#Charley Pollard my beloved

[beans-in-a-toaster]

I know I’m like 22 years late but just listened to The Chimes of Midnight for the first time

ITS GENUINELY ONE OF MY FAVORITE DOCTOR WHO STORIES NOW RAHGGGHHHHHHHHBB

it’s very reminiscent of both Carnival of Monsters and The Doctor’s Wife, which I both love so much and AND Charley Pollard. need I say more.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

I may or may not have just edited the TARDIS wiki to list the Sound creature as one of the Eighth Doctor's children.

[frmulcahy]

EightCharley walked so NineRose and TenRose could run don’t boo me I’m right

[picnokinesis]

hi! I just wanted to say that the roads that forgot how to speak is incredible and amazing. I've read the first part so many times (and later parts but not as many times bc it's very long which is amazing and wonderful). I am so so impressed with how much you've written and that it's really excellent quality all the way through. I just wanted to thank you for sharing it bc it's a genuinely incredible piece of work and it makes me certifiably insane <3

AHH!! Oh my days hello, thank you SO much??? This is so so lovely ahhhh I'm feeling a little weepy now HAHAH ahHH <3 Honestly, every time anyone says that they've reread parts of/all of the series I'm just surprised pikachu meme because WOW, like you said, that is a LOT of words to read ONCE, let alone multiple times?? Like that is such a compliment - and like I'm really so honoured that you like this story so much, it's just really wonderful! When I started this au, I had no idea how far into it I would get or how many people would even read it...the fact that I'm now working on part seven and there are still people who are reading it......that's just mind-blowing to me. So genuinely, thank you SO MUCH for just...being here to experience this whole mad story with me!! It's really something very special to me

(ALSO.....am I right in thinking that you're the person whose birthday was on the day that I started posting campervan part 6? Because if so I am SO SORRY because I was intending to wish you a happy birthday in the a/n on chapter 1 but i had the most insane week and COMPLETELY FORGOT until a few weeks later rip....but!! belatedly, I hope you had a great day hahah!! <3 <3)

[geronimomo-spd]

embrace the darkness!

(ALL SPOILERS HERE!!)

i see no one really mentening this one and wee! it was nice! the beginning was kinda doll (outside of like, the fucking body horror like jesus christ them almost taking Charley's eyes???? fuck me that was terefying), but at the end of the day this realy impacted what i love about doctor who!! this was an actual exploration of a new race and species!!!! the crew of the spaceship actualy learned from their actions and the way the doctor went to apologize to them at the end and they all decided to help each other the best they can??? really sweet!!! all i ever wanted from doctor who is a good exploration of a culture!! the way their history was discovered through a fluid???? omg exactly what i love, it wasn't the most groundbraking or fun advanture but it was a solid one who reminded me what i love about the frenchize! so that was nice!!

CHARLEY REALLY SHINED HERE!! her compasion and inganuity were riveling the docs!! her kindness really jumps at you!! i adore her!!

she and hedoctor challenging each other, however minor, was really cool!!

ok fave qoutes, Charley really killed itw with this one!! that's all i honestly wanted from her, to be present and make an impact on the stories ands she really does it here!!

CHARLEY: (breathless) Well, thank you very much. DOCTOR: Charley, what's the matter? CHARLEY: Has everything we've been through meant so little to you that at the first sign of trouble you just dump me? DOCTOR: Charley, I was thinking of your safety. CHARLEY: By leaving me in goodness knows what century with a load of people I don't even know? Well, I'd rather look after myself, thank you very much, if that's your idea of consideration. DOCTOR: Charley. CHARLEY: I think it's much more likely that you're feeling guilty about making a mistake, and think you can make yourself feel better by making a grand noble gesture. Isn't that nearer the truth? DOCTOR: Charley, what I did has quite possibly caused the destruction of a whole race. CHARLEY: But you didn't mean to do that. DOCTOR: What kind of an excuse is that? CHARLEY: It's not an excuse, it's just the truth. You're hoping the Cimmerians are going to punish you, aren't you? Chop off your head, or something. How self-indulgent can you be? You won't be happy until you're dead, will you, and how will that help the rest of us? NO BUT SHE IS SO RIGHT FOR THIS SHE REALLY GOT HIM THIS TIME

(solitre next guys!!)

[raspberry-gloaming]

I'm currently at a point where because I've got into Gallifrey, I follow or have at least browsed people's blogs who love other dweu stuff. And I thought it might be fun to say what I currently think and know about eu characters/companions so when I have in the future delved deeper into the eu I can look back and compare and laugh and see how much is accurate! There's gonna be a "read more" here because this gonna get Long.

Also please let me know what I've got right and not and also tell me more about these characters if you are fans of them!

