
|
Wheat Loaf posted: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. "On reflection, perhaps a well-prepared meal would be quite enjoyable. I must see what we have in the Cyberfridge." There's also a bit near the end of Attack of the Cybermen where Cyber Control is about to blow up, and one of the escaping Cybermen makes a panicky gesture to one of his Cyber-colleagues to run like hell - demonstrating yet again the remorseless logic and lack of emotion that typifies these terrifying machine-men.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 14:27
|
|
|
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. "Mondas!" "Telos!" "Mondas!" "Telos!" "Mondas!" "Telos!" "What about an alternate Earth?" "Shut up!"
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 14:43
|
|
|
pinacotheca posted:There's also a bit near the end of Attack of the Cybermen where Cyber Control is about to blow up, and one of the escaping Cybermen makes a panicky gesture to one of his Cyber-colleagues to run like hell - demonstrating yet again the remorseless logic and lack of emotion that typifies these terrifying machine-men. And then shepherds the other one out by the shoulders no less (difficult to get a good screenshot, but the other one is just off camera being pushed) 
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 15:08
|
|
|
Part two of my Humble Bundle-induced Big Finish marathon: Dalek Empire Despite being a bit slow to begin with, the Daleks finally manage to turn into credible villains by the second part. Most characters are carried by their amazing voice actors, but end up feeling flat. Particularly Kalendorf's voice is simply too good for his dull character. It's mostly Suz's fate that humanises the entire struggle. The cliffhanger was a bit abrupt, but it left me wanting more. 3/5 Dalek Empire II - Dalek War Really tense from start to finish. I was starting to get a bit annoyed at Alby, but the finale still hit like a freight train. While Suz gets a lot less interesting, Kal finally turns into the compelling anti-hero he promised to be. Loved it! 5/5 Dalek Empire III "I mean, you tried once, and messed it up, didn't you? Would be nice if you got it right this time." Part three suffers mostly from looping around to the start. You know you've got problems when your own characters start mocking you for failing to get things done. The Daleks have also finally stopped feeling like a real threat again. With a bunch of Wardens and two enhanced humans beating them at every turn, the heroes seem in control constantly. Siy Tarkov annoyed me. He is very whiny. Tennant was really good, but I didn't like how his story concluded. It just felt bleak and nonsensical considering how much Elaria had helped them. I guess he's a psycho after all. 2/5 Cyberman I can't shake the feeling that it's just Dalek Empire except everyone does the exact opposite of what they did before. Even the characters and their voice actors are largely identical. Still enjoyed it. Thematically, it conveys the Cyberman threat well enough. It's a recycled old script, but at least it's recycled well. 3/5 The Last of the Cybermen Really strong from start to finish. The supporting cast is fantastic, and the pacing is spot on. Having the Doctor switch companions allows for one of the most soul-crushing moments in Doctor Who. 5/5 The Stageplays: The Ultimate Adventure This one sounds annoying. There is a little gurgling creature, and lots of bad singing. The musical aspect is particularly wasted because neither the Doctor nor the Daleks get to sing. What's even the point? 1/5 The Stageplays: Seven Keys to Doomsday Technically an okay story, but it suffers from its ambitious concept. With six more keys to collect, two companions to introduce, and the daleks to defeat, there really isn't much time for any tension to build. 2/5 The Stageplays: The Curse of the Daleks Starts off as an intriguing detective/crime story. The Daleks feel like an afterthought to the Whodunnit. Everything after the reveal was just boring. 2/5 Destiny of the Doctor - Time Machine Run-off-the-mill stuff. Jenna Coleman's narration is fine, but the story is just not interesting. The insect aliens are particularly disappointing. How difficult can it be to give me something interesting to imagine. 1/5 Destiny of the Doctor - Death's Deal A really mad story narrated by Donna. The lack of Tennant is noticeable, but that doesn't hinder Death's Deal from being a blast. 4/5 Guess I'll have to find something else to listen to, now. I basically binged through Dalek Empire, but Dalek Empire IV doesn't really seem all that interesting. Maybe I'll give Eight's Season One a shot, like After The War suggested. Sword of Orion definitely seems worth checking out considering how often they reference it in Cyberman. And More fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Feb 5, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 15:12
|
|
|
MrL_JaKiri posted:And then shepherds the other one out by the shoulders no less (difficult to get a good screenshot, but the other one is just off camera being pushed) It's a shame they didn't have - oh, I don't know - some kind of unofficial continuity adviser or something to point this stuff out to JNT during recording, but hey ho.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 17:08
|
|
|
Glad someone else actually enjoyed Dalek Empire!And More posted:
