UNIT audio review post, type thing.
Thursday, 8 May 2008 19:32![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
usuallyhats
Recently I relistened to Big Finish's UNIT audio series, which I love, partly because they are UNIT and partly because they are actually pretty good.
I have already flailed about them in passing in a S4 reaction post, but I feel the need to do so again and at greater length, since it's such an enjoyable series. My two favourites (out of four plays; yes I am terrible at making decisions) are Snake Head and The Longest Night.
Snake Head is, for me, a pretty perfect one off UNIT story. It's about Chaudhry and Dalton going above and beyond the call of duty to save the day using whatever resources they have to hand, and also a lot of banter. (Though, listening to it again, knowing what's going to happen in the next one... ouch. That whole bit where Chaudhry teases Dalton about having so much rubbish in his boot, and he's all "yeah, I keep meaning to sort that out" gets me.) Fighting the vrykolak with only Hoffman on the phones and a few people they've picked up along the way, yes, doing what they have to to sort things out before ICIS shows up, because they care about their job.
And then there is The Longest Night, which is incredibly tense and paranoid, with that great idea about the phone lines, a great threat because not only do you not know who the enemy is going to be next, it could very well be you. And the deaths, oh, I didn't believe them at first, especially since they's already done "Dalton's TOTALLY GOING TO DIE. ...fooled ya!" in Time Heals, but then The Wasting happened and it was all true, and it raised the stakes for that play too, because if they can kill off Dalton and Hoffman, they might very well go on to bump off anyone. (OK, I was fairly sure that the Brig was safe.) I was really surprised by Brimmicombe-Wood being ICIS, slightly sad because I'd loved him in Sympathy for the Devil, but it was a great twist so I'll forgive them. The argument between Chaudhry and Brimmicombe-Wood was brilliant.
UNEXPECTED HARRY FTW.
I also loved the Brig's role as a mentor to Chaudhry (and SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, YAY), especially the bit at the beginning when he comes to see her in the hospital and drives her to the cemetary; a great way to play on the UNIT family thing without getting saccharine.
Emily Chaudhry is fantastic. Have I mentioned that yet? Because I should have.
I have already flailed about them in passing in a S4 reaction post, but I feel the need to do so again and at greater length, since it's such an enjoyable series. My two favourites (out of four plays; yes I am terrible at making decisions) are Snake Head and The Longest Night.
Snake Head is, for me, a pretty perfect one off UNIT story. It's about Chaudhry and Dalton going above and beyond the call of duty to save the day using whatever resources they have to hand, and also a lot of banter. (Though, listening to it again, knowing what's going to happen in the next one... ouch. That whole bit where Chaudhry teases Dalton about having so much rubbish in his boot, and he's all "yeah, I keep meaning to sort that out" gets me.) Fighting the vrykolak with only Hoffman on the phones and a few people they've picked up along the way, yes, doing what they have to to sort things out before ICIS shows up, because they care about their job.
And then there is The Longest Night, which is incredibly tense and paranoid, with that great idea about the phone lines, a great threat because not only do you not know who the enemy is going to be next, it could very well be you. And the deaths, oh, I didn't believe them at first, especially since they's already done "Dalton's TOTALLY GOING TO DIE. ...fooled ya!" in Time Heals, but then The Wasting happened and it was all true, and it raised the stakes for that play too, because if they can kill off Dalton and Hoffman, they might very well go on to bump off anyone. (OK, I was fairly sure that the Brig was safe.) I was really surprised by Brimmicombe-Wood being ICIS, slightly sad because I'd loved him in Sympathy for the Devil, but it was a great twist so I'll forgive them. The argument between Chaudhry and Brimmicombe-Wood was brilliant.
UNEXPECTED HARRY FTW.
I also loved the Brig's role as a mentor to Chaudhry (and SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, YAY), especially the bit at the beginning when he comes to see her in the hospital and drives her to the cemetary; a great way to play on the UNIT family thing without getting saccharine.
Emily Chaudhry is fantastic. Have I mentioned that yet? Because I should have.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 19:19 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 20:00 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 19:23 (UTC)I WANT to listen to them... I do...
