[Well, my apologies for not posting this earlier. This has nothing to do
with getting behind on writing entries - I currently have four in hand
- and everything to do with getting distracted. I simply forgot to
post anything this week!]
This was the fifth outing for Steven in the Companion Chronicles, but only one of those (Mother Russia) had been performed by Peter Purves. The very first Companion Chronicle of all - Frostfire,
performed by Maureen O'Brien with Keith Drinkel - will be coming up in
this marathon after a book and a couple of short stories.
Which brings up the issue of placement. The reference to Steven's hair apparently seems to put it just before Galaxy Four, while his comment in the first episode that he hasn't eaten since 1066 seems to put it straight after The Time Meddler;
and because of other stories in spin-off media these can't both be
true. Fortunately, in this case there's a straightforward solution, and
for once the framing sequence makes it easier rather than harder.
Simply put, the main adventure takes place where the 1066 comment would
imply, but Steven and Vicki don't get to make their recording until
some time later, either because other adventures get in the way or just
because they don't find the necessary equipment for a while. I may
change this later - Steven could have been being deliberately less than
accurate in his comment, quoting that date for effect - but I'm hoping
it won't be necessary.
I am always happy to see Jacqueline Rayner's name on the credits; I
still have to get the final seven Companion Chronicles, and I note that
she has written Vicki's entry, which is exciting. (There are a number
of my other favourite writers in that run, too - I do hope I can get
more money from somewhere soon!) Rayner is an author for whom character
comes first, but plot and setting are not far behind; basically a
balanced approach but with my top priority in pole position. The Suffering is a good example.
What is particularly interesting is that she winkles out some extra
personality traits for Steven from the slim pickings we are given in
the TV scripts. (Purves' performance does imbue him with a
fair bit of character but it rarely comes out of the writing, which
for the most part treats him as a stock action hero.) I had been going
to say that Rayner created new traits, but then I remembered something
which I will talk about a little later in the marathon. Of course,
Rayner also does something similar for Vicki, particularly in the final
episode but it's not quite so impressive simply because Vicki was
better served by script writers on more occasions.
In principle the cover is a fairly standard collage affair, but I like
the use of the charge sheet for the arrested Suffragettes and the
blending of historical London above and alien world below. The colour
scheme is also unusual and effective.
Published:
Date: February 2010
ISBN: 1-84435-463-4
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
A short peek forward at The Three Doctors.
Showing posts with label Jacqueline Rayner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jacqueline Rayner. Show all posts
Saturday, 27 June 2015
Friday, 19 June 2015
Episode CC4.07d: The Suffering, Episode 4: The Sharing
The finale to this story is very carefully crafted. It is even-handed,
with all the travellers making a significant contribution to the
solution, which is quite unusual and satisfying, so bonus marks for
that.
Unfortunately there is a form of even-handedness that goes a bit too far as well. The section showing the appalling treatment of women - and, in particular, how bad it is for them in prison - places too much emphasis on women's involvement in the oppression. This feels like a kind of internalised sexism; while such collusion certainly shouldn't be tolerated or ignored, the way it is presented lets the men too far off the hook. It's not a fatal flaw, but it is annoying.
Other aspects of this section gave me mixed feelings, too. The sound work indicating the memory transfer was spot on, but the violins were too much. We didn't need them to emphasise the pathos!
I have no complaints about the rest of the episode, though, politically or artistically. I was pleased that the story rejects the rule of the vanguard, recognising that we need different skills and mindsets after the revolution than we do during it - something that the Doctor comes to know all too well, being himself more of a tearer-down than a builder-up. The anti-revenge message from last time is also not forgotten, and the revelation of what had actually happened in the fourth galaxy makes perfect sense. Even the reason for the recording is appropriate!
