A new adventure with the Third Doctor as told by his friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.
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Jphalt
on May 8, 2016 at 2:30 AM
Old Soldiers
THE PLOT
A plea for help from an old friend brings Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to Kriegeskind, a centuries-old German fortress that has been converted into a UNIT research facility. The Brigadier arrives to find that his friend Konrad (Toby Longworth), the facility’s C. O., has been driven insane, leaving the fortress under the command of the fearful Major Schrader, a “limited” soldier who is clearly out of his depth.
Feeling a sense of something wrong, the Brigadier resists Schrader’s attempts to get him to leave. His instincts are proved correct, when he finds the castle in under siege by the ghosts of soldiers from wars past, from Roman legionnaires to Nazi stormtroopers. The Brigadier sends for the Doctor immediately and, despite the friction left in the wake of the Silurian incident, the Doctor comes. But with the ghostly attacks becoming ever more relentless, and with Schrader preparing to take drastic action, it may already be too late!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: This is one of Big Finish’s Companion Chronicles, essentially an audio book with dramatized scenes. As a result, it is left to the listener to imagine Jon Pertwee delivering the lines written for the Doctor. Fortunately, writer James Swallow has a good feel for the Pertwee Doctor, and while Nicholas Courtney is no impressionist, he captures enough of Pertwee’s vocal tics to make it quite easy to summon Pertwee’s image.
The Doctor is in very little of Episode One. When he does arrive, near the end of the first episode, James Swallow gives him an appropriately grand entrance, descending onto Kriegeskind by parachute while the UNIT soldiers look mutely on. Though he came when called, he remains irritated at the Brigadier – note how he almost instantly declares that this problem won’t be solved by blowing it up, a pointed reference to their last adventure. Despite this, he does show empathy at the end, laying a hand on the Brigadier’s shoulder and softly (and with perfect delivery by Courtney) extending comfort. The Third Doctor is well-captured throughout, though Swallow does perhaps have him spend just a tad too much time fiddling with gadgets and wires.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: This is, of course, very much the Brigadier’s story. The first, near-Doctorless episode is entirely carried by the Brig, and it’s reassuring to see him firmly in Season Seven mode: absolutely competent, and quite intelligent. Despite Schrader’s attempts to pacify him, he can sense that all is not well at
Kriegeskind, and knows to trust his instincts. When Konrad experiences a moment of lucidity and references something “alien” and how “they all died,” Lethbridge-Stewart finds his way to the facility’s records and, from experience at concealing certain types of deaths, knows exactly what to look for. Even in the second episode, when the Doctor takes charge of finding answers, the Brigadier conducts himself with absolute competence, taking charge of the soldiers in the fortress and leading them in holding off the phantom invaders.
When all is revealed, heavy parallels are drawn between the choices that led Kriegeskind to its current dilemma and the choice the Brigadier made at the end of The Silurians. Still, the Brigadier does not apologize for his decision. He tells us from the outset that he stands by what he did. He saw a threat, he tells us, and he removed it. He acknowledges that his decision at Wenley Moor was a difficult one, though, indicating that Lethbrige-Stewart was perhaps more conscious of the Silurians as an intelligent species than he may have let on.
THOUGHTS
Old Soldiers is an atmospheric and well-produced science fiction/action piece, one that sits quite comfortably in between Dr. Who and the Silurians and The Ambassadors of Death. The story is strong, and the nature of the story – once it is revealed – makes it a convincingly personal story to the Brigadier. I could believe this being an incident that Lethbridge-Stewart would relive over a drink or two, years later, and I enjoyed seeing the Brigadier’s more reflective side.
Swallow does well in bringing both the 3rd Doctor and the Brigadier to life. I missed the presence of Liz Shaw – referenced, but not actually “seen” in the story – though I’m honestly not sure that there would have been room for her, particularly with the single-disc format constricting the running time to less than 75 minutes. The image of blank-faced soldiers from the past stepping out of the walls, attacking with no expression, and disappearing noiselessly when “killed,” is a haunting one, and the high action content (particularly in Episode Two) keeps things moving at a tight pace.
