I can see that; Andthebannermen is a bit of a mouthful!
But thanks for clarifying, that makes sense.
11 Likes
I have a friend who I’ve referred to by her last name since we were in school because there were too many Emily’s in our year. It barely even registers to me that it might be a strange thing to do haha
5 Likes
Oh, I also know several people among my friends and acquaintances who are referred to by a nickname or their surname to distinguish them from others who share their first name (some first names are very common, such as Rasmus, a very popular boy’s name in the 90s).
5 Likes
Now there’s a good name 
3 Likes
Started this yesterday as part of my New Year’s resolution to listen to every Big Finish Monthly Adventure—and for the first time, I’ve got absolutely no notes from Episode One. Not because I was bored exactly… but I can’t say I was interested either.
It matches my memory of this one: beautifully written, beautifully acted (mostly), but it’s all hanging on a story I just don’t care about. All style, no stakes.
8 Likes
Finally! Finally Five gets an audio that’s better than just “pretty good”. I can’t say it’s anything I’d call a favourite but it’s the best he’s had since Phantasmagoria, which is funny because I’d consider Turlough my least favourite 5 companion (although I’ve only experienced him via audio so far).
Interesting and pretty unique setting, with a cool concept of the main “monsters” and some great performances by Davison, Bron and Henson. Pieter really came across as an intimidating foe. Funnily enough, I think one of the reasons why I liked this is how much the concept of the Loups-Garoux as well as the L-G characters reminded me of the werewolves and ironically, even more, the vampires of World of Darkness.
The L-G have an inherent violent instinct within them that they have to keep at bay, much like The Beast which Kindred (WoD vampires) possess. There’s the different terms that the monsters have for humans and vice-versa (WoD werewolves and vampires call themselves Garou and Kindred, alternatively Cainites, respectively. They prefer these terms to the “traditional” ones. Additionally, Kindred call humans “kine”). There’s the kind of political intrigue and character drama between Ileana’s group as well as the later L-G, something that definitely happens in Garou and Kindred worlds. And finally, Pieter is the original L-G and a legendary force, much like Caine (yes, that Cain, from the Bible) from WoD, the legendary father of all vampires. You even have Rosa, who’s basically a Hunter from Hunter: the Reckoning. I just think this is neat and I wonder if the writers had inspiration from any of the WoD lore.
But anyway, yes, I generally enjoyed the story and the characters, Turlough got to shine quite a bit in the middle portion when he meets Rosa. My favourite moment is definitely Five and Turlough’s conversation towards the end, where Five reminisces on several past companions, seeming to miss many of them, especially Susan. I think it’s a very lovely moment.
The negatives for the story are that a few characters kind of vanish by the end like Victor and Inez, who were prominent earlier, the ending is kind of abrupt and a bit of an anti-climax, and as much as I liked the darker tone and WoD-ish setting, it sometimes didn’t really feel like a Doctor Who story.
Despite these flaws, I’ll give this one an 8/10.
7 Likes
This is very much a comfort audio for me however I love how it was teased in minuet in hell
1 Like
Gotta be honest, I think this audio was an absolute banger. It felt like it flew by, and that’s partly because I do have an obsession with werewolves, so you throw them in, and you’re already in the positives, but I love the world-building in here and the fact that it feels like it has good customs and consistent positioning. I think the weak point is probably Rosa, as she never really feels like she properly fits, but heck, this audio even made me like Turlough, a companion that I regularly forget even exists, so it’s doing something right.
7 Likes
This was truly a delightful story.
4 Likes
I really did enjoy this one though I do have a soft spot for werewolves, it’s not without its issues (I feel like Rosa could’ve been handled better even if I did enjoy her character and her interactions with Turlough) but I thought it was very enjoyable listen overall. I really did like the wolves as well, they really made them so interesting despite not telling us all that much about them as a species, I also kinda love the fact that they’re just another species that lives on earth no alien stuff happening. But yeah, very fun.
6 Likes
I agree wholeheartedly with the above. This was one of my least favorite ones I’ve listened to, I kept checking the time remaining and I was like how do I still have this much time left. Or how has it only been 3 mins. It was a slog and apart from teaching me how to pronounce Loups-Garoux I genuinely cannot recall a single detail
4 Likes
I’m from Brazil and I found that this audio was the oddest representation of my country in fiction. I can get the climate disaster point, but the audio doesn’t do anything with the fact that it is set in Brazil (beyond being set in Rio and near the carnival).
The native perspective with Rosa feels too vague and mystical (a surface exemplification of the Brazilian indigenous people, with the jaguar skin risking a stereotypical view - and the “wuarana” seems an adaptation of a tupi term [or tupi sounding] for “guaraná”, instead of a specific tribe) and while werewolves are part of the local mythology, it felt too general.
For much I am curious with what the Doctor was doing in the Corcovado back in the 18th century. At very least they knew that the pronunciation of “senhora” (Portuguese) is not the same as “señora” (Spanish)…
7 Likes
I keep being pretty underwhelmed by the Fifth doctor when it comes to the main range, I think he works best when he’s got his full Tardis team to bounce off, and obviously with these early MR stories it’s just him and one companion.
What Turlough gets here is really solid, I really like his relationship with Rosa.
Other than that though… the Loups-Garoux’s worldbuilding was interesting, but struggling to say any more than that, it was pretty dull overall
9 Likes
The story is okay, but I think the main thing for me from this audio is the Doctor and Turlough’s relationship. The two never got that much alone time so it was neat for them to interact one on one more. Things like the Doctor trying to keep Turlough from seeing a dead body and then apologizing when Turlough does anyway, or getting upset and defensive for Turlough was nice to see.
7 Likes
Wow, this one really seems to divide opinion. I’m not a huge fan. It’s fine, there are certainly worse audios out there. But some of the dialogue feels clunky, the general pace and excitement is lacking, and I found it really frustrating how little the Rio/Carnival setting is actually used to any effect - it’s so different for Doctor Who and feels like there’s so much they could have done and just didn’t. Another thing that massively took me out of the story is that I just cannot get my head around Turlough being anything close to straight. I just don’t buy it for a second.
5 Likes
Relistened for (according to the Guide) the fifth time!
This remains one of my favourites. Lyrical, poetic, a heady dose of magical realism. Setting and atmosphere are very important to me in a story and they’re pitch perfect here. I feel I could step into Rio, under the shade of the Cristo Redentor, in the heat of the carnival and catch a glimpse of a hungry wolf in the shadows.
The ending (taking Stiubbe to orbit and Rosa capturing him in her head) is maybe the most wonderful and magical villain defeat ever.
It just hits for me! I remember listening to this while out hiking during COVID; no one around, just sky and grass and trees, and stumbling on an abandoned house in the hills. It’s a really strong connection I have with the story—I felt I was in a wild place just as the characters were!
6 Likes