The Doctor and Lucie encounter the gods of ancient Greece – or so it seems.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 9:41 PM
IMMORTAL BELOVED
It’s difficult for me to say that Big Finish has an ideal length for their Doctor Who stories. They’ve produced excellent stories over two hours, and they’ve done fine work at or under ninety minutes, so to say as some have that the 60 minute limit on the BBC7 productions is somehow “good” for BF seems unfounded to me. Jonathan Clements’ “Immortal Beloved,” however, is an ideal use of the BBC7 time restrictions, one that understands, much like the TV series, how to tell a Doctor Who story without the freedom of four episodes. It’s also the best play of the first four in the new range.
The setup of Clements’ script is fairly straightforward science fiction: we are presented with a society on the level of ancient Greece, ruled by living gods. The gods, of course, are not gods at all, but rather technologically advanced visitors who have used their technology to assume places of power. And the revelation about these gods and what keeps them eternal is what gives the script its bite: when they die, they transfer their consciousnesses into specially-prepared clones who are raised to sacrifice themselves to this cause. Of course, the procedure is slowly going wrong — but even if it wasn’t, sentient beings are being killed in the process, and the Doctor must stop it.
This brings us back to one of Doctor Who’s most interesting moral arguments: that summed up in “The End of the World” by “Everything has its time and everything dies.” There’s a real sense in Doctor Who that natural = trustworthy — observe the show’s legions of evil robots — and the Doctor has always been somewhat self-contradictory in that he eagerly salutes all efforts by humans to better themselves, but immediately draws the line when they attempt to extend their own lifespan. In this situation, the institutionalized murder makes the Doctor’s moral position clear-cut, but there’s still that same underlying feeling: that these “gods” are somehow wrong for wanting to live beyond their natural lifespans, that they should let go and turn things over to their descendants. What makes this position doubly odd is the show’s reliably secular perspective: there isn’t any evidence of a Doctor Who afterlife, and yet the Doctor seems determined to see people reach their final end. Heck, in this story the existence of (these) gods is actively disproven! Is this because death, for the Doctor, isn’t permanent?
And that’s the odd thing about “Immortal Beloved” — the “bad guys,” Zeus (Ian McNeice) and Hera (Elspet Gray) aren’t even presented as such. They’re misguided, of course, and also responsible for murder, but their desire isn’t to change the future of mankind a la “The Lazarus Experiment” — it’s to maintain their love throughout eternity. Even Lucie is taken aback by this revelation, though she remains on the side of Kalkin (Anthony Spargo) and Sararti (Jennifer Higham). There’s a lot to think about, which makes the rushed, nonsensical ending a shame: the needless double-switch, followed by a helicopter chase to stop Lucie and Sararti from destroying the TARDIS and committing suicide? Huh?
After a relatively breezy outing in “Horror of Glam Rock,” here Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor is much moodier and more confrontational. This lends him the appropriate weight when confronting Zeus, but it’s a jarring departure from the previous play. The same problem is there with Lucie — while Sheridan Smith plays the role convincingly, Lucie is suddenly more argumentative with and suspicious of the Doctor. McNeice, meanwhile, dominates the play with a commanding performance as Zeus — I think his acting enhances the play’s moral grey area, convincing as it is. Gray is suitably dignified, while Higham and Spargo are very persuasive as star-crossed lovers. And I’m sorry if this is uncharitable, but Jake McGann, Paul’s son, is barely convincing as Ganymede — first acting performance or not. The production front is strong as ever, with Gareth Jenkins (sound design) and Andy Hardwick (music) turning in their usual strong work. Jason Haigh-Ellery draws fine performances from his actors, and, as mentioned at the start of the review, the pacing is some of the best in the range. The disc also includes bonus interviews with Paul McGann, McNeice, Gray, and Higham.
Overall, “Immortal Beloved” is the best of the first four BBC7 audio plays. The ending, unfortunately, lets the play down, but nonetheless there’s some thought-provoking material on display and some fine interactions between the characters. Very well done, and highly recommended.
