Saturday, 1 February 2014

8th Doctor: Season Two (2002)

Invaders from Mars
is much more like it, a fun pastiche with a host of great characters & a great cast.  It does go off the rails completely once the aliens turn up, though. But overall an enjoyable and much more polished start to mcgann's 2nd batch of plays. Even David Arnold's theme arrangement has grown on me a bit by now. Still not that keen though.  7/10


The Chimes of Midnight
This is the 1st example of greatness in the 8th Doctor's audio stories. Creepy & affecting, with great guest performances & a strong leading performance from Paul McGann,  begins to develop the ongoing story of the consequences of the Doctor rescuing Charley from the R101.  is a good old fashioned Christmas ghost story with a time paradox that's all linked to Charley's survival.  10/10


Living Legend
is a throwaway jokey extra, akin to a children in need "comedy" bit. At just over 20 minutes, it thankfully doesn't outstay its welcome, but it's very much one joke stretched to breaking point. Forgettable. 5/10

Seasons of Fear
 is a strong well plotted story with a brilliant rehabilitation of a once naff monster & a satisfying use of time travel 8/10


Embrace the Darkness
is a nicely creepy slice of sci fi but the characters never really sink in & it just seems to fade away rather than really knowing how to end or properly resolve the two sets of aliens. 6.5/10


The Time of the Daleks
sees the 8th Doctor encounter his nemeses for the 1st time, in an indistinct and boring letdown of a story. McGann is great going up against the Daleks but there's not a single concept in the story that isn't paper thin & wasted.  Nothing really happens to or about Shakespeare & the threat of time travel is literally smoke & mirrors.  Highly unusually for Nick Briggs and Big Finish, even some of the Dalek voices are a bit off. 3/10 


Neverland
starts off as quite the continuity bound impenetrable tale of clinical technobabble-ridden Gallifrey but thankfully  quickly opens out into a really epic feeling voyage into the unknown with the anti time villains of the ongoing Charley/paradox story finally coming to a head, with strands from recent stories pulling together. Brilliant cliffhanger too. 8/10

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