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5 reviews

The adventure continues. In this episode the listener finds themselves hearing a US crime documentary. Impossible murders where the victim, recently killed, has been dead for months?

Its does take over fifteen minutes for Missy to enter the story and at first I wasn’t getting into it. I do feel that British should stick to British and US to US, as I’m never really sure if its offensive or not. I know I cringe at US Tv programs with British accents, interestingly enough it does come into play in this.

So as you can imagine it does that docudrama thing of narrating and reenacting the events of the crime. And it is when Missy eventually turns up when the lines between fiction and reality start to blur. Suddenly we’re not sure if the actors recreating the events are actors, since they can hear the narrator and can’t see any cameras. There’s also the added meta of Missy’s interjections that play with Tv tropes.

It does hold your attention, the mystery of whats actually going on, the intrigue of mentions of other characters. I ended up thoroughly enjoying it, it felt longer than an hour, and another listen is in order to fully appreciate it.

Recommended.


Seagullslost

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This review contains spoilers!

Mais uma vez apostando suas fichas em um enredo puramente cômico, a trama de The Broken Clock gira em torno de uma paródia exageradíssima de um reality show policial, cheio de clichês característicos com um apresentador que sempre está disposto a trazer tons e climas de suspense da forma mais superficial possível, transições exageradas, relatos de eventos aumentados transformando o simples em histórias das mais cabeludas possíveis. Esse é mais um dos inúmeros casos de conceitos e ideias da BIG FINISH que provavelmente só funcionária no formato de áudio drama mesmo – De uma narrativa boring investigativa típica do History Channel ou da Discovery de repente, o programa de TV é interrompido por ela mesma, sim, Missy. Que na verdade faz um enorme favor ao seu ouvinte quebrando a quarta parede para debochar de todo o estilo sensacionalista que o conteúdo do programa estava sendo entregar ao telespectador. A partir daí, a personagem da Michelle Gomez nos conduz por toda a narrativa da trama, entregando ótimos alívios cômicos hilários, situações inusitadas tornando tudo mais divertido para seguirmos em frente. Seus personagens secundários, pseudo atores e atriz, são bem superficiais e bobos propositalmente, geralmente gritando em situações de perigo, tomam decisões tolas além de serem responsáveis por diálogos dos mais bestas possíveis. Muitos ouvintes intitulam esse áudio como “um enigma que se trata de enigma criminal” por motivos de uma confusão causada por meio de seu conceito central que consiste em questionar se tudo aquilo era realmente um programa de tv, ou a Missy era quem está fazendo-os acreditar que era um, estava manipulando tudo. The Broken Clock é mais uma das histórias da BIG FINISH que esbanja criatividade uma marca registrada do Nev Fountain, escritor que sempre em suas obras consegue aproveitar ao máximo toda a liberdade que o formato de áudio dramas possibilita. Dificilmente escorrega mesmo nos inserindo em situações das mais malucas possíveis, “The Kingmaker” é um outro bom exemplo disso. De fato, é um escritor ousado que cada vez mais que consumo suas histórias ele me prova ser mestre nesse tipo de gênero de comedias malucas.

Once again betting its chips on a purely comic plot, the story of The Broken Clock revolves around a highly exaggerated parody of a police reality show, full of characteristic clichés with a host who is always willing to bring tones and moods of suspense in the most superficial way possible, exaggerated transitions, accounts of events enlarged turning the simple into the wildest stories possible. This is yet another of the countless cases of concepts and ideas from BIG FINISH that would probably only work in the audio drama format itself - From a boring investigative narrative typical of the History Channel or Discovery, suddenly, the TV show is interrupted by her herself, yes, Missy. Who actually does a huge favour to the listener by breaking the fourth wall to mock the sensationalist style that the content of the program was being delivered to the viewer. From there, Michelle Gomez's character leads us through the entire narrative of the plot, delivering great hilarious comic reliefs, unusual situations making everything more fun to move forward. Its secondary characters, pseudo actors and actress, are very superficial and silly purposely, usually screaming in dangerous situations, making foolish decisions besides being responsible for the silliest dialogues possible. Many listeners title this audio as "a enigma that is about a criminal enigma" for reasons of confusion caused through its central concept that consists of questioning if all that was really a TV program, or Missy was the one making them believe it was, was manipulating everything. The Broken Clock is yet another of the BIG FINISH stories that flaunts creativity a trademark of Nev Fountain, a writer who always in his works manages to make the most of all the freedom that the audio dramas format allows. Hardly slips even in inserting us in the craziest situations possible, "The Kingmaker" is another good example of this. Indeed, he is a daring writer that the more I consume his stories, he proves to me to be a master in this genre of crazy comedies.

(Translation generated by AI, so mistakes are possible).


KnuppMello

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This review contains spoilers!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

"The Broken Clock: Missy Meets Noir"

The Broken Clock is a bold, genre-bending entry that pays homage to classic crime noir. Written and performed with a meticulous eye for style, it draws listeners into a dark, mysterious murder mystery narrated by a grizzled American private detective. The narration, dripping with classic noir tropes, creates an atmospheric and intriguing setup.

What makes this story stand out is its clever exploration of the blurred lines between reality and fiction. As the characters themselves begin to question their existence, the narrative takes on a metatextual quality that keeps the listener engaged and guessing.

Missy initially stays in the background, popping up in hilariously exaggerated disguises that let Michelle Gomez showcase her incredible range. Her variety of over-the-top voices and personas injects a delightful absurdity into the otherwise moody noir atmosphere. When Missy takes the lead in the second half, the focus shifts to her own bizarre investigation into the titular broken clock.

The supporting cast is equally compelling, embodying archetypal 1950s-style police characters with a playful energy, complete with thick American accents. The music and sound design perfectly evoke the era, reinforcing the noir aesthetic.

The story falters slightly in its final act, with the pace slowing down and the twists becoming a bit muddled. While the early parts of the tale thrive on sharp hooks and tension, the latter sections struggle to maintain the same level of clarity and intrigue.

📝 Verdict: 8/10

The Broken Clock is a creative and stylish addition to the Missy series, packed with wit and charm. While it stumbles slightly in its conclusion, the strong performances, inventive narrative, and noir homage make it a standout.


MrColdStream

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This review contains spoilers!

This is single-handedly one of the best Big Finish stories I have ever listened to, there are too many twists than you can shake a stick at. I love the concept of Dick Zodiac narrating them and Mark is played incredibly well by Daniel Goode.


The9thCyberLegion

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This review contains spoilers!

This is the penultimate episode in the Missy box set, and like the previous two it has a wickedly dark sense of humour. I chuckled a lot at the narrative's satirical take on crime documentaries, and Missy's takedown of some of this genre's clichés is hilarious to witness. It's all rounded off nicely with the reveal concerning the Master's Grandfather Clock TARDIS, which provides a neat callback to Classic Who.

 


WhoPotterVian

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