Benny: starting off strong i know some stuff about her! she's an archeologist from the future (wonder if she ever met River) and she travelled with... one of the doctor(s)? Possibly Seven? She is besties with Brax and sometimes works for him and his collection. Probably must be able to put up with bullshit because of those last two points. Has a husband called Jason and at least one kid, which, iconic, female adventure and action protagonists should get to be mums more often its always the childfree so big up Benny for that. made a cameo at the end of Gallifrey IV.

Evelyn: I have heard her. A little. I basically skipped through the apocalypse element because I wanted to understand some of the reasons that Romana is the way she is in Gallifrey, but didn't listen properly because I got bored. Is an old lady, which is great - its great to see ages mixing it up a bit, instead of the 19-25 year old girl primary companions we consistently get in nu-who. Travelled with Six and is/was a professor at a university. Not sure for which subject though.

Fitz: Canonically bisexual and wears a leather jacket. I've seen A Lot of shipping him and Eight, and these shippers seem to have a similar vibe to Two/Jamie shippers. I don't know much else, except that his time with the doctor is probably fucked up because from what I have gleaned, Eight's companions Go Through It like big time.

Compassion: Faction Paradox which I believe is in an alternate universe (also the faction paradox timelines seem to have have a different vibe of names to the main universe ones, every time I'm on the "Individual Time Lords" category on the wiki and see a name that seems out of place it turns out to be a character from Faction Paradox.) Is a person (human i think?) but is also a TARDIS? Like you can go into her and travel? Where tf is the door this is very cursed. Also used as a breeding machine to make more TARDISes as well? By Romana? Idk but this seems pretty fucked up in an icky way. And fucked up in a non-icky way too. I'm just confused tbh. Not sure which doctor is involved in this one.

C'rizz - Possibly people can't say his name right? Is that him? Alien boy, travelled with Eight and Charley. That's about all I know.

Chris Cwej: I know even less about him, hes the other possibility for people mixing up his name or something. Think he travelled with Seven. Idk why but he gives me dick vibes.

Hex Schofield: Travelled with Ace and Seven. Is from 2021 or something and says "sus." Which yh that was a thing but he was made before among us existed that's a cool coincidence that it turned out like that.

Liv and Helen: They exist. That's it I know nothing more.

Molly O'Sullivan: Also exists. Travelled with eight?

Charley Pollard: Has a Nazi for a sister - Blind Eye my beloved. Calls herself Edwardian even though she's from the 1930s, idk if its like a character point or an accidental fuck up by the writers. Has a romance with the doctor in some form. And also a pretty messed up relationship with him i think. Actually just a pretty messed up time. Especially because I think she was in Scherzo which I hear Wild Blue Yonder was inspired by. So good luck girl you're gonna need it.

[blazing-dynamo]

I spent the night making a Listening Guide for the 8th Doctor for my partner, and figured I would share. I made it as a checklist in iOS. The numbers/abbreviations are connected to my Plex Audiobook server so might not line up with the names/numbering of the official releases.

8th Doctor Order

Charley Era

Main Range

- [ ] 16 - Storm Warning

- [ ] 17 - Sword of Orion

- [ ] 18 - Stones of Venice

- [ ] 19 - Minuet in hell

- [ ] 28 - invaders from mars

- [ ] 29 - Chimes of Midnight (Christmas Special!)

- [ ] 30 - Seasons of Fear

- [ ] 31 - Embrace the Darkness

- [ ] 32 - The Time of the Daleks

- [ ] 33 - Neverland

- [ ] 50 - Zagreus (Season Finale!)

- [ ] 52 - Scherzo (best one bring tissue)

- [ ] 53 - Creed of the Kromon (new companion!)

- [ ] 54 - The Natural History of Fear

- [ ] 55 - The Twilight Kingdom

- [ ] 61 - Faith Stealer

- [ ] 62 - The Last

- [ ] 63 - Caerdroia

- [ ] 64 - The Next Life (Season Finale!)

- [ ] 72 - Terror Firma

- [ ] 75 - Scaredy Cat

- [ ] 77 - Other Lives

- [ ] 80 - Time Works

- [ ] 83 - Something Inside

- [ ] 88 - Memory Lane

- [ ] 101 - Absolution

- [ ] 103 - The Girl that Never Was (Season Finale. End of Era.)

Charley Era Bonus content:

Charley is a fan favorite so she has a whole bunch of side content compared to the other eras.

