I don't think this story is as bad as it's made out to be. I give it a lot of credit for what it was trying to do. It took risks, and it was trying to do something new and original. I think it's important to recognize that, even when it doesn't work.

And it doesn't work. Good drama should make the audience feel something about the characters and the situations they're in. This story isn't good drama. It depicts drama. All of the emotion is being experienced by the characters, not the audience. This is a very emotional story for Ace, who meets a long-lost brother she never knew anything about, but I wasn't invested in this story at all, and that's a problem. The Ace-Liam relationship is part of the stakes of the story. Ace rejects Liam at the end of Part Two, and accepts him at the end of Part 4. If the story was working the way it should, that would matter. (It doesn't help that, in the fifteen years since "The Rapture" was released, Liam has barely ever been mentioned.)

But so much attention is given to that story that the "proper" story, so to speak (the one about aliens posing as angels posing as DJs at Ibiza's hottest new club) hardly even gets started until Part Three. Writer Joseph Lidster seems to have so much that he wants to say that the story keeps getting pushed to the side. Again, that's a problem, because it means that there isn't time to set important plot points up properly. The big reveal that Gustavo is working with Gabriel and Jude, for example, falls completely flat and doesn't really add anything to the story. (Notice also that what Gustavo says about the children of 1997 is exactly what many people say today about Millennials... the older generation always says that about the young, and it's always a load of crap.)

On the technical side, I really don't like the technique of cutting on dialogue that this story uses. I imagine it's supposed to be fast-paced and modern, but it seems showy and distracting to me.

This story contains some references to previous stories, but nothing crucial.

This story is, in a word, epic. It's very much reminiscent of some NuWho episodes (and particularly--NuWho finales). The fact that one requires little foreknowledge coming in helps make this episode accessible to someone just starting with the audios. I adored this episode for several reasons, most of which boil down to the acting, the story, and the high concept premise. A fun romp.

Here's a point that has to be dealt with up front. There's something inescapably parochial about a story that celebrating English as this one does. What's so special about English? There's something distinctly odd about the Doctor celebrating one particular language as he does. Much of the time, characters use the words "English" and "language" almost interchangeably. It's awkward, and a little bit off-putting, but I'm prepared to forgive it on the basis that this is a story produced by and for people who speak English. What makes the English language special, as far as this story is concerned, is that it is the language of its audience.

Has there ever been a "Doctor Who" story more suited to its Doctor/companion team than this one? Not only does it take full advantage of Colin Baker's love of language, but it actually makes use of the fact that Peri is American.

I have to say that I just love this story to little bits. It's certainly not perfect, though. I'm not entirely sure the story makes sense, and despite having listened to it many, many times over the years, I couldn't adequately explain it to someone else. But in this case, that really doesn't bother me at all. Not only is the story bursting with interesting idea, but the dialogue is outstanding, making the whole thing an absolute delight to listen to. The script also shows an impressive command of structure. Notice how the Doctor's and Peri's investigations proceed separately but in parallel. That's not an uncommon technique, but I've rarely seen it deployed as smoothly or effectively as it is here.

The story finds the Doctor returning to Vilag where he'd left Evelyn. This time he's accompanied Mel and he arrives just in time to see her kidnapped by a political extremist.f is t

This story works very well for its great character character interactions and rock solid acting. The evil plot is interesting but takes a back seat to the characters who are very well-drawn with clear, solid motivations. The interactions between Mel and Evelyn are lovely and the true love between Evelyn and Rositer is just very sweet. Sofia is an intriguing character, with understandably mixed emotions.

At the core of the story, it's about the Doctor and Evelyn to the final moments, which show the Sixth Doctor at his sweetest. Overall, an enjoyable and moving listen.