Jacqueline Rayner takes the opportunity to illuminate Vicki's psychology here, including giving her a two-minute speech packed full of thoughtful commentary on her motivations. It could have come across as heavy-handed, but Maureen O'Brien delivers it with an appropriately light touch. The words are carefully chosen too: "I've lost everything once, so there are no horrors left. Of course I don't want to die; I'm having too much fun. And that's the point." Or "I have been afraid, but it's a fear born of adrenaline; there was no pain. Pain doesn't fit in with jolly adventures." Great stuff, and bringing back memories of her standing in the space museum and declaring revolution with a joyous smile on her face.
Finally we have the second interview, and the revelation that O'Brien is enjoying playing Vicki again now. I was aware she wasn't an enthusiastic alumnus of the show, and the fact that the folks at Big Finish can do so much to make it a happy experience is heartening. I know there are a few for whom this is not the case - John Levene for one - but they have a high hit rate, and it makes them a company I am very happy to support.
O'Brien seems a little more thrown by the question of what would make a good setting for an adventure. Her suggestion of the English Civil War doesn't seem to have been taken up, so far, and neither does Lisa Bowerman's of the Restoration; although I admit I'm not entirely up to date!
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 4.07 as a whole.
Unfortunately there is a form of even-handedness that goes a bit too far as well. The section showing the appalling treatment of women - and, in particular, how bad it is for them in prison - places too much emphasis on women's involvement in the oppression. This feels like a kind of internalised sexism; while such collusion certainly shouldn't be tolerated or ignored, the way it is presented lets the men too far off the hook. It's not a fatal flaw, but it is annoying.
Other aspects of this section gave me mixed feelings, too. The sound work indicating the memory transfer was spot on, but the violins were too much. We didn't need them to emphasise the pathos!
I have no complaints about the rest of the episode, though, politically or artistically. I was pleased that the story rejects the rule of the vanguard, recognising that we need different skills and mindsets after the revolution than we do during it - something that the Doctor comes to know all too well, being himself more of a tearer-down than a builder-up. The anti-revenge message from last time is also not forgotten, and the revelation of what had actually happened in the fourth galaxy makes perfect sense. Even the reason for the recording is appropriate!
Jacqueline Rayner takes the opportunity to illuminate Vicki's psychology here, including giving her a two-minute speech packed full of thoughtful commentary on her motivations. It could have come across as heavy-handed, but Maureen O'Brien delivers it with an appropriately light touch. The words are carefully chosen too: "I've lost everything once, so there are no horrors left. Of course I don't want to die; I'm having too much fun. And that's the point." Or "I have been afraid, but it's a fear born of adrenaline; there was no pain. Pain doesn't fit in with jolly adventures." Great stuff, and bringing back memories of her standing in the space museum and declaring revolution with a joyous smile on her face.
Finally we have the second interview, and the revelation that O'Brien is enjoying playing Vicki again now. I was aware she wasn't an enthusiastic alumnus of the show, and the fact that the folks at Big Finish can do so much to make it a happy experience is heartening. I know there are a few for whom this is not the case - John Levene for one - but they have a high hit rate, and it makes them a company I am very happy to support.
O'Brien seems a little more thrown by the question of what would make a good setting for an adventure. Her suggestion of the English Civil War doesn't seem to have been taken up, so far, and neither does Lisa Bowerman's of the Restoration; although I admit I'm not entirely up to date!
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Companion Chronicle 4.07 as a whole.
Monday, 15 June 2015
Episode CC4.07c: The Suffering, Episode 3: The Female of the Species
I have to comment on the cliffhangers in this story, because they are
all very similar - too similar, in fact, for it be anything other than a
deliberate choice. And I just don't get it - the second and third come
across as boring to me. Still, that's a minor complaint.
This episode is very much a game of two parts, and just to be perverse I'll tackle the second half first. This is where the science fiction element of the story comes into its own, and where the main threat is explained.
And it's kind of familiar. This seems to be a "genesis" story for a race the Doctor and his companions have yet to meet, but will very soon. Which is kind of a strange idea, but in the process the themes of the alien's story are shown to be tied very closely to the historical side of things.