But I don't own them...
and I don't find it easy to make time to listen to audio drama because I cannot do anything else whilst I listen or I start tuning out the voices
in my headlike I do when listening to the radio and the presenter starts blathering or they play the same ad for the umpteentth time...Stop making me want them, cosdarnit !
:P
no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 20:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 20:07 (UTC)2 - I get loads of Who-filled dreams *already* without listening to audios before sleeping !
3 - I always concentrate 100% on TV 'cos I don't often watch it, but I'm very used to tuning out the voices on Classic FM and just listening to the music. I've listened to audios a few times whilst working and that was fine (I only need about 2% of my brain to do my job as it is) - but lately I always seem to be writing fic whilst working so uh, that's not going to work ! (Why yes, my ability to multi-task is a bit frightening at times...)
I shall have to see if Amazon's selling them so I can spend my next lot of Gift Certificates on them... THEN I'll figure out when I can listen to them !
Are there just the four stories?
no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 20:18 (UTC)2) Heh, fair enough :)
3) I got into the habit of doing maths homework while watching TV in the sixth form, so if I'm just watching TV and not doing anything else I feel vaguely guilty... Working and writing fic at the same time is impressive!
I expect amazon's selling them... I got mine in the Big Finish Christmas sale, so it might be worth waiting for the summer sale in case they're in that. There's four plays plus there was a prequel thing free with Doctor Who Monthly, but that's not available to buy so I haven't listened to it yet!
no subject
Date: 9 May 2008 04:38 (UTC)I checked Amazon and they've got them for £7.25 each. I've slapped them onto my wishlist and will wait until I've got some Gift Certs to spend again... Perhaps I'll try eBay for the prequel one...
no subject
Date: 9 May 2008 13:25 (UTC)Good luck with finding The Coup on ebay, copies do pop up every now and then, I've just bought one myself!
no subject
Date: 9 May 2008 14:00 (UTC)no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 19:27 (UTC)UNEXPECTED HARRY FTW.
I KNOW!!! SO AWESOME.
I also loved the Brig's role as a mentor to Chaudhry (and SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR, YAY),
Oh, bless, yes. That was so sweet and well-done.
no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 20:06 (UTC)I love that the Brig doesn't take command, but prefers to help Chaudhry lead instead.
no subject
Date: 8 May 2008 21:40 (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 May 2008 13:26 (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 May 2008 19:18 (UTC)no subject
Date: 10 May 2008 19:21 (UTC)no subject
Date: 10 May 2008 08:20 (UTC)More people need to listen to these, definitely.
no subject
Date: 10 May 2008 19:25 (UTC)no subject
Date: 29 May 2008 09:53 (UTC)Please tell me I'm not alone in shipping Brig/Emily (even though he's married to Doris)??
Unexpected!Harry FTW !!!!!
And OMG ! Brimmicombe-Wood is a right nasty bastard - and very Scottish !! Eee !!!
*flails madly like a madly flailing thing*
I shall write a coherent (well I hope!) reaction post later... Now I'm after Sympathy for the Devil for more of that Scottish nasty bastard (Gods I love DT's Scottish accent !) :D
no subject
Date: 29 May 2008 12:11 (UTC)Hadn't thought about shipping Brig/Emily, but now you mention it, it could work... I do like their relationship.
Unexpected Harry made me squee so much!
no subject
Date: 29 May 2008 12:19 (UTC)Very tense, dramatic and compelling - what's not to love?! :P
And Sympathy for the Devil is great too, I liked DT's character much more in that one. His Scottishness is great, I wish he got to use his real accent more.
Oh so do I ! I really wanted Ten to be Scottish, like Seven...
Hadn't thought about shipping Brig/Emily, but now you mention it, it could work... I do like their relationship.
Me too !!
Unexpected Harry made me squee so much!
And me !! I'd managed to forget that you'd mentioned him in your review, so I was all flaily and squeeing when Brig said "Sullivan" !
no subject
Date: 30 May 2008 14:08 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 May 2008 14:11 (UTC)