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Beccaland's Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: Circular Time
TARDIS team: Fifth Doctor and Nyssa
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Occasionally Big Finish likes to do a release of four thematically-linked episodes instead of one story told across four episodes. The theme here is, loosely speaking, seasonal. I always love the rapport between Five and Nyssa, and this rather introspective look at both of their unusual relationships to time was nifty. I did wish that a couple of the episodes had been given the full two-hour treatment (or one hour at least), because I didn't feel like we got satisfying conclusions. But on the other hand, it's sort of nice to see that sometimes they aren't the center of the story.
#doctor who#big finish audio#beccaland's bite-sized big finish reviews#fifth doctor#nyssa of traken#queuebliette of eternity
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Beccaland's Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: The Reaping, The Gathering, The Harvest (Cybermen trilogy)
The Reaping
TARDIS team: Sixth Doctor and Peri
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite:Hoo boy, Peri Backstory and how! When Peri learns the death of a dear family friend, she persuades the Doctor to take her to the funeral. We meet her mom and her best friend, and get glimpses into what her family life was like just before her fateful trip to Lanzarote. It's pretty much non-stop angst, but with Cybermen. The soundscape is brilliant--creepy and atmospheric. I'm usually not a fan of Big Finish attempts to do stories set in "America," but this one did a decent job of not reminding me that it was written and mostly performed by people with only a sketchy idea of America. This might be my favorite of the trilogy, actually.
The Gathering
TARDIS team: Fifth Doctor and Tegan
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Janet Fielding deserves all the credit for the greatness this audio (well ok, Peter Davison also deserves some of it). This is not the Tegan who decided to quit her job and go traveling with the Doctor. This is Tegan at 46, who's suffering from a brain tumor and probably also PTSD from her experiences with the Doctor, and is trying to come to grips with her life and hey death, as best as she can. And she's still as brassy and as brave of heart as ever. The Doctor himself only runs into her by accident. Also Peri's old friend (whom he hasn't met yet). And of course, there are Cybermen, in another rather bleak plot that reinforces my argument that these monsters are more a meme than a race. If you like angst, this story is for you. If you like Tegan, this story is for you.
The Harvest
TARDIS team: Seventh Doctor, Ace, and Hex (his debut story)
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: This story was first to be recorded, with the other two parts of the trilogy only being conceived of later. I listened to them in order, but I don't think I would have enjoyed this one as much without the other two. The Doctor and Ace are on form, with Ace taking on more mature responsibilities (this seems to be quite-a-bit-post-No Future-Ace, and I welcome it) and already kind of mentoring Hex--a new companion who has a loose connection to Sixth Doctor companion Evelyn Smythe. For me, this audio is more interesting for the characters than for the story.
Conclusion: all three of these stories work as stand-alones, though only The Harvest was intended to be such. I do recommend them as a trilogy. It only takes a little stretching of the imagination to buy into the implausible indirect interconnectedness of so many of the Doctor's friends and acquaintances.
#doctor who#big finish audio#beccaland's bite-sized big finish reviews#fifth doctor#sixth doctor#seventh doctor#tegan jovanka#peri brown#ace mcshane#hex schofield#queuebliette of eternity
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Beccaland's Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: Singularity
TARDIS team: Fifth Doctor and Turlough
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Finally, a Turlough story I got really enthusiastic about! There's a creepy cult/pod-people plot (not unusual Doctor Who fare) set in modern-ish Russia and involving the remnants of humanity from the far future. Turlough gets to be his best cynical-hero self, and we get a bit more of his backstory, which was great, and foreshadowing of Planet of Fire, which was also fun. The Fifth Doctor is also on form, with his era's particular mixture of dogged hope and uprightness in the face of a story that wants to nihilistically crush him, but it can't because HE'S JUST TOO GOOD AND NICE. I wish all Turlough stories were this good, or even almost this good.
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Beccaland’s Bite-Sized Big Finish Reviews Big Finish Fourth Doctor Sale
Big Finish have got a sale on the first five series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures, plus some of the novel adaptations, until 30 August 2018. In order to facilitate your decision-making, I thought I’d give some quick reviews of the ones on sale that I’ve listened to, under the cut. Plus at the end of my post I’ve listed some of the ones I haven’t listed to, but am considering buying while they’re on sale; I welcome your advice!