Eighth Doctor Adventures

- [ ] CPFA1.01 The Mummy Speaks

- [ ] CPFA1.02 Eclipse

- [ ] CPFA1.03 The Slaying of the Writhing Mass

- [ ] CPFA1.04 Heart of Orion

- [ ] 8DA1.00 Living Legend

These are Charley stories made after the end of Charley’s era. Charlotte Pollard the Further Adventuress is brand new. Living Legend was like a year after she left (don’t fact check me)

Main Range

- [ ] 111 - The Doomwood Curse

- [ ] 114 - Brotherhood of the Daleks

- [ ] 116 - The Raincloud Man

- [ ] 124 - Patient Zero

- [ ] 125 - Paper Cuts

- [ ] 126 - Blue Forgotten Planet

This resolves the charley cliffhanger. She travels with the Sixth Doctor for some timey wimey further pissing off of the web of time. If you still don’t have enough Charley she has her own series that follows after her adventures with Sixie.

Main Range

- [ ] 123 - The Company of Friends

- [ ] 153 - The Silver Turk

- [ ] 154 - The Witch from the Well

- [ ] 155 - Army of Death

Eighth doctor in the main range without Charley. 123 is with his comic/book companions. The others are the Mary Shelly companion stories! Fun fact he mentions these travels as just happening in Storm Warning so they are a direct prequel.

Main Range

- [ ] 100 - 100 (technically only in part 4)

- [ ] 275 - End of The Beginning

One offs

- [ ] The Light At The End (50th anniv special)

The Legacy of Time

- [ ] 1 Lies in Ruins

- [ ] 2 The Split Infinitive

- [ ] 3 The Sacrifice of Jo Grant

- [ ] 4 Relative Time

- [ ] 5 The avenues of Possibility

- [ ] 6 Collision Course

This chunk is all big anniversary cross overs that feature charley. Some with 6. Some with 8.

Companion Chronicles

- [ ] 4.12 Solitaire

Short Trips

- [ ] 2.8 Letting Go

- [ ] 5.8 Foreshadowing

- [ ] 6.11 The Man Who Wasn’t There

- [ ] 9.11 Hall of the Ten Thousand

- [ ] 10.8 These Stolen Hours

Classic Doctors, New Monsters

- [ ] 3.4 If I should die before I wake

This last selection is all small short stories that take place during the Charley Era.

Lucie Era

Eighth Doctor Adventures

8DA Season 1

- [ ] 1, 2 Blood of the Daleks

- [ ] 3 Horror of Glam Rock

- [ ] 4 Immortal Beloved

- [ ] 5 Phobos

- [ ] 6 No More Lies

- [ ] 7, 8 Human Resources

8DA Season 2

- [ ] 1 Dead London

- [ ] 2 Max Warp

- [ ] 3 Brave New Town

- [ ] 4 The Skull of Sobek

- [ ] 5 Grand Theft Cosmos

- [ ] 6 The Zygon that Fell to Earth

- [ ] 7 Sisters of the Flame

- [ ] 8 Vengeance of Morbius

8DA Season 3

- [ ] 1 Orbis

- [ ] 2 Hothouse

- [ ] 3 Beast of Orlock

- [ ] 4 Wirrn Dawn

- [ ] 5 Scapegoat

- [ ] 6 The Cannibalists

- [ ] 7 The Eight Truths

- [ ] 8 Worldwide Web

8DA Season 4

- [ ] 1 Death in Blackpool

- [ ] 2 Situation Vacant

- [ ] 3 Nevermore

- [ ] 4 The Book of Kells

- [ ] 5 Deimos

- [ ] 6 The Resurrection of Mars

- [ ] 7 Relative Dimensions

- [ ] 7b An Earthly Child

- [ ] 8 Prisoner of the Sun

- [ ] 9 Lucie Miller

- [ ] 10 To the Death (end of the Era)

Lucie Era Bonus

8DA Season 5

- [ ] 1 The Dalek Trap

- [ ] 2 The Revolution Game

- [ ] 3 The House on the Edge of Chaos

- [ ] 4 Island of the Fendahl

This season is technically not an 8DA release but is called “the further adventures of Lucie miller” and takes place before Human Resources. But I wouldn’t slot it there, and instead just listen as a bonus.

Short Trips

- [ ] 3.8 All the fun of the Fair

- [ ] 6.4 The Curse of the Fugue

- [ ] ST7.7 Flashpoint

- [ ] SST 2014-06 Late Night Shopping

- [ ] SST 2013-03 the Young Lions

- [ ] SST 2015-12 The Caves of Erith

Liv and Helen Era

Yes technically this was the Molly era but she got too famous between dark eyes part 1 and 2 so it’s really Liv’s Era, and Helen joins soon after. This era is a string of box sets so basically just Dark Eyes >Doom Coalition >Ravenous > Stranded, but what follows is a checklist so you can keep track.

Eighth Doctor Adventures

Dark Eyes

- [ ] 1.1 The Great War

- [ ] 1.2 Fugutives

- [ ] 1.3 Tangled Web

- [ ] 1.4 X and the Daleks

- [ ] 2.1 The Traitor

- [ ] 2.2 The White Room

- [ ] 2.3 Time’s Horizon (Hello Liv!)

