140. A Death in the Family

Fuck me this story is good. A death in the family picks up right where project destiny left off where the doctor and ace go to investigate the gallifreyan coffin and encounter nobody no one again. Nobody no one is such a great villain and i love the way that steven hall writes him. Although i actually kinda don't want to see him again as i think any other story with him would pale in comparison to this one but if hall wrote it then it could maybe work.

Steven hall is such a good writer and it saddens me that he never wrote for doctor who again, i would absolutley love to see him come back and im definetley gonna check out his other non doctor who work. I'd love to see steven halls planned story called fifty-fifty eventually get produced as a lost story, unlikely i know but a man can hope.

Spoilers ahead from here on. I thought that the bits with ace in part 3 were absolutley superb and her relationship with henry was very believable i thought and the way it ends is tragically sad. The seventh doctor is at his most manipulative in this one and seems almost sinister at times. I like how it was left semi ambiguious if whether or not the future doctor was manipulating ace and hex just to save himself or if he genuinely wanted to give them a good life. Also the revelation of the meaning behing certain phrases that i don't want to spoil for anyone absolutley blew my mind, especially the ."..really dies on pelachan" one.

I loved seeing evelyn again and her finally meeting hex and telling him about his mother. Her ending was tragic and bloody brilliantly written.

This is in my opinion one of the greatest things big finish has ever produced and is tied for my favourite doctor who story ever with the holy terror. This release is so worth the money and is a great resolution to a decade long arc. I can't wait to hear more from this arc.

A Death in the Family has a lot to manage. Not only does it address the fallout of Project Destiny and Hex's learning about his past, but also the return of the Word Lord, the apparent death of the Doctor and our comapnions having to cope on their own.

This story does a lot brilliantly. Ian Reddington is superb as the regenerated Word Lord. The regulars plus Evelyn Smythe (Maggie Stables) are firing on all cylinders with several superb performances. The character work on Ace in Part Three and John Dorney's role in Episode three were simply marvelous. The concept of the Word Lord, his powers, and how he's fought are very clever.

The only weak spot in the story is that there's a bit too much sprawl. The extras indicate the writer had to do a lot of cutting from trilogy length to an actual managable release. In the midst of that, one thread was actually left in the release but so diminished but that it doesn't really have any connection to anything.

Still, that's a relatively minor concern and more than outweighted by the strong character moments and great science fiction concepts make this a must-listen and a rewarding payoff for fans of the Ace and Hex stories.

Far too much exposition needed in the 4th episode. A well told story shouldn't need that. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. One of Sylvesters better releases

Believe the hype. Death in the Family is a whopper of a writing achievement from Mr. Hall and makes well worth the hefty number of previous releases necessary for listening. Without following the Project Forge story, the true impact of DITF is lost - likewise I'd advise following Evelyn's adventures and perhaps 45, for some extra context.
Without engaging in plot spoilers, DITF pursues a unique structure, exploring facets of our leads in heartbreaking depths - simultaneously pushing forward a very 'timey wimey' plot. Rather than jarring, these two aspects interweave beautifully, and for the sheer mechanics working away beneath the surface, the plot flows along nicely and whilst certainly requiring some effort on the part of the listener, isn't impenetrable.
From heartwrentching gut punches, to shameless continuity massaging and an inter-temporal-spacial bending plot, DITF is a masterful example of why Doctor Who, when firing on all cylinders, is superlative entertainment.