#heroes of sontar | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lucascecil · 7 months

Text

Fifth Doctor - Project: Blue Box

TV Stories

◆ Castrovalva

◆ Four to Doomsday

◆ Kinda

◆ The Visitation

◆ The Black Orchid

◆ Earthshock

◆ Time-Flight

◆ Arc of Infinity

◆ Snakedance

◆ Mawdryn Undead

◆ Terminus

◆ Enlightment

◆ The King’s Demons

◆ The Five Doctors

◆ Warriors of the Deep

◆ The Awakening

◆ Frontios

◆ Resurrection of Daleks

◆ Planet of Fire

◆ The Caves of Androzani

Audio Adventures

- 5th Doctor Adventures

◆ No Place Like Home

◆ Cuddlesome

◆ Return to Web Planet

◆ Psychodrome

◆ Iterations of I

◆ The Garden of Storms

◆ The Moonrakers

◆ The People Made of Smokes

◆ The Lost Resort

◆ The Perils of Nelly Bly

◆ Nightmare of the Daleks

◆ Secrets of Telos

◆ God of War

◆ The Auton Infinity

◆ Friendly Fire

◆ The Edge of the War

◆ Pursuit of the Nightjar - ★★★★★

Wow. Seriously, I had heard amazing things about this story and yet it took me by surprise. Incredibly emotional and with a lot to say about the main cast, all of that told through a simple but efficient conflict that was a delight to follow. This story doesn’t have an antagonist; instead it’s about the inherent danger of the situation they are in and the humanity and complexities of the characters - a huge triumph. For sure one of my, if not the, favorites stories of the Fifth Doctor. I hope this range brings more great surprises like this.

Complete review: here.

◆ Resistor - ★☆☆☆☆

So disappointing after how good The Pursuit of the Nightjar was, I finished listening to Resistor completely frustrated. There are good ideas and some scenes I like list in an unfocused script and a direction that gets in the way of the narrative. Unfortunetely there is not much too like this time.

Complete review: here.

- Main Range

◆ The Star Men

◆ The Contigency Club

◆ Zaltys

◆ Kingdom of Lies

◆ Ghost Walk

◆ Serpent in the Silver Mask

◆ The Land of the Dead

◆ Winter for the Adept

◆ The Mutant Phase

◆ Primeval

◆ Spare Parts

◆ Creatures of Beauty

◆ Circular Time

◆ The Game

◆ Renaissance of the Daleks

◆ The Haunting of Thomas Brewster

◆ The Boy That Time Forgot

◆ Time Reef/A Perfect World

◆ Castle of Fear

◆ The Eternal Summer

◆ Plague of the Daleks

◆ The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories

◆ 1001 Nights

◆ 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men

◆ Moonflesh

◆ Tomb Ship

◆ Masquerade

◆ Alien Heart/Dalek Soul

◆ Omega

◆ The Burning Prince

◆ The Waters of Amsterdam

◆ Aquitaine

◆ The Peterloo Massacre

◆ Tartarus

◆ Interstitial/Feast of Fear

◆ Warzone/Conversion

◆ Time Apart

◆ Shadow of the Daleks I

◆ Shadow of the Daleks II

◆ Thin Time/Madquake

◆ Cobwebs

◆ The Whispering Forest

◆ The Cradle of the Snake

◆ Heroes of Sontar

◆ Kiss of Death

◆ Rat Trap

◆ The Emerald Tiger

◆ The Jupiter Conjuction

◆ The Butcher of Brisbane

◆ Eldrad Must Die!

◆ The Lady of Mercia

◆ Prisoners of Fate

◆ Mistfall

◆ Equillibrium

◆ The Entropy Plague

◆ Devil in the Mist

◆ Black Thursday/Power Game

◆ The Kamelian Empire

◆ The Sirens of Time

◆ And You Will Obey Me

◆ The Secret History

◆ The Helliax Rift

◆ Time in Office

◆ Phantasmagoria

◆ Loups-Garoux

◆ Singularity

◆ The Memory Bank and Other Stories

◆ The Blazing Hour

◆ The End of the Beginning

◆ Red Dawn

◆ Exotron/Urban Myths

◆ The Eye of the Scorpion - ★★★★★

The Eye of the Scorpion is a triumph both as a story and a companion introduction, establishing a strong and interesting characterization for Erimem with a lot o potential for future releases; but also offering new angles to look at the Fifth Doctor and Peri, specially at this point of the timeline. Some purists may dislike how this arc - and other stories featuring Five and Peri - mess with The Caves of Androzani, but that’s not a sentiment I share. As much as I agree that Androzani is a deserving classic, I disagree that much is lost because of more adventures at the end of this Doctor’s life - and if the price I have to pay for listening to a TARDIS team I quite like is that his sacrifice is not for a stranger but for a close friend, so be it.

Complete rewiew: here.

◆ The Church and the Crown - ★★★★☆

I finished The Church and the Crown with an grin in my face between Five being a silly guy and asking the musketeers to shout “one for all and all for one!” and Erimem finally being invited to permanently travel in the TARDIS. It’s just their second story and the chemistry of the cast is in the heights and there is this fondness between the characters that warms my heart. A very good pure historical and another triumph for the Fifth Doctor adventures, there is a lot to like in this story. And the cover is gorgeous.

Complete review: here.

◆ Nekromanteia - ☆☆☆☆☆

“No one is born innocent in this district, Doctor” perhaps is the perfect summary to Nekromanteia. A story full of unpleasant and disguting characters that is painful to hear; the only good thing about it is the regular cast that tries to salvage whatever they can of this trainwreck. But of course, the story is not satisfied with being plainly bad and so it makes an effort to spend its two hour disrespecting that cast. That is honestly trying. Peter Davison was absolutely right to protest about this.

Complete review: here.

◆ The Axis of Insanity - ★★★☆☆

“The lunatics have taken over the asylum!”, the line that serves as the cliffhanger of part two is the best summary The Axis of Insanity could ever ask for. It revolves around a caricate villain but that was never a ploblem - the opposite actually, it’s an example of an one-note character that works really well because the acting and the dynamic with the cast compesates the simplicity. It’s also a plot that gives all regulars something to do at some point and show a new side of them because of it. It’s not one of my favorite stories - I did not exagerate when I said to not listen to it if you have a headache - but it’s fun tale that gives you exactly what was promised.

Complete review: here.

◆ The Roof of the World

◆ Three’s a Crowd

◆ The Council of Nicaea

◆ The Kingmaker

◆ The Gathering

◆ Son of the Dragon

◆ The Mind’s Eye/Mission of the Viyrans

◆ The Bride of Peladon

◆ The Judgement of Isskar

◆ The Destroyer of Delights

◆ The Chaos Pool

- Classic Doctor, New Stories

◆ Fallen Angels

◆ Empire of the Racnoss

- The Companion Chronicles

◆ The Darkening Eye

◆ Freakshow

◆ Ringpullworld

◆ Peri and the Piscon Paradox

- The Lost Stories

◆ The Elite

◆ Hexagora

◆ The Children of Seth

◆ Nightmare Country

- Short Trips

◆ The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius

◆ Sock Pig

◆ The King of the Dead

◆ The Deep

◆ The Second Oldest Question

◆ Downward Spiral

◆ The Monkey House

◆ Lant Land

◆ Trap for Fools

◆ Rulebook

◆ The Meaning of Red

◆ A Room With No View

Books

◆ Goth Opera

◆ The Crystal Bucephalus

◆ Lords of the Storm

◆ The Sands of Time

◆ Cold Fusion

◆ The Ultimate Treasure

◆ Zeta Major

◆ Deep Blue

◆ Divided Loyalties

◆ Imperial Moon

◆ The King of Terror

◆ Superior Beings

◆ Warmonger

◆ Fear of the Daleks

◆ Empire of Death

#Fifth Doctor #Doc Thoughts

4 notes · View notes

being-of-rain · 2 years

Text

Some random thoughts from my Classic Who watch, now showing: season 12.

I watched all of season 12 in around the space of a day, it’s an action-packed little arc that I could rocket through. Unlike the other stories in the series, I’ve had the DVD of Robot for a long time so I’ve watched it many times. As a result, I’m not sure I have a lot to say about it. It’s a good introduction to the zaniness and watchability of Tom Baker’s Doctor, as well as some great plot for Sarah. It’s interesting that Sarah really doesn’t react much to the Doctor’s change- she looks lost when a bit of post-regeneration kookiness makes him almost leave the planet without her, but after that she settles into him quickly. His new body and personality is never even mentioned the rest of the season, I think. On one hand it makes me wonder if Sarah was prepped for the change in the 3 weeks before the regeneration scene, maybe by conversations with the Brigadier, Benton, and even K’Anpo right after she seems him change. On the other hand, her rolling with the bizarre sci-fi punches is very in-character for her. Apart from that, uhhhh. The titular robot was very sympathetic, poor dude.

Was I spending all of the first scene of The Ark in Space thinking about that tumblr post about Harry starting the Last Great Time War? Maybe 😂 He was just trying to open the door! Harry’s a great source of comedy throughout the season. Not enough that it feels grating or unrealistic, he’s just a well-meaning (if old-fashioned) fancy guy who can be a bit of a buffoon. Your classic himbo, if you will. The Wirrn are delightfully creepy and disgusting critters, as is their metamorphosis cycle. Everyone cites bubblewrap as an example of unconvincing Classic Who monster, but you can find a lot less scary Classic Who monsters than the bubblewrap in this one honestly. The humanity’s ark aspect is also pretty cool (the Doctor’s speech about humanity, iconic), but what’s a lot less cool is the hardcore elitism and eugenics that the leaders start spouting as soon as they wake up. Kind of feels like they took a cool concept and showed us the worst possible future with it. I wonder, was it reacting to Invasion of the Dinosaurs and asking ‘what if this actually happened?’ In any case, can’t say I felt particularly bad for Noah when he got bugged.

