Why You Need to be Listening to Dark Eyes
Big Finish are currently offering a number of stories free from their back catalogue to enjoy. So, over the next few weeks, I'll give you a review of the individual episode in question, as well as some reasons why you should be listening to the range or series the story hails from in full. We continue with - Dark Eyes...
2. A Wide Range of Antagonists:
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| The CD cover for "Dark Eyes 1: The Great War", designed by Alex Mallinson. |
Probably Big Finish's most enduring legacy is for giving the Eighth Doctor an era. Paul McGann's Doctor featured in one solitary movie back in 1996, that, sadly, failed to lead to a series. And while McGann got the chance to return to the part in the 2013 minisode "The Night of the Doctor", this was merely designed as a way to wrap up his era and give him the regeneration he had been denied back in the 1990's. And that's where Big Finish came in. Ever since 2001, Big Finish have been building on the foundations of the TV Movie, to the point where he has a larger and more varied story than he could have ever had on television. He's nearly destroyed the Web of Time, been caught up in Time Lord conspiracies and even flung into another universe where time doesn't exist. We've even seen this Doctor caught in the heart of the Time War. And, in "Dark Eyes", we see the Eighth Doctor pushed to the brink by the horrors of the universe, and yet forced to try and find hope in despite of everything. "Dark Eyes" is one of the most highly-regarded Big Finish ranges, with a lot of fans calling it a high-point of the Eighth Doctor era. The first story, "The Great War", is even an award winner, having picked up a BBC Audio Award, beating a whole range of other audio dramas. And while "Dark Eyes" might not be my personal all-time favourite Eighth Doctor audio range, it's a great start for anyone looking to get onboard with the Eighth Doctor Adventures, and it features some of the strongest character drama for the Eighth Doctor in his nearly 20 years on audio.
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| The box-set cover for "Dark Eyes 1", designed by Alex Mallinson. |
The first episode of the first volume of "Dark Eyes" is called "The Great War", and sees the Doctor, still reeling from the events of the climatic fourth series of the Eighth Doctor/Lucie Miller adventures, landing up in France during the First World War. He's on a mission for the Time Lords, but, when he encounters VAD Molly O'Sullivan, his whole life is about to change forever... "The Great War" is, rightly, considered one of the strongest ever Eighth Doctor stories. While it is part of the story-line that runs throughout this box set, and kicks off the whole "Dark Eyes" saga, "The Great War" does tell its own story, and what a story it is! It takes the Doctor from the throws of grief and despair, in possibly the darkest place he's ever been, and slowly starts to build him back up by giving him a little spark of hope. The portrayal of the Eighth Doctor here is so far from the breathless romantic of the Movie that you would think that they were two completely different characters. Paul McGann, however, has the skill and conviction to carry it off, and he's aided by a script that makes the Doctor's grief real and palpable. And sending such a hope-less Doctor into a hope-less situation like the First World War allows us to see that even a Doctor so down and out can still find light. The alien threat is minimal, partly to build up suspense for the arrival of the big bad's in the story's dying moments, but also because this environment has no need of alien threats to make it scary. Instead, what makes it scary is the visceral horrors of war: gas attacks, gangrene infections and shelling. Even the alien elements such as time winds and energy weapons are presented in such a way that makes them a part of this world. All this helps not just to maintain the reality, but also to introduce new companion Molly O'Sullivan. While she might start out as abrasive and difficult, we gradually realise this is a front, put up by the need to shield herself from the war, and everything that she has suffered. While Ruth Bradley is clearly adjusting to the audio medium here, she gets the main tone of Molly right, and her and Paul McGann do clearly have a chemistry. While there's not too much plot to this story, like "The Innocent" from the War Doctor series, this builds up the world these characters inhabit, and see what makes the relationship between them interesting and exciting, before plunging us into the adventure in later episodes. It is exactly the kind of character breaking episode you need to kick off a new run of adventures like this. "The Great War" is probably one of my all-time favourite Eighth Doctor stories, and is well worth your time. It's a dark, gnarly story that provides no easy answers to any of its questions, and starts the ball rolling on the "Dark Eyes" saga with plenty of mystery, plenty of questions and plenty of great character drama. This is very much worthy of the title 'award-winning'.
