Night Thoughts
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Big Finish Productions Night Thoughts |
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| Written by | Edward Young |  |
| Format | Compact Disc | |
| Released | 2006 | |
| Continuity | After Survival |
| Starring Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier |
| Synopsis: A remote Scottish mansion. Five bickering academics are haunted by ghosts from their past. Reluctantly they offer shelter to the Doctor and his companions Ace and Hex. Hex, already troubled by a vivid nightmare, is further disturbed by the nighttime appearance of a whistling, hooded apparition. Ace tries to befriend the young housemaid, Sue. Sue knows secrets. She knows why the academics have assembled here, and she knows why they are all so afraid. But Sue's lips are sealed, preferring to communicate through her disturbing toy, Happy the Rabbit. And then the killing begins. |
Sleep Tight... by Mekel Rogers 30/4/06
The haunted house angle has been done before. So has the isolated think tank of scientists gone wrong. Night Thoughts, however, combines the two in a story that is wonderfully chilling and entertaining. The time twist in the middle is a nice touch as well.
The TARDIS trio comes off wonderfully here. Hex is a fantastic addition to the Sylvester/Sophie duo as he gives the Doctor someone to teach and Ace someone to flirt with. The playful teasing between Ace and Hex throughout the story is really cute and adds some much needed light moments to an otherwise serious story.
Sylvester McCoy does a great job playing against the scientists in the think tank, delivering such great lines as: "The greatest asset in fishing is caution, especially if you're a fish" and "The human race seems to have perfected everything, except itself."
Good stuff.
The story while good, is not perfect, as episode four contains rather wordy explanations about why things happened the way they did, some of which are a bit far-fetched. Additionally, while most of the terror is conveyed in a suspenseful way (to the story's benefit), there are one or two rather graphic scenes that to me were a bit much, but then I'm rather easily disturbed by such things. The only scene that I thought was over the line was the final one which was needlessly graphic and can actually be deleted without losing the end of the story (as the previous scene sees the departure of the Doctor and company).
The final scene not withstanding, I enjoyed this adventure very much. Night Thoughts is a great way to get spooked, and this TARDIS trio is rapidly becoming my favorite mix of characters.
Bottom Line: I'm going to have trouble sleeping after this one!
Scary shit! by Joe Ford 6/5/06
Truly, truly excellent and the sort of excellent we haven't seen in a long while. The fact that it happens to be a seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex story merely makes the taste of success even sweeter. It probably requires a second listen once you have all the important information to see how cleverly it is all put together, but even on a first listen it is clear how well-written, well-directed and well-performed this is. What's more it's also the scariest thing Big Finish have offered up since The Chimes of Midnight and (for the sheer amount of scenes that made me shiver) it probably even tops that.
It pleases me so much that the Doctor, Ace and Hex get to be involved in a story that isn't impenetrable (Dreamtime), that doesn't split them up throughout (Live 34) and actually starts to exploit the relationships between them. It is easily Philip Olivier's best story since The Harvest and the only one which allows us to see how likable and useful Hex can be. Whilst his medical knowledge is a bonus (given people are dropping like flies in this story!), it is his compassion (especially in a very sweet scene with Sue where he talks about the mother he never knew and gives her her first hug) and his muscle (punching out Major Dickens) that marks him out as particularly useful. It is also helps that he is no longer being treated as the new boy and that he has stopped saying, "Oh my God!" ad nauseum. Olivier is not the sort of actor you would expect to find in Doctor Who (given he comes across as pretty hip and gorgeous) and at first it would seem that his very up-to-date character was completely out of place in Doctor Who, particularly these troubled times of Big Finish, but I am fully prepared to admit how wrong I was and can see now how his inclusion is not only pretty brave but gives the McCoy stories (easily the weakest of the bunch usually) something of a twinkle. What's more, he is perfectly surprising in spots, especially now he is called upon to do more than soap acting it is amazing to see how far his ability extends.