Again, not much to say about The Sontaran Experiment. I’m glad they didn’t see a reason to make it more than 2 parts. Sarah and Harry being their usual playful selves is sweet. Sarah exclaiming “Linx!” when she sees Styre is a nice callback. I wouldn’t know that Tom Baker was wearing a neck brace if I wasn’t a Dr Who nerd, they did a good job of hiding that. Hey, isn’t a metal beam that gets heavier the weapon the Sontarans use in a single combat duel in Heroes of Sontar? That’s a good callback too. Oh, and it’s good to see that the folks on Nerva Beacon were wrong when they thought that only their chosen few had survived Earth’s roasting. It’s kind of pleasingly ironic that because of the Wirrn, they actually ended up being out-of-date with the rest of humanity, who have now surpassed them by some ten thousand years.

Genesis of the Daleks! Somehow, this famous story is the only one of this season that I hadn’t already watched before this watchthrough. Hot take, but it was pretty good! It worked well as a prequel to The Daleks. And it’s a good example of Dr Who doing dark and gritty well (though it isn’t my favourite example of that. Big Finish got particularly good at it. Should I watch I, Davros, Genesis, and the original Daleks as a trilogy sometime?) And with all the grittiness and politics, I think they definitely earnt all of the hammy deaths they get nearer the end, especially Nyder and Davros (that scream! I love it.) They really did the Kaleds justice with this. The oppressive atmosphere is tangible. You really root for the Kaleds rebelling against Davros, and even though the Doctor is trying to change time, there’s still a sense of doomed tragedy hanging over them. Nyder’s a piece of work. The way he easily worms his way into Gharman’s trust when the audience knows he’d never break from his twisted loyalty to Davros is mesmerising. As for Davros himself, I like how he starts off uncharacteristically quiet. It’s only as his plans grow closer to completion and he’s challenged by the Doctor that he starts ranting and raving and revealing that he’s as unhinged as Doctor Who fans know him to be. The Doctor’s emotions can be pretty striking as well. I knew about his moral breakdown during the “Do I have the right?” scene (in the end he decides he does, by the way), but I didn’t know about his desperation when he’s trying to stop the Thals launching a rocket that he thinks is going to kill his companions, and his depression when the launch succeeds, that was some gripping scenes. Oh, but for all the praise we can level at the story, it does also have one of the worst-realised monsters in the show: the clams in the tunnels under the mountains. The scene where everyone is screaming while trying to avoid them is hilarious because they just... don’t move. At all. The crew couldn’t have like pulled on them a bit with a string or something? Oh well. I guess it’s a light comic break from the great drama around it.

Revenge of the Cybermen is. Something. It wasn’t quite as boring as I remembered it being for some reason, but it isn’t exactly good. Firstly, in retrospect it’s wild how Classic Who uses the Cybermen sometimes. These days, basically every Cyberman story focuses on a few main things that make them interesting; they want to ‘save’ humanity by making sure they survive at all costs, they convert people, and they remove emotions. In Classic Who they often ignore all of these things and use them only as alien empire-builders who are generic villains and, in the case of Revenge, camp. Honestly, the scariest bit of this story was the very start when the Tardis team go from having some light-hearted fun teasing Harry, to walking into a corridor with a frankly obscene amount of dead bodies in it. Wait! I just remembered, I was wrong, the scariest bit of this story was the scenario where you think you’re alone in your room but actually Tom Baker is under your bed. Horrific. Secondly, wow does this story have some weird and bad politics. The human villain being the one to argue that people should be isolating to avoid spreading a deadly plague and the other characters telling him they have to instead get back to work has aged hilariously badly in 2022, but I get that (unless I misunderstood the situation) the crew are effectively sacrificing themselves to warn ships about the unmapped planetoid, like a lighthouse. What I don’t get is that the crew have apparently been told they’re being abandoned by their bosses with no help, and their job is basically doomed to fail. They admit themselves that they’d need to operate for years to get the planetoid properly mapped, and they’ll mostly likely die in a week or so if they keep exposing themselves to the plague. So are they just all content to die for no reason because Earth Centre told them to?? Meanwhile with the Vogan subplot, the villainous Vogan is the one who wants to... fight the Cybermen and stop hiding on their planet? I can’t think of any other Doctor Who story where insisting your species stays strictly isolated and xenophobic out of fear is painted as the right decision. And if either of these situations are supposed to be a moral dilemma or morally grey, they still don’t work because they’re stupid situations! Honestly, between the isolationist and xenophobic part and the ‘ignore the plague and work yourself to death’ part, I’m surprised the British Government wasn’t constantly airing this story the last several years as propaganda. Anyway, now that I’ve finished being scathing, anything else? I sometimes make notes for these reviews, and weirdly I made more notes for Revenge of the Cybermen than any of the other stories this season. -There was some funny comedy moments, like the Doctor thanking Sarah then glaring at Harry for doing the same thing jsldkjhfkjs. And Harry fixating on the gold on Voga and then stressing that he wasn’t going to steal any a little too much. -So many Classic Who stories just have no decorum whatsoever with their villain reveal. I know last post I made fun of revealing the Daleks for the cliffhanger when their name is in the titles, but I’ll take that over how boring it is when the Cybermen are dropped into a conversation in this story. -All the talk of Jupiter made me want to reread the novel Fear Itself. Now there’s some good Dr Who.

#my thoughts #doctor who #four #sarah #harry #brig #sontarans #daleks #cybermen

16 notes · View notes

i-am-become-a-name · 3 years

Text

turlough quoting the original source Horace of dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (it is sweet and right to die for one’s country) but the doctor later finishing off the quote with Owen’s addition “the old lie,” please, my heart.

#heroes of sontar #audios #look i have a lot of emotions about that poem. every single person who reads it should #but we have family links with owen and it hits hard #and the Tone #also uhhhhhhhh i was just on the wiki for the poem and the dulce et decorum is engraved in the arch above the Boy's High School in my town #i walked under that arch every time we went to practice our end of year productions in their auditorium and never noticed

6 notes · View notes

thatonestoreguy · 7 years

Text

Heroes of Sontar

The Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, and Turlough arrive on the planet Samur to relax, but find the planet deserted and covered in a strange lichen. Worse yet, a platoon of Sontaran are on their way with top secret orders. As both sides face off neither is aware of the far greater threat lurking in the shadows.

This is Big Finish’s first Sontaran story and is honestly one of my favorite Sontaran stories ever. The Sontarans presented here are bumbling fools who are easily tricked and appeased by the Doctor. At first it seems the story is turning up the Sontarans’ traits to eleven for comedic effects, but even the Doctor admits these Sontarans seem a bit stupider than usually. This plays a major point in the plot, but also allows the viewer to empathize with these Sontarans as characters and not just monsters. Yes, some of them are the enemies we expect to see, but others have more endearing traits. Once the two teams unite against the shared threat you already kind of like them. It’s a great narrative trick which really changes your perspective on Sontarans in general.

The regular cast are no slouches either. Again Big Finish’s approach to this team is to more thoroughly explore characters in a way the original serials didn’t. In this case Turlough gets a lot to do as he bounds with a fellow coward in Sontaran Trooper Vend. Turlough’s cowardice is often portrayed as a negative trait and while it certainly is played for laughs a few times here, it’s also explored more deeply. Is it really brave or logical to die for no reason except honor. Turlough would die for what he believes in in a second, but he’s not going to throw away his life for a senseless gesture or ignoble cause. Tegan also gets some moments to shine and Nyssa has some great moments even though she’s incapacitated for much of the adventure. It’s Turlough though who really shines this time.

I’ve already said this story is a favorite of mine, but it bears repeating that this is a fantastic adventure. It’s funny, action packed, philosophical, and sometimes even heartbreaking. Sometimes all in the same scene. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Sontaran story or wanted to know more about the little potato trolls, than listen to this story.

#big Finish #doctor who #Fifth Doctor #Nyssa #tegan jovanka #Vislor Turlough #sontaran #heroes of sontar

3 notes · View notes

paullovescomics · 7 years

Photo

#doctor who #5th doctor #sontaran #heroes of sontar #big finish

4 notes · View notes

bigfinishforbeginners · 4 years

Text

Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, & Nyssa

These stories feature the Doctor alongside Tegan, Turlough, and an older version of Nyssa after she has spent 50 years away from the TARDIS after her departure in Terminus. The events of Terminus do play a key role in Nyssa’s overall arc over these stories, namely her work with Richter’s Syndrome, so a familiarity with that story is recommended before diving into these stories.

These stories do not contain any story arcs, more they form one long story arc altogether, so I recommend listening to all the audios in this list.

So, let’s get started

136. Cobwebs

(This is the older Nyssa’s introduction to the TARDIS team. Listen to this story before any other releases featuring this TARDIS team.)

137. The Whispering Forest

138. The Cradle of the Snake

(This story is a sequel to the Fifth Doctor TV stories Kinda and Snakedance. I would recommend watching these stories before listening to this one as their events play a key role in the narrative.)

146. Heroes of Sontar

147. Kiss of Death

148. Rat Trap

159. The Emerald Tiger

(Nyssa returns to her youthful appearance in this story. Listen to this story before listening to any others featuring the rejuvenated Nyssa.)