- [ ] 2.4 Eyes of the Master

- [ ] 3.1 The Death of Hope

- [ ] 3.2 The Reviled

- [ ] 3.3 Masterplan

- [ ] 3.4 Rule of the Eminence

- [ ] 4.1 A Life in the Day

- [ ] 4.2 The Monster of Monmarte

- [ ] 4.3 Master of the Daleks

- [ ] 4.4 Eye of Darkness

Doom Coalition

- [ ] 1.1 The Eleven

- [ ] 1.2 The Red Lady

- [ ] 1.3 The Galileo Trap

- [ ] 1.4 The Satanic Mill

- [ ] 2.1 Beachhead Track

- [ ] 2.2 Scenes from Her Life

- [ ] 2.3 The Gift

- [ ] 2.4 The Sonomancer

- [ ] 3.1 Absent Friends

- [ ] 3.2 The Eighth Piece

- [ ] 3.3 The Doomsday Chronometer

- [ ] 3.4 The Crucible of Souls

- [ ] 4.1 Ship in a Bottle

- [ ] 4.2 Songs of Love

- [ ] 4.3 The Side of the Angels

- [ ] 4.4 Stop the Clock

Ravenous

- [ ] 1.1 Their Finest Hour

- [ ] 1.2 How to make a Killing in Time Travel

- [ ] 1.3 World of Damnation

- [ ] 1.4 Sweet Salvation

- [ ] 2.1 Escape from Kaldor

- [ ] 2.2 Better Watch Out

- [ ] 2.3 Fairytale of Salzburg (Another Christmas Special)

- [ ] 2.4 Seizure

- [ ] 3.1 Deeptime Frontier

- [ ] 3.2 Companion Piece***** See Below

- [ ] 3.3 LEGEND

- [ ] 3.4 The Odds Against

- [ ] 4.1 Whisper

- [ ] 4.2 Planet of Dust

- [ ] 4.3 Day of the Master 1

- [ ] 4.4 Day of the Master 2

I highly recommend skipping to the Bliss Era before Companion Piece. They were released simultaneously and have a crossover in companion piece and it makes it better. But you could always “Spoilers sweetie” and find it out later.

Stranded

- [ ] 1.1 Lost Property

- [ ] 1.2 Wild Animals

- [ ] 1.3 Must-See TV

- [ ] 1.4 Divine Intervention

- [ ] 2.1 Dead Time

- [ ] 2.2 Unit Dating

- [ ] 2.3 Baker Street Irregulars

- [ ] 2.4 The Long Way Round

- [ ] 3.1 Patience

- [ ] 3.2 Twisted Folklore

- [ ] 3.3 Snow

- [ ] 3.4 What Just Happened

- [ ] 4.1 Crossed Lines

- [ ] 4.2 Get Andy

- [ ] 4.3 The Keys of Baker Street

- [ ] 4.4 Best Year Ever

Liv and Helen continue into What Lies Inside and Connections, but I don’t have it yet so I don’t know the episode names.

Liv Era Bonus Content

Main Range

- [ ] 149. Robophobia

Liv was actually an almost-companion for the 7th doctor. She told him no, and kicked herself until the 8th Doctor showed back up.

The Robots

Liv’s Spin off. Takes place during Ravenous 2 when the doctor has to leave her for a year. I haven’t listened yet so I don’t know the titles but there are 6 seasons of 3 episodes

Ninth Doctor Adventures

- [ ] 2.3 Hidden Depths

Crossover with the Ninth Doctor Range.

Short Trips

- [ ] 7.1 The World Beyond the Trees

Bliss Era

Aka the Time War! Can technically be listened to whenever because it doesn’t directly reference things but it’s best after Doom Coalition, but Before Ravenous.

Eighth Doctor Adventures

Time War

- [ ] 1.1 The Starship of Theseus

- [ ] 1.2 Echoes of War

- [ ] 1.3 The Conscript

- [ ] 1.4 One Life

- [ ] 2.1 The Lords of Terror

- [ ] 2.2 Planet of the Ogrons

- [ ] 2.3 In the Garden of Death

- [ ] 2.4 Jonah

- [ ] 3.1 State of Bliss

- [ ] 3.2 The Famished Lands

- [ ] 3.3 Fugutive in Time

- [ ] 3.4 The War Valeyard

- [ ] 4.1 Palindrome 1

- [ ] 4.2 Palindrome 2

- [ ] 4.3 Dreadshade

- [ ] 4.4 Restoration of the Daleks

[riversofmars]

The term "XY lives rent free in my head" just hits differently when you've listened to Zagreus.

