Zagreus

Dead London - The faster pace of his new episodes makes Eight look like the smartest Doctor. I could imagine his predecessors taking an entire serial to work out the illusion here. A good time with an interesting new alien, who probably isn't gone for good.
#BigFinishDW

"We're here to serve the world, not beat it!" 🥲

Might be the best Christian movie I've ever seen.

Assassin in the Limelight - Often I think Doctor Who should set more historicals outside of England--and then I remember what the historicals set in *my* country are like, and I reconsider.
Six and Evelyn are the only redeeming factors for this one. I wish Knox actually died in it.
#BigFinishDW

It'll be worth it!

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster - A delightfully twisty time travel story with several likeable side characters and a catchy, if repetitive, soundtrack. Rude to end on a cliffhanger that will presumably not be solved for ages, but at least I've got something to look forward to!
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In a first for me, I've skipped a monthly Big Finish Doctor Who story. I just can't justify spending money on something called "The Dark Husband" unless the reviews are stellar--and they are not. So it's on to the next one!

It's Doctor Who's anniversary, so I'm rewatching a favourite. For some reason, the way Peter Davison says "This is a mockery of justice" has been in my head all year.
No idea why...

Knew I wasn't good at anything except writing -> got extremely stressed out trying to make a living off writing -> realised I was also good at a second thing: reading.

If it was paced a little better, Turlough would have my favourite companion arc. Agree to kill the Doctor to get out of boarding school, fail so badly he befriends you instead, and then head home as soon as you grow enough of a spine to face your family. It's beautiful.

Oh, and I just got to the Elon Musk quote.
💀💀💀

Finally catching up on post-Abrams movie Star Trek, starting with Discovery.
I think I would normally be into the Klingon plot, but I'm too distracted by how miserable the actors must be, trying to speak and emote in a fake language through all that fake teeth.

The Condemned - They've dragged Charley back to be a Six companion, and I can't even be mad because this was great. The alien murder mystery kept me guessing the whole time, Six was in fine problem-solving form, and I love the "stealth invasion" that turns a guy into a house.
#BigFinishDoctorWho

Frankenstein (2025) gets more beautiful every time I watch it.
"Forgive yourself into existence" ugh. 🖤

"To hardship, through the stars" does sound like a good motto for Chief O'Brien, though.

Bride of Peladon - Can't believe they gave Erimem the Leela exit. SMH, she had potential, but never grew into it. The story overall is overstuffed, cheesy, but occasionally fun--typical for a Peladon adventure. Sutekh's sister is even more pathetic than him. RIP. #BigFinishDoctorWho

I hear they're having trouble finding a way to bring James Bond back from the dead.
Guys, I have an idea that could save Bond and Doctor Who at the same time...

I think Erimem works best when she gets to be a leader, which she doesn't do often enough because it's hard to work into a story with the Doctor in it. They manage it best in Church & Crown and Council of Nicea, out of the ones I've listened to.

I'm pretty sure obtaining Mia Goth's entire wardrobe from Frankenstein (2025) would fix me.

That would be my pick too! Partly because (along with Natural History, kind of) it's the only one that actually creates the level of weirdness implied by Zagreus. It's hard to sustain that for a whole arc; I'm shocked they thought they could keep it up for *8 seasons.*

Ooh, which one? I can think of a couple candidates...

I love the movie, but it does focus on the creature's gentleness more than the book does. And removes all of his more heinous actions (killing a child, burning down the farmhouse, etc.). It's also explicitly comparing him to Christ, so it's hard to blame the fan reaction in some ways.

Human Resources - Great fun. If British people invented giant mechs, they would all be like this: powered by office drones. And I've firmly come around on Lucie--she's a very fun companion and I like her friendship with the Doctor. Best of the season, looking forward to the next!
#BigFinishDoctorWho

I'll never understand the obsession with making Dracula a love story, either. The book isn't a romance, and it's awkward to try and make it one! Tell your own vampire love story!

Of course, if this turns out to be a lie, I won't mind too much, as long as the villain isn't secretly the Joker. I don't want to see the Joker in a movie again for at least 15 years (unless Lego Batman gets a sequel). But other villains have been adapted poorly and deserve a second chance.

We can rule out Clayface since he's getting his own movie, so my dream picks are:
Mad Hatter
Court of Owls
Blight (yes he's from Batman Beyond, but he's never been in a movie!)

Nightmare pick: Hush (please don't be Hush)

Genuinely? I think it's the space communism. It's hard to make a fan-pleasing Star Trek movie that doesn't take place in an extremely diverse socialist utopia, and that scares executives--especially at Paramount.

The spinoffs I like (SJA, Children of Earth) hooked me with charismatic protagonists who'd already been introduced in the main show, and kept my interest with good writing. Modern UNIT doesn't have a single character I care about, and McTighe's track record as a writer doesn't inspire confidence.

Spooky season's over, so it's back to Doctor Who!
No More Lies - A sweet love story buried inside a confusing timeloop story. This era of Eight has been very musical, and they've consistently hired musicians who can pull off the tunes! Can't wait to find out what Lucie's deal is.
#BigFinishDW

A short life to them, and a jolly death.