160. The Jupiter Conjunction

161. The Butcher of Brisbane

172. Eldrad Must Die!

173. The Lady of Mercia

174. Prisoners of Fate

195. Mistfall

196. Equillibrium

197. The Entropy Plague

#doctor who #classic who #classic doctor who #doctor who eu #doctor who audio guide #doctor who audios #doctor who big finish #big finish doctor who #big finish guide #big finish #fifth doctor #peter davison #doctor who nyssa #sarah sutton #tegan jovanka #janet fielding #vislor turlough #mark strickson

22 notes · View notes

type40markiii · 4 years

Text

Big Finish Audio Masterpost

Part One: The Doctors

I’ve been working my way through a big chunk of Big Finish audios, so I’m putting here my space for all the ones I’ve listened to (with a rating out of ten), what I’m currently listening to, and what I’ve still got to get through (although I listen to some of them sporadically, so there may be random listens in sections). I’ll be updating this as I go along.

This part is for all the main stories featuring the Doctor. Put in reverse Doctor order because wibbly wobbly.

[x] = Listened to

[ ] = Not listened to yet

I’m no proper reviewer, but if anyone wants reviews or opinions on some of these, I’ll be happy to provide 👍

Eighth Doctor

With Charley & C’Rizz:

- [x] Storm Warming (6/10)

- [x] Sword of Orion (6/10)

- [x] The Stones of Venice (5/10)

- [x] Minuet In Hell (3/10)

- [x] Invaders From Mars (7/10)

- [x] The Chimes of Midnight (10/10)

- [x] Seasons of Fear (7/10)

- [x] Embrace the Darkness (6/10)

- [x] The Time of the Daleks (7/10)

- [x] Neverland (9/10)

- [x] Zagreus (7/10)

- [x] Scherzo (9/10)

- [x] The Creed of the Kromon (6/10)

- [x] The Natural History of Fear (9/10)

- [x] The Twilight Kingdom (5/10)

- [x] Faith Stealer (7/10)

- [x] The Last (7/10)

- [x] Caedroia (9/10)

- [x] The Next Life (7/10)

- [x] Terror Firma (7/10)

- [x] Scaredy Cat (5/10)

- [x] Other Lives (6/10)

- [x] Time Works (6/10)

- [x] Something Inside (6/10)

- [x] Memory Lane (8/10)

- [x] Absolution (5/10)

- [x] The Girl Who Never Was (9/10)

With Mary Shelley:

- [x] The Company of Friends (6/10)

- [x] The Silver Turk (9/10)

- [x] The Witch from the Well (6/10)

- [x] Army of Death (7/10)

With Lucie:

- [x] Blood of the Daleks (7/10)

- [x] Horror of Glam Rock (6/10)

- [x] Immortal Beloved (6/10)

- [x] Phobos (5/10)

- [x] No More Lies (6/10)

- [x] Human Resources (8/10)

- [x] Dead London (5/10)

- [x] Max Warp (9/10)

- [x] Brave New Town (9/10)

- [x] The Skull of Sobek (5/10)

- [x] Grand Theft Cosmos (6/10)

- [x] The Zygon Who Fell to Earth (8/10)

- [x] Sisters of the Flame/Vengeance of Morbius (6/10)

- [x] Orbis (6/10)

- [x] Hothouse (7/10)

- [x] The Beast of Orlok (5/10)

- [x] Wirrn Dawn (6/10)

- [x] The Scapegoat (5/10)

- [x] The Cannibalists (5/10)

- [x] The Eight Truths/Worldwide Web (7/10)

- [x] Death in Blackpool (9/10)

- [x] Situation Vacant (7/10)

- [x] Nevermore (7/10)

- [x] The Book of Kells (6/10)

- [x] Deimos/The Resurrection of Mars (8/10)

- [x] Relative Dimensions (7/10)

- [x] Prisoner of the Sun (6/10)

- [x] Lucie Miller/To the Death (10/10)

Seventh Doctor

With Ace & Hex

- [x] Dust Breeding (4/10)

- [x] Colditz (6/10)

- [x] The Rapture (5/10)

- [x] The Harvest (6/10)

- [x] Dreamtime (6/10)

- [x] LIVE 34 (9/10)

- [x] Night Thoughts (5/10)

- [ ] The Settling

- [x] No Man’s Land (6/10)

- [ ] Nocturne

- [ ] The Dark Husband

- [x] Forty-Five (9/10)

- [x] The Magic Mousetrap (9/10)

- [x] Enemy of the Daleks (9/10)

- [x] The Angel of Scutari (9/10)

- [x] Project: Destiny (9/10)

- [x] A Death in the Family (10/10)

- [x] Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge (7/10)

- [x] Robophobia (6/10)

- [ ] The Doomsday Quatrain

- [x] House of Blue Fire (6/10)

- [x] Protect and Survive (8/20)

- [x] Black and White (7/10)

- [x] Gods and Monsters (9/10)

- [x] Afterlife (8/10)

- [x] Revenge of the Swarm (7/10)

- [x] Mask of Tragedy (6/10)

- [x] Signs and Wonders (7/10)

- [x] Shadow Planet/World Apart (6/10)

With Klein:

- [ ] A Thousand Tiny Wings

- [ ] Klein’s Story

- [ ] Survival of the Fittest

- [ ] The Architects of History

- [ ] Persuasion

- [ ] Starlight Robbery

- [ ] Daleks Among Us

- [ ] Warlock’s Cross

Sixth Doctor

With Evelyn:

- [x] The Marian Conspiracy (6/10)

- [ ] The Spectre of Lanyon Moor

- [ ] The Apocalypse Element

- [ ] Bloodtide

- [x] Project: Twilight (8/10)

- [ ] The Sandman

- [ ] Jubilee

- [ ] Doctor Who and the Pirates

- [x] Project: Lazarus (8/10)

- [ ] Arrangements For War

- [ ] Medicinal Purposes

- [ ] Pier Pressure

- [ ] The Nowhere Place

- [ ] 100

- [ ] Assassin in the Limelight

- [ ] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

- [ ] The Feast of Axos

- [ ] Industrial Evolution

With Charley:

- [x] The Condemned (6/10)

- [x] The Doomwood Curse (6/10)

- [x] Brotherhood of the Daleks (5/10)

- [x] The Raincloud Man (6/10)

- [x] Patient Zero (7/10)

- [x] Paper Cuts (4/10)

- [x] Blue Forgotten Planet (9/10)

The Land of Fiction Trilogy:

- [x] City of Spires (6/10)

- [x] The Wreck of the Titan (7/10)

- [x] Legend of the Cybermen (10/10)

Fifth Doctor

With Nyssa:

- [x] The Land of the Dead (5/10)

- [x] The Mutant Phase (6/10)

- [x] Primeval (6/10)

- [x] Spare Parts (9/10)

- [x] Creatures of Beauty (6/10)

- [x] Circular Time (8/10)

- [x] Renaissance of the Daleks (4/10)

- [x] Castle of Fear (6/10)

- [x] The Eternal Summer (8/10)

- [x] Plague of the Daleks (8/10)

With Tegan, Turlough, & Older Nyssa:

- [x] Cobwebs (7/10)

- [x] The Whispering Forest (6/10)

- [x] The Cradle of the Snake (8/10)

- [x] Heroes of Sontar (7/10)

- [ ] Kiss of Death

- [ ] Rat Trap

- [ ] The Emerald Tiger

- [ ] The Jupiter Conjunction

- [ ] The Butcher of Brisbane

- [ ] Eldrad Must Die!

- [ ] The Lady of Mercia

- [ ] Prisoners of Fate

- [ ] Mistfall

- [ ] Equilibrium

- [ ] The Entropy Plague

19 notes · View notes

yeonchi · 2 years

Text

Doctor Who Series 13 (Flux) Review Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans

Air date: 7 November 2021

I know I said in the prelude that I would try to get these reviews out by the Wednesday, but I’ve been distracted by a lot of things recently, particularly work as it is still quite full-on despite working from home.

Contrary to what the head image may want you to think, most of this episode has been rather companion-lite, though Yaz and Dan still have significant involvement in this episode.

A lot of threads were introduced in the last chapter, but in this chapter, it’s been refined to three threads as we focus on the Sontarans and the Temple of Atropos.

My spoiler-free thought for this episode: “I’m starting to pick up on flaws I wouldn’t have picked up on before.”

Spoilers continue after the break.

Somewhere in time

The Doctor, Yaz and Dan find themselves in 1855 Crimea during the war between the British and the Russians, but upon meeting Mary Seacole, they learn that the British Army aren’t fighting Russians, but Sontarans. As Mary takes the group back to her British Hotel, Dan and Yaz find themselves disappearing as they fall through time due to colliding with the Flux earlier. The Doctor tries to go back to the TARDIS, but she can’t find the door to open it, forcing her to return to the British Hotel as Sontarans approach.

Back at the hotel, the Doctor learns that Lieutenant General Logan is planning to engage the Sontarans in battle and that Russia and China are non-existent (bwahahaha lol), instead being replaced by Sontar on the map. Failing to dissuade Logan, the Doctor learns that Mary has a Sontaran, Svild, in her care and tells him to inform his commander of her presence in Crimea. That evening, the Doctor and Mary follow Svild to the Sontaran base camp, which has been camouflaged. The Doctor has Mary stay and monitor the encampment while she goes back.

The next morning, the Doctor parlays with Commander Skaak. She suspects the Sontarans to be the cause of the Flux, but Skaak denies it while also stating that they managed to invade Earth just as the Lupari shield was being put up. The Doctor fails to get Skaak to retreat and is escorted back to the British camp by Logan’s subordinate just as Logan sends his army into battle, resulting in a massacre. The Doctor manages to put Logan’s subordinate to sleep with her Venusian aikido while Logan manages to survive the massacre of his army.

