Note: This is my review of Blood of the Daleks as a whole.

Having started an 8DA listenthrough with a friend, I have finally dusted of this release again and relistened to it. In previous listenthroughs I thought this to be one of the more boring 8DAs, and by and large, I still agree that it is. However, while I often thought that the plot was the problem, this time around my opinion has changed.

The plot is very functional. A bit straightforward but it has all the right beats, a plot twist, stakes and an actually decent-to-good appearance by the Daleks (why they keep spoiling the appearances of the Daleks in the title I'll never know). However, for a companion introduction story the story is particularly colorless and bleak. The environments described don't help this at all, with its nuclear winter and the desperate and angry people, making every scene of the plot feel a bit same-y and blend into eachother.

However, I've come to the conclusion that the problem here is more the way the plot is told. I've got an issue with two major things:

• Scene changes are barely highlighted, in sound design or in dialogue. The backdrop of every scene is only subtly given by realistic sound design, but this makes it hard to imagine anything but the most general area of where the story takes place.
• The music is not at all dynamic. In fact, I think the main reason there were parts of the play I completely drifted off is because the music does not seem to flow with what is actually occurring at the moment at all.

With this listenthrough, I made an effort to really follow the story behind the droll presentation, and thought it fine. It certainly gives both 8 and Lucie time to shine on their own and together, which should be the first goal of a companion introduction story. 8 and Lucie carry this release completely. Their dynamic is fun, the tension between the characters is refreshing and Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith seem to have the right chemistry for this duo. The arc of the Head Hunter and the Time Lord witness protection program are also set up well.

Sadly, the play is just such a bore to listen to (which is also why I don't review the separate parts). In a series so colorful as this one (especially with Human Resources) I wonder how they could have such a grey opener.