And if you enjoyed "The Great War", then here are a list of 5 reasons why you need to be listening to the rest of "Dark Eyes":
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| The box-set cover for "Dark Eyes 2", designed by Damien May. |
1. An Epic Scale:
Modern Doctor Who exists on a different scale to the show in the 20th Century. And Big Finish has moved with the times, bringing the Eighth Doctor up to date with the storytelling of Steven Moffat ("Dark Eyes" was released between 2012 and 2015, when he was show-runner of Doctor Who). Throughout the "Dark Eyes" saga, we see the storytelling and stakes pushed as far as they can go, as the Eighth Doctor fights against an ever-more escalating darkness. You could say that "Dark Eyes" acts as a prelude to the Time War, with escalating tensions between the Time Lords and the Daleks, and the Doctor caught in the middle. At this point in the Doctor's life, it's about right that we should see the Time War becoming a background presence, and from here on out, it remains so throughout the Eighth Doctor Adventures. But that's not to say that "Dark Eyes"'s scale is purely based on the Time War. An epic conflict between the Time Lords, the Daleks and new foes the Eminence will, in itself, generate a massive scale, and the stories tackle that head on. And it's not just large-scale for the storytelling: the character drama is on a high scale as well. We see our leads tackle problems that pushes them to the edge, and forces them to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves. And, considering where the Eighth Doctor is at the beginning of this series, his arc is very much of someone finding the light from the darkness. This is one of the widest ranging Doctor Who arcs, and its scale will appeal to those used to big arcs in the new series.
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| The CD cover for "Dark Eyes 4: Master of the Daleks", designed by Tom Webster. |
2. A Wide Range of Antagonists:
One thing every good Doctor Who story or series needs is good villains, and the "Dark Eyes" series has a vast number of them. The biggest, of course, is the Daleks, and these stories feature them at their most brutal and vicious. Through the Dalek Time Controller (a devious Dalek that has the ability to see into the timelines), we get a different voice for the Daleks. It's slightly more manic than normal, and with more of a cunning intellect (and you'll also see the genesis of the Dalek Time Strategist, whom I mentioned in my round up of the War Doctor series a few weeks ago) than previous Daleks, and it allows the writers to focus on different aspects of the Daleks than you can normally, like their cunning and genius for strategy. As well as the Daleks, there's the Eminence, a gaseous entity previously introduced in Fourth Doctor Adventure "Destroy the Infinite" and Monthly Adventure "The Seeds of War" with the Sixth Doctor. With the ability to possess people and turn them into their Infinite Warriors, there's even more body horror with them than with the Daleks, and, thanks to a sinister, insidious performance from David Sibley, there's something downright terrifying about it. And, of course, in the middle is the Time Lords, who are just as devious and dangerous, especially Peter Egan's Straxus from the first box set. And then there's outside forces like the Viyrans (previously present in the adventures of the Fifth and Sixth Doctors) and the Sontarans, who throw the story in different directions for their own gain. Of course, there's one other master of chaos, but I'll talk about him in a moment... And then there's other creations like the Ramossans and Kotris, who bring new, fresh things to the table.
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| The box-set cover for "Dark Eyes 3", designed by Damien May. |
3. The Master:
I know I should have included him in the point above, but Alex Macqueen deserves a place on this list all of his own, to be honest. Although introduced in the 2012 box-set "UNIT Dominion", his Master appears most prolifically in the "Dark Eyes" saga, and basically becomes the ongoing antagonist for the series. Possibly the most larger-than-life version of the character, he is ridiculously over the top and outrageous, but somehow manages to be no less sinister, and, is, in fact, probably more so than every other Master. Initially coming across as charming, if a little eccentric, he can very quickly take a turn towards sinister and manipulative. This, in turn, makes his zaniness even more creepy, as he relishes each and every betrayal, each and every plot and each and every death. And Macqueen's performance is utterly unique, as he seizes each and every opportunity these stories give him to be delectably evil and ruthless. And yet, there is something there: something maybe a little bit sensitive about this Master, especially with his companion-cum-lackey Sally Armstrong. Although it is clear that the Master has hypnotised her, there's still a caring part of the Master towards her, and he does even show genuine feeling at one point (no spoilers). As for the Doctor, well Maqueen and Paul McGann have real chemistry, and the pair of them bounce off each other incredibly well. Episodes like "Eyes of the Master" and the brilliant "Masterplan" give them the chance to really lock horns, and, with some wonderful scenes to aid them, sparks fly between the pair. "Dark Eyes" will easily make Alex Macqueen one of your favourite incarnations of the Master, and his presence easily lifts the whole arc considerably.