The Doctor meets up with Mary and takes her inside one of the Sontaran ships. She knocks a Sontaran out with her slingshot and manages to make contact with Dan while fiddling on the ship’s computer. Hearing Dan’s observations, the Doctor learns that the Sontarans are attempting to invade Earth’s history, reminiscent of Shocker’s plans with the History Modifying Machine in Super Hero Taisen GP.

Later, the Doctor tells Mary and Logan about her plan to sabotage the Sontaran’s supplies, forcing them to return to the 21st century. They do so in the space of 7.5 minutes and the Doctor confronts Skaak soon after. Skaak orders a strategic withdrawal and leaves, proclaiming to return. The Doctor, Mary and Logan (minus his soldiers for some reason) prepare to leave as well, but Logan lights a match and blows up the Sontaran ships with barrels of gunpowder, destroying them. The TARDIS arrives nearby and the Doctor leaves to find her friends.

I have a little bit of a problem with the last part of this stream because of the Doctor’s misguided moral objection to Logan blowing up the Sontaran ships. A major example I can compare it to is the Sycorax in The Christmas Invasion. The Tenth Doctor wins a sword duel against the leader and orders them to leave Earth as per the ancient rites of combat by which they follow. Harriet Jones orders Torchwood to destroy the ship and the Doctor says the six words that would bring down Harriet’s career as Prime Minister. With regard to this episode, the Sontarans would probably see Logan’s actions as cowardly and dishonourable, but on the other hand, they were about to launch a temporal offensive, Skaak said that the Sontarans would return and the Sontarans did kill most of Logan’s soldiers along with more people when they took over Russia and China. The Sontarans are only honourable in war because that is the only thing they know, so the Doctor should really stop trying to act like they can be better.

This isn’t the first time that the Doctor has had such moral objections either - she has expressed them against Robertson in Arachnids in the UK and King James in The Witchfinders. The main difference is that the Doctor’s anger was somewhat unjustified in the former because the mother spider was dying as a result of its size, but mostly justified in the latter because the Doctor was sealing the Morax back in their prison and King James killed the Morax Queen because Becka Savage, who she was possessing, admitted to practising witchcraft.

Also, the Doctor highlights the SJW agenda in the series when she says to Logan, “Sometimes men like you make me wonder why I bother with humanity.” It was good when the Doctor was criticising the officer/soldier dynamic that sends the latter to their deaths, but then that line puts the blame squarely on men because of course men are the villains of history. If Logan wasn’t an officer but instead a character manipulated by the Doctor into being her weapon ala the Tenth Doctor, her spiel at the end there would have been copium.

The temporal offensive

Dan finds himself back in Liverpool and finds that it has been taken over by the Sontarans as they chase him for breaching curfew. Dan’s parents, Neville and Eileen, find him and explain to him that after he vanished two days before (from their perspective), there was a three-minute eclipse before the Sontarans appeared. Already I’m seeing a problem with the logic here. If the Lupari ships shielded Earth then the “eclipse” should have been longer and there should be no daylight unless they were able to simulate the sun and the sky on the undersides of their ships like OLED screens.

Neville and Eileen take Dan to the Liverpool docks, where the Sontarans first appeared and took over the waterfront. Taking a wok from his father, Dan infiltrates a Sontaran ship, passing by three people getting executed for spying on the Sontarans. Dan manages to make contact with the Doctor, but is cut off when Commander Ritskaw (from the previous episode) discovers them.

Some Sontarans are sent to execute Dan, but Karvanista manages to rescue him as his race blamed him for this. Karvanista sets one of the ships to take off and ram into the other ships, creating a temporal reaction that takes the Sontarans and their ships out of existence. Like that won’t cause collateral damage or anything lol. They could just set the ships to self-destruct (by like, overloading a temporal reactor or something) and it would still have the same effect.

Dan and Karvanista manage to escape the ship through the waste tube, falling into the Mersey just as the Doctor arrives in the TARDIS. Dan agrees to join the Doctor and they go to find Yaz. As the Doctor and Dan notice strange things growing in the TARDIS that shouldn’t be there, they suddenly find it being hijacked as they are taken to the Temple of Atropos.

Keepers of time

Yaz finds herself in the Temple of Atropos. She briefly meets Joseph Williamson, who doesn’t appear again in the rest of the episode. One of the Priest Triangles find Yaz and ask her if she can “repair”. After reminding herself of what the Doctor would do, Yaz offers her help and she meets Vinder, who had also found himself in the Temple after being hit by the Flux. The Flux had also affected the temple as well and the Priest Triangles are seeking help to repair the Mouri, who cannot be compromised as they control the flow of time.

To be honest, I don’t see why time should have guardians like the Mouri given the premise of this show. It’s like having gods for abstract concepts. Speaking of which, there are polytheistic religions and cultures who do have gods of time, but it’s not like time travel (or science fiction for that matter) is at the centre of it.

Also, I really need to call this out - why did Yaz feel the need to write WWTDD on her hand so she could remind herself of it? For someone who’s been travelling with the Doctor for this long, this phrase should be the first thing they think of when faced with a situation without the Doctor around to figure out what to do. The fact that Yaz had to write it down (on her hand no less) shows that she probably hasn’t learnt much from her time with the Doctor nor is she capable of retaining that knowledge in the long term. It’s even more telling when you realise that Yaz is a (former) police officer, potentially meaning that Yaz is so incompetent that she actually needed to remind herself of what to do instead of relying on her instincts and logic. OK, I suppose I’m not one to talk given that I frequently ask for help from my colleagues on problems that can be solved with simple solutions (eg. have you tried turning it off and on again?), but this is a main principle of being the Doctor’s companion that shouldn’t need reminding. If Yaz had a little thinking-out-loud moment where she asked herself “What would the Doctor do?”, I would be fine with it and the content of this paragraph would have been halved.

So while attempting to repair the Mouri, Yaz and Vinder are confronted by Swarm and Azure, along with Passenger, another one of their kind whose face is literally a cheap airsoft mask, but hey, I’m not complaining. I’m yet to see tokusatsu take cheap costumes and masks seriously instead of reusing and repurposing old suits. Following a confrontation in which Swarm and Azure dodge Vinder’s gunshots, Swarm reduces two malfunctioning Mouri into ash before replacing them with Yaz and Vinder. The episode ends when the Doctor and Dan arrive and Swarm snaps his fingers to send the full force of time running through Yaz and Vinder. It is also revealed that the Temple of Atropos is on the planet Time, a planet that exists outside space and time that the Doctor claims should not exist, which makes you wonder how Joseph Williamson managed to get to the temple if it’s not a place he’s hiding beneath his tunnels.

I can confirm that Swarm and Azure (and presumably Passenger) are the Ravagers that were mentioned in the series teaser. CultBox seemingly confirmed this after the last episode, but I didn’t want to say anything until I got confirmation from an official source, which we got in the form of a behind-the-scenes documentary posted on the official Doctor Who YouTube page. Honestly, if their identity was that important then it should have been revealed in the first episode instead of being kept under wraps until now. Heck, I didn’t know Anna was actually Azure (or that that was her name) until I discovered it online while doing research for my review of the last episode. OK, to be fair, Rochenda Sandall was credited as Azure in that episode, but I never heard her human name, Anna, being mentioned at any point, not even in the subtitles. It wouldn’t hurt anyone to drop some names here and there.

The Sontaran deconstruction

This episode is the first episode where the Sontarans have been a major threat in the story ever since their reintroduction in The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky back in Series 4. While the Sontarans have gone on to appear in later episodes, they are either of little consequence or reduced to being a butler in Victorian London.

Dan Starkey reprises his role as a Sontaran, playing Kragar in the last episode and Svild in this episode, though he sounds more gruffer this time around compared to his previous roles as other Sontarans, including Strax. Jonathan Watson is the more prominent actor, playing both Ritskaw and Skaak in this episode. I must say, he does a pretty good job. I don’t know whether he was trying to channel Christopher Ryan (Staal/Stark) or not, but Watson is honestly a great alternative for Ryan.

It has been stated that the Sontaran designs in this episode harken back to their appearance in the classic series. In fact, they harken back so much that they also homage Commander Linx from The Time Warrior, with the cross on their foreheads and Skaak referencing him by stating that they were asserting Linx’s claim on Earth that he made all those years ago.

The Sontarans are shown acting more brutally than in previous episodes, with examples such as Skaak executing Svild for shamefully returning to his camp after being captured by the enemy or Ritskaw ordering three humans to be executed for spying on them. Thanks to their lack of appearance in the series, the Sontarans have essentially been reduced to being comic relief, particularly in several episodes in Series 6, 7 and 8 with Strax. As such, this episode does a good job at deconstructing the Sontarans and reminding us of their brutal warmongering ways.

Other general thoughts

So if Swarm and Azure are the Ravagers, then could the Flux be the same Ravagers in the namesake Big Finish anthology? I mean, given their description in the TARDIS Data Core, it still sort of fits: “The Ravagers were a name given to a species of creatures numbering in the billions that had an insatiable hunger to devour everything in the universe.” For all we know, the Flux could probably be trillions and trillions of parasitic creatures feeding on matter by disrupting their particles.