I only have a few quibbles with the story. One is a quirk of Swallow’s writing style. Too much of the story has major scenes and conversations summarized, creating distance from the events at unwelcome points. Most of the Brigadier’s lines are clearly “recalled after the fact,” with only a few of his lines delivered as if “in the moment.” This lack of immediacy saps some of the urgency from the proceedings. I would have preferred these conversations be allowed to play out far more often than actually ended up being the case.
I also had problems with the character of Schrader. Konrad summarizes him as a decent soldier, yet limited – an adequate second-in-command who now finds himself in over his head. This type of characterization could have worked, could have made a nice contrast with the Doctor and the Brigadier (both of whom belong in command). But this isn’t the characterization we see. Schrader doesn’t come across as a decent X. O. abruptly elevated above his level of competence. He comes across as an idiot, a German Frank Burns, and I never believed that the Brigadier would have tolerated him for a heartbeat, let alone the Doctor. Some of this may be down to the demands of the 2-part format. A plot with reasonable meat on its bones in less than 75 minutes doesn’t allow a lot of room for subtleties with supporting characters. Still, even a touch of subtelty with Schrader would have been nice.
Special mention to guest star Toby Longworth, who voices both Konrad and Schrader, and creates completely different voices for both characters. If I had played the CD blind, with no credits to reference, I would have thought this Companion Chronicle had two guest actors rather than one. Both performances are decent; and if Longworth does better with Konrad than with Schrader, that is solely down to Konrad being a better-written character.
Rating: 7/10. A good addition to the 3rd Doctor’s era, one which fits very well within the season it has been placed.
The third release in the second season of Companion Chronicles, James Swallow’s “Old Soldiers” returns to the Pertwee era with the narration of one of the series’ elder statesmen, the late Nicholas Courtney. While the story itself is nothing special, Courtney’s presence and the themes established by the framing device make it a worthwhile listen.
Unlike many of the other Companion Chronicle actors to this point, Nicholas Courtney was no stranger to Big Finish or to his character. In addition to the TV series, he had returned to the role in fan videos, BBC Radio stories, and multiple previous Big Finish audios. So while his acting ability on audio is no surprise, it’s still nice to hear him in the unusual role of narrator, something he handles with consummate ease. His voice, deepened and ripened with age, turns through Swallow’s prose without hesitation, and before you know it, it’s the 1970s again and the Brigadier is back, like everyone’s favorite Doctor Who uncle. It’s also amazing how well his Jon Pertwee impression works: he barely changes his voice, but he captures Pertwee’s inflections and mannerisms so perfectly it’s impossible to mistake the impression for anyone else.
The framing device, such as it is, works well due in large part to Courtney himself. It’s context-free, the Brigadier sitting down over a glass of something to relate a story from his younger days to a nameless audience. But rather than launch straight into the story, Swallow opens with some melancholy passages about what it takes to become an old soldier. This continues successfully throughout the story: the Brigadier will offer brief asides about lost friends, making it continually clear that these are the recollections of an old man, not the active tales of an impartial narrator.
Unfortunately, the story itself doesn’t really engage with this material to any great extent. It’s a partial sequel to “Doctor Who and the Silurians” – the Doctor and the Brigadier are still at odds over the conclusion to that story, and the Brigadier needs to bring the Doctor in to help with a seemingly impossible situation. In this respect, the story works well, and the ending is a neat inversion of the “Silurians” ending – the Brigadier is now the one scrambling to find an alternate solution to blowing up the threat, and is left regretting his failure to do so. Had the framing material played this aspect up more, the play would be more successful – but the “old soldiers” theme isn’t echoed greatly by the events of the story. As such, the story feels disconnected from the framing device: listening to Courtney’s narration, one would expect a different plot.
The production is largely successful. Nigel Fairs directs well, evidenced by Courtney’s wonderful performance, while the sound design and score from David Darlington are quite effective, possibly the best in the range thus far. Overall, “Old Soldiers” is certainly successful, with great narration from a beloved actor and an interesting conceit – but it still feels like a missed opportunity, as though something very good could easily have become great with only a few changes. Still, it’s another solid entry into a largely successful range.