It really felt like they were building up to another series to resolve the cliffhanger, but then Tennant got the Big Job and they were unable to resolve it. If Cyberman II was any indication, they probably would have done a good job wrapping things up even after a lengthy delay. Dalek Empire IV is more what people expect by "space opera" than the darker, brutal I-III. There aren't any major plot twists, but "follow a rag-tag squad of irregulars and misfits" (think Rogue Squadron) isn't a subgenre we've gotten to see in Doctor Who and Noel Clarke has fun playing a badass. And More posted:Guess I'll have to find something else to listen to, now. I basically binged through Dalek Empire, but Dalek Empire IV doesn't really seem all that interesting. Maybe I'll give Eight's Season One a shot, like After The War suggested. Sword of Orion definitely seems worth checking out considering how often they reference it in Cyberman. Sword of Orion was the first story in the Cybermen vs. Humans vs. Androids thing that the Cyberman series continued, so it's not required. It's pretty atmospheric for early Big Finish, though, and uses the EXCELLENT 80s voices.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 17:51
|
|
|
Speaking of Cyberman voices, I listened to "The Isos Network" the other day and, while the story itself wasn't that great, I'll always be a sucker for the electro-larynx Cyberman voice. Why they decided to stop doing them that way is beyond me.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 18:39
|
|
|
Tim Burns Effect posted:Speaking of Cyberman voices, I listened to "The Isos Network" the other day and, while the story itself wasn't that great, I'll always be a sucker for the electro-larynx Cyberman voice. Why they decided to stop doing them that way is beyond me. I agree, especially since Big Finish do a really loving good job at producing that voice effect in a way that actually sounds creepy. Given that Nicholas Briggs does the Cybermen voices on television just like he does the Daleks, I'm surprised that they haven't at least given it a go.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 21:51
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:I agree, especially since Big Finish do a really loving good job at producing that voice effect in a way that actually sounds creepy. Given that Nicholas Briggs does the Cybermen voices on television just like he does the Daleks, I'm surprised that they haven't at least given it a go. I'm genuinely surprised we haven't seen Older Cybermen around. It's just a matter of time travel for the love of God. How does the Doctor ALWAYS meet whatever the current model of Cybermen is in his time line. You could lob this at the old show, but at least with the Second Doctor the dude met many different iterations of them of arguable ages and variations. Like Daleks, sure fine. They have time travel, of course they sync up with the Doctor. Cybermen do not have time travel. I'd really love for some REALLY old school Tomb or Invasion era Cybermen to run into Modern Cybermen and decry them for no longer being Mondas people.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 21:58
|
|
|
Yeah, also given how many "Tombs" there must be lying around with Cybermen in suspended animation, there is no reason that the Doctor shouldn't be encountering differing levels of technologically upgraded Cybermen. There's a pretty awful Big Finish story by Joseph Lidster called The Reaping that has one really great moment in it. A hyper-advanced Cyberman from far in the future travels back in time with crude time-travel technology and forces the Doctor to transport it to Mondas before it encountered earth. Its plan is to upgrade the Cybermen there, but when it arrives it is damaged and the older "sing-song" Cybermen recognize it as a Cyberman, but don't understand its technology and - realizing it is damaged - assume that the upgrades are actually part of the fault. So with typical remoseless logic they completely ignore its protests and pleading to listen as they tear its upgrades away and imprint their own crude programming over its advanced one, wiping its mind of the "illogical/impossible" memories it has and reducing it to just another identical, crude, old-fashioned Cyberman.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 22:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 10, 2024 19:15 |
|
|
After The War posted:Glad someone else actually enjoyed Dalek Empire! As a short horror story, Kaymee's transformation is pretty good. The dream sequences are really creepy. It doesn't seem like she gradually becomes more Dalek-like, though. She basically turns from one second to the next. In Cyberman, I loved the reveal of the bug in Karen's reprogramming. Liam's partial conversion was kind of goofy, honestly. As far as moments between humanity and conversion go, Spare Parts handled it probably the best. Just a weeping Cyberman trying to remember who she is. Yeah, that's the impression I got throughout III. Everything feels kind of stretched out. Like they're setting up IV, but don't really want to do anything interesting with III. If they don't follow up on it at all, there really isn't much of a point to most of it. quote:I think I said to listen to Storm Warning and to try and give every story a shot, so don't blame me for Minuet In Hell! Actually, I found that more listenable than the boring/purple Stones of Venice, so make of that what you will. Season 2 was the one where I said to try every story. Ah, then I must have misunderstood you. As much as I'd like to listen to Season Two, I can't really afford spending 120 bucks on it. Eight's Season One is on offer, though, so I'm tempted. Maybe I'll skip some stuff, but Minuet in Hell honestly sounds like it could be fun. And More fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Feb 4, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2016 22:40
|
|