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Doctor Who: Phobos Review
Introduction
"You're scarier than the monsters."
Phobos a Big Finish story that walked so that The Rings Of Akhaten could run. I've mentioned in other reviews that the stories show the darkside of Paul MacGanns Doctor but this story aces as it. Listening to this story without any spoilers, gave me full goosebumps as once everything comes together your left in disbelief.
This story explores fear in a really creative and complex way. Again we get a unique "monster" compared to the usual things The Doctor has to face and deal with it. Its very mythical and creepy throughout. "Phobos" is Greek for fear and we truly get to experience fear throughout the story even if it it isn't a listen. Phobos absolutely blew my mind it took so many twists and turns I didn't expect.
This is another story I definitely recommend listening to individually if your not sold on The Eighth Doctor Adventures.
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What I Liked
Again there's so many things that I could praise about this story as listening to Big Finish I've been shocked at the 100% good quality every time. The cast was once again stacked and they all played their roles too absolute perfection. To cut it down though I'll only talk about a few of the things that stood out to me.
As a musician the music in this story was like that feeling when you first go to an orchestral live concert. I had literal goosebumps. Out of all of the stories I've listened to Phobos definitely had the best music. Andy Hardwick is an absolute genius, he did a great job making the music so atmospheric and mystical. The composition was awesome. Every piece of music composed perfectly matched the aesthetic of each scene. The best theme had to be the chilling motif that played anytime the mysterious Phobians were mentioned. Doctor Who is a difficult piece of work to compose due to how diverse and unique each episode is but Big Finish have handled this challenge really well and delivered. The best part of sci-fi music is when it matches the atmsophere and tensity of the scene and Phobos does that perfectly. From its chilling and thrilling moments to its lighthearted fun moments, it's all composed perfectly in the right way that brings out the right emotions. If there's anything you want to get out of the story, listen deeply and closer to the music. I really hope that once I start by big finish releases they also come with the music because the scores really do slap.
Secondly I just have to talk about the incredible twists and turns throughout. I really wish I could film me listening to Big Finish in real time as trust me when I say that my mouth was a gape when the twists came, my mouth was a gape. My mind was well and truly blown. Again it's another one of those stories where you think it's going one way but then it goes in a completely different direction. Similar to Blood Of The Daleks your stuck guessing what's truly going on. It dives into some really heavy and dark themes and becomes unpredictable every minute that passes. To me, a good story steers away from what's expected of it and builds a twisted narrative that leaves you mind blown, Phobos does just that. The twists in this really allowed for Paul MacGann to shine and show off his Doctors darker side eloquently. All of the resolution is teased throughout the story but it comes as a massive shock to the point even Lucie is now doubtful about The Doctor and his character. It creates an interesting Doctor, Companion dynamic for the rest of this series of adventures.
Finally the incredible creativity and inventiveness of the story. I hate to admit it but Phobos walked so The Rings Of Akhaten could run. A lot of people not agree with me but with the way the stories include the Doctor feeding a creature with his memories it gives me a lot of déjà vu. Phobos feels so fresh from your typical Doctor Who story you'd get and I absolutely love it for that. This story really shows how experimental Big Finish are and how willing they are to explore entirely new concepts which I think is brilliant. Immortal Beloved perfectly showed the darkside of cloning whilst Phobos shows how powerful Fear is and how it has shaped The Doctor in his long life. As a result of the monster soley being on audio we get to be disturbed by on it a more physiological level, which is definitely effect in this series. The cries of people being chased by the creature was enough alone to bring me chills. I also adore the whole concept of the setting. On the surface it seems unoriginal for Phobos to be a chilled holiday destination until you peel back the layers and discover the conflict our side characters are facing. This story really embraced the fact its an exclusively audio story and I hope other Big Finish Stories are like that too.
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What I Disliked
I loved this story but I have to be honest when I say that my enjoyment was spoiled due to its pacing. I've loved listening to the 8th Doctor Adventures but I have to be honest when I say that I have struggled with the pacing of these stories and Phobos was no acception to this. Some of these stories benefit from New Who style pacing whilst others don't.
Whilst the build up had so much pay off it did drag alot. All the build up took long and it felt way too slow paced given the context and threat in the story. I was just waiting for the huge action to happen every time somebody was attacked. Apart from that though I really did enjoy this story. Love your typical Doctor Who Monsters but it's more interesting when it's something entirely new.