[theladyjojogrant]

Charley being disappointed at the lack of drama preceding her beheading is one of the most Charley things I’ve ever heard

[lightwxlker]

CHARLEY AND EIGHT ARE COMING BACK!!!!!!!!!! THEYRE COMING BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

hey would you wanna 👀👀 write some Charleight for me 👀👀 especially if it’s got to do with hand-holding 👀👀

It's more instinct than anything else by now; Charley takes his hand without even thinking about it and sometimes, the Doctor does the same with her. They don't talk about it, have never really discussed much of anything that happened in the divergent universe, but they hold hands far more than they had before. Charley tries to make it into a logical thing: they do have a habit of getting separated, often suddenly, or of winding up lost in the dark (or in the light). The physical connection makes all of that harder, so it's just practical. It keeps them safe.

But deep down, Charley knows it's far more than that. And she knows C'rizz has noticed too, she's learned to recognize which colors mean he's confused or curious. If he asks about it, she's not sure what she'll tell him.

[theydoctor]

Oh no...

I’ve just noticed that I have only three and a half audios with Charley Pollard and 8 left. I am not ready.

[doccywhomst]

I am violently fighting the adhd impulse to hyperfixate on the extended universe before inevitably dipping out of it when the hyperfixation ends. Thankfully I would have no idea where to begin if i stopped fighting that impulse. The sheer ocean of content could drown several coastal provinces in one night. As such, it sure would be a SUCH shame of you happened to, i dont know, drop any sort of starter's guide typa thing detailing the basic content you'd need to start getting into the eu?? wink wonk

it's a chilly evening in late october. i meet you at the usual spot, just as we agreed, by the fire hydrant on the corner of 5th and Main. my long, taupe overcoat ruffles in a sudden breeze; the faint odors of smoke and aftershave linger on my calloused fingers. i lower my hat to cover my eyes as i pass you, effortlessly slipping you a leather briefcase.

the goods.

my masterpost of FREE doctor who EU resources

ALL of these are free (excluding a Spotify subscription)!

comics:

viewcomics.me is the website that I use to freely access DW comics! try to buy them if you can afford to, but budgets get tight, so here are the links for the:

Eighth Doctor Titan Comics stories with Josephine Day (just go 3-8 pages in to skip the cover images)

Doctor Who Classics series

Thirteenth Doctor comics

Missy comics

Tenth Doctor comics

and SO much more. i mean, just look up the doctor or character you're looking for and you'll probably find most of their stuff for free. give it a whirl.

EDA books:

archive.org has most (if not all) of the Eighth Doctor Adventures in PDF format! the link above sends you to their collection, which is free. there's also an option to listen to them like audiobooks, but the voice is pretty stilted and robotic, so be prepared.

VNA books:

archive.org ALSO has most/all of the Virgin New Adventures novels in PDF format! the link above sends you to the collection, which is also free. again, you can listen to them like audiobooks, but... just grit your teeth and bear the robot voice.

Eighth Doctor audios:

here is a Spotify playlist of the Eighth Doctor's first adventures with Charley Pollard! Big Finish is extremely protective of their audios, so they copyright-strike basically everything that resembles a transcript or audio recording, but these were released for free. there are quite a few on here, so consider listening through it.

additionally, here is another playlist of his first adventures with Lucie Miller! BOTH companions have more stories after these, but you'll either need a friend to share the links or some dough to give to Big Finish.

Scream of the Shalka:

this animated webseries features a (pretty beloved) "non-canonical" doctor, usually referred to as "shalka doctor." dailymotion has all six parts of the webseries! (don't be spooked by the video titles. they're from a turkish account, but the videos are in english.)

part 1 // part 2 // part 3 // part 4 // part 5 // part 6

final comments:

unfortunately, i couldn't find a free PDF collection for the Faction Paradox books. if anyone has a link, please append it below! there are also the DW spinoff series, like Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, but you can find those on normal pay-to-stream sites. i wanted this post to be for (mostly) free sources.

[plum-pudding-and-honey]

MONTHLY RANGE : Eight & Charley

Storm Warning - 3.5/5 : the plot is not the best thing I've ever seen but it's still a good introduction story for Eight on audio and to be fair it just made me want to drop everything and hop after him. I like Charley's background but I really just can't stand her. I don't hate her, she's interesting and I totally understand that people love her but I've never really warmed up to her. I also have a problem with the "classic" format : 4 episodes of 20-30 minutes which, sure, allows the writers to give the story and the characters more development, but which I find particularly long. I just find it very hard to focus for two hours, unless the story is very compelling

Sword of Orion - 3/5 : (god this is loooong) The atmosphere was interesting, so was Deeva (although I thought her being an android was quite obvious but wtv). The other side characters were all quite boring though and I couldn't bring myself to care about them. The android/human war was also an interesting point, it's a shame it didn't get developed more than that

