Big Finish - 8th Doctor Special Release
I usually review these stories separately but it was such an easy listen, moving from story to story, that I was through it like a slip-and-slide. I have to admit that the Eleven is a fascinating villain though I did expect more villains, seeing as “coalition” definitely implies more than one. I don’t really see the Eleven continuing as a bad guy due to the stellar manipulator basically imploding at the end of the story. But you never can be sure in a Dr. Who story!
The first story, The Eleven, is a lot of Time Lords chasing their own tails around the capital of Gallifrey. Is it just me or do the guards of Gallifrey seem more like keystone cops without the music? They can’t seem to get anything right. Always people escape quite easily – it seems to be more of their reputation that they depend on to keep the peace instead of actual ability.
The most haunting and terrifying story is the second one – The Red Lady, which could be a standalone story. What do you do when you see a lady in an image and she seems distant, but keeps getting closer. The closer she gets, the more you want to see her, the more likely you are to die. She’s definitely a spiritual killer, make no mistake! I do wonder what becomes of the pieces of paper the Doctor and Liv Chenka pocket…
The Galileo Trap is by far the most adventure-heavy, with beasties galore. And a waiting planetoid orbiting the Earth or the Sun, I wasn’t really clear on that. I suppose it’s the sun as Galileo considers it a new planet. I enjoyed the Doctor interacting with Galileo but the new companion, Helen Sinclair, is a bit overwhelmed by it all, I think. This one really shows off the non-human side of Doctor Who while being all on Earth. I did love the bounty hunter cyborg character, Cavalli.
The final story, The Satanic Mill, is my least favorite of the bunch. The Doctor has a plan, of course, but somehow being tortured almost to death is a theme for the 8th Doctor, in order to pop up at the end and go “ooops. Nevermind.” And the new companion is a bit overly enthusiastic but she’ll get the hang of things. Or get killed off. She seems to be making her way okay so far.
Paul McGann (The Doctor), Nicola Walker (Liv Chenka), Hattie Morahan (Helen Sinclair), Robert Bathurst (Padrac), Caroline Langrishe (Lady Farina), Bethan Walker (Kiani), Ramon Tikaram (Castellan), David Yelland (Walter Pritchett), John Woodvine (Galileo Galilei), Harry Myers (Cleaver), Esther Hall (Virginia), Gunnar Cauthery (Cavalli), Ewan Bailey (Count Licori/Father Locke/Orbs), Matthew Cottle (Paine) and Mark Bonnar as The Eleven - with a special appearance by Sylvester McCoy (The Seventh Doctor)
Writers: John Dorney, Matt Fitton, Marc Platt, Edward Collier
Director: Ken Bentley
Release: October 2015