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Conclusion
Overall another fun and interesting Big Finish story. It deviated from what would normally be expected and was really inventive. It really flipped the whole monster on the lose killing tourists story and made it crumble beneath your feet. The side characters were an absolute delight and Lucie and The Doctor both got a lot to do here too and they both shone in their own ways. Again I'd heavily recommend giving this one a listen as it's a very interesting story.
My overall rating would be:
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It's a story with a lot of meat that surprisingly works well on audio considering it's action packed and twisted nature. I also really liked that so many tropes were flipped on its head. This is one of the stories that have certain that im doing right by sticking with Big Finish and delving further into their catalogue. Paul MacGann is bumping up my favourite Doctor's list because he's just so endearing and charming in the role.
I definitely plan to in the far future save up to afford some of the season 2 stories and explore more of Lucie Miller. I'm sad that they don't have the rights to Grace and Chang Lee but 8s audio companions sound awesome. I'll give my thoughts on Charlie once I've actually explored that full arc. But as a first time listener I'm really appreciating the diverse stories Big Finish are able to tell.
I'm very excited for the future.
Bonus:
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Since this is my first year getting into Big Finish I decided to publish a listening challenge on The Storygraph with certain prompts to follow that I will eventually fill as the year goes on.
I'm really impressed by all of the stories and am excited to dive into the main range, a few Destiny Of The Doctor audios and some short trips. I've really excited to delve into more Doctor Who adventures beyond the TV series. The Eighth Doctor Adventures have matched and even gone beyond the quality of the show.
The Challenge Is Public And Anyone Can Join:
-Melody-
They/Them
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esonetwork · 2 years
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Earth Station Who - The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Respond To All Calls
New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/earth-station-who-the-ninth-doctor-adventures-respond-to-all-calls/
Earth Station Who - The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Respond To All Calls
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The Ninth Doctor hears the call and arrives ready on the scene in three new adventures from Big Finish. Mike, Mike, and Mary are all ears for all the ghosts, monsters, robots, and evil corporations on the other end of the line.
We want to hear from you! Please write to us at [email protected]. Also, please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Plus, or wherever fine podcasts are found. Feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.
Links
Listen to older episodes of the Earth Station Who Podcast ESW on iTunes ESW on Stitcher Earth Station Who on Spotify Make-A-Wish Foundation The ESO Network TeePublic Store The ESO Network Patreon Big Finish BritTrack Virtual 2021: The 9th Doctor Returns with the Earth Station Who Podcast
Promotion Promo for Music Musicology at the end of this episode
If you would like to leave feedback or comment feel free to email us at [email protected]
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hifithepanda · 3 months
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The Dalek Occupation of Winter- 8/10
The Dalek Occupation of Winter was performed by Peter Purves and Maureen O’Brien, written by David K. Barnes, and released in September 2018.
I haven’t liked a Dalek Big Finish story as much as this one in a long while.  From the get-go, I was very intrigued by the whole concept of Winter and the setup of the plot.  I was waiting for the Daleks to appear and, of course, they did and in the way I expected them to.  It was very interesting to see a different type of Dalek.  One that has been trained to be submissive and unable to show their undeniably evil side.  It was fun hearing both Steven and the Doctor essentially taunt the Daleks into making them expose themselves as the evil creatures they are.  
The concept of Winter building Daleks was very interesting.  It brings up the concept of responsibility and guilt.  Are the people of Winter responsible for the deaths of others because of the Daleks they built?  I think the obvious answer is ‘no’ but I’d say that the same question applied to say Majorian or Karna would result in a different answer.  Also thinking about how that would apply to Steven and his conscious.  It is something that is briefly discussed and seemed to weigh pretty heavily on him.
Daleks aside, I think the supporting cast was very good for this story (which has not been a trend recently).  Amala and Kenric were characters you could connect with and feel for.  Majorian and Karna were villains whom you started liking (well, at least in the case of Majorian) and felt genuinely upset after their betrayals.  
Overall, I thought this was a really good story that was not only constructed well but followed through with its quality consistently.  I’d definitely recommend this one, especially if you enjoy Dalek stories as well as ones that play with the concept of Daleks and their purpose.