The Stones of Venice - 1.5/5 : Oh my God do I hate this. Two hours which felt more like six hours of whining and complaining and "Estella, my beloved, forgive me here" and in the end, I'm not even sure whether I want to kill the Duke or myself. Just... zero empathy for this guy and Estella. Pietro was a bit more interesting although fish gondoliers who have evolved to survive the sinking of the city? Really? No. (Not just because evolution doesn't happen over a hundred years. Try a million.) Churchwell was equally annoying (I mean, as a librarian, I'm all for art preservation but have some decency here man) and the cult, well I've got no opinion whatsoever on them, that's how useless they are in all of this. The only thing that kinda made this thing worthwhile was this bit of conversation between the Doctor, Charley and that gondolier guy about the Duke waiting a hundred years for Estella and how Charley points out how long it is waiting for someone to return and how Eight DID wait a hundred years before seeing Fitz again and I'm not okay about this (and this was released shortly after Escape Velocity was published so I'm definitely gonna take this as a Fitz reference fight me on this)

Minuet in Hell - 3/5 : The Doctor being imprisoned and amnesiac for 3/4 of the episode was very looong. I liked the interactions with Gideon Crane but since the viewer already knows which one is the real Doctor, I really didn't see the point of making this last for so long. Also it robbed us of more Eight/Brig time and that's a shame. And those American accents are just horrible, I couldn't understand most of what Dale and the Senator were saying. The vilains and the Psi (psy?) machine were kinda interesting (although they also sounded pretty annoying) but in two hours and a half, they really could have been developed a bit more. Same goes for Becky Lee and her supernatural hunter gig that was way underused. The Brigadier is a huge asset, let's be honest. And the EDAs are canon in the BF universe, so that's that. (yes there was a Fitz reference in The Stones of Venice, I will not shut up)

Invaders from Mars - 2/5 : I love the idea behind this episode : the panic caused by Orson Welles' reading of the War of the Worlds, a false invasion in fact hiding a real invasion. It could have been great. But it's not. First, those accents and voices, again NO. For a medium that relies only on sounds, it's  really a big issue here (I mean how are you supposed to take the alien invaders seriously with those voices???). Mark Gatiss loves the Ice Warriors and we've seen with the Empress of Mars that he can write decent episodes with them so why didn't he use them here? It could have been so creepy (which, for a Halloween episode, would have been neat). Instead he gives us a cheap version of invaders, a nazi guy, Russians and an atomic bomb, and mobsters. And it's too much, it's too confusing, it's too many characters. It's a mess. The Doctor is adorable playing private detective but then he accidentally reveals his plan to the bad guys (I mean...) and the aliens are killed by the Russian guy everybody thought to be dead and his atomic bomb : no, that's bullshit. Also, bury your gays : totally gratuitous and unnecessary (what was even the point?). Yeah, huge disappointment.

The Chimes of Midnight - 6/5 : cHriStmAs wOuLdN't bE cHriStmAs wiThOuT oNe oF mY pLuM puDdiNgS (tfbgvfgtv) Finally something GOOD. Eight is at his best sassfull self, the different parts are well articulated, it's funny and creepy at the same time and the paradox surrounding Charley is well exploited. Robert Shearman even succeeded in making me care about Charley. Edith is touching, even the other characters are, and that ending is really nicely done and coherent. I also really like how Eight is depicted here, especially in his relationship to Charley (and his companions in general). He really cares about her and yet he doesn't tell her the truth, he's been lying to her ever since Storm Warning because he selfishly hopes that if he doesn't speak about it, it's all gonna go away, just like he will do later with Lucie and her auntie Pat and that's Eight in all his glory : he loves his companions but he's got this kind of superiority complex that makes him think he knows better than them and which makes him treat them like shit more often than not (and ok, Charley gets a lot of crap from him). They are all aware of that, as we are, and yet they still love him and we still love him and I don't even know why.

Seasons of Fear - 3.5/5 : The format was interesting, the change of scenery for each episode really helped to not lose interest in the story. I also liked Grayle, he's an interesting villain but the immortality thing could have been handled a bit better in my opinion, especially the losing your loved ones part. I actually liked Charley there and her varied suggestions to get rid of Grayle. The mystery around her thickens and I did not remember that ending! The Nimons were a bit unexpected but ok I guess. But I found the conclusion very disappointing, too easy.

