An Autist Reviews: The Gift (The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Doom Coalition 2.3)

*This is an older review, it is not as detailed as my more modern reviews*

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

In San Francisco just before the 1906 earthquake, a mad man warns about the end of the world. Nearby, The Doctor looks for a haircut, confused and unwell. Charles McLean seeks wealth and fame, and a mysterious gambler is willing to give his cursed gift away.

The Gift is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s very poorly written most of the time, but when the writing shines it does so spectacularly! The story itself is engrossing and fun, and the characters are all entertaining. Sam, Charles, and The Doctor are the best parts of this thing. The plot is rooted and history and treated more like a historical script than a pseudo-historical script, which I enjoy.

Boy, the acting is fun to talk about. As I've said previously, Sam, Charles, and The Doctor carry this release. They have steady platinum acting and dear god I LOVE Sam! As for the rest of the characters… well things get complicated. Everyone other than the three I’ve just praised go from solid gold to chipped copper-plated aluminum foil at such an annoying rate that it makes the tonal shifts and flip-flopping quality of Orphan-55 seem sensible. Luckily, there is still more good acting than bad in this… even if only by a slim margin.

The effects are really very good. Sometimes the action is poorly represented in the effects, but largely everything is clear and you can tell exactly what is happening. The music is like that of a classic TV show, it enhances certain areas and acts steadily in the background building tension as the release goes on. The voice effects are the best part of this, the echoes and warpings are natural and fun and always make sense.

As for replay, this is a release I would listen to many times over just because I enjoy it, and honestly enjoy it even more now that I can stop caring about soaking up the grander story of the box sets as I’ve already finished them. It’s oddly freeing to return to a box set after you’ve listened to the others and it already so you know where everything is going.

All in all, if you can ignore the poor writing quality and the pervasive ups and downs in acting quality, this is a good story that is well worth your time. Sam is my husband now by the way. YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!!!

Total - 8

Plot - 7
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Story - 8
Writing - 6
Enjoyment - 9
Twists - 5

Acting - 7
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MCs - 8
SCs - 7
BGs - 6

Effects - 9
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Music - 8
Voices - 10
Actions - 8

Replay - 7
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Re-Enjoyment - 8
New Details - 5

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