8/10
Friend Death Count: 1
Steven Tortured Count: 0
The Doc does some messed up shit to Steven Count: 0
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colorful-horses · 3 months
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charlie
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welcometogrouchland · 1 month
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your talia in your newest comic is very pretty 💜 shiny hair save me….
AHH THANK YOU SM I didn't shade her hair originally when I was coloring cause I was trying to streamline things but it looked so incomplete without it...I can't help it if she has L'Oreal model energy. Anyway you're always really nice on my Steph posts so here's some misc Stephs I had lying around as thanks for this ask (feat one of those alt cowl designs i posted back when!)
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john-bracket · 10 months
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gracelandmp3 · 2 months
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just saw someone compare china mievilles worldbuilding to jkr as though they were both equally good . siri why does god allow suffering
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77yearsteam · 7 months
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The History Between Us: Unboxing and Review
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Doctor Who: The History Between Us Zine | Unboxing/Review
You’ll never guess what—we’ve been reviewed!
YouTuber Jack Reeves of 10th Doctor cosplay and Doctor Who Community Show fame got his hands on the History Between Us a little early to give everyone a teaser of what to expect! In 14 minutes of genuinely joy-inspiring video, Jack takes us on a tour through the zine and its packaging as well as some of his favourite pieces of merch.
Please watch—let’s let Jack know how much we love the video and get him some views!
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demigodofhoolemere · 23 days
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When you know a character and their material like the back of your hand and you see someone say something about the character as if it’s a known trait of theirs but you’ve literally never seen that happen
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seashell-telephone · 8 months
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To be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers
“In the future, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the galaxy transform themselves”
This type of speculative fiction feels almost too real, and it made me think that yea.. in this world scenario, these very big decisions would make anyone crazy if they had to make them alone. This story is scifi from a very vulnerable human perspective and its beautiful and kinda scary, but in a good way. By the end i was feeling emotional and oddly sad. Not because of the ethical and philosophical theme, or because the ending was depressing, but because of the dilemma that the book ended with. And i agreed with the point made in the end, that how we feel about the things we do matters just as much as actually doing them.
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sparrowsabre7 · 3 months
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8th Doctor Main Range Audio Drama Mini-reviews
I've been listening to the Big Finish 8th Doctor stories on Spotify (the first 50 Main Range dramas is on there, plus a lot of the following "8th Doctor Adventures" stories) so I wanted to give a bit of a run down of my impressions.
Storm Warning
A solid start, classic Who shenanigans and introduces a solid companion in Charley Pollard, she's feisty and fun, but also not madly enamoured with the Doctor like so many companions can be. It makes for a fun reintroduction to the 8th Doctor, not seen since the movie some 5 years prior, allowing him more time to breathe.
The premise of humans trying to make first contact in order to steal alien weapons is tried and true but the cast elevates it and makes it more entertaining than it sounds. Lord Tamworth makes for an interesting support character, especially when his role could have been taken in a very cliché direction. The final scene sows the ongoing thread of Charley having been saved from her intended fate and the potential consequences of that.
7/10
Sword of Orion
Doctor Who does Alien/Aliens but with Cybermen and a background helping of the Android/Human conflict of Blade Runner, and it works bloody well. The initial mystery intrigues and while everything feels off from the start it's not til quite a way through that things start to make sense and align.
A more forgettable cast of characters (with many being left to be cannon fodder) but the premise is strong enough to bear out the runtime.
8/10
The Stones of Venice
Ugh. The first real dud. a somewhat tedious romp through a collapsing Venice with plot twists a savvy listener can see coming ten miles off and the longer they put off the "reveal" the more tiresome it becomes. The art curator was a fun enough support character but the upper class humans vs lower class aliens along with prophecies and a pining King leave for a very rote story that does little to excite or entertain and leaves the Doctor and Charley feeling irrelevant for large swathes of runtime, aside from use as props.
4/10
Minuet in Hell
This is more like it! A real mystery to sink one's teeth into. While it's somewhat frustrating that Eight has amnesia (again!) it works in the story's favour, weave a complex web of a narrative trying to see how all the narrative pieces interlock. Some of the performances (mainly the Americans) are a little hammy for my taste, but why make Doctor Who if you can't be a little silly for once. The return of the Brigadier more than makes up for Eight's rather limited airtime, but the audio tortures us by frequently putting the amnesiac Doctor with him but not letting them recognise each other until the drama is almost over. Nonetheless, an entertaining ride.