This episode was ten minutes longer than the normal 50-minute duration. Looking ahead, it appears that Chapter Four (Village of the Angels) will be five minutes longer than normal. Where does Doctor Who get the timeslot for these episodes and how did the BBC allow them to have such uneven durations in the episodes for this series? I would suggest that the stuff with Vinder and Yaz be moved to the next episode, but given how we saw Williamson in this episode (which I suggested in my last review that his scenes be moved to his respective episode), I think it would have been better for the sake of balancing episode durations if the first few minutes of this episode (except the scenes with Vinder in the Temple of Atropos) were moved to the last episode, making the cliffhanger be when the Doctor tries to enter the TARDIS, but is forced to go back to the British encampment when she can’t get in. But again, I’m not one to talk given the state of my personal project either. Some of the early episodes I’ve written don’t have enough content to fill up a 45-minute timeslot (leading me to assume that the rest is taken up by filler) while some of the later episodes I’ve written may struggle to fit within 45 minutes because of the amount of detail I put into them. I guess that’s one of the pitfalls of writing an extended nightly series instead of keeping it as weekly episodes or heck, even cutting it down to 30-minute episodes.

Right at the start of the episode, before the Doctor wakes up and finds herself in the Crimea, we see her reaching out to what appears to be a floating house. A few people on Twitter are theorising that this could be the House of Lungbarrow, which was featured in the namesake novel by Mark Platt that was to be the culmination of the Cartmel Masterplan that would have revealed the Doctor to be a Time Lord known as the Other, one of the founding fathers of Gallifrey. Honestly, I would have taken that instead of the Timeless Child, but we’ll just have to see how this transpires. In the meantime, here’s a comparison of how Lungbarrow compares to The Timeless Children... and I just realised that I went off into a spiel unrelated to this episode because of a very short scene that was probably only meant as a teaser.

Mary Seacole: “Doctor is a man’s term.” The Doctor: “It’s fluid.” Bwahahahahaha lol.

Neville and Eileen, and by extension Dan, should not know that the thing on the back of every Sontaran that acts as their weakness is called the “probic something”, let alone its actual term, “probic vent”, particularly given that the Sontarans have only been on Earth for two days. The only way that they could know this is if a Sontaran were stupid enough to reveal (the name of) his own weakness. This can be corrected by not having Eileen and Dan mention the word “probic” but still mention that it is their weakness before having the Doctor briefly explain to Dan that the weak spot is called the probic vent.

When Yaz first meets Vinder, she introduces herself as “Serving Officer Khan” of the Hallamshire Police, implying that she is still working as a policewoman. Wait, so what does this mean? Given that Yaz introduced herself to Dan as a former PC, does that mean that she quit or she got promoted? If I find out that Yaz wasn’t dismissed from or never quit the police force, I’m demoting points from the episode.

Swarm mentions that Vinder was “shamed, disgraced and rejected”. Could this be a reason why his people left him on Observation Outpost Rose and never responded to his status reports?

Mary Seacole gets a gold star (and a sticker) from the Doctor. 15 points for her (we’ll assume a sticker is 5 points).

Speaking of Mary Seacole, I feel like she is another forgotten historical hero like Nikola Tesla, who was featured in Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror, with Seacole’s equivalent of Thomas Edison being Florence Nightingale, who is only mentioned in this episode as someone who wouldn’t even come close to the front at Sevastopol. Needless to say, Seacole wasn’t featured in my fifth grade “night of the notables” while Nightingale was. Seacole’s recognition has been seen as controversial and there are sources that apparently cite a frosty relationship between Nightingale and Seacole. Also, it was only in recent years that there has been an interest in spreading awareness of Seacole’s achievements. In short, it can be said that Florence Nightingale was to Mary Seacole as Thomas Edison was to Nikola Tesla.

When Karvanista opened the door on the Sontaran ship so that he and Dan could get to the escape pod, he just closes the door when he sees Sontarans shooting at them instead of shooting them with his weapon. Granted, there could potentially be more Sontarans looking for them, so I suppose that’s understandable.

Summary and verdict

In general, this episode was pretty good. However, I said that I would be holding this series to a higher standard than I did before, so I’m not going to excuse the flaws in this episode, especially the Doctor’s misguided moral outrage and Yaz writing WWTDD on her hand when she should already know it.

Rating: 5/10

They’re lucky this episode wasn’t a 4/10. Stay tuned next week as I review the third chapter of Flux, Once, Upon Time.

#doctor who #doctor who series 13 #doctor who flux #thirteenth doctor #doctor who series 13 review #doctor who flux review #thirteenth doctor review

0 notes

circular-time · 7 years

Note

Hey there. I was wondering what the best audios for a Doctor/Nyssa shipper are? I just started listening to "Land of the Dead" and fanned so hard when Monica asked if they were just friends.

Yeah, that audio was a bit of a mess, but I forgive it a lot for that bit. ;) You’ll want to listen to Primeval if you haven’t; it’s simply a good Five & Nyssa story which subtly shifts their friendship from protector and ward to partners and colleagues over the course of the story arc. The final scene sets up their Big Finish dynamic, which riffs on their more equal relationship in Arc of Infinity and Snakedance. Primeval is free on Spotify. ;).

For some veiled shippy moments, I suggest the Stockbridge Trilogy, especially the first two (Castle of Fear and Eternal Summer). Notice the roles they wind up playing together in the future, and one uncomfortable scene where they’re vicariously experiencing the memories of two other characters. i also love listening to the Doctor sliding into a cold fury when he thinks Nyssa is dead. Bonus: Maxwell Edison, a great character from Doctor Who comics, played by Arthur Weasley’s actor to perfection.

1001 Nights is mildly shippy. I think that was one of the audios that started eroding my read of their friendship as strictly platonic. Circular Time is what really did it, though, despite the fact that it defines their friendship in every way BUT romantic. The Doctor’s reaction to Nyssa picking up a boyfriend sounds awfully like jealousy. (I admit I would like to stick a pie in the boyfriend’s face as well, but it’s still a good story.)

The Five Companions has a revealing conversation about Nyssa’s feelings for the Doctor, but it is alas hard to acquire save with a subscription.

Some of the older!Nyssa stories are strongly Platonic, emphasizing that they are “old friends” in a way that others (including Turlough and Tegan) tweak them about. It’s most noticeable in Jupiter Conjunction (which I like for other reasons, it’s an odd but excellent story) and to some extent Heroes of Sontar (a farce) and Emerald Tiger (damn good adventure, another one you’ll want to hear.) Also Equilibrium, although that has massive spoilers to Prisoners of Fate which one should hear first.

As the Doctor says in Circular Time, their relationship is “nothing one could so easily define.” I occasionally enjoy defining it in certain ways *cough* – as does Peter Davison, who cut off my question at a con by blurting out, “The Doctor has a crush on Nyssa.” But really, the way BF usually depicts them is a sort of ace partnership based on mutual trust, respect and understanding.

Bottom Line: listen to Primeval, Circular Time, Emerald Tiger, and then try some of the others. Remember that any audio with Turlough is “older Nyssa." That arc follows an audio called Cobwebs, inserted after Enlightenment, in which her old TARDIS friends bump into her decades after she stayed behind on Terminus, and she winds up traveling with them again for a while.

#five/nyssa

14 notes · View notes

lucascecil · 7 months

Text

Quinto Doutor - Projeto: Caixa Azul

TV Stories

◆ Castrovalva

◆ Four to Doomsday

◆ Kinda

◆ The Visitation

◆ The Black Orchid

◆ Earthshock

◆ Time-Flight

◆ Arc of Infinity

◆ Snakedance

◆ Mawdryn Undead

◆ Terminus

◆ Enlightment

◆ The King's Demons

◆ The Five Doctors

◆ Warriors of the Deep

◆ The Awakening

◆ Frontios

◆ Resurrection of Daleks

◆ Planet of Fire

◆ The Caves of Androzani

Audio Adventures

- 5th Doctor Adventures

◆ No Place Like Home

◆ Cuddlesome

◆ Return to Web Planet

◆ Psychodrome

◆ Iterations of I

◆ The Garden of Storms

◆ The Moonrakers

◆ The People Made of Smokes

◆ The Lost Resort

◆ The Perils of Nelly Bly

◆ Nightmare of the Daleks

◆ Secrets of Telos

◆ God of War

◆ The Auton Infinity

◆ Friendly Fire

◆ The Edge of the War

◆ Pursuit of the Nightjar - ★★★★★

Uau. Sério, eu tinha ouvido coisas muito boas sobre essa história e ainda assim ela me pegou completamente desprevenido. Incrivelmente emocional e com muita coisa a dizer sobre o elenco principal, isso tudo contado através de um conflito simples, mas muito eficiente e gostoso de acompanhar. Essa história não tem de fato um antagonista; ela é toda sobre o perigo inerente da situação e a humanidade e complexidades dos personagens - e um baita triunfo. Com certeza uma das, se não a, minhas histórias favoritas do Quinto Doutor e na torcida pra que esse range traga mais surpresas assim.

Crítica completa: aqui.

◆ Resistor - ★☆☆☆☆

Crítica completa: aqui.

