July 14

Torchwood: Last Beacon

Hey Guys,

let’s get camping with Ianto Jones and Owen Harper in the Big Finish Torchwood adventure Last Beacon. It is the second story of the fourth season. I can’t believe we already have the fourth season of amazing stories of Torchwood. You can’t say it enough. I love that Big Finish for starting with Torchwood. I normally not say you had written the story but here I will say because it is written by Gareth David-Llyod himself.

The start of a beautiful friendship

Ianto was allowed to plan a mission – the first one after the Lisa incident. Someone sends a transmission into space and Ianto and Owen should find out what it is and who sends it. It is sent from the countryside. Ianto spend a lot of his childhood in this area visiting his grandparents. So he really enjoys the trip. Owen on the other hand isn’t a big fan of nature and people and everything that they are dealing with there.

Love or hate

The story is living through the chemistry between Ianto and Owen. Owen is his charming self and our lovely Ianto is on the receiving end. The story jumps between Owen snapping at Ianto and them bounding over a bar fight. It is such a great story about the relationship between them. We all remember who Owen in the series snaps at Ianto a lot. It is nice to see more of the relationship between them.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is great. Ianto and Owen made a great team with the snapping and open up to each other. It is a great mixture of fun and calm moments between them. The music in the scenes are amazing. I love the music so much. The story is also really good. These two searching for the ‘person’ that is responsible for the transmission. They have to deal with ghost and locals. This story has everything bar fights, ghosts, guide tour of the attractions of the countryside.

Listing or not

definitely listen to it. These characters are great and the chemistry amazing. This is so far my favorite story in the fourth season. The story is set somewhere between Lisa and Owen dying. I love stories that concentrate on the relationship between two people and even more when these came to short in the TV series. So goooo listen to this amazing story. I hope we will get more stories written by Gareth David-Llyod.

July 13

DW: The Rescue- rewatch

Hey Guys,

welcome to first adventure without Susan (The Dalek Invasion of Earth) named The Rescue. For the first time they introduced a new companion – Vicki Palister –  to the group of the Doctor, Ian and Barbara. Vicki’s ship crashed on the planet Dido in the year 2493. She is a young girl and one of the only two survivors of their crew. It is a really short story with just two episodes.

They were a friendly race

The Doctor visited the planet before and stated that the people are friendly. But Vicki seems to be afraid of them and they actually doesn’t make such a friendly impression to Ian and Barbara. Vicki helps Barbara after she falls over the cliff. Later she explains her the situation she and Bennett are in. That these creatures killed the rest of the crew. At the same time Ian and the Doctor are trapped in a dungeon.

Missing a part

The Doctor is really sad about Susan’s departure. He stands a little beneath himself. Barbara and Ian try to make it easier for him. But she still missing. I wasn’t a big fan of Susan. But she was important to the other Crew members. The Rescue deals in a beautiful way with her absence. All the little things that shows the pain in the Doctors face. Vicki on the other hand lost her father and is alone and also needs to fill empty space in her heart. It is really sweet to see the Doctor trying to take care of Vicki.

Watching or not

The Rescue is a really short but good story. It is nothing special. Vicki seems in this really similar to Susan what is for me not the case. Yes she cries but she just lost family and can’t deal with death. It is a promising start for a new team. I like the dynamics between Vicki and the others that is shown here. I think Vicki makes the stories less dramatic.

July 11

The Tenth Doctor Adventure: Cold Vengeance

Hey Guys,

the Ice Warriors are going to wake up from the icy sleep in the last episode of the Tenth Doctor Adventures Box Set – Cold Vengeance. The Doctor and Rose lands on Coldstar which is a freezer satellite from the company Coldstar. There is no date given. But it takes places five hundred years after the ten-year war between the Ice Warriors and the Humans.

Meeting the pirates

Like I said before the Doctor and Rose lands on the Coldstar satellite where they meet space pirates and a refuse collector Lorna. Which for all we know could already enough for a whole story. But now the Ice Warriors are awaken and seek revenge for the war crimes of the humans.

Being apart

In every story before I said that there this lightness to all the stories. This is the darkest story so far in this Box Set. I think it is because most of the time the Doctor is with the Space Pirate and Ice Warriors. So Rose is with one Space pirate and the refuse collector. The lightness comes from how they act around each other. It is still not a dark story but darker than the rest.