Doctor Who - The Lost Stories: The Fourth Doctor Box Set
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: It’s been a while since I listened to this, and I’ve only listened to it once, which is some indication of its middle-of-the-road-ness. It’s a nostalgic return to the Hinchcliffe era, and I liked it well enough. It wouldn’t be top of my list for buying, though.
The Wrath of the Iceni
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Big Finish generally does a good job of delving into the tension between the Doctor’s non-violent philosophy and Leela’s preference for, shall we way, direct action. This story is no exception. If you’re a fan of historical adventures, definitely get this one.
The Auntie Matter
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana I
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Doctor Who does P.G. Wodehouse BRILLIANTLY. Put this one at the very top of your list!
A British dandy who has a history of short but intense relationships takes a fancy to Romana, but his titular Auntie has her own ideas. Meanwhile the Doctor and Romana appear to be having completely separate adventures from one another. Unbeknownst to either party, their shenanigans overlap for better and for worse. Also there’s a robot who nearly steals the show.
The Justice of Jalxar
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana I
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: This one gets rave reviews from most quarters, and it is indeed very good. Plus, it’s got Jago and Litefoot! Basically, there’s a masked, superpowered vigilante running around Victorian London. What’s not to like?
The King of Sontar
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Sontarans rarely get treated with any depth, but this story is an exception. Dan Starkey has been playing Sontarans long enough to have developed some real insight into their psychology, and between him and always-on-form writer John Dorney, the Sontaran culture has never been better developed than it is here (though as I recall, the Eighth Doctor’s story in Classic Doctors, New Monsters Vol. 1 also does a pretty good job). Plus, Leela interacting with a Sontaran who isn’t just an angry cartoon potato is nifty.
Philip Hinchcliffe Presents Vol. 1
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: I loved the Hinchcliffe era of Classic Who, and quite enjoyed this return to it, but at the same time, I was a bit underwhelmed. Neither of the two stories in this set wowed me; I find I don’t have a lot to say about it.
The Romance of Crime
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: I very much enjoyed the Missing Adventure novel from which this audio is adapted, and like Big Finish’s other novel adaptations, this one lives up to my expectations. There’s lots of lovely intrigue and John Dorney’s usual quality scriptwriting to enjoy.
The English Way of Death
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: See above re: novel adaptations, except this one is even better.
Note that you can get both these two adaptations standalone or in a box set. Though the box set is also on sale, it costs significantly more than buying both stories separately. But you do get nifty bonus features, if you’re into that.
Requiem for the Rocket Men
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Leela and the Fourth Doctor meet the famed Rocket Men, in an adventure not to be missed! It’s right up there with the best in the lineup for this sale. Despite knowing that Leela doesn’t actually depart with this story, there’s a real pathos and tension to her journey here and in the subsequent story, Death Match. Plus, the Beevers Master is in fine form, and K-9 gets lots to do!
Really, you should buy this, and The Rocket Men, and Return of the Rocket Men (Ian Chesterton and Steven Taylor Companion Chronicles, respectively), and then also get The Crowmarsh Experiment (standalone or in its box set). Don’t forget to also buy Death Match, because although the Rocket Men’s story is wrapped up in this installation, Requiem ends on a cliffhanger.
Death Match
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Leela
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Not nearly as good as the first half of this story, but absolutely necessary to conclude that little arc (though you really should also check out the superlative The Crowmarsh Experiment, which is, alas, not part of this sale, but includes a sort of coda to Leela and Marshall’s story). The Beevers Master is the highlight of this story, and John Leeson as K-9 is brilliant as always.
The Well-Mannered War
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: See above re: novel adaptations, except this one isn’t nearly as good as the other two. Basically, there’s a centuries-long unofficial cease-fire in an interplanetary war, and everyone’s quite chummy when the Doctor and Romana arrive. But politicians are stirring things up for their political gain.
TW: The Chelonians are treated as rather a joke, and there’s transphobic elements to those jokes (same goes for The Highest Science, a Seventh Doctor and Benny novel adaptation which I nevertheless enjoyed more than this one).