Old Soldiers
THE PLOT
A plea for help from an old friend brings Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to Kriegeskind, a centuries-old German fortress that has been converted into a UNIT research facility. The Brigadier arrives to find that his friend Konrad (Toby Longworth), the facility’s C. O., has been driven insane, leaving the fortress under the command of the fearful Major Schrader, a “limited” soldier who is clearly out of his depth.
Feeling a sense of something wrong, the Brigadier resists Schrader’s attempts to get him to leave. His instincts are proved correct, when he finds the castle in under siege by the ghosts of soldiers from wars past, from Roman legionnaires to Nazi stormtroopers. The Brigadier sends for the Doctor immediately and, despite the friction left in the wake of the Silurian incident, the Doctor comes. But with the ghostly attacks becoming ever more relentless, and with Schrader preparing to take drastic action, it may already be too late!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: This is one of Big Finish’s Companion Chronicles, essentially an audio book with dramatized scenes. As a result, it is left to the listener to imagine Jon Pertwee delivering the lines written for the Doctor. Fortunately, writer James Swallow has a good feel for the Pertwee Doctor, and while Nicholas Courtney is no impressionist, he captures enough of Pertwee’s vocal tics to make it quite easy to summon Pertwee’s image.
The Doctor is in very little of Episode One. When he does arrive, near the end of the first episode, James Swallow gives him an appropriately grand entrance, descending onto Kriegeskind by parachute while the UNIT soldiers look mutely on. Though he came when called, he remains irritated at the Brigadier – note how he almost instantly declares that this problem won’t be solved by blowing it up, a pointed reference to their last adventure. Despite this, he does show empathy at the end, laying a hand on the Brigadier’s shoulder and softly (and with perfect delivery by Courtney) extending comfort. The Third Doctor is well-captured throughout, though Swallow does perhaps have him spend just a tad too much time fiddling with gadgets and wires.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: This is, of course, very much the Brigadier’s story. The first, near-Doctorless episode is entirely carried by the Brig, and it’s reassuring to see him firmly in Season Seven mode: absolutely competent, and quite intelligent. Despite Schrader’s attempts to pacify him, he can sense that all is not well at
Kriegeskind, and knows to trust his instincts. When Konrad experiences a moment of lucidity and references something “alien” and how “they all died,” Lethbridge-Stewart finds his way to the facility’s records and, from experience at concealing certain types of deaths, knows exactly what to look for. Even in the second episode, when the Doctor takes charge of finding answers, the Brigadier conducts himself with absolute competence, taking charge of the soldiers in the fortress and leading them in holding off the phantom invaders.
When all is revealed, heavy parallels are drawn between the choices that led Kriegeskind to its current dilemma and the choice the Brigadier made at the end of The Silurians. Still, the Brigadier does not apologize for his decision. He tells us from the outset that he stands by what he did. He saw a threat, he tells us, and he removed it. He acknowledges that his decision at Wenley Moor was a difficult one, though, indicating that Lethbrige-Stewart was perhaps more conscious of the Silurians as an intelligent species than he may have let on.
THOUGHTS
Old Soldiers is an atmospheric and well-produced science fiction/action piece, one that sits quite comfortably in between Dr. Who and the Silurians and The Ambassadors of Death. The story is strong, and the nature of the story – once it is revealed – makes it a convincingly personal story to the Brigadier. I could believe this being an incident that Lethbridge-Stewart would relive over a drink or two, years later, and I enjoyed seeing the Brigadier’s more reflective side.
Swallow does well in bringing both the 3rd Doctor and the Brigadier to life. I missed the presence of Liz Shaw – referenced, but not actually “seen” in the story – though I’m honestly not sure that there would have been room for her, particularly with the single-disc format constricting the running time to less than 75 minutes. The image of blank-faced soldiers from the past stepping out of the walls, attacking with no expression, and disappearing noiselessly when “killed,” is a haunting one, and the high action content (particularly in Episode Two) keeps things moving at a tight pace.