7/10
Invaders from Mars
A somewhat lacklustre alien invasion story, another with humans using alien tech to gain power, buoyed a little by some great performances from some actors and some truly unhinged and unrecognisable turns from Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes doing the thickest American Mobster and Russian agent accents you've ever heard. There's also a delightfully scenery chewing turn from who I assume is Nicholas Briggs as the aliens. Nothing much of note here aside from this being Mark Gatiss' first DW script and sadly, much like some of his TV DW work, it's a lot of interesting ideas thrown at the wall, only some of which hit satisfyingly.
5/10
The Chimes of Midnight
This is it. This is the big one. A truly fantastic story, classic time loop premise but not in the usual fashion. It weaves a narrative that confuses and engages in equal measure throughout along with a lot of great work from the two leads. Has all the hallmarks of DW's best (perhaps not surprising that the writer Robert Shearman also wrote one of the all time great NuWho episodes in "Dalek" - in turn based on his audio drama "Jubilee") and would heartily recommend to any DW fan interested in getting to know the Eighth Doctor. I would say you need to have at least heard "Storm Warning" first to get the most benefit, as it ultimately centres on Charley and the paradox of her existence.
10/10
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While I don't know much about it, I would probably bet there are tons of issues with the cruise industry that would make me not actually appreciate it broadly speaking - HOWEVER, I do really love a lot of the interior design of some cruise ships.. How it's almost like a miniature city crammed into one area. Multiple sections with all different aesthetic designs, a variety of shops, restaurants, activity centers, community seating areas, communal use spaces (like gyms, laundry, pools, cafeteria/buffet (which I always love anywhere)), etc. etc. but then also everyone has a little nice clean comfortable looking space of their own to retreat back to if they'd like to be alone. Maybe it's something akin to the idea of 'walkable cities', where everything you could ever want to do is kind of right there just a short walk away? I also especially love how so much stuff is stacked on top of other stuff, a layered cluster of spaces, bright open atriums, and when they're set up with little walkways down the center between a bunch of rooms so it's almost like a mini city street with apartments lining it, etc.. They often seem like they'd be SUCH a cool place to live permanently, IF only something identical was just built on solid land instead lol
#currently watching a channel on youtube where some person is reviews/tours cruise ships or something#and I'm just like wow the whole traveling part would be miserable hell and I would hate trying to get off of the stupid ship everyday#and see seomthing and make it back in time or etc. but OOOOO THE BEDROOMS! love the TINY minifrige!! eeee .. lol#perhaps just an extension of of my obsession with communal spaces. also love hospitals. nursing homes. hotels. AIRPORTS!!!#thats just how humans are meant to live for me. my ideal situation is that sot of thing like big beautiful bright communal places#but i also hate socializing i just like the idea of like. the entire communal world is in front of me but i also have my own little space t#retreat back to. youre not forced to participate. but the world is right outside your window if you WANT to go. ALSO people watching is fun#Plus i think part of what i hate most about Going Places and Doing Things is the commitment of it and traveling#especially in america where its like to get ANYWHERE it's a 3 hour drive or 15 min drive#or 20 min drive or 1 hr bus ride or blah blah. the idea of having plenty of fun little things to do that are all solidified#in ONE single complex that is also where your room is would actually encourage me to do things more because if#my health issues start flaring up or i get overwhelmed or etc. i can literally just... retreat back to my room that is a reasonably short#walk away. instead of like ''UGH now not only do i feel too bad to finish my excursion but ALSO i have a 40 min car ride ahead of me''#etc. Not saying that even in that situation I would become Super Extravert Thing Doer like i still LOOVE a quiet lifestyle mostly alone do#ing the same 5 repetitive tasks over & over again working on specific hobbies. but just that i WOULD go out SLIGHTLY more and do Activities#if the activities were already brought to ME. like a cruise ship layout where you have your little room private space but when you feel#like it on your own terms you could venture out and go to a little cafe or a swimming pool or etc. WITHOUT even having to leave#or get in a car and travel. just walk form your room to The thing. amazing.. ground breaking.. BUT especially the layers are important. I#dont mean just 'have the same features but in a way that theyre on land' I mean LITERALLY translate the EXACT layout of the cruise ship but#on ground instead. Like I want a full community cafeteria on the middle floor of my apartment complex. there should be a pool & waterslide#on the roof. A community games room on the 4th floor. a library right under my bedroom. etc. etc. Though maybe ideally I would say#add a little extra space like most people couldn't live their entire lives in a cruise ship room layout. But maybe just have the rooms expa#nded to the average size of like a 3 bedroom apartment. and then still stack them on top of each other.. More spacious decks so people can#have some plants (but also a community garden somewhere too). ANYWAY... Idk I just always love the aesthetics. I would love to tour a cruis#ship but like NOT go on a cruise EVER lol.. but just.. SEE the space. I love interiors so much. Also makes me think of worldbuilding like.