Dark Eyes 1

 Dark Eyes 1 by Nicholas Briggs

Dark Eyes 1 is very much ostensibly an experiment - at this point in Big Finish Doctor Who history there were very few boxsets whatsoever - and while there had been things like the first four seasons of Jago and Litefoot, it was still an unknown quantity for a series, and dropping the entirety of the usual Eighth Doctor Model of 8 stories that went out on the Radio per year, was something very few expected. It almost seems like Dark Eyes was initially intended as a 8 story radio series and then condensed, which helps to give it all the more a NuWho breakneck pace feel to it - but at the same time, I'm glad it is how it is, because really, despite my misgivings about four episode boxsets that are mostly the same story (much less by the same writer) (much less by Nicholas Briggs who I find is only good when he's NOT throwing garbage Terry Nation retreads at us) Dark Eyes 1 feels remarkably well paced throughout, and while I prefer the later refinements to this model seen in Doom Coalition and Ravenous (and I'm glad I did those first) it just feels like an experiment that works. Dark Eyes 1 is a singular consistent story that has a beginning, middle and end to it, yet it's also one of the Who subgenre that is a location hopping monstrosity - imagine Seasons of Fear, or perhaps a more Coherent Ravagers, where they go to multiple locations to show us the breadth of the program in a singular, entertaining adventure. As a result, Dark Eyes seems all the more pitched to be an Eighth Doctor introduction for those new to the show, to showcase the whole "go anywhere, do anything" sort of thing to it. And I like that - even if this condensed method can also do damage to the numerous ideas thrown at the audience as well as improve some others.

Part One: The Great War

The Great War is an introspective piece, showing us Paul McGann immediately after the events of [woah boy big spoiler] and it does blatantly spoil the [woah boy big spoiler] from the Lucie series, making my brain wonder why Briggs would bring this up if it was to be a jumping on point, because it does raise a loada questions for any newcomers, but nonetheless, we get our scene setting episode that exists to set up bullcrap and be like "Oooh mystery." I really like The Great War, it's a big old bit of attention grabbing atmosphere to offset the exposition, and feels suitably melancholic and brutalist in the best way possible - and credit where credit is due, it's probably one of the better first introductory companion stories, Molly is established in a way where despite being the generic Doccy Who Plucky Young Girl she also feels delightfully odd, calling the Doctor, "THE Doctor" as a way of poking at the name or calling the TARDIS "Tardy-Box" (It sort of makes sense at first but then she does it for three more episodes seriously Molly it's not that hard to pronounce) which only makes her more endearing to the audience. Molly feels different and new in terms of companions, something that even the best characters of the program can sometimes feel lacking in - consider Helen, who despite becoming one of the most well-developed Eighth Doctor companions still has a very typical introduction and characterization, whereas Molly kind of immediately gets up in your face, screeching "look at me, I'm different," and while on paper, she may sort of be still the plucky young girl, she is remarkable at managing that distraction. Equally impressive is Paul McGann's performance - he's given some very simple lines of dialogue at times and he still shapes these simple lines of dialogue into truly memorable moments. Just look at the attention grabbing pre-titles of him grunting "Take me to the ...edge!" Briggs may have written that on the page and had an inkling of how great it would sound, but really, Paul McGann feels absolutely invigorated to do this material (all the odder since he's also super depressed, but boy am I not complaining look at the guy go) and overall, it's just a really solid opening episode. It uses the two regulars to their absolute best, and keeps the Daleks at a menacing backdrop presence - they're messing crap up in the background, and we know it, and yet they are treated as part of the landscape, the scary dangerous distance of World War One - the imagery of the Daleks rolling through these trenches is electrifying. The story even ends with the stereotypical boom boom it's the Daleks cliffhanger straight out of a Terry Nation Part One script though. And half of the cast is just Beth Chalmers. So it's not perfect: 9/10 