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| The CD cover for "Dark Eyes 2: Time's Horizon", designed by Damien May. |
4. The Companions:
Throughout "Dark Eyes", we have two companions who are strong-willed, determined and were instant successes. First up is Molly O'Sullivan, the eponymous Dark Eyes herself, who quickly leaves an impression on the listener thanks to her quick wit and acid tongue with the Doctor. Their relationship starts out slightly antagonistically, but, across the course of "Dark Eyes 1", the pair soften, especially as they open up about their losses at the hands of the Daleks. As later box sets develop, the pair become even closer, as the Doctor finds himself risking everything in order to save her across the course of "Dark Eyes 3". Sadly, however, Molly had to be retired far too early, due to Ruth Bradley's burgeoning schedule in the wake of her casting in Channel 4 drama Humans. However, there was already someone onboard the TARDIS to take her place: Nicola Walker's Liv Chenka. First appearing in Seventh Doctor adventure "Robophobia", Liv was brought back for "Dark Eyes 2", in an arc that involved her, initially, distrusting the Doctor, due to events in her past, but his future (you could say 'wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey'). However, she soon ended up joining the Doctor in the fight against the Master, and, when Molly departed, she joined the Doctor full-time, in a partnership that still exists to this day. Liv has easily become one of the Eighth Doctor's most iconic companions, thanks to Nicola Walker's wonderful chemistry with Paul McGann and the fact that Liv is such a strong character, with a will to survive. Both Molly and Liv together are a force to be reckoned with, and its a shame this was such a short-lived team. However, the pair of them make for two of the most interesting Doctor Who companions ever, and are great additions to this series.
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| The CD cover for "Dark Eyes 4: A Life in the Day", designed by Tom Webster. |
5. The Cast:
Once again, the cast makes these stories. The regulars (Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Ruth Bradley and Alex Maqueen) are wonderful, and are ably supported by some fantastic guest stars. Actors like Toby Jones, Peter Egan, Natalie Burt, Ian Cullen, Jacqueline King, David Sibley, Frank Skinner, Sean Carlsen, Sacha Dhawan, Georgia Moffett, Sorcha Cusack, Barnaby Kay, Dan Starkey and Rachel Stirling really bring some wonderful performances, and they are able to expand the characters on the page to degrees you couldn't imagine. Particular highlights include Barnaby Kay as war veteran Martin Donaldson, and who ends up taking Liv on a series of dates in the opening episode of "Dark Eyes 4" (Kay and Nicola Walker are married in real life, so you can imagine that they have a wonderful chemistry), Toby Jones as the deranged Kotris and Dan Starkey as literally every type of Sontaran you can imagine in "Master of the Daleks". Of course, there are plenty of actors who might not have the same name-pull as the big guest stars, but who turn in fantastic performances nonetheless, like Ian Brooker, Georgia Fuller or Blake Ritson. It's hard to say too much about the cast without just repeating myself, but, honestly, Big Finish always put together top-class casts for their productions, and "Dark Eyes" is no exception. The Eighth Doctor plays do seem to pull in a higher calibre of cast than any other Doctor, and it shows across all their adventures. "Dark Eyes", however, probably has one of the strongest, and it shows from the outset with some committed, engaging performances, most of all from Paul McGann, who is completely in love with the storytelling and with the material. These stories are a prime example of how robbed we were in the 1990's, and that we should have had McGann for a full series as the Doctor.
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| The box-set cover for "Dark Eyes 4", designed by Tom Webster. |
Overall, if you're a big fan of the Eighth Doctor, Classic Doctor Who or even New Doctor Who, then "Dark Eyes" will be right up your street. It's an action-packed epic, with plenty of heart and plenty of twists and turns. As one of Big Finish's most highly-celebrated series', it is easy to find people who like "Dark Eyes", and with good reason. Launching a new era of serialised storytelling for the Eighth Doctor, this is a brilliant jumping on point, and is well worth getting onboard with. Because, although "Dark Eyes" is good: "Doom Coalition" and "Ravenous" are even better, and the upcoming "Stranded" looks like it could top all three...
Until the 25th of May 2020, you can get "The Great War", the first episode of "Dark Eyes 1", from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:
You can also save up to 50% on "Dark Eyes" Volumes 1- 4 until the 25th of May too. You can find a full list of the titles here:
Happy listening! And I'll see you next week for another look at a free Big Finish title!
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
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