BF Thoughts: 128 The Eternal Summer

[romanajo123]

*randomly picks from audios on phone. WARNING; The following may contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion*

Range/Series: Doctor Who main
TARDIS Team: The Doctor (5th), Nyssa
Author: Jonathan Morris
Standalone?: Yes...but you might want to listen to Castle of Fear first (there's a BIG cliffhanger that leads directly into this story)

The Story: The Doctor and Nyssa find themselves once again in the sleepy town of Stockbridge, a place "where nothing ever changes." But this time, that's a bit too literal. The residents already seem to know Nyssa and the Doctor and are trapped in a seemingly endless loop' forced to relive every aspect of their lives (every birth, death, etc) from the past sixty years. Something's seriously messed with time.

The Good:

• The worldbuilding. It's great to see more of Stockbridge than just what was previously established.
• The side characters. In a lot of stories like this, the side characters would have little to no character. Here, they are so well-written that the listener can definitely feel for all of them. Including...
• MAX EDISON. The Adorkable almost-companion and "flying saucer nut." Yes, he's mostly portrayed as a stereotypical nerd, but this portrayal feels a little less negative than most. (if Big Finish gets the rights to adapt Doctor Who comics, I sincerely hope Max makes a return)
• The Lord and Lady of the Manor. What a unique concept to have the villains be (possible) future versions of the Doctor and Nyssa. And they are positively creepy.
  

The Bad

• Just going to say it: this audio contains one of the least memorable Big Bads I've heard seen (heard?). I realize his purpose was to explain how the "Lord and Lady" came to happen, but he left no impact on me at all.
• Speaking of them, while I do love the concept, I can't deny that there are a few moments between those two that can make me cringe (namely, the Doctor trying to *eat* Nyssa...)

Recommend It?: Aside from a few minor complaints (see above), yes. This author has a gift for nonlinear/ "timey-wimey" storytelling and can write the Five/Nyssa dynamic well while throwing in generous amounts of angst and character development.

*Also included is a short (approx. 10 minutes) episode at the end that is part of a long story arc called The Three Companions (featuring Polly, the Brigadier, and original audio companion Thomas Brewster)*

So, anyone else have thoughts about this one? Please let me know if you'd like me to do any more of these because this was kind of fun.

Comments

[circular_time]

I love this story so much for the human pathos, for Maxwell Edison, for the Lord and Lady of the Manor, and for little hints of shippitude (the hug when Nyssa and the Doctor find one another and the fact that they become the Lord and Lady together hello) that I forgot the lame villain and have blotted out the munchy bits. I echo pretty much all your thoughts about this one.

Lizzie's also great.

There are so many little tidbits of darned good acting and fantastic dialog in this. Even down to Nyssa's bafflement over waking up and finding herself in "this...attire." See also the Doctor's phone call, which is a tour de force set piece.

It's one of several stories where Nyssa's good intentions cause problems, especially when she's trying to rescue the Doctor (see also Masquerade, Cradle of the Snake).

I am so glad that Big Finish tapped Mark Williams (Mr. Weasley!) to play Max. Like you, I hope Big Finish brings him back. It saddens me that most Whovians only know him for his role as Rory's Dad— Big Finish found him first! :D

[romanajo123]

Yeah...when the villains from the shows I used to watch on Saturday mornings are more memorable, something's wrong. And I know the Lord and Lady feed off of memories (the Doctor calls them "parasites" even), but something about the Doctor trying to "feast" on Nyssa is enough to make me go 'ewww'.

How could I forget Lizzie? She's really great too. And her bonding moments with Max are so sweet (the "Where have you been all my life" scene makes me smile).

The phone call scene is one of my favorites. I still wonder why Nyssa was assigned to be a "Post...mistress." (why not a nurse or something?)

Wait...that was Rory's dad??

[circular_time]

I think so?

Mark Williams. Rory's Dad, Maxwell Edison in that audio, and "dad" Weasley in the Potter movies.