#I think cruise ships could also be good inspiration for underground stacked cities in layers. things like that. OR just actually the fant#asy world version of a cruise ship lol. Though Nanyevimi's oceans are all so treacherous that non-inland water travel is avoided as much as#possible (even if it's more tedious to travel on the land) and would rarely be done for leisure. still.. river cruises could exist.. >:3c#In Nanyevimi the oceans are akin to how Outer Space is on earth (seen as a mysterious unexplored dangerous area etc).. a cruise ship of#rich elves setting out on a Groundbreaking First Ever Ocean Cruise & it just goes Wrong like a sci-fi 'trapped in space' type thriller LOL
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esonetwork · 1 year
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Earth Station Who - The Diary of River Song Series 7
New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/earth-station-who-the-diary-of-river-song-series-7/
Earth Station Who - The Diary of River Song Series 7
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Melody Malone is on the case, Sweetie! Mike, Mike, and Mary check out the Big Finish adventures of River Song as she investigates four mysterious crimes in four different time periods.
We want to hear from you! Please write to us at [email protected]. Also, please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Plus, or wherever fine podcasts are found. Feedback is always welcome and much appreciated.
Links Listen to older episodes of the Earth Station Who Podcast ESW on iTunes ESW on Stitcher Earth Station Who on Spotify Make-A-Wish Foundation The ESO Network TeePublic Store The ESO Network Patreon Diaries of River Song Vol. 7
Promotion Promo for Best Saturdays Of Our Lives in the end of the show
If you would like to leave feedback or comment feel free to email us at [email protected]
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hifithepanda · 3 months
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The Sontarans- 7.5/10
The Sontarans was performed by Peter Purves and Jean Marsh, written by Simon Guerrier, and released December 2016.
I liked this story!  I was pretty neutral towards it up until the last part where it took a turn for the better.  I’ve found that Simon Guerrier has a knack for writing stories I find really okay.  The plot wasn’t anything fantastic but I think the way it wrapped up was really superb.  It managed to wrangle my waning interest back into place.  
It was interesting having a story where the Doctor meets the Sontarans.  I feel like sometimes we forget that some monsters that the Doctor has met previously yet we never see that meeting.  It was also interesting making Steven know them, giving more insight into his backstory and the wars the Earth has fought that the Doctor had no involvement in.  It also features Steven heavily, most notably the rather extensive torture that he faces.  Plus another Steven friend death.  Yay?
I didn’t find myself too shocked with the revelation that Gage was a Sontaran.  I didn’t find myself attached to any of the side characters so his betrayal didn’t affect me.  I also think that if he had revealed it in the heat of the moment rather than some one-off comment by Commander Slite it would’ve been more impactful.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the character of Tinder.  She was supposed to be a child but was 100% voiced by an adult woman and they just modified her voice in post to make her sound more childlike.  It did not work.  Other than that I had no qualms.
One observation I have been noting is that Jean Marsh’s voice sort of sounds like she just has her mouth open really wide and has a baseball or something stuck so she’s just speaking around it.  Like she’s always choking back words.  This isn’t really important to the story or this review.  Just something I noticed.
Overall, I enjoyed this story.  I might listen to it again at some point just for the fun of it.  Steven had some great moments (or not so great I suppose) that I enjoyed listening to.  Quite literally giggling and kicking my feet.
7.5/10
Friend Death Count: 1
Steven Tortured Count: 2
The Doc does some messed up shit to Steven Count: 0
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dwimpossblog · 8 months
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Two's Company
The Doctor searches for the cause of his degeneration in Two's Company, but one of his old companions has been duped into helping another renegade Time Lord!
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graciousdragon · 2 months
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guess who finally bought a cheap record player and is going to try to figure out how to use it shortly 👍
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