What we hear is nicely layered. There's the appalling treatment of the alien women, of course, and their desire for freedom is completely understandable; but it's also shown that the (equally natural) desire for revenge which came with it is not good, and has undesirable consequences.
It's impossible for me, from my position of privilege and safety, to know what it is like for people at the sharp end of such oppression. I hate violence, and disapprove of it on principle; and yet, in a situation like that, I cannot condemn the ones who use it to fight for their freedom. The only reason we ever got a National Health Service and Welfare State after the Second World War - two things I consider unequivocally good about British history - is because there were a lot of Working Class men with guns returning home who had been trained as soldiers and wanted some payback on their sacrifice.
Which leaves the revenge angle, and South Africa is my model here. There could have been a bloodbath after the revolution - many people assumed there would be - but the ideals of truth and reconciliation won out. Not entirely, of course, and the country has been left with massive problems anyway; but the sincere effort to avoid a revenge cycle has certainly been positive.
The first part of the episode - which I prefer, despite my relief that we have finally reached the point of significantly interacting with the alien aspects of the story - is almost entirely historical. (The only exceptions are the 'punishing' of the local doctor and then of the police officer, the latter leading into the second part.) The educational remit appears here with Constance's lecture to Vicki about the Suffragette cause and the reasons for it, followed by the scenes with the protesters and their treatment by the police. The combination is an effective way of showing both the rhetoric of protest and the reality, the latter being far more messy and ugly.
As well as this, we finally get to know Constance a little better. No longer is she a poster girl for those who oppose women's suffrage: now she comes across as a passionately committed supporter of the cause, naïve and unaware of her own privilege but definitely thoughtful and well-meaning. Of course, this is now Vicki telling the tale; and I wonder how much of the change is deliberate? My previous impression came from Steven's description, and I've already commented that he is presented as somewhat sexist. Given Jacqueline Rayner's history of good characterisation and of playing with the form (I recently relistened to the wonderful Doctor Who and the Pirates, an extreme example), I am inclined to think that it is.
And this adds another layer to my appreciation of the story. There is much less humour in Vicki's account so far, and she is the one who wanted to record the adventure. Despite Steven usually coming across as the more serious of the two, is it possible that he embellished a little to keep himself entertained while recounting his part of the tale, while Vicki was determined to keep everything accurate and factual? I believe so. And the realisation that I am not necessarily listening to an objective account gives this episode another half mark.
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Sharing.
This episode is very much a game of two parts, and just to be perverse I'll tackle the second half first. This is where the science fiction element of the story comes into its own, and where the main threat is explained.
And it's kind of familiar. This seems to be a "genesis" story for a race the Doctor and his companions have yet to meet, but will very soon. Which is kind of a strange idea, but in the process the themes of the alien's story are shown to be tied very closely to the historical side of things.
What we hear is nicely layered. There's the appalling treatment of the alien women, of course, and their desire for freedom is completely understandable; but it's also shown that the (equally natural) desire for revenge which came with it is not good, and has undesirable consequences.
It's impossible for me, from my position of privilege and safety, to know what it is like for people at the sharp end of such oppression. I hate violence, and disapprove of it on principle; and yet, in a situation like that, I cannot condemn the ones who use it to fight for their freedom. The only reason we ever got a National Health Service and Welfare State after the Second World War - two things I consider unequivocally good about British history - is because there were a lot of Working Class men with guns returning home who had been trained as soldiers and wanted some payback on their sacrifice.
Which leaves the revenge angle, and South Africa is my model here. There could have been a bloodbath after the revolution - many people assumed there would be - but the ideals of truth and reconciliation won out. Not entirely, of course, and the country has been left with massive problems anyway; but the sincere effort to avoid a revenge cycle has certainly been positive.