I only have a few quibbles with the story. One is a quirk of Swallow’s writing style. Too much of the story has major scenes and conversations summarized, creating distance from the events at unwelcome points. Most of the Brigadier’s lines are clearly “recalled after the fact,” with only a few of his lines delivered as if “in the moment.” This lack of immediacy saps some of the urgency from the proceedings. I would have preferred these conversations be allowed to play out far more often than actually ended up being the case.
I also had problems with the character of Schrader. Konrad summarizes him as a decent soldier, yet limited – an adequate second-in-command who now finds himself in over his head. This type of characterization could have worked, could have made a nice contrast with the Doctor and the Brigadier (both of whom belong in command). But this isn’t the characterization we see. Schrader doesn’t come across as a decent X. O. abruptly elevated above his level of competence. He comes across as an idiot, a German Frank Burns, and I never believed that the Brigadier would have tolerated him for a heartbeat, let alone the Doctor. Some of this may be down to the demands of the 2-part format. A plot with reasonable meat on its bones in less than 75 minutes doesn’t allow a lot of room for subtleties with supporting characters. Still, even a touch of subtelty with Schrader would have been nice.
Special mention to guest star Toby Longworth, who voices both Konrad and Schrader, and creates completely different voices for both characters. If I had played the CD blind, with no credits to reference, I would have thought this Companion Chronicle had two guest actors rather than one. Both performances are decent; and if Longworth does better with Konrad than with Schrader, that is solely down to Konrad being a better-written character.
Rating: 7/10. A good addition to the 3rd Doctor’s era, one which fits very well within the season it has been placed.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: OLD SOLDIERS
The third release in the second season of Companion Chronicles, James Swallow’s “Old Soldiers” returns to the Pertwee era with the narration of one of the series’ elder statesmen, the late Nicholas Courtney. While the story itself is nothing special, Courtney’s presence and the themes established by the framing device make it a worthwhile listen.
Unlike many of the other Companion Chronicle actors to this point, Nicholas Courtney was no stranger to Big Finish or to his character. In addition to the TV series, he had returned to the role in fan videos, BBC Radio stories, and multiple previous Big Finish audios. So while his acting ability on audio is no surprise, it’s still nice to hear him in the unusual role of narrator, something he handles with consummate ease. His voice, deepened and ripened with age, turns through Swallow’s prose without hesitation, and before you know it, it’s the 1970s again and the Brigadier is back, like everyone’s favorite Doctor Who uncle. It’s also amazing how well his Jon Pertwee impression works: he barely changes his voice, but he captures Pertwee’s inflections and mannerisms so perfectly it’s impossible to mistake the impression for anyone else.
The framing device, such as it is, works well due in large part to Courtney himself. It’s context-free, the Brigadier sitting down over a glass of something to relate a story from his younger days to a nameless audience. But rather than launch straight into the story, Swallow opens with some melancholy passages about what it takes to become an old soldier. This continues successfully throughout the story: the Brigadier will offer brief asides about lost friends, making it continually clear that these are the recollections of an old man, not the active tales of an impartial narrator.
Unfortunately, the story itself doesn’t really engage with this material to any great extent. It’s a partial sequel to “Doctor Who and the Silurians” – the Doctor and the Brigadier are still at odds over the conclusion to that story, and the Brigadier needs to bring the Doctor in to help with a seemingly impossible situation. In this respect, the story works well, and the ending is a neat inversion of the “Silurians” ending – the Brigadier is now the one scrambling to find an alternate solution to blowing up the threat, and is left regretting his failure to do so. Had the framing material played this aspect up more, the play would be more successful – but the “old soldiers” theme isn’t echoed greatly by the events of the story. As such, the story feels disconnected from the framing device: listening to Courtney’s narration, one would expect a different plot.
The production is largely successful. Nigel Fairs directs well, evidenced by Courtney’s wonderful performance, while the sound design and score from David Darlington are quite effective, possibly the best in the range thus far. Overall, “Old Soldiers” is certainly successful, with great narration from a beloved actor and an interesting conceit – but it still feels like a missed opportunity, as though something very good could easily have become great with only a few changes. Still, it’s another solid entry into a largely successful range.
Recommended.
7/10