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.