I think this might be the oddest episode of this program that I've seen, and not cause of it's actually contextually weird, but because it feels like it's genuinely been pulled from a false reality into this one. One giant afterthought, really. I don't this story was meant to be a two-parter originally but it was stretched out- without the thought that there would be an actual regeneration. I think Billie Piper coming back is actually lovely, but the expense of Ncuti Gatwa? I don't know, man. I think it's fairly obvious that HER coming back and oddly not being credited as the Doctor was a deliberate choice, so I'm not saying it wasn't entirely thought out, but, like... It was rushed. We all know it was rushed. And yet, that doesn't mean it's bad television on it's own. I like the potential it promises, and the actual writing is pretty nice. The emotional beats were there, they did hit for me. Perhaps I shouldn't like it as much as I do, I can also acknowledge that.

It does act as a good time, even if there's a lot of flaws to it. Kind of a mix of "so bad it's good" and "so unnatural it's interesting". Definitely going to be hated for a wide majority of the audience, though.

I'm honestly rather shocked at how much I underestimated this story, I didn't expect anything too good, and, as such, I was rewarded with a dark, yet thoughtful script that fed my inquisitive mind quite well. I think it would've been perfectly topped with Zinc's actor returning on top of it, making it one of those rare three-handers, especially because he's given more focus than I was initially expecting. I honestly wish this was once of those two-hour entries into this series, it would've been a perfect fit. The idea of Zara freshly explaining how things feel to her as a being that popped into existence is brilliant and I enjoyed her inner monologue very much, although there were also some minor moments where the chronology was a tiny bit confusing.

Wish it focused more on Jackie's psyche, the bits we do get are quite fascinating. I really like the idea that she- therefore we, as the audience- doesn't quite like this Doctor, nor completely trust him. There was a good bit of dramatic tension there, hope it continues.

I am being slightly overly harsh with my rating as there is one very, very specific section of this episode that I can't help but hate conceptually so much so that it almost entirely overshadows and drags the story down. Perhaps I'm allergic to fun, I don't know, but the reveal of the Rani made me audibly wince. It is astounding how the show treats such an event so backhandedly- there is no reason it couldn't have been tacked onto the next episode. There's a giant amount of breathing room that's needed for me to accept it, one that simply wasn't provided by the episode itself. Bi-generation being treated as suitably fantastical for the Fourteenth/Fifteenth Doctor, said to be a myth, essentially rewarded to the Doctor as a result of battling the Toymaker- is now casually being thrown at the Rani, of all people? Thank you for dismantling the concept into something almost mundane, I guess. I'm hoping the next episode does something to justify it, but it currently leaves a bitter taste in my mouth for the episode as a whole.

I'd say this story does a bit too much for it's runtime. It's very, very fast, while also doing what it does very, very well. Part of me yearned for it to slow down and take it's time- it felt like it should've been two part story. The ideas were plentiful, the emotional beats were lovely, I just would've loved to savor all this story's bountiful gifts for far longer. As it is, it feels a bit muddled by it's own pacing, sadly deflating the plot ever so slightly. Need this writer back. I am sure that, with this notch under his belt, he will continue to get better and better.

Excluding a brief moment of exposition at the very beginning turning me off from this story for a good bit, "Bernice Summerfield and The Criminal Code" was quite a lovely little adventure. Nothing much, mind you; perhaps I shouldn't enjoy it as much I do, given it's not actually too ambitious for this specific Doctor to be surrounded in politics. Lisa Bowerman's narration does a lot to enrich/make the story as whole for me. The whole forbidden language itself could have perhaps been expanded and played on far more, however.

A mighty bit more complex than one might expect for a story of it's kind, a reintroduction of the Kaldor androids that isn't merely content with rehashing their initial appearance, instead poignantly utilizing them to foster themes of, ultimately, fear- the synonymous robophobia, in fact. There's a good deal of gritty nuance established throughout, a cutting atmosphere that it never really lets up on. Wonderfully emblematic of the Seventh Doctor, his darker, more brooding elements played with to masterful effect. Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker) was also quite good and full of potential, albeit somewhat lost in the shuffle during the later half. Delighted to know she comes back around at some point.

