Well it’s been 15 months since The Angel of Scutari and as if that wasn’t exciting enough then we have the return of Nimrod in the Project Series. The first story was Project: Twilight in 2001 featuring the Sixth Doctor and that was wonderful because it was dark and grim. Then in 2003 we get Project: Lazarus which featured the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in only the second multi Doctor story that Big Finish had done. This one was far better because it was darker and grimmer than Twilight. This story was like the previous Project stories written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright.
The Doctor, Ace and Hex return to St Garts (the hospital that the Doctor and Ace first met Hex) to try and save Hex's life. What they come across is a deserted London where the only people around are the contaminates and the people who work for a new version of the Forge. The B-plot is the deserted London but the main story is about Hex. The Doctor knows that Hex's mother is Cassie who the Sixth Doctor met in Twilight and saw killed in Lazarus. The majority of the story is built on waiting for the truth to come out and to see what Hex's reaction will be. What does help crank up the tension are the scenes with Nimrod or Sir William Abberton and the Doctor. He is nice as pie to Hex and spends most of the story acting like Hex's best buddy. Abberton knows that Hex doesn’t know the truth and the Doctor hasn’t told him. Abberton uses this against the Doctor before revealing all to Hex. The latter part of the story is now about Hex wanting to give his mother the burial he deserves. But this happens just as the Criton building is about to be destroyed. With Hex disillusioned and with the truth out, Hex walks off into the sunset. If that is the last time we ever hear from Hex then it has to be the worst ending for a companion since Leela decided she was in love and stayed on Gallifrey. However since there has been a big thing made about whether it is his last story I will have to reserve that comment for the final story Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge in November. I did like the link to the next story when Aristedes notes that the seal of Rassilon above the door of the TARDIS matches the symbol on a casket in Nimrod's Aladdin cave of goods. This leads in Death in the Family.
The problem with this story is that as I was listening to this I was wondering why it wasn’t grabbing my attention. It just didn’t seem to have any of the magic of the previous two stories. The one thing that stood out from the previous two stories was the darkness and how unlike a Doctor Who story it got whilst it felt comfortable. This one just felt like a normal Doctor Who story but with an apocalyptic setting. The story couldn’t quite make up its mind what it wanted to be. The writers clearly wanted to continue the Project story but seemed to have to shoe-horn the whole Hex's mother story. As a result all the darkness had to be thrown out because it would have be way to dark for anyone's likening. I did like the build up to the truth about Hex's mother because you knew it was going to happen it was just a case of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Philip Olivier is very good in this. I have mixed feelings about him. Sometimes he is very good and then sometimes he is just annoying. When he is in things like The Harvest, No Mans Land and Angel of Scutari then he is very good but then in things like Dreamtime and Night Thoughts he is weak. In this he is in his element when the truth is revealed. Sylvester McCoy puts in another sterling performance. As well as trying to sort out the problems occupying London and infecting himself he has to battle Nimrod and prevent Hex from knowing the truth. Sophie Aldred is sort of in the background in this as she spends a lot of time away from the main action. To be honest there was very little that she could do and the very least that could be said is she puts in an average performance.
As a story on its own it is a nice one. The apocalyptic scenario is well acted out and the characters are all very well acted on. Unfortunately compared to the other Project stories it is weak. There is very little of what makes those stories work in this. Granted it was great to have Nimrod back and Stephen Chance is brilliant. But it is definitely weaker that the other two. Only time will tell whether this series of Seventh Doctor adventures is as good as the Klein trilogy at the beginning of the year. Cavan Scott & Mark Wright have done a good job writing a story which has to get through so much back story and references to make it not seem like a massive mess. Ken Bentley (or Ken Bentleyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy) is a very good director and does a very good job making this story move along with the pace that it needs.
The Doctor, Ace and Hex return to St Garts (the hospital that the Doctor and Ace first met Hex) to try and save Hex's life. What they come across is a deserted London where the only people around are the contaminates and the people who work for a new version of the Forge. The B-plot is the deserted London but the main story is about Hex. The Doctor knows that Hex's mother is Cassie who the Sixth Doctor met in Twilight and saw killed in Lazarus. The majority of the story is built on waiting for the truth to come out and to see what Hex's reaction will be. What does help crank up the tension are the scenes with Nimrod or Sir William Abberton and the Doctor. He is nice as pie to Hex and spends most of the story acting like Hex's best buddy. Abberton knows that Hex doesn’t know the truth and the Doctor hasn’t told him. Abberton uses this against the Doctor before revealing all to Hex. The latter part of the story is now about Hex wanting to give his mother the burial he deserves. But this happens just as the Criton building is about to be destroyed. With Hex disillusioned and with the truth out, Hex walks off into the sunset. If that is the last time we ever hear from Hex then it has to be the worst ending for a companion since Leela decided she was in love and stayed on Gallifrey. However since there has been a big thing made about whether it is his last story I will have to reserve that comment for the final story Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge in November. I did like the link to the next story when Aristedes notes that the seal of Rassilon above the door of the TARDIS matches the symbol on a casket in Nimrod's Aladdin cave of goods. This leads in Death in the Family.
The problem with this story is that as I was listening to this I was wondering why it wasn’t grabbing my attention. It just didn’t seem to have any of the magic of the previous two stories. The one thing that stood out from the previous two stories was the darkness and how unlike a Doctor Who story it got whilst it felt comfortable. This one just felt like a normal Doctor Who story but with an apocalyptic setting. The story couldn’t quite make up its mind what it wanted to be. The writers clearly wanted to continue the Project story but seemed to have to shoe-horn the whole Hex's mother story. As a result all the darkness had to be thrown out because it would have be way to dark for anyone's likening. I did like the build up to the truth about Hex's mother because you knew it was going to happen it was just a case of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Philip Olivier is very good in this. I have mixed feelings about him. Sometimes he is very good and then sometimes he is just annoying. When he is in things like The Harvest, No Mans Land and Angel of Scutari then he is very good but then in things like Dreamtime and Night Thoughts he is weak. In this he is in his element when the truth is revealed. Sylvester McCoy puts in another sterling performance. As well as trying to sort out the problems occupying London and infecting himself he has to battle Nimrod and prevent Hex from knowing the truth. Sophie Aldred is sort of in the background in this as she spends a lot of time away from the main action. To be honest there was very little that she could do and the very least that could be said is she puts in an average performance.
As a story on its own it is a nice one. The apocalyptic scenario is well acted out and the characters are all very well acted on. Unfortunately compared to the other Project stories it is weak. There is very little of what makes those stories work in this. Granted it was great to have Nimrod back and Stephen Chance is brilliant. But it is definitely weaker that the other two. Only time will tell whether this series of Seventh Doctor adventures is as good as the Klein trilogy at the beginning of the year. Cavan Scott & Mark Wright have done a good job writing a story which has to get through so much back story and references to make it not seem like a massive mess. Ken Bentley (or Ken Bentleyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy) is a very good director and does a very good job making this story move along with the pace that it needs.
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