Wednesday 26 February 2014

TV

Friends
8x08 The One with the Stripper [5th or so watch]
Which one with the stripper, you may ask? Well, it's the one with the stripper who isn't a stripper. Also, the one where Rachel tells her dad.

Suspects
1x02 Episode 2
I was giving this a second chance, but it's often laughably bad -- literally: some of it was very (unintentionally) amusing. Whether it's funny enough to keep me watching, I've yet to decide.
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Audio Drama

Doctor Who [Big Finish]
18x01 The Stones of Venice Part One [2nd listen]
18x02 The Stones of Venice Part Two

I'm getting stuck in to the massive pile of Big Finish dramas I own by listening to them on dog walks. Well, that's the plan -- it worked for this first day, so, y'know, we'll see.

Before Big Finish 'officially' started doing seasons with the BBC7-initiated New Eighth Doctor Adventures, the 8th Doctor's adventures in their main range nonetheless appeared in season-esque clumps. A nice idea: he was still the incumbent Doctor when they started, with an unfilled gap between his sole TV appearance and his regeneration (which, of course, we finally got to see last year), so why not treat him to TV-style on-going adventures rather than occasional one-offs?

Still, they weren't officially demarcated as seasons, so as I listen I won't be number them in season terms, as some fans do (that would just become confusing when they eventually abandoned the idea). But I will try to make note of where the stories come, and this is the third story in his first 'season' of adventures. The most striking thing now is how "classic Who" it feels. Makes sense -- it was released a good four years before the series returned to TV -- but with the 8th Doctor leading Big Finish's way in becoming more new series-like, it's striking now. An intriguing tale nonetheless, once it settles in, with a nice quirky edge.

Finally for now, it's funny to look back and see that the 8th Doctor's initial stories spanned releases 16 to 19 (his first two, Storm Warning and Sword of Orion, I listened to many years ago. I might return to them, but as I've already tried that a couple of times down the years I wanted to forge on into new stuff). When Big Finish began the 8th Doctor was conspicuous by his absence, and it felt like an age before they finally got McGann on board. As they're in sight of story #200 (out June 2015), with dozens (hundreds?) of other Who productions along the way, #16 seems hardly into the range at all.