Big Finish Main Range
Something about this story is a jumble for me. It just doesn’t jell right… As vampire stories go, it’s fine and all atmospheric but for some reason, I just never really felt the threat of Reggie Mead. Even as he’s smashing things with a baseball bat and torturing Cassie, I just don’t feel the threat. I think this episode would be a 5 out of 5 if it was on TV! You could convey the menace and threat of Reggie and the coy, subtle use of the doctor by Amelia much better through a visual medium.
“Amelia I’m not blaming you… It’s difficult for me because you’re…”
“Because we’re different. Because we’re not like you!”
“Yes, yes. You’re probably right, it’s just… oh, nevermind it’s not important. We are still fighting for the same goal, I suppose.”
“Yes. We are.”
Meanwhile, he just told Evelyn that “their kind” hunted down the time lords because they made the mistake of setting them free from whatever dimension they were imprisoned in so it’s his duty to hunt them down. Overlooking the fact that these are vampire/human hybrids so not exactly what he dealt with before.
Amelia just plays him like a flute and he goes along with it, snowballed by her charm, one can only assume! I have no idea why the Doctor feels he needs to help, other than this normal “I must help” and do it wrong impulse he has.
So eh, it just doesn’t float my boat or make me feel the menace like I think it could. One of those indefinable things for me. This is definitely one of those episodes where I think it could work soooo much better for other people, too. I’d fight for a low rating on Pier Pressure and for The One Doctor being the best 6th Dr. adventure ever but this one, eh, whatever. Just not inspiring but vampires haven’t ever really gotten under my skin. The stark menace of a cyberman now that communicates itself much better in audio than in the visual medium. They’re just huge and menacing and cold hearted in my imagination but somehow they’re never really 10 feet tall on TV. Ooo, sorry. Eight feet tall, to be precise.
Colin Baker and Maggie Stables
Writers: Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Director: Gary Russell
Release: August 2001