Well all good things must come to an end. After six weeks of adventures the whole plot point of Lucie would be concluded. Human Resources is the final story of the season however forms the seventh and eighth story in the series and it begins at a very strange point because in No More Lies, Lucie has been taken by the Headhunter. This story was written by Eddie Robson who had penned the last 8th Doctor story in the regular range Memory Lane (2006) That story has something in common with Human Resources in that is complicated in some ways. I wasn’t a major fan of that story but there were some enjoyable elements. You have to really listen to these stories otherwise you are completely lost. This story has a lot to live up to after the great opening of Blood of the Daleks and the strong consistent stories in between it was important to make sure this story wasn’t a letdown. It’s hard to believe that its only been six weeks since the start of this adventure.
After using the Daleks to open the series it was only fitting to use the Cybermen to finish it off. The Cybermen are used in this story in a way that they haven't been used before in this audio range. The idea that they weren't looking for trouble but now are set on taking over Earth is like waking a sleeping giant in that it will get you into trouble waking them. There were several different plot points in this story and some of them worked and some didn't. The plot point that Lucie was working for a company that was secretly terror forming planets but using people like Lucie to work on the information was a good line, the other plot point that the reason for Lucie been paired with the Doctor was done by the Timelords who were removing her because they had made so many changes to her timeline that she needed to be taken out so they could sort itself out was also a clever part except until you realise that the Timelords or CIA got the wrong person was a bit of a anti-climax because your would have thought that a race of people who had developed time travel wouldn't make a silly mistake like getting the wrong person but that doesn't really spoil the story too much.
Due to the fact that there 100 minutes instead of the usual 50 it gave Robson and co a lot longer to develop some of the plot points. It enabled the relationship between Lucie and Karen. Within just a few well written scenes we got the feeling that these two characters would be going out on a Friday night in Blackpool.
The story moves along a quick pace over the two parts and the cast have a lot to do with that. Paul McGann is great as the Doctor because he has gotten to like Lucie and when you think of what their relationship was like in Blood of the Daleks then it has come a long way and mixed in with the threat of the Cybermen, McGann is given a lot to do and works well with the dialogue he is given. Sheridan Smith deserves a great amount of praise because she has consistently put in superb efforts in every story and the final two parts are where she really shines through. Over the past eight episodes she has shown what an important character she has been. I hope that this continues in future adventures. Nickolas Grace was very good in this story. Grace had previously appeared in the 2002 story Bang-Bang-A-Boom and also has appeared in the fantastic House of Cards, My Family and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993) appears in this story as the Timelord Straxus, The character is very much how you would imagine the Timelords to be and when he swans in to meet the Doctor it just has the air of arrogance which is how the Timelords have been portrayed. Katarina Olsson has been one of the best things in this series. In this series she played the Headhunter and puts in her best performance in this story as she is given some good dialogue. Roy Marsden who appeared opposite the Tenth Doctor in Smith and Jones plays Hulbert who is the owner of Hulbert Logistics which is where the story is set and the character is well rounded and has some good scenes in this story. Owen Brenman was very good in this story as Jerry. He is the David Brent of this story. He cracks terrible jokes and wants to be everybody’s friend which isn’t exactly original but is done well in this story. Andrew Wisher was also very good as Malcolm. Even though he entered in this story quite late he managed to contribute a lot to the story and interacted well with the other characters.
The Cybermen were very good in this story and they weren’t wasted at all. Big Finish always try and do something different with monsters that are familiar to all Doctor Who fans and they managed it again in Human Resources. Their sound is always different and I thought that it was the best one. Nicholas Briggs is the gov’ner of Cybermen/Dalek voices and yet again his made the Cybermen seem like a genuine threat.