Listing or not

Go listen to it. Isn’t that a surprise. This story is really good. We got good old Ice Warriors and really good characters like Lorna. The Doctor Rose know each other really good. They saved the day so often and they believe in them as a team and in their knowledge. That brings a lot of problems that could have been easier when they would stop talking and start listing. This is really amazing. Go and listen to the person that makes the Doctor listening.

July 8

The Omega Factor: The Old Gods

Hey Guys,
welcome to the second story of the Omega Factor – The old gods. This is the first time Anne and Adam are working together on a case. We have Adam having nightmares or something like that and the old files of his father. They both work through.

EMA-Sufferiors

This case is about the disappearance of a girl who thinks that she is electro sensitive. The professor how is worried about her thinks also to know where she is. An institute to investigate EMA-sufferer and has also a quiet mysterious side to it. One of the name who lead this institute is also find in the files of Adams father. So they go to investigate. This is the ground story.

Do you trust me

What I like about this story is the interaction between Anne and Adam. They don’t know each other and have different ways of dealing with problems. It is not easy to work with someone you don’t know and have trust this person. Adam and Anne are kinda dancing around each other. Trying out how this relationship can work between. They still need to find a way to be a team. This is them trying to get warm with each other. That is what I like the most. We see how this relationship grows and get built up.

Listing or not

Definitely go and listen to it. Like I said I love the interaction between Anne and Adam. I love stories about people getting to know each other. Also the story is interesting and sparks the interest to find out what it is about Adam and his abilities. This is definitely one of my favorite stories out of this Box Set.

July 6

DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth – rewatch

THey Guys,

I finally restarted my rewatch of the classic adventures of Doctor Who and I started where I left with the Dalek Invasion of Earth. It is the second story of the 2nd season of Doctor Who (DW 02). I like the second season were Doctor tries – even not really hard – to bring Ian and Barbara back to his time. The second season they friends, family and trust each other. It is a nice change to the distrust and fights in the first season.

The story has 6 episodes and also shows the first departure of a companion of the Doctor. It plays obviously in London around the time 2164. Ian finds a calendar that states this year but since the invasion they haven’t used a calendar anymore.

The Daleks are back

The Dalek Invasion of earth is the second story of the Daleks. We know that there are so many to follow. This is the plain old Daleks. When the Doctor and the other lands in London, the Daleks had already invade the earth. London was in the hands of the Daleks. The Doctor and Ian fall in the hands of the Daleks and Susan and Barbara met the resistance.

Resitance

Almost from the start Barbara and Susan help the resistance to make their plans. They also fight with them. Barbara is running into danger like always. Nobody can stop her. This is a story about war. That means that people die. The Daleks kill them without talking.
The resistance never really done anything against the Daleks. Dortmun is trying to build bombs. But they seem not to make much damage to the Daleks.
The resistance is running away. When Barbara stays to fight – mostly because to get reunited with her friends.

Not everyone gets out alive

For us many of the scenes look pathetic. You have to look past it. Than it is a really dark story with out much hope in it. People are trying to survive, trying to do something against the Daleks. It is about decisions to not help people when there is no hope. About running away. It is about the responsiblity you have for yourself and others.
It is dark and hopeless time where people are ruled by fear.

Watch it or not

I really like the story. I am not a big fan of ‘war’ stories what is a little contradictory to the fact that my favorite monster are the Daleks. The Daleks Invasion of earth has so many great theme in it, about strength and courage. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is not afraid to show reality. It has no mercy. People gets killed, they lose hope, but I also gives hope and show us who strong you can be with believing in your friends.
I love that Barbara is going and fight. How she is supporting the other that try to fight. They she keeps believing that their friends are still out there and alive.
It is a story that shows us Barbara strength and I love it when she has time to shine.

“Just go forward in all your believes and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.”

July 4

The Tenth Doctor Adventures: The Sword of the Chevalier

Hey Guys,

welcome to the second adventure of the second Tenth Doctor Adventure Box Set – The Sword of the Chevalier. Again Rose and the Doctor are visiting earth to be precise Slough 1791. This is a historical story or at least a story with historical figure the Chevalier d’Eon. The Chevalier d’Eon is an interesting character who lived the first 50 year as man and then at least for a time as a woman. Historian are not sure if he did it because he or she was actual transgender or if it was just a plot to live freely in France. In the Time the Chevalier lived as a man he was spy.