The first part of the episode - which I prefer, despite my relief that we have finally reached the point of significantly interacting with the alien aspects of the story - is almost entirely historical. (The only exceptions are the 'punishing' of the local doctor and then of the police officer, the latter leading into the second part.) The educational remit appears here with Constance's lecture to Vicki about the Suffragette cause and the reasons for it, followed by the scenes with the protesters and their treatment by the police. The combination is an effective way of showing both the rhetoric of protest and the reality, the latter being far more messy and ugly.
As well as this, we finally get to know Constance a little better. No longer is she a poster girl for those who oppose women's suffrage: now she comes across as a passionately committed supporter of the cause, naïve and unaware of her own privilege but definitely thoughtful and well-meaning. Of course, this is now Vicki telling the tale; and I wonder how much of the change is deliberate? My previous impression came from Steven's description, and I've already commented that he is presented as somewhat sexist. Given Jacqueline Rayner's history of good characterisation and of playing with the form (I recently relistened to the wonderful Doctor Who and the Pirates, an extreme example), I am inclined to think that it is.
And this adds another layer to my appreciation of the story. There is much less humour in Vicki's account so far, and she is the one who wanted to record the adventure. Despite Steven usually coming across as the more serious of the two, is it possible that he embellished a little to keep himself entertained while recounting his part of the tale, while Vicki was determined to keep everything accurate and factual? I believe so. And the realisation that I am not necessarily listening to an objective account gives this episode another half mark.
Rating:
6/10.
Next Time:
The Sharing.
Friday, 12 June 2015
Episode CC4.07b: The Suffering, Episode 2: The Piltdown Woman
The second episode maintains the standard of the first, with, if
anything, even more humour. The sound effects and music are quiet and
selective, which captures the feel of an era far removed from the
constant soundtrack of the modern series. There's a reminder that this
is Steven and Vicki recording an adventure at the start, but it's very
short; now that Steven has got into the flow, Peter Purves can dive
almost straight back into telling the story using his full abilities.
Mostly it's good plain fun, with the Doctor namedropping a fictional character (Raffles) and the farce with the Gladstone bag, the skeleton, and the omnibus. The drama on the clifftop never feels too dangerous, being more of a "how will he get out of that?" puzzle; and the horror is restricted mainly to the opening and the close.
Speaking of which, the cliffhanger is surprisingly similar to the previous one, and I hope that's not a sign the alien threat is going to be kept in the background much longer. I am more interested in the historical setting, but if you're going to have a pseudohistorical the menace needs to be a proper part of it.
So far, this is a proving to be a good story for continuing to develop Steven's characterisation. His worrying about madness continues, and he is characterised as sexist but gallant (which seems to fit), whereas the Doctor is both more egalitarian and more callous.
Normally, of course, this would have been the final episode of a Companion Chronicle, but here Big Finish experimented for the first time with a four-episode release (alongside having two voice actors from the TV series). It must have been a success because the two-disk story became an annual feature up until the end of the monthly run, and the use of multiple leads became even more common - The Flames of Cadiz being an example I've reviewed earlier.
Of course, being in the middle of the story means it's a bit odd to suddenly be presented with an interview! It's not completely unprecedented - it happened in the main range when they experimented with a serialised extra story, The Three Companions - but there's still something jarring.
Fortunately they studiously avoid spoilers, and I did learn some things. Unsurprisingly, like most of the cast, Purves prefers historicals. (When I met him last year, he said the story he'd most like to see recovered is The Massacre, with The Myth Makers a close second. His favourite SF story is The Savages, which he considers underrated. It'll be a while before I get there in this marathon, though!)
Something I'd never considered before was the matter of colour. Purves pictures his audio adventures in full colour, whereas I generally imagine them in monochrome. I hypothesise that this is to do with him being there when the TV serials were made: in effect, he saw them in colour then, whereas I have only ever seen them in black and white.
It also sounds as if some of the ideas he gives here for future stories of Steven were taken into account - and when I get The War to End All Wars I'll find out just how far they've gone...