Embrace the Darkness - 4/5 : I love the atmosphere of this one, especially the beginning : the "something touches you in the dark and you realise it's not your friend" trope is classic but the audio only aspect of the thing gives it something more (especially of you listen to it in the dark). Like the previous one, I liked the pace (it didn't feel like this thing would never end which is something worth mentioning). The fact that there aren't too many characters also helps a lot. And I can't help myself to compare it with Sword of Orion : the settings are similar, it's a huis-clos, and they're both written by Nick Briggs. I find Embrace the Darkness much better, the characters are actually likeable (and they all don't die at the end, quite the opposite) and interesting. The Cimmerians were also nicely done and I really liked how different senses are brought into focus here, how the viewer is brought closer to the characters because they can't see. Hearing becomes central then but taste and touch are also prominent (I especially liked the way the Cimmerians share their history with the Doctor and Charley). The Doctor is well-written (I love his "conversations" with Rosum) and this tendency to self pity himself every time he makes a mistake is very Eight (Orbis). 

The Time of the Daleks -  2.5/5 : The first part was good. And then it got so confusing, I actually lost the plot several times because my mind kept drifting away. There are way too many comings and goings through those portals, too many side characters that weren't interesting in the least. Learman's motivations as a villain are ridiculous (she wants to kill Shakespeare to be the only one who remembers him because everyone else is too stupid to understand his works... yeah, right).

Neverland -  4.5/5 : Zagreus sits inside your head, Zagreus lives among the dead, Zagreus sees you in your bed and eats you when you're sleeping (sorry I had to put it). So … yeah, that was breath-taking. That was an amazing conclusion for Charley's arc, the neverpeople are pretty cool and Romana and Rassillon are a nice little treat. The plot is coherent and the two hours and a half passed very quickly which is always worth mentioning. About Eight and Charley, now. As I said, I'm not a fan of Charley : I find her too perfect (and I just can't stand how she speaks, I know it's kinda shallow but when her voice is the only thing you get out of her, that becomes kind of a big deal) and I really don't ship her with Eight (although I recognise that they might be romantically involved, a lot like Ten and Rose, I simply choose to not see it). That being said, I liked how she stood up to the Doctor at the beginning, how she called him out on his bullshit ("Happy Birthday, Charley! Happy Birthday, he says. Only it isn't my birthday. It isn't my birthday because I'm not supposed to have any more birthdays") and used the TARDIS against him. I also liked her comparison with Peter Pan because, yeah, that's the Doctor, she gets it. I understand why she asked him to shoot her at the end but I don't think she was fair asking him to do it because she knows, everybody knows, that he won't do it. He won't do it for someone he despises, so Charley? Nope. And yeah, her dying was the obvious solution, I get that,  but that's the epitome of everything I don't like about her. Charley Pollard, always making the right decision even if it means sacrificing herself, Charley Pollard always nice and caring and clever and adventurous, and in a way she reminds me of Rose (although Rose was a jerk to Mickey) and I hate Rose. As for the Doctor... Finally he gets the consequences of his actions and yet you can't help but feel sorry for him. Because like Charley said he’s sweet and he truly thinks what he’s doing is good. And that cliff-hanger! I AM BECOME ZAGREUS! YES BABY. In conclusion, it’s a great episode, regardless of my feelings towards Charley

Zagreus -  4/5 : Let's be honest, the first time I listened to it, I hated it with all my guts (and I also fell asleep at some point in the middle), so I wasn't really looking forward to giving it another chance. But I'm glad I did. This time I really took the time to listen to it properly and knowing roughly where this was going, I loved it? I mean ok, this thing is more than three hours (not gonna lie, this was really difficult for me) and it's completely bonkers and WTF but there IS a certain coherence to the thing that I hadn't picked on the first time I listened to it. So, let's start with the obvious : Zagreus/the Doctor/Paul McGann giving us the performance of his life. He's GREAT and if I didn't already love him I would certainly after this. He's creepy and disturbing as Zagreus (he slapped Charley!!) and his voice when he's the Doctor, when he begs Charley to kill him ... yeah, I was dying inside there. By the way, I liked the parallel with Neverland and Charley begging the Doctor to kill her, except that she actually does it. The Brigadier/TARDIS was equally brilliant. I got a lot of the Doctor's Wife vibes here - except that the TARDIS is evil and HATES the companions, and her conversation with the Doctor, her fit of jealousy was brilliantly done. I also loved the bits with Five, Six and Seven (except it's not really them but it actually is) and they were hilarious when they're working together towards the end (Tweedledee, Tweedledum and Tweedle-ego). It was a nice hommage to Alice in Wonderland, coherent until the end (and let's be honest the bit with Schrodinger's cat only it's the Doctor who is in the box? Brilliant. Again.) And as an anniversary episode, it worked for me. I probably didn't get all the references but I picked up a few of them and it was nice to include the BF cast, even if it wasn't in their usual roles.