The spy and the alien hunters

The Doctor and Rose just want to have a nice time. Visit the Chevalier d’Eon and look through the big telescope and maybe get a little ice cream. But of course everything comes different when the Doctor sees a space ship form the space mafia. Rose and the Doctor tries to find the aliens and stumble of the Chevalier D’Eon again who accompany them to a costume party.

The problems with the Psychic paper

Again we have an adventure with the typical lightness. The Doctor get them into the party with the psychic paper. The problem with that is that the host believes that he is a Tenor and want the Doctor to perform. So Rose and the Chevalier searching for the aliens and the Doctor is working on his performance.

Listing to it or not

Go and listen to it. It is great fun and I really like the character of the Chevalier d’Eon. The Chevalier is an interesting character and harmonize with the other two perfectly. Also again there is the typical lightness to the adventure of the TV series. So it is so good to be back at the good times of Doctor Who.

July 1

The Omega Factor: From Beyond

Hey Guys,
welcome to the first episode of The Omega Factor. I first heart about it in a the Big Finish podcast. They played the first 15 minutes of the first box set and it seemed interesting. Someone on tumblr told me that it is a lot like The X-Files just without the aliens and instead with supernatural stuff. Sounds kinda perfect to me. This person also told me that the first episode of the first box set is available for free. It really is. For everyone who wants to listen to it you can get it here.

What is going on?

I am not so sure myself. What I know is that there is definitely a TV Series about this. The radio plays play years after the TV Series. This tumblr person told me I didn’t need to see the serie to understand it. It is like a new start.
As far as I believe to know the male main character is the son of one of the main character in the TV Series and the female main character is an old college of his father.
So far so good.

Greetings from X-Files

So this Organisation is researching the mind. But it seems like until the years passes there wasn’t much evidence that something like the supernatural exists. So they want to shut it down. In all that mass is Adam. He is following the last request of his dead father. Adam has a lot of problems. He is stressed and struggling with what he wants to do in his life or with is life. Also he has problems sleeping. He is kinda on the edge.

She is involving him with one of her projects she has to shut down.
This project is an old woman who tried to establish contact with her dead brother. We see that Adam is a person who needs to help. He can’t just look away.
Anne Reynolds on the other side seems a little blind sided from the supernatural, a little to focused on the project instead of the people in it.
What is behind the story of the siblings is not really surprising. What doesn’t mean the story is bad or anything. For me it just shows something of her character as much as it says about Adam.

This could be a very interesting combination. I can’t wait to listen to the other stories.

June 28

The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Infamy of the Zaross

Hey Guys,

welcome to the second Volume of the Tenth Doctor Adventure and the first episode of it ‘Infamy of the Zaross’. This second set is obviously with the tenth Doctor and this time he is with Rose Tyler again. I love the combination so much. Rose and the Doctor were just fun. This story takes place in the present day on earth (2007 Norwich) so we have the pleasure of Jackie Tyler.

Special Box Set

The adventures of the tenth Doctor are available as separetly episodes or in the special box set. I of course have choosen the Box Set again. It is the same design as the first Box set. It includes 3 stories of Rose and the tenth Doctor. Also it includes a Behind the scene Disc and an exclusive Big Finish Documentary Disc.

Tenth Doctor Box Set 2
Tenth Doctor Box Set 2

Same as always

What is this story about. Jackie is taking a holiday at an old friend when an alien invasion happened. Same old, same old. Jackie phones Rose and of course the come and try to save the earth again. It is a story we heart and seen in a million ways before. Still it is fun. There is of course a nice twist in the story. But the story lives from the characters. The atmosphere is light and it makes you smile a lot. It is just like the series was with them.

Believing in your kids

In the background the story is about families and how much impact they have on the children. We see Jackie being not always eye to eye with Rose but she loves her and is really prude of her. In this story we see that she doesn’t like that Rose is not staying home but she never stops her. I love this relationship between them.
Jackies old friend on the other hand as not such relationship with her daughter. She always talks her down and compare her to her sister.