Though this story is indeed quite good, it's not necessarily to my personal tastes at current. I feel it's one I'd really have to listen to in a specific mood to be able to fully appreciate. I also would have preferred if some plot elements were made a bit more prominent earlier on rather than seemingly only taking precedence later on (particularly Elicien and her music); however, I will freely admit that this is my first time listening, so perhaps some little hints simply slipped my mind at the time.

There's a few sticking points to this story, I can readily agree. I can mostly tune them out and enjoy the romp for what it is, but, at times, the moral amplifications pierce at you like a cactus. The ending is especially abhorrent in this regard; it picked just the wrong cards, then continued to deal them. The fact these sentiments are here at all is a genuine shock. I don't think there was an inherent malice at work here (I think the ending was more about everyone becoming equals than anything else, it was just done in a disastrously misguided way), so my overall "eh" score feels a fair compromise in light of my overall enjoyment.

I really, really wish I had loved this story. I think the concept of setting a story in an amusement park is actually incredibly noble and would have worked beautifully on the screen, whereas on audio it ends up being fairly middling, not actually doing very much. I absolutely adored having the Doctor and Peri actually having fun together- I wish they'd ditched the mediocre plot for the sake of giving us more of it. As it is, however, it's... Fine. Kind of unengaging, to be honest. I wouldn't consider it a great starting entry, yet the potential for the range is more than obvious.

I really vibe with this story. This is the kind of drama I feel like Chibnall tried to do in "Arachnids in the UK" but failed at, a corrupt, horrid little blemish on the boot of humanity given spotlight without feeling overly preachy. I got bad vibes from the get-go about that Conrad guy, so seeing my gut feeling prove correct, combined with the unexpected terrestrial motivations, made it an intensely satisfying watch. A completely unexpected gem, especially considering I didn't necessarily vibe with Ruby during her first season.

Odd how this series feels like a complete reboot of the previous, taking the same format for it's first two episodes exactly. Episode one, sci-fi world. Episode two, fights against actual gods in a historical setting; this time it even has the same dressing up scene. This isn't a shock, RTD always used a formula for a the beginning of a series (and it was quite similar to this one, actually), just it does feel almost like a retelling, in a way. A second attempt. This naturally invites comparison, and, to be frank, while I did like "The Devil's Chord", this is a far better exploration of the exact same concept, more akin to "The Giggle". This was, I think, the first episode of the Fifteenth Doctor's era that actually justified the budget attached to it. There's not really anything negative to say, this is just peak Who. Imaginative, unique, the kind of things that makes you want seconds. Delights me to know there's a Target novelization on the horizon (wink, wink).

The devastatingly distracting stock sound effects aside, this story is actually fairly enjoyable. Remarkably "alright" in plot, which isn't a bad thing to me; it's a bit muddled, sure, but I can look past it for the sake of enjoyment. Don't entirely enjoy the decision to so quickly move away from exploring this new peaceful aspect of the Ice Warriors' history, though.

A bit of a jumble, narratively. The central conceit is actually not a bad way to start a range, a sort of “best of” to familiarize newcomers with what’s come prior is actually quite sensible. Cracks only start to show when considering the range’s titular character. The Eighth Doctor feels distinctly like a nonentity, rattled to and fro in a cosmic game of pinball without much volition. He’s a permanent victim of circumstance, perpetually going through the motions.

The Sixth (“a big, powerful fellow with a tendency to put on weight”) and the Seventh (described as “[s]mall, dark and not particularly handsome”) Doctors randomly catch several strays, which, though funny, felt oddly out of place. I understand this was to differentiate each incarnation, I just found it particularly jutted out to me in comparison to every other description.

I would consider this an unnecessary entry, if you’re not like me and you don’t feel the need to go for completion, I’d say to skip it entirely, as it doesn’t set any real expectations nor points of interest for the following books.

me no like whiny biroc

There are multiple little things with this story that makes me feel like, despite the wonderful portrayal of Liz Shaw by the late Caroline John, despite the Third Doctor's first substantial meeting with the Cybermen, "The Blue Tooth" is unfortunately nowhere near essential.

