An Autist Reviews: Beneath The Viscoid (The War Master: Only The Good 1)

*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*

The planet Gardezza is covered in a thick soup called the Viscoid. Just above the surface, the Daleks are plotting, but beneath the Viscoid, where the Daleks cannot reach, the Gardezzans are preparing something that even the Daleks could never suspect. But both the Daleks and the Gardezzans are going to find their plans thwarted because a hero has arrived. The Doctor has crashed into the Viscoid of Gardezza in its time of need, and he is more than willing to help stop the Daleks, or so he claims.

This was my first ever Big Finish story ever, it’s free and I highly recommend you listen to it! The narration, which really is only at the very beginning, is amazing, and in general, the dialogue is brilliant, with the occasional weird line from the Gardezzans. The story is largely brilliant, but there are some small issues I take with parts of it, such as Osen’s reaction to the Master having a key to the TARDIS and just really the resolution of the main conflicts. The exposition is also a sticking point, the Daleks talk to each other about their plans, the Master recounts the entire story near the end, and the Gardezzans have some iffy exposition too, it generally is amazing, but the bad moments really overshadow the good ones. The resolution, as I’ve stated, isn’t great, but it is well-acted and has amazing effects with some tensity. The ending itself is amazing, ignoring one weird effect. Generally, this story is amazing, It’s just easier to bring up the bad parts. The master is brilliantly written with some seriously creepy and manipulative moments, the society of Gardezza is well explored in so little time, the humor is amazing, the dark moments are utterly terrifying, and the flashbacks are done perfectly!

The acting is generally amazing. Derek Jacobi carries the entire story, obviously, with his amazing Master performance. As for everyone else, they do amazingly! The Daleks do sound kinda dumb when they’re dying, but aside from that, they’re brilliant, as one would expect. The Gardezzans are the only other characters and they’re all amazing, but it seems like each one gets exactly 1-2 lines that are just… off. But only, like, once or twice, like, period, it’s just weird.

The effects in this are mostly amazing, but first: here is my one main complaint, and I don’t know if it’s just me or if it’s actually a thing, but, my one complaint is: The voices all, aside from the Master, sound weirdly muffled, with it being most pronounced on the Daleks, but most unsettlingly barely detectable in the Gardezzans. Aside from that, the voice effects are AMAZING! The music is perfect, literally, it makes the darkest moments that much darker and the sad moments that much more painful; my one problem is that there could be a little more, but that’s just me. The action effects are detailed and glorious, from the smallest step to the grandest explosion, to people being aged to death, every action effect is perfect! The ambiance is just as good, from gurgling to droning the ambiance is on point and atmospheric as can be! The transitions are also brilliant, always ensuring that you know where and, more importantly, when, you are.

The replay value of this story is high, especially for me since this is nostalgic as can be for me personally. It’s a really fun and creepy story, but it has very little to offer on a second listen aside from making certain lines far more ironic and, of course, the knowledge of the end of Antigenesis.

All in all, a fantastically written, brilliantly acted, very immersive story filled with manipulations, explosions, and dark moments, along with the odd laugh. I recommend this highly if you are wanting to get into audio dramas but don’t quite know if you’ll like them, as it’s what made me fall in love with them. Derek Jacobi is brilliant, the story is brilliant, and I’m out of new things to say. Sorry if the review is a little lackluster, but I am sick right now and also it’s hard to review something that is this perfect… aside from the not-so-perfect parts, of course.

Total - 10 (Fudged because I have nostalgia for it and Derek Jacobi deserves it!)

Plot - 9
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Story - 9
Pacing - 10
Dialogue - 9
Narration - 10
Exposition - 7
Enjoyment - 10
Twists - NR
Resolution/s - 7
Ending - 9

Acting - 10
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MCs - 10
SCs - 9
BGs - 9
Narrators - 10

Effects - 9
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Music - 9
Voices - 6
Actions - 10
Background - 10
Transitions - 10

Replay - 8
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Re-Enjoyment - 10
New Details - 6

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