IMMORTAL BELOVED
It’s difficult for me to say that Big Finish has an ideal length for their Doctor Who stories. They’ve produced excellent stories over two hours, and they’ve done fine work at or under ninety minutes, so to say as some have that the 60 minute limit on the BBC7 productions is somehow “good” for BF seems unfounded to me. Jonathan Clements’ “Immortal Beloved,” however, is an ideal use of the BBC7 time restrictions, one that understands, much like the TV series, how to tell a Doctor Who story without the freedom of four episodes. It’s also the best play of the first four in the new range.
The setup of Clements’ script is fairly straightforward science fiction: we are presented with a society on the level of ancient Greece, ruled by living gods. The gods, of course, are not gods at all, but rather technologically advanced visitors who have used their technology to assume places of power. And the revelation about these gods and what keeps them eternal is what gives the script its bite: when they die, they transfer their consciousnesses into specially-prepared clones who are raised to sacrifice themselves to this cause. Of course, the procedure is slowly going wrong — but even if it wasn’t, sentient beings are being killed in the process, and the Doctor must stop it.
This brings us back to one of Doctor Who’s most interesting moral arguments: that summed up in “The End of the World” by “Everything has its time and everything dies.” There’s a real sense in Doctor Who that natural = trustworthy — observe the show’s legions of evil robots — and the Doctor has always been somewhat self-contradictory in that he eagerly salutes all efforts by humans to better themselves, but immediately draws the line when they attempt to extend their own lifespan. In this situation, the institutionalized murder makes the Doctor’s moral position clear-cut, but there’s still that same underlying feeling: that these “gods” are somehow wrong for wanting to live beyond their natural lifespans, that they should let go and turn things over to their descendants. What makes this position doubly odd is the show’s reliably secular perspective: there isn’t any evidence of a Doctor Who afterlife, and yet the Doctor seems determined to see people reach their final end. Heck, in this story the existence of (these) gods is actively disproven! Is this because death, for the Doctor, isn’t permanent?
And that’s the odd thing about “Immortal Beloved” — the “bad guys,” Zeus (Ian McNeice) and Hera (Elspet Gray) aren’t even presented as such. They’re misguided, of course, and also responsible for murder, but their desire isn’t to change the future of mankind a la “The Lazarus Experiment” — it’s to maintain their love throughout eternity. Even Lucie is taken aback by this revelation, though she remains on the side of Kalkin (Anthony Spargo) and Sararti (Jennifer Higham). There’s a lot to think about, which makes the rushed, nonsensical ending a shame: the needless double-switch, followed by a helicopter chase to stop Lucie and Sararti from destroying the TARDIS and committing suicide? Huh?
After a relatively breezy outing in “Horror of Glam Rock,” here Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor is much moodier and more confrontational. This lends him the appropriate weight when confronting Zeus, but it’s a jarring departure from the previous play. The same problem is there with Lucie — while Sheridan Smith plays the role convincingly, Lucie is suddenly more argumentative with and suspicious of the Doctor. McNeice, meanwhile, dominates the play with a commanding performance as Zeus — I think his acting enhances the play’s moral grey area, convincing as it is. Gray is suitably dignified, while Higham and Spargo are very persuasive as star-crossed lovers. And I’m sorry if this is uncharitable, but Jake McGann, Paul’s son, is barely convincing as Ganymede — first acting performance or not. The production front is strong as ever, with Gareth Jenkins (sound design) and Andy Hardwick (music) turning in their usual strong work. Jason Haigh-Ellery draws fine performances from his actors, and, as mentioned at the start of the review, the pacing is some of the best in the range. The disc also includes bonus interviews with Paul McGann, McNeice, Gray, and Higham.
Overall, “Immortal Beloved” is the best of the first four BBC7 audio plays. The ending, unfortunately, lets the play down, but nonetheless there’s some thought-provoking material on display and some fine interactions between the characters. Very well done, and highly recommended.
8/10