Synopsis:
"1935: a message from a Time Lord in trouble sends the Eighth Doctor and Charlotte ‘Charley’ Pollard to the streets of London’s West End, in search of a mysterious alien adversary – unaware that something monstrous is already on their trail.
They soon discover that an insidious conspiracy is indeed at work, its tentacles extending the length of the British Isles. Proving its existence won’t be easy, however, after a confrontation in a music hall ends up with the Doctor under arrest and Charley on the run, suspected of murder. All their hopes rest in a musical clue and a man named Hilary – neither of which are much consolation, with the two time travellers the object of a nationwide manhunt.
And all the while, the enemy aliens are drawing closer and closer still…"
Paul McGann is among my favourite Doctors and Charley is among my favourite companions so I was really looking forward to this and it does not disappoint. I'm glad they chose Alan Barnes to write the story
because he knows Charley better than anyone, seeing as he brought the
character into Doctor Who. I'm also very happy that they chose Charley over Grace, Chang Lee, C'rizz, Lucie or Molly - don't get me wrong, they're all great, but I think Charley has become the iconic companion for McGann's Doctor but then again, since not all listeners will know about Big Finish's Eighth Doctor audios, it might feel a bit confusing to some. Well, it's fantastic to see (actually, I mean hear) her again as it's her first appearance since Solitaire in 2010!India Fisher is a great audiobook narrator, but we already knew that thanks to an amazing 2010 Companion Chronicle! Michael Maloney does a brilliant job too - he's every bit as good as India Fisher and his Hilary voice is incredibly chilling and absolutely fantastic! Oh, and the vicar voice is great too!
The story basically revolves around William Tell so that's quite interesting.
There are quite a few sneaky references to past Eighth Doctor / Charley stories which I enjoyed spotting, even if things like this are the main reason Attack of the Cybermen gets so much (in my opinion, undeserved) hate.
I was a bit disappointed by what the "enemy aliens" turned out to be. I'm not going to spoil it, but don't assume they're going to be something ridiculously crazily awesome because they're really not. The build up is brilliant but then you realise what "enemy aliens" means...
The setting is wonderful even if it is just 1930's London, it's done brilliantly. Captures the place almost exactly as I'd imagine it!
Some good lines are "The key is in the house with the straggly witch... That's where the aliens are!", "Ahh, scrambled eggs... Oh lord! Ah, they're ruined!" and "Time Lords United 2, Enemy Aliens nil". Of course, "But we'll have to get those clothes off you first!" was kind of funny, but we had the same joke in the 2012 Christmas special The Snowmen so that ruined it a little.
Charley is the master of disguise she's been since her very first adventure (Storm Warning), the strange drumming noise thing reminds me of The Master and the Eleventh Doctor cameo was quite good.
My only problems with the story are:
#1. Somewhere near the start, there is a dog barking and that can be a little distracting at times.
#2. It can be a little bit slow at times.
#3. When the cavern roof comes crashing down, it's ridiculously loud, especially if you're a headphone user.
Overall, it's a very good, solid, enjoyable story despite a couple of minor flaws and so far, it's my favourite story in the Destiny of the Doctor range. Fantastic to see the Eighth Doctor with Charley again, everyone involved did a great job and we've got the amazing Alan Barnes to thank. I'd recommend it to just about anyone who likes the Eighth Doctor or Charley.
Overall Rating: 9/10
You can buy Enemy Aliens for £3.99 download or £5.10 CD here.
No comments:
Post a Comment