- Main Range

◆ The Star Men

◆ The Contigency Club

◆ Zaltys

◆ Kingdom of Lies

◆ Ghost Walk

◆ Serpent in the Silver Mask

◆ The Land of the Dead

◆ Winter for the Adept

◆ The Mutant Phase

◆ Primeval

◆ Spare Parts

◆ Creatures of Beauty

◆ Circular Time

◆ The Game

◆ Renaissance of the Daleks

◆ The Haunting of Thomas Brewster

◆ The Boy That Time Forgot

◆ Time Reef/A Perfect World

◆ Castle of Fear

◆ The Eternal Summer

◆ Plague of the Daleks

◆ The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories

◆ 1001 Nights

◆ 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men

◆ Moonflesh

◆ Tomb Ship

◆ Masquerade

◆ Alien Heart/Dalek Soul

◆ Omega

◆ The Burning Prince

◆ The Waters of Amsterdam

◆ Aquitaine

◆ The Peterloo Massacre

◆ Tartarus

◆ Interstitial/Feast of Fear

◆ Warzone/Conversion

◆ Time Apart

◆ Shadow of the Daleks I

◆ Shadow of the Daleks II

◆ Thin Time/Madquake

◆ Cobwebs

◆ The Whispering Forest

◆ The Cradle of the Snake

◆ Heroes of Sontar

◆ Kiss of Death

◆ Rat Trap

◆ The Emerald Tiger

◆ The Jupiter Conjuction

◆ The Butcher of Brisbane

◆ Eldrad Must Die!

◆ The Lady of Mercia

◆ Prisoners of Fate

◆ Mistfall

◆ Equillibrium

◆ The Entropy Plague

◆ Devil in the Mist

◆ Black Thursday/Power Game

◆ The Kamelian Empire

◆ The Sirens of Time

◆ And You Will Obey Me

◆ The Secret History

◆ The Helliax Rift

◆ Time in Office

◆ Phantasmagoria

◆ Loups-Garoux

◆ Singularity

◆ The Memory Bank and Other Stories

◆ The Blazing Hour

◆ The End of the Beginning

◆ Red Dawn

◆ Exotron/Urban Myths

◆ The Eye of the Scorpion - ★★★★★

The Eye of the Scorpion é um triunfo tanto como história quanto introdução de companion, estebelecendo uma caracterização firme e bastante interessante pra Erimem com muito potencial pra história futuras; enquanto oferece novos ângulos para os quais olhar o Quinto Doutor e a Peri, especialmente nesse ponto da linha do tempo. Algumas pessoas mais puristas provavelmente vão torcer o nariz pra como esse arco - e outras histórias com a Peri e o Quinto - destroem The Caves of Androzani, mas não é um sentimento que eu compartilho. Embora eu concorde que Androzani tem o título de clássico merecidamente, eu discordo que se perde tanta coisa assim com mais aventuras no fim da vida do Quinto - e se o preço que eu tenho de pagar pra ouvir histórias de uma TARDIS team que eu gostei bastante é que o Doutor se sacrifica por uma grande amiga e não uma desconhecida, eu pago sem muito peso na consciência.

Crítica completa: aqui.

◆ The Church and the Crown - ★★★★☆

Eu termino The Church and the Crown com um sorriso enorme no rosto, entre o Quinto sendo um bobão e obrigando os mosqueteiros a gritar “um por todos e todos por um!” e a Erimem finalmente recebendo o convite pra continuar viajando na TARDIS. É apenas a segunda história e ainda assim a química do elenco tá nas alturas e existe um carinho entre os personagens que aquece meu coração. Um puro histórico muito bom e um triunfo pras aventuras do Quinto Doutor, tem muita coisa pra tirar de bom dessa história. E a capa é linda.

Crítica completa: aqui.

◆ Nekromanteia - ☆☆☆☆☆

“No one is born innocent in this district, Doctor” talvez seja o resumo perfeito de Nekromanteia. Uma história cheia de personagens desagradáveis e asquerosos que dá desgosto de ouvir; o único alento sendo o elenco regular que tenta salvar o que pode desse desastre. E, claro, como a história não se dá por satisfeits, ela passa as suas duas horas desrespeitando dito elenco. Que, de verdade, tá se esforçando. Mas o Peter Davidson estava certíssimo de ter se revoltado aqui.

Crítica completa: aqui.

◆ The Axis of Insanity - ★★★☆☆

“The lunatics have taken over the asylum!”, a frase que serve de gancho da primeira parte, é o melhor resumo que The Axis of Insanity poderia pedir. Gira toda em torno de um vilão muito caricato, mas isso hora nenhuma foi um problema - pelo contrário, é um exemplo de personagem de uma nota só que funciona muito bem porque a atuação e a dinâmica com o resto do elenco compensa a simplicidade. É também uma narrativa em que toda a TARDIS team tem boa agência em várias cenas e eles saem ganhando por isso. Não é nem de longe uma das minhas histórias favoritas - sério, eu não exagerei falando pra não ouvir com dor de cabeça - mas é divertidinha e cumpre bem o que propõe ser.

Crítica completa: aqui.

◆ The Roof of the World

◆ Three’s a Crowd

◆ The Council of Nicaea

◆ The Kingmaker

◆ The Gathering

◆ Son of the Dragon

◆ The Mind’s Eye/Mission of the Viyrans

◆ The Bride of Peladon

◆ The Judgement of Isskar

◆ The Destroyer of Delights

◆ The Chaos Pool

- Classic Doctor, New Stories

◆ Fallen Angels

◆ Empire of the Racnoss

- The Companion Chronicles

◆ The Darkening Eye

◆ Freakshow

◆ Ringpullworld

◆ Peri and the Piscon Paradox

- The Lost Stories

◆ The Elite

◆ Hexagora

◆ The Children of Seth

◆ Nightmare Country

- Short Trips

◆ The Ingenious Gentleman Adric of Alzarius

◆ Sock Pig

◆ The King of the Dead

◆ The Deep

◆ The Second Oldest Question

◆ Downward Spiral

◆ The Monkey House

◆ Lant Land

◆ Trap for Fools

◆ Rulebook

◆ The Meaning of Red

◆ A Room With No View

Books

◆ Goth Opera

◆ The Crystal Bucephalus

◆ Lords of the Storm

◆ The Sands of Time

◆ Cold Fusion

◆ The Ultimate Treasure

◆ Zeta Major

◆ Deep Blue

◆ Divided Loyalties

◆ Imperial Moon

◆ The King of Terror

◆ Superior Beings

◆ Warmonger

◆ Fear of the Daleks

◆ Empire of Death

#Quinto Doutor #Doc Thoughts

0 notes

i-am-become-a-name · 3 years

Text

tegan jovanka twisting stuff around about not being given permission to speak by the sontarans to the extent that the doctor ends up asking her for permission to speak, my beloved.

#i love her!!!!!!!!!!#i really do i can't emphasise how much #tegan #five #heroes of sontar #audios #i'm listening to audios i've already heard since i can't go on the three hour walk to listen to new ones and even now #my brother absolutely keeps standing outside my door until i pause it so he can tell me something pointless and stupid

6 notes · View notes

whoinwhoville · 7 years

Link

Rating: General Audience Relationships: Tenth Doctor (duplicate)/Rose Tyler Characters: Tenth Doctor (duplicate), Rose Tyler, Tony Tyler Additional Tags: Crack, Humor, What is this even?, Transformers - Freeform, Optimus Prime - Freeform, evil emporor zorgon, Princess Leia - Freeform, Bumblebee - Freeform, mr. potatohead, Fluff Series: Part 4 of Whoville's Follower Milestone Celebration Summary:

The Doctor and Rose babysit Tony Tyler and play with Transformers. Crack.

Written for @ofstormsandwolves, winner of the Tentoo x Rose ficlet from my Follower Milestone Celebration. Prompt was, “Tentoo and Rose babysit Tony.”

“Doctor!” Red-headed Tony Tyler jumped into the Doctor’s arms.

The Doctor swooped Tony up and onto his shoulders. “What do you want to do today?”

“Play with toys! I brought Bumblebee, Mr. Potatohead, and a Bad Guy. We can play Transformers!”

“Sounds brilliant.”

“Your dad and me, we haven’t had a date in ages," Jackie told Rose. "Going to see a film -- and one that's not animated, thank heavens, and then down to the pub for a pint and a quiz. Shouldn’t be out too late.”

“Have fun, Mum. Don’t worry about the time. Tony can spend the night even.”

Jackie handed her daughter Tony’s Transformers-themed rucksack. “He brought his whole room with him, I think. And there’s a surprise in there from his Dad. Spoils him rotten, that man.”

“And you love it.” Rose hugged her mother. “Have fun!”

oOo

“It’s Ultimate Prime! It’s Ultimate Prime!” Tony exclaimed, tearing open the package to get to his new toy.

“It’s from Dad. Make sure you thank him, Tony,” Rose said.

“I will." He grinned. "Doctor, let’s play Transformers!”

“Oh! Transformers are brilliant! Who do I get to be?”

Tony ran to get his bag of toys, and pulled out a Mr. Potato Head. “Give him a scary face. He’s an alien potato.”

“Oh! I’ll make him a Sontaran!” the Doctor squealed as he opened the flap in back and dumped out the silly pieces.

Rose laughed in the background. “Lunch will be ready in about ten minutes, boys. Cheesy noodles.”

“Oh, brilliant!” the two ‘boys’ drawled in unison.

“I am Staal!” the Doctor said in a deep voice. “Sontar ha!”

“Sontor ha!” copied Tony.

“Did I ever tell you about the time that a Sontaran named Skunk—“

“Skunk!” Tony giggled. “Was he stinky?”

“Was he stinky? He stunk worse than a Blorgallian Bog Dog, and that is very stinky. Rose got licked by one once, and she stunk for days. Bog Dogs are very affectionate.”

“Oi! I heard that! You pushed me into that bog, if I recall,” she called from the kitchen.

“To save you from that herd of Areyouesses that was coming for you!”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Tony covered his mouth and laughed. “Was that Leather You or This Hair you?”

“Leather.”

Tony leaned in close. “Rose took me to Henrik’s last week. She was looking at leather coats. She kept sniffing 'em. Isn't that strange?” Tony whispered into the Doctor’s ear.

