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Allowableman2 has submitted 14 reviews and received 27 likes

Review of The Night of the Doctor by Allowableman2

7 September 2024

This review contains spoilers!

I have very complex feelings about Night of the Doctor. On one hand, the reviews are correct in saying this is a tight, well-performed story. on the other, because of the BBC meddling, the 8th Doctor didn't get the exit he deserved and as a result, Dark Eyes 1 was the last time 8 had any character development. Afterward, he would remain a sad static character and his arc leading up to him ending the time war would be thrown out. 8 was replaced with someone so tame as a warrior they might as well not have him regenerate at all. In short, there's better stories that cover 8's change and even gives us a better ending for him


Review of Lenny Henry Doctor Who Sketch by Allowableman2

1 July 2024

This parody reflects Doctor Who's problems in the mid-80s: predictability, notable returns of monsters and villains, and running through the corridors. Lenny is the highlight of this, and it's sad that he managed to nail the role of the Doctor in about five minutes flat but never reprised it. The Doctor as a character is challenging to parody because I can easily hear these lines from the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Doctors' mouths.

 

 


Review of Space Babies by Allowableman2

11 May 2024

I seriously don’t know how someone could make the talking baby premise work outside of a cartoon series.
This episode is a mess, and many of the jokes are bad. At least Ncuti and Millie were great in it


Review of Prisoners of the Lake by Allowableman2

9 May 2024

There's nothing wrong with Prisoners of the Lake; it's an enjoyable enough story on its own, but it's a very typical story of the Pertwee Era. Treloar does a relatively good job portraying Pertwee's Doctor; Katy Manning is also good here as Jo Grant, with her loyalty to the Doctor on full display and her bravery and competence. Mike Yates is present as well, and he's well-written and well-played.


Review of The Dollhouse by Allowableman2

9 May 2024

A campy Charlie's Angels parody could have worked with over-the-top characters and cheesy dialogue. In practice, incredibly bad American accents and awkward dialogue pair up to make one of the most difficult listening experiences that Big Finish has produced.


Review of Red Dawn by Allowableman2

6 May 2024

The problem with this story is the awful amount of padding. Some events get dragged out too long for their dramatic weight. A fair amount of the details in the plot feel superfluous. The human guest characters aren't that interesting (and given how well all four actors do in other Big Finish audios, this is a sad waste of talent). It should be cut down to a two-parter at the longest.

In addition, the Doctor and Peri don't do much, even considering the padding. They are almost in the role of witnesses. I wished the core idea had been developed as a short, Doctor-free story.

If you love the idea of complex, interesting Ice Warriors enough to ignore the bad points, go ahead and get it. Otherwise, It stinks.


Review of The Land of the Dead by Allowableman2

6 May 2024

Stephen Cole delivered the script quickly to fill a scheduling gap, and it shows. The concept is easy enough. The classic trapped and hunted plotline has served Doctor Who well in the past. Throw in ancient Inuit legends and a vegetarian architect; you will have the basics.

The plot is too exposition-heavy without any real payoff. The whole spiritual v rational thread is handled crassly, and there are too many throwaway lines about the exploitation of wildness for commercial gains. Sarah Sutton tries to make the best of it; hers is the best performance.

Davidson seems to have phoned in his performance, while the supporting cast is annoying. Neil Roberts and Andrew Fettes play Inuit natives working for Christopher Scott’s English millionaire. It’s hard to tell which is the most irritating. They also have deeply annoying fake accents which break down throughout the production.

The soundscape is fine enough, but the score is utterly forgettable and offers nothing to the story.


Review of The Genocide Machine by Allowableman2

5 May 2024

An OK outing for Sylvester McCoy against the Daleks, though not without its faults. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. There are some beautiful and interesting ideas at the center of The Genocide Machine, and the audio landscape is fantastic. It's just a bit dull, to be honest. And the method of Dalek defeat is a little convenient for me. After the much more interesting Fearmonger, this felt like a step backward.


Review of The Marian Conspiracy by Allowableman2

5 May 2024

It is a fabulous step back to the reign of Bloody Mary, the Tudor English Queen. AND a marvelous companion, Evelyn Smythe. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I love the personality of Evelyn; she is charming, sweet, optimistic, cunning, social, and sometimes quite severe character. She is the grandmother character. She is one of my favorite companies. Historicals fell out of favor on the TV show, but the audiobooks had a chance to return them. It fits in the short Marian reign and is pretty educational. Here, we are placed firmly in a period with clearly defined players and co-conspirators. Overall, it was a triumph.


Review of The Fearmonger by Allowableman2

5 May 2024

An excellent play. We get two tightly interwoven stories, either of which could likely stand by itself.

First, there's the science fiction plot about the titular fearmonger, an energy being that creates and feeds on people's fear. An excellent treatment of the emotional impact of dealing with such a creature raises the plot to something much more.

There are sufficient political twists and dramatic turns here that you can sometimes forget that there is anything other-worldly happening in the story. This story is the context where we get to know the guest characters best; we're granted a cast of genuinely complex individuals. No one's hands are spotless, but even the worst have moments with the listener's sympathy. There's a strong cast on hand to bring these characters to life.

These two stories explore the ambiguities and contradictions of the Seventh Doctor. He is simultaneously compassionate and callous. With the full complexity of the Doctor in play, we also get a good view of Ace's ambivalence towards her friend and mentor. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are at the top of their games here.

Finally, this story gives a textbook example of how a story twist should be handled. Every surprise in the story was set up well by what had gone before. In an unusual experience, I spotted the main twist at the episode three cliffhanger.

It is a strong outing that illustrates the scope of stories that Doctor Who is capable of.


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