Overall opinion : This is not as bad as I remembered. I postponed relistening to these for a long time because I remembered it way worse than it actually is (in my defence, I listened to those episode some 8 years ago when my English wasn't so fluent). I still don't like the classic format because most of the episodes feel reaaaaally long and I'm not a fan of Charley. I did like her arc though, it was interesting to  explore the fixed in time events and the consequences of the Doctor kicking the laws of time in the nuts, way before Ten. The resolution of this arc was also brilliant in my opinion with the anti-time and the Time Lords/Rassillon mythology. The quality is fluctuant : the Stones of Venice, Invaders from Mars and the Time of the Daleks being the bottom of the barrel while the Chimes of Midnight, Embrace the Darkness and Neverland/Zagreus are amazing. And Eight changes so much through his life : he's so hopeful and sweet and utterly optimistic, a drastic difference from the Time War series (which I just finished before listening to this) where, although his core qualities are still there, deep down, he's lost so much and been through so much crap from everyone. I don't know if any other Doctor went through that much (War Doctor excluded) tbh. His relationship to his companions is also quite unique I think, maybe I'll write something about that one day. Now for the Divergent Universe arc, which I don't remember fondly either. Let's see if I change my mind as well.

[starlightwalked]

CHARLEY POLLARD MY BELOVED....

[windmilltothestars]

Hey y’all!  It’s been a while!!  My students finished their exams, drama was resolved, the weather here in Korea is becoming insufferably muggy, I socialized with my coworker and actually enjoyed board games for once, I binged Stranger Things 3 out of sense of duty and found it mind-numbingly awful (apologies if you liked it, it probably came down to characterization things and narrative priorities), and I am currently being crushed under the heel of a monstrous Doctor Who obsession that’s been raging for a month and a half.

Like seriously, I spent my Sunday evening yesterday watching black and white Troughton episodes from the ‘60s that were presented in disconnected frames or clunky fan-made animations because the original footage was lost, I’m spending my money on digital downloads of Eighth Doctor Audio dramas, I now consider myself intimately familiar with the TV movie, Jamie McCrimmon and Charley Pollard are vying with Rory (alas, poor Rose,  I still love you, though) for the top spot as my favorite companion (along with their respective Doctors, 2, 8, and 11, plus 10 and possibly 5; gotta look more into Davison), I have proposed to stop in Chicago to go to a Doctor Who con on my long journey home to America so I can finally officially meet Paul McGann (and sound like an idiot spluttering to him about how I’d recognized his voice when I saw him in the play in Ireland 6 and a half years ago), and I’ve debated whether I would cosplay Jamie or Charley or some amalgam of costume items from many Doctors (8′s cravat and vest, 2′s recorder and oversized pants, 10′s shoes, 11′s fez, 5′s glasses, possibly even 6′s coat), I’ve drawn pages and PAGES of FAN ART of scenes from audio dramas, never quite settling on what kind of clothes Charley, an audio-only character from 1930 who was cross-dressing in her first appearance to blend in with the airship crew and later expresses great enthusiasm for dressing like a Jane Austen heroine, wears in everyday life once she starts traveling in the TARDIS, and I’m currently working on a fan fic in which Eight and Charley meet John Keats and Joseph Severn in Rome - and, of course, encounter some problems with alien tech.

It all started when I was dying of fatigue but unable to sleep on my 9-hour flight back to Korea, so to distract my mind I watched some of the in-flight movies, one of which was a biopic about Vincent Van Gogh.  Then I was like, aww, I remember I saw that one episode of Doctor Who about Vincent Van Gogh, so I went back and watched that and it was the episode after Rory vanished so I missed him so I watched more with him and fell back in love with 11 and his crew, then remembered how much I’d loved 10 and Rose and all that, then I stumbled into some of the classic doctors and . . . here we are.  

Last audio I listened to was “Zagreus” and I’m actually rather the dreading the next installment (”Scherzo”), considering what I’ve read about it.  (I spoiled a lot of stuff for myself because I have no restraint.)  Not only because of horror elements but because of beloved character conflict, as just the modest amount of Charley-being-mad-at-the-Doctor drama in “Zagreus” was almost enough to do me in . . . I just want them to be cute and love each other, you know?  They’re both so adventurous and warm and sweet and enthusiastic and witty and affirming, dang it, they’re GOOD at that!  I don’t ship it, though I acknowledge on her side that’s what she wants; I tend to think of the Doctor’s adoring, obliging and protective affection for her being more fatherly in nature.  I also don’t think her crush was all that obvious, but that could be more of commentary on how oblivious I am, and be another thing I have in common with Eight.  Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting the new alien companion who shows up in the following installment.

ANYWAY, now that you know the history of the obsession in WAY MORE detail that you EVER asked for, I should wrap up.  Just, uh, be aware that this is my headspace as you might see a horrifically disproportionate amount of Doctor Who content on this blog in the coming weeks -- or possibly nothing at all.  I don’t make promises here,  I’m just following my capricious heart that has latched onto this Time Lord for the long haul.  Thanks for reading!