"Not strange at all," the Doctor grinned.

“Well I think it's weird. Did you know your birthday is coming up? You’re gonna be one!” Tony giggled. “I’m older than you are! I’m older than you are!” he sang.

The Doctor winked at him. “That’s my spy — you just keep your eyes open.”

Tony picked up his new toy. “I’m Ultimate Prime, and I’m going to save the universe from the evil emperor Zorgon!”

“Zygon?” asked the Doctor.

“No, Doctor." He rolled his eyes just like his big sister. "Zygons look like a boy thing.”

Rose snorted a laugh, and the Doctor choked.

“A Zygon tried to infiltrate 10 Downing about two years ago,” Rose called from the kitchen, still laughing. “I didn’t know that Tony was peeking over my shoulder. The little spy."

The Doctor elbowed and winked at Tony.

"He saw a picture of the thing on my laptop. He laughed about it for days.”

Tony picked up a figurine with a long pointy beard and arched eyebrows. “I’m the evil emperor Zorgon! I’m here to destroy your planet!”

“What is Skunk the Sontaran supposed to do? Jump on him? Clone him?” asked the Doctor.

“Nothing. He watches. Ultimate Prime is the hero.”

The Doctor frowned.

Playtime continued for a few more minutes until Rose called them for lunch. The toys were abandoned on the floor.

oOo

“I’m an Ood,” Tony said, mouth full, spaghetti noodles hanging down his chin.

“Put those back in your mouth, little man,” Rose admonished. “What would Mum say?”

“Mum would put me in time out, but Dad would laugh and do it too. And then Mum would say, you keep doing that and you’re cut off. What does cut off mean, Rose? Mum would never cut off Dad’s arm or something, would she?”

Rose shook her head forcefully. “No! It’s like grownup time out.”

“Do you ever get grownup time out, Doctor? You’re always doing messy stuff like Ood noodles.”

The Doctor tugged on his ear, and Rose raised an eyebrow and smirked. His head snapped towards the lounge.

“What’s wrong, Doctor?” Rose asked. “I know that look.”

“Did you hear something, Rose? Tony? I heard something. Like a high-pitched zinging sound. I haven’t heard the sound… in years. Very distinctive.”

Rose and shook her head, and Tony continued to slurp noodles.

“I didn’t hear anything, Doctor,” said Rose.

“I know I heard something.”

“Maybe it was Ultimate Prime. The package says he talks and makes sounds,” Rose suggested.

“You’re probably right.”

“Hurry up and eat already, I want to play!” Tony nagged, his plate now empty.

"Tony, you go wash the cheese off of your hands and face, and then we'll play."

Tony scurried off.

“Rose, I’m serious. That robot toy? Alien tech.”

“Come on, Doctor,” she drawled. “It’s just a toy. It whirrs and walks and talks. I put the batteries in myself, and there’s a gift receipt. Mum got it at We B’ Toys.”

“Not a toy.” The Doctor crossed his arms. "Transformers do not emit a level two sub-sonic universal greeting."

"Is it dangerous?" she asked.

"No, no, no!" he grinned. "Very friendly. The friendliest of greetings! Usually precedes the offering of gifts or blessings."

“All right, then. You try and take it from Tony.” Rose crossed her arms right back at him.

oOo

“Chhhhssshhhhhh!” Tony flew the robot toy above his head. He came to a screeching halt and held Bad Guy Zorgon face to face with Ultimate Prime.

“I’m Emperor Zorgon! And you will obey me!” he hissed. “Evil Ultimate Prime, I command you to fire!” Tony held the red robot high above his head.

“Tony, we have a surprise for you. Rose is going to take you to get a treat.”

“A treat, Doctor?” Rose asked.

“Yep. Ice cream.” The Doctor leveled a look that meant business.

Rose nodded, and then swept her five year old brother into his arms. “Go on, give your toys to the Doctor. Can’t have the evil robot and the emporor Zorgon threatening innocent people at the ice creamery.”

“Awwww, do I have to?” Tony whinged.

“Yep.”

Tony handed the toys to the Doctor, a thick lower lip pooching out.

oOo

Tony held the maraschino cherry above his mouth and then grabbed it with his teeth before sticking his finger into the generous dollop of whipped cream on the top of his chocolate-caramel swirl banana split.

“…so Evil Emperor Zorgon shot Ultimate Prime with his sigma ray gun, and BAM! Ultimate Prime turned evil! He can’t even transform into a train engine anymore! Now he transforms into a big roller thing like the ones that make roads! With spikes! And laser beams that shoot out of his eyes!”

“Well that is certainly terrifying, Tony. Do you think the Doctor could save him?”

“Of course he could! The Doctor can do anything.”

“Can I have a bite of your sundae?”

“No. Get your own,” he said, caramel dripping down his chin.

“Oi! You’ve been around the Doctor too much. Rude.”

“Rose, I want to be just like him when I grow up.”

“Of course you do.” Rose smiled at him fondly.

Tony dropped the spoon on the table. The chocolate ice cream quickly melted into a sticky puddle. He sighed, “I’m done. I can’t eat anymore. Can we go home? I want to play with my new toy.”

“Told ya not to get the large.” Rose rolled her eyes.

oOo

“Hey Tony! Go into the lounge. I put Transformers on the telly! It’s the new-new series, and you get to see it two years before your mates.”

“All right! Woo hoo!” Tony ran into the lounge area of the open loft, and jumped onto the enormous beanbag that was reserved just for him.

Transformers! Robots in the Skies! he sang along as he transformed Bumblebee into her VW Beetle form. He rolled the yellow car over the bumps and valleys of the beanbag as the action began to play out on the holographic screen.

“Psst, Rose,” the Doctor motioned his head towards his lab on the far side of the enormous, formerly industrial space.

Rose crossed her arms. “You’re not gonna tell me it’s alien are you?”

“Most definitely alien. Rose Tyler. I just finished fixing his universal translator. Looks like it was damaged by some sort of a laser weapon."

"You're having me on," she guffawed, but then she saw a flickering hologram projected onto the table, but glitched.

"Hold on." The Doctor pressed his sonic against the side of the robot's armour. "Let's try this again."

"Rose Tyler, you've served the universe as Defender of the Earth. Now I beg you to help us in our struggle against the evil Emperor Zorgon. I regret that I am unable to present my request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Cybertron has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Transformers into the memory systems of Ultimate Prime. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Rose Tyler. You're my only hope.

Rose stared for a moment, and then burst into hysterics.

"You heard him, he needs you, Rose, and this is his desperate hour."

"Right," she drawled. She picked up the toy, turned it over, and showed him the back. "*Press here to record your holographic message* Tony's been begging for this toy for a year. You think I didn't know it could do this? Mum's refused to buy it 'cos it cost a hundred and fifty quid. He must've worn Dad down."

"Tony, you can come out now," the Doctor called. "Rose figured it out."

"Aww," he complained. "But it was a good trick, wasn't it Rose?"

"It was a great one, Tony."

A conspiratorial grin grew on Tony's face. "Doctor, let's do another one. But this time, let's trick Mum!"

#tentoo x rose #ficandchips #kid!fic #onelifenet #tony tyler #crack #fluff #what is this even?#silliness #whoville milestone celebration

21 notes · View notes

tindogpodcast · 4 years

Text

TDP 937: The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villain-Venice-JANE-AIR-BOOK/dp/B0884MH4D6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1590695078&refinements=p_27%3AMichael+Sinclair&s=books&sr=1-1

Victorian London harbours many secrets: alien visitors, strange phenomena and unearthly powers.

But a trio of investigators stands ready to delve into such mysteries: the Great Detective, Madame Vastra, her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint, and their loyal valet, Strax.

If an impossible puzzle needs solving, or a grave injustice needs righting, help can be found on Paternoster Row.

But even heroes can never escape their past...

3.1 Family Matters by Lisa McMullin

Jenny’s past comes calling at Paternoster Row, as Strax takes care of a guest, and the travelling circus comes to town - spelling danger for some of the gang.

But when family matters intrude on their marriage, the last thing Jenny wants is Vastra having her in-laws for dinner...

3.2 Whatever Remains by Robert Valentine

The Great Detective’s latest case takes Vastra and friends to the Jurassic coast. A local landowner has vanished. The only clue – the footprints of a gigantic creature!

As Strax suffers the attentions of an amorous landlady, Jenny gains an admirer of her own. And Vastra discovers something buried deep...

3.3 Truth and Bone by Roy Gill

Bloomsbury troublemakers Stonn and Tom Foster are back, and in much more trouble than ever before.

Sontar has turned its attention to Earth as Requisitioner Skark looks to retrieve missing soldiers. And Jenny finds Vastra preoccupied with the past, which may lead to a very dark future...