Part Two: Fugitives

Here's where the whole "this was totally a full series and then condensed" thing comes in. Episode One feels fairly unaltered by this whole thing. Episode Two feels like it's doing a full three episodes. Fugitives is really fun and does these in an organic way that doesn't hurt, but it's breakneck pace gives it little time for character and certain bits do feel rather tacked on. The story opens with the Daleks chasing the Doctor and Molly into the TARDIS, and they go off to World War Two - giving Molly some more excellent interaction that reminded me a lot of that soldier from the Torchwood episode with Tosh who wakes up every year for a day. They then go off and do the brunt of the story with Sally Armstrong doing time stuff, and then at the end, there's this weird incredibly tacked on bit where Molly learns to float/swim with floating water future space Dolphins, and one of them is hijacked by the Daleks for a bit. Is this relevant? Really, no! But at the very least, it does still feel like Fugitives is at least semi-organic with the way it weaves these three incredibly different things again, even though they could probably have benefitted from being full episodes (even though I do not want the weird Dolphin thing to be a full episode, it is like a five second idea that feels incredibly tacked on as I said and is almost irrelevant minus a few references to how it's proof the Daleks follow them.) All the same, Fugitives is a fun hour, and the central plot thread of a timey wimey ball developing with the Doctor and a random woman in London 1976 somehow achieving time travel is really fun and super cool, and It only gives me more confusion she was killed at the end of it - but hey, assuming the whole Kotris thread thing was undone in episode four, she'll probably be back. Either way, it leads to more great Paul McGann acting, in a really raw scene of him begging the Daleks to shoot him which really does feel like one of the most hardcore things Big Finish have done done with Eight, holy crap. Fugitives is such a jumble, but it's an enjoyable jumble. At one point, the Doctor and Molly ramble into a cab and the driver is delighted when they say "follow that cab," and that's pretty much how I felt. Happy to be along for the ride: 8/10 

Part Three: Tangled Web

Tangled Web has the idea it needs to do for the sake of it's plot working in episode four and the really actually super cool idea that I'd much prefer it focus on but it really can't because legally speaking "it is filler" and Dark Eyes does not have much time to slow down. The story opens with Molly and The Doctor examining Molly's life when she was two, as she was kidnapped by a very very creepy Toby Jones, (I swear, this guy does creepy so well) and then - it suddenly takes a sharp left turn into a city on Skaro covered in Flowers where happy Daleks play with children, laugh and be friendly, organize global healthcare, and take sweet little cat-naps in their casings when they get tired. No, I am not joking. It is absolutely glorious. This singular concept is some of the most stupid fun I've had with the Daleks in a Big Finish audio, and yet, the story doesn't have anywhere near enough time to spend on it due to the whole fact that it is preoccupied with doing many other things so the set doesn't fall apart. Still, I absolutely loved this detour, and while I understand it had to be edited down, I can't help but feel hungry for more of it. The rest of Tangled Web is fine, but It does feel like Nick Briggs really did wave a chocolate cake in my face for twenty minutes and then give me half of it instead of the whole thing. 8/10 on the whole, but the scale of quality content goes up and down like mad

Part Four: X and The Daleks

X and The Daleks is the "WOAH BOY WE GOTTA EXPLAIN THINGS, OH NO" episode, and it spends a lot of time explaining things. I have heard that most of Dark Eyes from here on out is explaining things, to which I say, "oh, shit," but I still did really actually enjoy X and The Daleks. It's got really good set-up, of the Daleks being nice and sinister in an underground bunker while civilians live above in a city happily, and occasionally the Daleks will roll up and kidnap the city's children. This is creepy, and brilliant, and harkens back to the original 60s Daleks story on Skaro with their bunkers and whatnot in a fun way. Also brilliant is Toby Jones, once again being absolutely terrifying - the Dalek Time Controller is in it, and it's hard to be creepier than him, but any time Toby Jones said "ripe," I felt fucking violated. The man is brilliant. The twist of a timey wimey wibbily ball is super fun too, and gives Straxus some fun importance and a brilliant death, and on the whole, it's really got some super brilliant bare bones content and then a bit too much technobabble I didn't always think was important and then really rushes Molly's supposed departure at the end of the set, which is really close to being emotionally excellent, but ends up merely fine, when all the ingredients were there for an emotional knockout. So. It could definitely be better. But on the whole, having just reviewed three series of UNIT (god help me) I was absolutely ecstatic to see a well done four-part boxset that doesn't feel entirely like mindless padding, and so I am feeling infinitely more generous, and while I dislike stories that are this long for the most part, I still on the whole enjoyed Dark Eyes 1, but that's also with a big asterisk that it is not only really good but also really flawed and honestly I am so comfortable with Eight's Charley and Liv/Helen eras that anything else feels awkward to my baby brain. Whatever! I said I enjoyed it.  7/10 

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