Ace is still the weak spot and Sophie Aldred continues to overdo it in places but in stories like Night Thoughts where she is underwritten and given more to do than explode emotionally and blow things up, she can be quite a treat. Certainly she gets knocked about a bit here, more than she is used to, and it is quite fun to see Hex rib her for it, considering how she acts like a seasoned time travel veteran, ready for anything. The biggest trouble with Ace which no matter how good the story is Big Finish will never be able to rectify is that Ace is clearly (more so than Nyssa and Turlough and Peri who they also use) a character bourne out of the eighties and add to that this is her one millionth appearance in a Doctor Who story (slight exaggeration but not much!). She comes across as outdated.
Sylvester McCoy, on the other hand, just cannot act. Or rather he can act in brief moments where he's not really trying to act (I'm not kidding you! Its when the seventh Doctor sounds bored or disinterested and tired that work the best, because there he is acting as I always imagined he should... above everyone else, aware of everybody's part and just going through the motions of his pre-arranged plans), but when he is putting effort into the role he comes across as tongue twistingly incomprehensible and worse, unbelievable. I don't mean to be cruel, but he just does not make the dialogue sound convincing; no matter what interesting things they are doing with his character it is the performance that counts. There are more than a few hints of his darker Doctor here, especially when he has to go back in time ask for a child to be killed, that push the boundaries in a very pleasing way. The fact that the villain is going around using a recording of his voice before he attacks people is creepy in itself but the way the Doctor seems to know what is happening without having a clue who any of the players are before they arrive terrifies me; he always seems to be holding back on explanations, letting his friends work it out for themselves. A complex character, if not entirely satisfying.
However, despite their flaws together they make a highly engaging team. Hex brings out the teacher in the Doctor and the more mature Ace and there is clearly a great deal of affection between them which makes scenes like Hex's concern for Ace when she is wandering through a garden full of animal traps genuinely tense.
The direction is brilliant, Gary Russell might have his off days but the last few releases he has dealt with have been excellent, as though he has remembered how special Doctor Who is and how quality it should always be. I point out the direction especially because many scenes in Night Thoughts are designed to scare and it doesn't matter how well-written they are, unless the director gets the atmosphere right it is for nothing. The attacks in Night Thoughts are terrifying and the timing is always perfect. Take the scene where the Deacon discovers something has been going on behind her back... her panic rises, her screams get louder and then falls silent and we hear... ghastly breathing heading towards her. It's terrifyingly good and one of many frightening treats (the end of episode one is fab, Hex alone in a deathly silent night time kitchen and ripe for somebody with a tape recording of the Doctor's voice to attack him).
The scary moments are all very well but the story is never short of drama either or clever ideas to back it up. The backstory of Idee's death is heartbreaking and the catalyst for some nasty experiments in time travel. How this involves all of the guest characters is brilliantly written as we get to see the effects of their crimes before the cause is slowly revealed via each death. This leads to a stunning final episode where we realise the insane ambitions of one character have serious ramifications for the remaining characters, especially the Doctor, who has to choose between life and death for one character. Throughout all this we have Sue, the very disturbed little girl who, along with her toy rabbit Happy, have their own story to tell. Surprisingly Sue turns out to be less involved in the plot than I would have thought but who cares, any scene with Happy the Rabbit is great. What a frightening creation and what a voice! Wait until you hear the last scene... I guarantee you will be squirming with delight!
The acting is strong across the board and the only real complaint I have is out of all of the suspects it really isn't difficult to figure who the baddie will turn out to be. But there are some lovely moments dotted about; the Bursar's frightened acknowledgement that she has been held prisoner for ten years (Joanna McCullum), the Deacon's discovery of her own suicide note (Ann Beach) and Sue's quiet admission that she has never had a hug (Lizzie Hopley). Another strong ensemble cast in the Other Lives' vein where a particular combination of actors genuinely enhance the strength of a good script. As ever the production work is good, although I feel I should compliment Gareth Jenkins at ERS for the highly atmospheric music, working all the better because it is very subtle in places and the director has chosen the perfect spots (when characters are being approached by the monster) for there to be no music at all.
There's not really much more I can say about Night Thoughts except head out a buy it now. It's the first Big Finish story I can wholeheartedly recommend in about two years, where both style and substance are equally good and the overall experience might just change the way you look at Doctor Who in general, especially its ability to scare you silly. Although may I make one further recommendation first, switch all the lights off, wait until you are alone and then listen to this story. You won't regret it, I promise you...