'Recently, on TV, we saw how the Paul McGann Doctor died - now it's time to find out how he lived.' - Steven Moffat Starting with the packaging, we have a simple slipcase which can be pulled off to reveal four CD cases, each has a 60 minute story on it plus a 60 minute Dark Eyes documentary at the end meaning we have 5 CD's in total. The four stories in this set are 'The Great War', 'Fugitives', 'Tangled Web' and 'X' and the Daleks'. The cover (above) shows the eighth Doctor In his new costume with new sonic. The pictures were taken especially for Dark Eyes. On the left is Molly O' Sullivan played by Ruth Bradley and on the right is Kotris played by Toby Jones. We also have shot of the 'dark eyes' and two Daleks at the back. I really like this cover (especially the purple motif) though its not my favourite of the four Dark Eyes box sets. Dark Eyes follows on from an Audio adventure called 'To the Death' in which his companion , Lucie dies. So Dark Eyes is a good starting point if your like me trying to get into Big Finish Audio's as its like a new era in 8th Doctor audios. (1.1) Part One: The Great War - Voluntary Aid Detachment nursing assistant Molly O’Sullivan spends her days facing the horrors of the Great War. Little does she know that a man from another world has arrived, looking for her. But what are the strange sounds coming from the battlefield at night? Where is the glowing gas coming from? And is everyone who they claim to be? As I've mentioned above, in the previous story 8's companion was killed so, like the eleventh Doctor when Amy and Rory 'died' 8 is slightly upset which is clear from Paul McGann's sort of discouraged voice. Paul McGann himself is on top form, I imagine its harder than you would expect displaying emotion just through voice and Paul does this well. Molly O' Sullivan who is Irish takes on the role of the companion. She is very feisty and sometimes aggressive but still determined and strong. She has lots of arguments with the Doctor which are amusing but really she's not much different from other companions. At the beginning Straxus, a Time Lord is told to send the TARDIS to France in World War One (much to the confusion of The Doctor). Here we have Molly talking about her job, basically a VAD (not a nurse) in World War One which was a good way to introduce her. The atmosphere of World War One is done perfectly just through sounds and is very effective and sometimes quite eerie and the sounds of the train they ride moving is also a nice touch. The end is tense and involves problem solving which I like (though I won't spoil it for you). Overall this was probably the most impactful story in the box. (1.2) Part Two: Fugitives - With the first objective of his mission reached, almost nothing is going to plan for the Doctor. He finds he cannot contact or return to the Time Lord’s home planet, Gallifrey. And just when Molly O’Sullivan thinks she’s escaped one conflict, she finds herself in the thick of another one. What is it that connects the Doctor, the Daleks and the mysterious Ides Scientific Institute? This one, like the first Doctor story 'The Chase' has The Doctor and Molly on the run from the Daleks, taking them to World War 2, the 1970's and beyond. Tensions between The Doctor and Molly begin to settle and they start to look like a promising duo. There is also some interesting development with Straxus. My favourite part though is probably a scene where they go under the water, break the surface and go back down which is executed well and sounds fantastic. Overall this story is fast paced but doesn't live up to the standard of the first story, nothing really makes an impression.
In part 2 of this review I will review Part Three and Part Four as well as the documentary of Dark Eyes 1...
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About this areaThis area will be where I post reviews on any kind of doctor who merchandise from figures to clothes. I will basically give my opinion on them and tell you if I recommend it and give it a score out of 10. Enjoy! Archives
January 2015
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