A new adventure with the First Doctor as told by his companion, Steven Taylor.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 9, 2016 at 9:26 PM
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: MOTHER RUSSIA
For the start of the second series of Companion Chronicles, Big Finish cycled back to the first Doctor’s era, this time bringing in Peter Purves to reprise his role as Steven Taylor in Marc Platt’s “Mother Russia.” It attempts to recapture one of the least celebrated eras in the history of the program, and does so quite well.
While Purves would gain his most widespread fame as a presenter on Blue Peter, his acting career reached its peak with his regular role on Doctor Who. Perhaps his magnetic charisma earned him the spot on Blue Peter, but the resultant typecasting meant that Steven Taylor was his last major acting role. As such, “Mother Russia” isn’t just his return to the role for the first time since 1966, it’s basically his first serious acting role since that time. You can’t tell from his performance, though, which is excellent. He’s a skilled narrator, able to capture the emotions of any given scene without resorting to OTT theatrics; he easily summons up Steven’s voice while not sounding significantly older; and his William Hartnell impression is delightfully accurate down to every “Hmm?”
Marc Platt, who already wrote “Frostfire” for the range, provides another fine script. In keeping with the experimental nature of season 3, Platt sets the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo down in an early-1812 Russian village – and promptly lets them live and work there for the better part of a year! Steven gets the majority of the focus during this time, naturally, and we see him form strong friendships with the residents of the village. It’s an effective reminder of the loyalty that defines his character as well as suitable foreshadowing for his upcoming departure in “The Savages” – he’s looking for somewhere he can fit in and help out. References to “The Gunfighters” help establish this, however indirectly. The problem, though, is that he also comes across as unnecessarily stupid – perhaps his friend’s death has traumatized him, but it should only have taken him about 30 seconds to figure out that the shapeshifter had taken the Doctor’s form instead of the apparent days it actually took.
I’m also not sure about the framing device. The shapeshifting, unidentified villain of the piece is posing as a French interrogator and learning whatever it can from Steven, exploiting the flaws in his memory. This explains why Steven is narrating the story, but there’s no explanation of when or why this is happening in the first place. It also doesn’t have any thematic correlation with the story itself, which doesn’t engage much at all with questions of identity or memory. It feels like the seed of a greater idea that is never properly fleshed out. It’s intriguing nonetheless but ultimately unrewarding.
Some characterization stands out: the Doctor is written incredibly well, and it’s quite entertaining to watch him take control of the final scenes in Napoleon’s court. When Hartnell turns it on, he’s clearly the most important person in the room, and Purves easily captures this. The lack of development for Dodo also stands out as a perfect recreation of the era – it’s a shame that so few of Jackie Lane’s episodes still exist, but it’s also a shame that we don’t learn anything else about her character in the ones that are missing.
The production is successful. Nigel Fairs directs, and the fine performance by Purves must in part be down to him. Big Finish regular David Darlington handles the sound design and score: the sound design is much more immersive than in the first series, and the music more subtle than its predecessors. Overall, “Mother Russia” is a successful release. There are flaws peeking around the edges, but the fine central performance and leisurely pace make it something to watch out for.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: MOTHER RUSSIA
For the start of the second series of Companion Chronicles, Big Finish cycled back to the first Doctor’s era, this time bringing in Peter Purves to reprise his role as Steven Taylor in Marc Platt’s “Mother Russia.” It attempts to recapture one of the least celebrated eras in the history of the program, and does so quite well.
While Purves would gain his most widespread fame as a presenter on Blue Peter, his acting career reached its peak with his regular role on Doctor Who. Perhaps his magnetic charisma earned him the spot on Blue Peter, but the resultant typecasting meant that Steven Taylor was his last major acting role. As such, “Mother Russia” isn’t just his return to the role for the first time since 1966, it’s basically his first serious acting role since that time. You can’t tell from his performance, though, which is excellent. He’s a skilled narrator, able to capture the emotions of any given scene without resorting to OTT theatrics; he easily summons up Steven’s voice while not sounding significantly older; and his William Hartnell impression is delightfully accurate down to every “Hmm?”
Marc Platt, who already wrote “Frostfire” for the range, provides another fine script. In keeping with the experimental nature of season 3, Platt sets the Doctor, Steven, and Dodo down in an early-1812 Russian village – and promptly lets them live and work there for the better part of a year! Steven gets the majority of the focus during this time, naturally, and we see him form strong friendships with the residents of the village. It’s an effective reminder of the loyalty that defines his character as well as suitable foreshadowing for his upcoming departure in “The Savages” – he’s looking for somewhere he can fit in and help out. References to “The Gunfighters” help establish this, however indirectly. The problem, though, is that he also comes across as unnecessarily stupid – perhaps his friend’s death has traumatized him, but it should only have taken him about 30 seconds to figure out that the shapeshifter had taken the Doctor’s form instead of the apparent days it actually took.
I’m also not sure about the framing device. The shapeshifting, unidentified villain of the piece is posing as a French interrogator and learning whatever it can from Steven, exploiting the flaws in his memory. This explains why Steven is narrating the story, but there’s no explanation of when or why this is happening in the first place. It also doesn’t have any thematic correlation with the story itself, which doesn’t engage much at all with questions of identity or memory. It feels like the seed of a greater idea that is never properly fleshed out. It’s intriguing nonetheless but ultimately unrewarding.
Some characterization stands out: the Doctor is written incredibly well, and it’s quite entertaining to watch him take control of the final scenes in Napoleon’s court. When Hartnell turns it on, he’s clearly the most important person in the room, and Purves easily captures this. The lack of development for Dodo also stands out as a perfect recreation of the era – it’s a shame that so few of Jackie Lane’s episodes still exist, but it’s also a shame that we don’t learn anything else about her character in the ones that are missing.
The production is successful. Nigel Fairs directs, and the fine performance by Purves must in part be down to him. Big Finish regular David Darlington handles the sound design and score: the sound design is much more immersive than in the first series, and the music more subtle than its predecessors. Overall, “Mother Russia” is a successful release. There are flaws peeking around the edges, but the fine central performance and leisurely pace make it something to watch out for.
Recommended.
8/10