Overall these two stories are well acted and well written if a bit over complicated but because of the length of each episode there is just enough time to explain all the plots and give enough dialogue to justify having each character in the story. The idea of the Doctor offering Lucie the chance to join him in the TARDIS after everything they have endured during these two parts was nice because it mirrors the 10th Doctor and Martha in the TV series but in the audio version Lucie accepts the Doctors offer and that means we will get some more adventures in this combination. Eddie Robson has written a superb story that delivered what we all hoped for and shows why he is becoming one of the best writers for the range. Nicholas Briggs also directed a story that maintained pace and enjoyment throughout.
I really like the series as a whole.
After using the Daleks to open the series it was only fitting to use the Cybermen to finish it off. The Cybermen are used in this story in a way that they haven't been used before in this audio range. The idea that they weren't looking for trouble but now are set on taking over Earth is like waking a sleeping giant in that it will get you into trouble waking them. There were several different plot points in this story and some of them worked and some didn't. The plot point that Lucie was working for a company that was secretly terror forming planets but using people like Lucie to work on the information was a good line, the other plot point that the reason for Lucie been paired with the Doctor was done by the Timelords who were removing her because they had made so many changes to her timeline that she needed to be taken out so they could sort itself out was also a clever part except until you realise that the Timelords or CIA got the wrong person was a bit of a anti-climax because your would have thought that a race of people who had developed time travel wouldn't make a silly mistake like getting the wrong person but that doesn't really spoil the story too much.
Due to the fact that there 100 minutes instead of the usual 50 it gave Robson and co a lot longer to develop some of the plot points. It enabled the relationship between Lucie and Karen. Within just a few well written scenes we got the feeling that these two characters would be going out on a Friday night in Blackpool.
The story moves along a quick pace over the two parts and the cast have a lot to do with that. Paul McGann is great as the Doctor because he has gotten to like Lucie and when you think of what their relationship was like in Blood of the Daleks then it has come a long way and mixed in with the threat of the Cybermen, McGann is given a lot to do and works well with the dialogue he is given. Sheridan Smith deserves a great amount of praise because she has consistently put in superb efforts in every story and the final two parts are where she really shines through. Over the past eight episodes she has shown what an important character she has been. I hope that this continues in future adventures. Nickolas Grace was very good in this story. Grace had previously appeared in the 2002 story Bang-Bang-A-Boom and also has appeared in the fantastic House of Cards, My Family and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993) appears in this story as the Timelord Straxus, The character is very much how you would imagine the Timelords to be and when he swans in to meet the Doctor it just has the air of arrogance which is how the Timelords have been portrayed. Katarina Olsson has been one of the best things in this series. In this series she played the Headhunter and puts in her best performance in this story as she is given some good dialogue. Roy Marsden who appeared opposite the Tenth Doctor in Smith and Jones plays Hulbert who is the owner of Hulbert Logistics which is where the story is set and the character is well rounded and has some good scenes in this story. Owen Brenman was very good in this story as Jerry. He is the David Brent of this story. He cracks terrible jokes and wants to be everybody’s friend which isn’t exactly original but is done well in this story. Andrew Wisher was also very good as Malcolm. Even though he entered in this story quite late he managed to contribute a lot to the story and interacted well with the other characters.
The Cybermen were very good in this story and they weren’t wasted at all. Big Finish always try and do something different with monsters that are familiar to all Doctor Who fans and they managed it again in Human Resources. Their sound is always different and I thought that it was the best one. Nicholas Briggs is the gov’ner of Cybermen/Dalek voices and yet again his made the Cybermen seem like a genuine threat.
Overall these two stories are well acted and well written if a bit over complicated but because of the length of each episode there is just enough time to explain all the plots and give enough dialogue to justify having each character in the story. The idea of the Doctor offering Lucie the chance to join him in the TARDIS after everything they have endured during these two parts was nice because it mirrors the 10th Doctor and Martha in the TV series but in the audio version Lucie accepts the Doctors offer and that means we will get some more adventures in this combination. Eddie Robson has written a superb story that delivered what we all hoped for and shows why he is becoming one of the best writers for the range. Nicholas Briggs also directed a story that maintained pace and enjoyment throughout.
I really like the series as a whole.
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