You can tell (negatively) that this is an early entry into the range, the way it squeezes four parts into such a short span feels almost comedic. As soon as I got nicely settled and interested something, suddenly the episode would end. The attempt is noble, don't get me wrong, it just doesn't end up working, actively putting me off the story. Having to hear the theme tune a grand total of eight times in just over an hour is at least excessive, if not entirely aggravating like it was for me. I acknowledge that I could have skipped it, yes, but that doesn't defeat the fact that it kept entirely disengaging me from the narrative as whole.

Sad that Liz herself has little to engagement with the actual resolution of the situation. It's confusing, for a story that seems to center itself so deep to the character, there is actually very little done with her. What we do receive of her more personal side is lovely, definitely something there that begs to be tapped into, some nice, weighty substance, yet the story seems content to gallivant around more of the Doctor's shenanigans.

In succeeding to feel like a story of Season Seven, it repeats that season's biggest flaw: the misuse of Liz Shaw.

I didn't quite get what I wanted from this one. I was very much looking forward to having the companions back, specifically Sara Kingdom, and found each of them- Ian, Steven, Sara, and Polly- had something actively have something to do. Nyssa is also there, sticking out like a sore thumb, a clear afterthought. The Companion Chronicles, where most of these characters had previously resided, are typically far more laid back in approach, so the change of pace was ultimately refreshing. Not an inherently substantial release, however.

This is not surprising, don't get me wrong. I knew it was just an hour, I knew it was originally an exclusive, it wouldn't make any sense cut off anything too important from the general audience, yet find myself yearning for something more. There's nothing to really blame for that, aside from circumstance.

Special note goes to the late William Russell, who, from what I've experienced, gives one of his best performances on audio. He seems so genuinely ecstatic to be playing the part of Ian, it's infectious.

A quaint little exploration of Ace, told by Sophie Aldred herself. Succeeds massively in terms of character, but, sadly, falls rather short in regard to actual narrative. Wish it didn’t feel the need to have one at all, really. Would’ve felt more cohesive. Like I said, the character work here felt rewarding enough.

Aldred's narration in the audiobook is remarkably professional. Don't personally like the approach myself, kind of dry to me. Loved her character voices, though.

A harmless bit of fluff, turned noir. Good popcorn listening; something to put on the background and not entirely pay attention to. I'd say I enjoyed my time, all in all. Does that make it objectively good? Not really.

Solidifies Sara Kingdom as one of thee Classic Who divas, she is an absolute badass. I mean, c'mon now. Carrying on from "Home Truths", Jean Marsh continues to devour the nonexistent scenery, leaving zero crumbs, zero plate, zero anything. If this were solely comprised of her sections, it'd be a five out of five.

However.

It would not be an understatement to say that Robert almost entirely ruins the experience for me. Every bit involving him, every break in Sara's narrative, I find incredibly boring and out of place. The cliffhanger to the first episode, for example, was incredibly rushed, jarring. Went by so fast I was genuinely confused. Would've been a good, even great idea on it's own (given actual time to develop), but was molded with the narrative in a way that hindered all it's collective parts. I can look past it, but only barely.

Massively appealing. Sara Kingdom, plus a ghost story, equals a matchmade in heaven. Literally.

This story has a certain reputation among listeners, but it's a very valid one, seeing as the concept is well-realized, the writing is sharp, and Jean Marsh's return is fabulous. A powerhouse performance, no notes. I heavily doubt this would be anywhere near as remembered if she didn't give it her all, taking what would have already been a good story to unmissable, all-time classic levels.

A glum, rather bleak story in terms of realization. Not too dark in terms of subject matter, but the artificial atmosphere created clings like a fog, dampening all that it encompasses into murky shades of gray. Though intriguing, the difference in tone between this and it's fluffier peers is extremely pronounced. I found it polarizing. Stuck through initial growing pains for the characters, but come the final part, I must admit that I found myself enraptured by the scenery "The Harvest" had laid before me.