Listing or not

Definitely listing to it. As much as I love the dark and story Doctor Who or the sad ones. There is a ligthness to all the adventure with Rose and the Doctor that I missed a lot and Big Finish captured them in an amazing way. All of the tenth Doctor companions are so standing on the ground. Rose is just a normal girl. She could be everyone. There is nothing special about her. But she fights and never gives up and she loves traveling with the doctor. What makes her very special like everyone else. Rose is us.
There is also one scene at the end of the adventure were Rose is in a situation were she has to save someone and often we see people on TV make a whole speech about Life and his meaning. Rose just doesn’t. She struggles to find these words. She use so simple and obvious sentence. What makes it so pure. What makes it so real.

June 15

Lethbridge-Stewart: Moon Blink

Hey Guys,

welcome to the 5th adventure of the Lethbridge-Stewart Series ‘Moon Blink’. Again I got confused with what I book I have to read next. Normally you would read ‘Mutually Assured Domination’ before ‘Moon Blink’. Like the other adventures this is about Lethbridge-Stewart with Anne and Bill Bishop. For a Lethbridge-Stewart Series it has way to little of our future Brig in it. It is an adventure of Anne and Bill.

Good and Bad Aliens

This story is about the space race. Just that the space race that we could witness isn’t the real one going on. Americans and Russian has already a base on moon and found there an alien life form. As we all can imagine it doesn’t go very well. It gets really fast clear that the bad guys in this novel are not the aliens. It is the human race. So Anne and the Brig has to deal with good aliens and bad humans.

Baby Alarm

An old friend of Anne is coming to town and asked her for help. She ran from scientist with an alien baby. At Anne’s she involves a lot of people. Like she called Bill – why ever she would call Bill when she just knew him from the tellings of Anne. Also she brings Sally in what actually doesn’t really make much sense – even less when she as no role in this adventure.
I am a little let down be this book. It seems rather easy to care for an alien baby which don’t get anything to eat and nobody wonders that he didn’t need any thing to eat? There is so much in that goes unattended. Which is really sad.
But apart from that the story is rather nice. I really like Bill and we see more of the developing relationship between Anne and Bill.

Military

In the last part of the book when Anne and Lethbridge-Stewart finally work together, Anne gets on my nerves. She worked a lot with the Brig at this point she should know him a little. But she is judging him so much from thoughts she had herself in the very same book. Also the way she handled herself when they followed the bad guy to the show down. I am not a big fan of military either. But she is acting so headless and makes the situation never better. They are three people against a freaking group! They have to think things through. The way she is angry at him for not reacting… stop it. He is just trying to get everyone out alive. That she doesn’t seems to get that is so annoying. Most of all because before she always wanted him at his side and always that he could help them and then he does but it is not good enough for her.

June 14

DW: Minuet in Hell

Hey Guys,
welcome to the 19th adventure of the Big Finish Main Range ‘Minuet in Hell’. It is another story with Charley and the eighth Doctor. It is also a story were Lethbridge-Stewart plays a role. This is mostly a good indication for a good story. But someone on tumblr told me that this story is not one of the better once and that is not so wrong.

The story takes place in 2003 Malebolgia, USA. Malebolgia is the newest state of America. Lethbridge-Stewart is send there to investigate what is going on in this state. The Brig is already in retirement but still does sometimes a few jobs for them. Because he can’t just sit at home.

Bit from everything

We have three big story elements. One is like I already said Lethbridge-Stewart. He is investigating the facility that claims to heal mental illness. We all know that there of course has something behind it. I like this storyline. The Brig on his own is amazing and just his reactions at the answers of his bosses are fun.

Prostitute

Charley is the other big part of the story. She doesn’t know who she is or where she is. But she not just lost her memories, she also get captured and used as a prostitute. That is not totally right. Thanks god she didn’t good touched that way or before it comes to something like that, someone else is helping her out. Someone who seems to be a demon hunter.

At last

The last part is of course about the Doctor. The Doctor is in a similar situation as Charley. He forgot who he was and got captured and held in the place for the mental illness. With not knowing who he is, the escape seems more difficult like this.

Listing or not

The story is really not that great. But they have amazing characters and it is always fun to see the Doctor and the Brig interact with each other. So even when the story is not that great. It is a must listen for me, because the Brig and the eighth Doctor are lovely together.