A new Tin Dog Podcast

0 notes

doctorwhonews · 7 years

Text

The War Doctor - Box Set 3: Agents of Chaos

Latest Review: --- STARRING: John Hurt (The War Doctor) + Jacqueline Pearce (Cardinal Ollistra) WITH: 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) --- PRODUCTION CREDITS: Written By: David Llewellyn, Andrew Smith + Ken Bentley Director: Nicholas Briggs, Sound Design/ Music: Howard Carter Producer: David Richardson, Script Editor: Matt Fitton Executive Producers: Jason Haigh-Ellery + Nicholas Briggs Cover Art: Tom Webster Duration: 250 Mins Product Format: 4-disc CD (slipcover box set) --- Released October 2016 BIG FINISH PRODUCTIONS He was once intended as just a one-shot player in The Day Of The Doctor. But over the ensuing four or so years, the War Doctor has garnered plenty of new material. He had his own full length novel in the shape of Engines of War (written by George Mann), and also was designated the opening short story in the Heroes And Monsters anthology, as well as popping up in The Shakespeare Notebooks. (All three of these were published by BBC Books). More recently, this most destructive, but no less noble incarnation of the title hero was instrumental in the timey-wimey contortions of the Year Two arc in Titan's Eleventh Doctor comic book line, (having already featured in The Four Doctors 'event' of 2015). Although when first introduced in the Series 7 finale, there was a sense of shame and terrible wrongdoing connected to him, Who followers quickly came to bond with the War Doctor, and have a firm investment concerning both his wellbeing, and his effectiveness in saving the day. We now have sadly lost the main force behind this character being so enduring, as John Hurt passed away in January of this year. However, he obviously leaves behind a considerable legacy owing to his many years in TV and film, as well as radio and theatre. This is the third box set from Big Finish to afford Hurt the primary starring role, and was released last Autumn. A fourth and final one is due to come to the market soon. As with the first and second miniseries, there is both standard adventurous narrative, with twists and turns typical of most Doctor Who, but also a vein of dark comedy and satire; one example being the standard under-estimation of how Dalek armour can withstand standard 20th Century Earth handguns. Also persisting, in terms of the thematic core behind the storytelling, is the sense of war time chaos and suffering, which underlines the long history of human conflict in real life on our planet. In comparison to how he was portrayed in the Eleventh Doctor comics, this War Doctor embodies perhaps a little more typical humour that we associate with the 'regular' Doctor of any given TV era, and he also is quick to bond with strangers, too. But then again, such is the tempestuous nature of war, and the effects it has, there should be no surprise that can be more open to accepting others' company at different points in this (unofficial) regeneration than others. Regarding the other major starring performer of these original stories from Big Finish - namely Jacqueline Pearce - this set offers the character of Ollistra the most audio time so far, and therefore also the most character development. Pearce is quite incapable of a dull and phoned-in performance, and like Tom Baker, or Hurt himself, has a richly unique voice. --- The Shadow Vortex is a fun romp, if perhaps the least successful in overall impact of the three plays. It is set in the Cold War - 1961 to be exact - and involves the British, Germans and Russians .. plus of course the Daleks themselves. It is also yet another adventure where the Daleks have a ruthless and duplicitous agent working on their behalf - namely Lara Zannis (Neve McIntosh). There is also some fine development for one of the Stasi officials, who initially tries to subdue the (English-accented) War Doctor. Kruger, however, is outwitted by a man he thought he could break, before going onto assume the perennial - yet always intriguing - 'pseudo companion' role. Added into the mix, are some internal political tensions running amongst the British scientific establishment, not to mention threats to causality, time lines, and planet Earth. It all comes together into making a season opener that will engage and surprise enough, thus leaving the listener wanting access to the next story - and in double-quick time. The second entry - denominated The Eternity Cage - is arguably the jewel in the crown of the set, and one of the best stories altogether in the War Doctor's saga. It offers the possibility of the brutal Sontarans becoming a viable faction in the Time War. There are some great plot twists and revelations. It also is welcome to see the mutually captive Dalek Time Strategist and Cardinal form an alliance; however temporary and involuntary in nature that may be. The Doctor acquires a motley crew of would-be rescuers to help him in extricating Ollistra from the clutches of the squat and brutal warmongers from Sontar, who are led by the uncompromising General Fesk (Dan Starkey). Chief amongst his new allies is a boy called Kalan, who is native to Rovidia (where the action mostly takes place). He reminds one of Leela, in that he is technically primitive but loyal and proactive. This supporting character also features in the ensuing finale to the box set. It of course helps that so many TV viewers will know the Sontarans. This may be in connection to Strax, who was part of the recurring Paternoster Gang, or owing to one of the stories to feature them as out-and-out foes. They always have made for a worthy antagonist, but some degree of humour is always involved too. In this middle episode, we do get a pretty emphatic reminder that sometimes their ambitions are simply a little too bold. It also is an asset that Andrew Smith is behind the play's script. Smith first broke into the Doctor Who business, when the program was still in its 'classic era' phase, all the way back in Season 18. He has more recently done a good number of these Big Finish audios. Knowing just how to merge with the house style, but also to offer something that typifies the show in having a mesmerising 'hook' or conceit behind the narrative, he paces this story to perfection. Consequently its 'cliff-hanger' works to the very best effect. The third and final story is primarily set in the TARDIS itself, but makes full and profitable use of the Eye Of Harmony aspect. Despite having the story take place in one location, the TARDIS is never a dull place - such is its endlessly changing and infinite nature. And by having a small cast, all concerned get their chance to contribute in a meaningful fashion. The main point of interest is the extent of Ollistra's involvement in the final outcome. She displays some more overt heroism, as well as seemingly genuine concern for others' wellbeing. However, the coda, which is brilliantly executed, reminds everyone of just how fickle and opportunistic high-ranking politicians can be. --- With this particular box set being released, the Time War mystery is slightly less opaque. However, there are some more questions raised along with the answers: Just how confined was it in terms of space and time, despite the assertions of the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors? And how many other races tried to muscle their way into the aeons-old conflict between the children of Davros, and the Gallifreyans? These three stories can all stand on their own, but together in this set they all resonate stronger. The initial story in mid 20th century Europe is more separate, in the sense that it barely qualifies for Time War status, but still offers jeopardy in terms of changing history and its effect on the wider Web of Time. The other two entries are rather more traditionally located back in the broader war occurring across the cosmos. Yet, clearly a lot of careful work has been done by script editor Matt Fitton to make the trinity of Time War episodes feel suitably cohesive. The theme of a traitor (or two) in the ranks is well-utilised, as is the major new Dalek character. The Dalek Time Strategist is unrelentingly sure in its abilities to forecast what is come, and for much of the trilogy this clairvoyance appears to be a most formidable tool in the Dalek's arsenal. Nicholas Briggs does fine work with the Dalek ‘foot soldiers’, but his main achievement as a cast member is breathing life into the strategist. Chilling, loathsome and yet also arresting, this thorn in the War Doctor's side can be ranked amongst some of the best villains. Compared to Only The Monstrous and Infernal Devices, there is a little more mellow side to the Doctor here, that complements his moral outrage and consternation at the horrors he comes across. His "Not that old chestnut" retort, when threatened with either the "easy" or "hard way" interrogation method, shows much of the more 'normal' Doctor of years and decades gone by. Also, his confidence in leading a team, or issuing orders shows how much he welcomes slipping into his 'old shoes', and becoming a somewhat standard hero - at least for the time being. But still, at times difficult choices are required of him. And the very ending of the third story sees him powerless to save all he would have intended to. Where the fourth and final set of adventure - Casualties Of War - will take Hurt's Doctor is still open to speculation - especially given his mixed fortunes in overcoming opposition, and keeping the Time Lords' chances of triumph as strong as he possibly can. The supporting cast here are generally strong, with several exceptional performances. Kalan - portrayed by Josh Bolt - is consistently engaging, and helps to give his two stories some emotional heart and soul. As good as the plots are, there is much sci-fi technobabble and large scale action, that require some serious 'mind's eye' work on the part of the listener. Bolt manages to diminish the conscious effort involved. Dan Starkey is also tremendous fun as Fesk, as well as the Sontarans that serve under him. Whilst Kevin Lindsay set a high standard in the 1970s as Linx and Styre, Starkey is the definitive modern Doctor Who clone warrior - much in the same way Briggs encapsulates latter-day Daleks. Out of the guest female cast, I would say that Honeysuckle Weeks is more memorable than Neve McIntosh, but it also helps that she is given more to do, and that her character has a fuller back-story that is linked to previous adventures for the War Doctor. Elsewhere, Timothy Speyer, Helen Goldwyn, Matthew Cottle, Barnaby Edwards and Andrew French all authentically portray the given attributes and drawbacks of a particular character. Music is first-rate yet again, thanks to the creative gifts of Howard Carter, and also makes for a welcome separate track, that can be enjoyed in isolation from the sound and fury of the plays themselves. This bonus feature allows the listener to recall the most stirring moments of the three tales, and is just as welcome as the standard inclusion of cast and crew interviews. Carter also is again at hand to provide some convincing audio effects, amongst them are various weapons firing, as well as unusual devices such as The Eternity Cage itself, not to mention the startling portrayal of the War Doctor drifting away (potentially endlessly) - thanks to the actions of someone who is not all they appear to be. Whatever the punctuation of sound needed to make these stories feel fully alive, the appropriate effect is invariably selected. --- SUMMARY Whilst the loss of John Hurt will resonate for a long time to come, this CD/ Digital Download release is yet another example of us being able to celebrate all the great skill and magnetism the man was capable of. From the (typically revealing) behind the scenes material, there is a clear sense of how others put their all into collaborating with him, and make a strong, firm effort to raise their own bar so as to match his sheer class and artistic integrity. Furthermore, out of the three box sets released thus far, this works best in offering straightforward, easy-to-follow entertainment. Perhaps less new ground is broken here than in some of the earlier stories of Sets One and Two, but regardless there is a palpable sense of a cast and crew totally in synch with the material that they are working on. David Richardson, alongside Jason Haigh-Ellery, has once again assembled a top-notch original production, which does justice to the core idea that sprung from Nicholas Brigg's seemingly boundless creativity. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2017/02/the_war_doctor_box_set_3_agents_of_chaos.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

#BIG FINISH. AUDIO #GALLIFREY #{s{AgentsofChaos}}

0 notes