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
The Female of the Species.
Mostly it's good plain fun, with the Doctor namedropping a fictional character (Raffles) and the farce with the Gladstone bag, the skeleton, and the omnibus. The drama on the clifftop never feels too dangerous, being more of a "how will he get out of that?" puzzle; and the horror is restricted mainly to the opening and the close.
Speaking of which, the cliffhanger is surprisingly similar to the previous one, and I hope that's not a sign the alien threat is going to be kept in the background much longer. I am more interested in the historical setting, but if you're going to have a pseudohistorical the menace needs to be a proper part of it.
So far, this is a proving to be a good story for continuing to develop Steven's characterisation. His worrying about madness continues, and he is characterised as sexist but gallant (which seems to fit), whereas the Doctor is both more egalitarian and more callous.
Normally, of course, this would have been the final episode of a Companion Chronicle, but here Big Finish experimented for the first time with a four-episode release (alongside having two voice actors from the TV series). It must have been a success because the two-disk story became an annual feature up until the end of the monthly run, and the use of multiple leads became even more common - The Flames of Cadiz being an example I've reviewed earlier.
Of course, being in the middle of the story means it's a bit odd to suddenly be presented with an interview! It's not completely unprecedented - it happened in the main range when they experimented with a serialised extra story, The Three Companions - but there's still something jarring.
Fortunately they studiously avoid spoilers, and I did learn some things. Unsurprisingly, like most of the cast, Purves prefers historicals. (When I met him last year, he said the story he'd most like to see recovered is The Massacre, with The Myth Makers a close second. His favourite SF story is The Savages, which he considers underrated. It'll be a while before I get there in this marathon, though!)
Something I'd never considered before was the matter of colour. Purves pictures his audio adventures in full colour, whereas I generally imagine them in monochrome. I hypothesise that this is to do with him being there when the TV serials were made: in effect, he saw them in colour then, whereas I have only ever seen them in black and white.
It also sounds as if some of the ideas he gives here for future stories of Steven were taken into account - and when I get The War to End All Wars I'll find out just how far they've gone...
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
The Female of the Species.
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
Episode CC4.07a: The Suffering, Episode 1: An Unearthing
Right, let's tackle the framing sequence first - because it's lovely!
Having the two companions recounting and recording one of their
adventures is such an obvious idea, I'm surprised it hadn't been
overused by the fourth Companion Chronicles season. This one is so full
of meta and cheeky comments, like "whoever's going to want to listen to
it?"; and it immediately shows off the narrators' differing character
traits. Vicki is fanciful, imaginative, teasing; while Steven is
straightforward, a less confident teller of tales until he gets into his
stride.
The fan-pleasing in-jokes continue within the main story, too, in particular the one about the 'alien landscape' that looks like (and turns out to actually be) a gravel pit. This opening scene sets the tone of the piece, lighthearted but with a vein of horror. Steven's frustration that the Doctor will never admit he's wrong comes through strongly - and I must say that Peter Purves' Doctor is excellent, really echoing the spirit of William Hartnell's performance.
Later on, Steven admits to being close to madness on Mechanus, but I don't think he realises quite how close. This certainly informs Purves' intense performance in his first few stories, and he recaptures that here. Steven hearing voices later on also ties into the theme rather scarily, as does his role in the (period-appropriate) cliffhanger. We don't hear so much of Maureen O'Brien in this episode, but Vicki's impish warmth comes through when we do.
Jacqueline Rayner makes very good use of the medium. For instance, one advantage of narration is that you can skip boring bits for one character while other stuff that we do want to hear about is going on in the same room, without it seeming artificial - and I didn't even notice it on first listen when this happens by Vicki's bedside! Another example is the comedy car journey, which is very much recreating early Hollywood. I love the idea that the Doctor drives the car as well as he pilots the TARDIS, and can picture how it would have looked on TV - except, of course, that money wouldn't have allowed it. The location shooting and stuntwork budget on audio is a lot higher.