Note that you can also get this in a Novel Adaptations box set with Damaged Goods, a Seventh Doctor, Roz, and Cwej story (novel by RTD, adapted by Jonathan Morris) which I think is much superior to this one. If it were me and I was considering buying TWMW, I’d buy the box set in this instance, since buying Damaged Goods on its own is $13 on download; this way you get two stories--one pretty good and one very good--for a very good price.
Wave of Destruction
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Other people seemed to like this one more than I did, but although I remember liking it pretty well, it hasn’t left a strong impression and honestly I don’t remember it well enough to write a very good review of it.
The Paradox Planet
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: This is a fascinating and compelling take on what can happen when people start using time as a weapon of war. Pity that Legacy of Death didn’t live up to the promise of the first installment.
Legacy of Death
TARDIS team: Fourth Doctor and Romana II
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: The Paradox Planet gave us a brilliant setup, but the whole thing sort of falls apart in this second installment. John Leeson as K-9 is the highlight of this story (and many others).
BONUS RECS based on various review blogs, here are the Fourth Doctor adventures I’m thinking of buying in this sale, with an asterisk next to the ones that sound most interesting to me:
Renaissance Man*
The Sands of Life
War Against the Laan
Phantoms of the Deep*
White Ghosts
Last of the Colophon
The Abandoned*
Suburban Hell
The Cloisters of Terror (mostly for the return of Liz Shaw’s mum Emily, from the superlative Companion Chronicle The Last Post)
The Labyrinth of Buda Castle
Gallery of Ghouls
The Trouble with Drax
The Pursuit of History
Casualties of Time
If you’ve listened to any of the above and want to recommend which of them I should snatch up, please let me know in a reblog!
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Beccaland's Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: Arrangements for War and Thicker than Water
Arrangements for War
TARDIS team: Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Sixie is a romantic idiot. Two young star-crossed lovers defy fate and the threat of war. Evelyn tries to be the sensible one, but love is in the air and she falls for a politician who sounds exactly like Sutekh the Destroyer. He turns out to be a very nice guy. War is not averted, with tragic consequences. We get a lot of insight into Sixie’s character.
Thicker than Water
TARDIS team: Six and Mel
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Bite: Sixie apparently can’t stop talking about his dear old Evelyn, and Mel suggests a visit. Surprisingly, he agrees! We get some flashbacks to how they went back to the planet of the romantic idiots and Evelyn left his company to marry the politician who isn’t Sutekh the Destroyer. There’s a Dr. Mengele plot but who cares about that; it’s all about the character work. Safe to say Evelyn and Sixie develop a very special bond that few companions in the history of Doctor Who can rival. And it’s well-deserved!
#doctor who#big finish audio#beccaland's bite-sized big finish reviews#sixth doctor#evelyn smythe#mel bush#colin baker#maggie stables#bonnie langford#gabriel woolf
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Beccaland’s Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: The Fearmonger
TARDIS team: Seven and Ace
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Summary: The Doctor and Ace are on the trail of a monster that feeds on (and can psychically induce) fear and paranoia. Conveniently, they've landed in some kind of parallel timeline Britain which is ruled by a paper-thin pastiche of Maggie Thatcher fascist president. In this setting, I was expecting Ace to blow a lot more stuff up than she actually did. It's enjoyable enough, though it doesn't break new ground in any way. There's a lot of very convincing misdirection, but a little over halfway through, I was really losing the overall threads. It probably would have been better if it had been two or three parts rather than four--seemingly a common problem with early Big Finish, but in their defense it's a frequent issue with the Classic Series, too.
#doctor who#big finish audio#beccaland's bite-sized big finish reviews#seventh doctor#ace mcshane#DW: The Fearmonger#queuebliette of eternity
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Beccaland’s Bite-sized Big Finish Reviews: Insurgency
Team Gallifrey: (Romana, Leela, K-9, Narvin)
Rating: meh | ok | pretty good | great | freaking awesome
Summary:
OMG ROMANA STOP HIDING FROM YOUR FRIENDS. You NEED your friends. ROMANA WITHOUT FRIENDS=SCARY ROMANA.
Also K-9 is the worst emotional support dog ever.
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