There is a very classic feel to this story in other ways too, with Vicki a bit of a victim but the production making good use of the BBC's famous costume department. In fact, feminism definitely takes a back seat, with Constance described as masculine-looking, bridling - much as the Suffragettes of the day were depicted by their detractors. I can see how this fits with how she would have been presented if this had been made for TV in 1965, but I hope later episodes will provide a contrasting view. Incidentally, there was a very interesting talk at the History Live! festival last July, about the women of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and how they pushed against the attitudes of the time, failing to achieve any recognition from the British during the First World War (though soldiers of other nations were grateful for their help) but finally being acknowledged in the Second.
In contrast to the actual portrayal of women here, the discussion between Steven and the Doctor concerning suffrage is great. I actually knew the facts, but somehow hadn't really got a feel for what that meant in terms of limiting men's access to the vote. Seeing how it would have applied to Steven and the Doctor - fictional though they are - brought it home. That in itself is the best way to fulfil an educational remit - something the writer also did well in her previous story, The Transit of Venus.
Finally, hearing the name 'Piltdown' was enough for me to have an "aha!" moment - that's a bit of history I don't need to be educated about - and made me think I know where one strand of the story is going. I'll be interested to see if I'm right...
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
The Piltdown Woman.
The fan-pleasing in-jokes continue within the main story, too, in particular the one about the 'alien landscape' that looks like (and turns out to actually be) a gravel pit. This opening scene sets the tone of the piece, lighthearted but with a vein of horror. Steven's frustration that the Doctor will never admit he's wrong comes through strongly - and I must say that Peter Purves' Doctor is excellent, really echoing the spirit of William Hartnell's performance.
Later on, Steven admits to being close to madness on Mechanus, but I don't think he realises quite how close. This certainly informs Purves' intense performance in his first few stories, and he recaptures that here. Steven hearing voices later on also ties into the theme rather scarily, as does his role in the (period-appropriate) cliffhanger. We don't hear so much of Maureen O'Brien in this episode, but Vicki's impish warmth comes through when we do.
Jacqueline Rayner makes very good use of the medium. For instance, one advantage of narration is that you can skip boring bits for one character while other stuff that we do want to hear about is going on in the same room, without it seeming artificial - and I didn't even notice it on first listen when this happens by Vicki's bedside! Another example is the comedy car journey, which is very much recreating early Hollywood. I love the idea that the Doctor drives the car as well as he pilots the TARDIS, and can picture how it would have looked on TV - except, of course, that money wouldn't have allowed it. The location shooting and stuntwork budget on audio is a lot higher.
There is a very classic feel to this story in other ways too, with Vicki a bit of a victim but the production making good use of the BBC's famous costume department. In fact, feminism definitely takes a back seat, with Constance described as masculine-looking, bridling - much as the Suffragettes of the day were depicted by their detractors. I can see how this fits with how she would have been presented if this had been made for TV in 1965, but I hope later episodes will provide a contrasting view. Incidentally, there was a very interesting talk at the History Live! festival last July, about the women of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and how they pushed against the attitudes of the time, failing to achieve any recognition from the British during the First World War (though soldiers of other nations were grateful for their help) but finally being acknowledged in the Second.
In contrast to the actual portrayal of women here, the discussion between Steven and the Doctor concerning suffrage is great. I actually knew the facts, but somehow hadn't really got a feel for what that meant in terms of limiting men's access to the vote. Seeing how it would have applied to Steven and the Doctor - fictional though they are - brought it home. That in itself is the best way to fulfil an educational remit - something the writer also did well in her previous story, The Transit of Venus.
Finally, hearing the name 'Piltdown' was enough for me to have an "aha!" moment - that's a bit of history I don't need to be educated about - and made me think I know where one strand of the story is going. I'll be interested to see if I'm right...
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
The Piltdown Woman.
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