You listened to it more times than I did then, which explains why your synopsis actually makes sense and why I didn't even try to write one. I found this more confusing than interesting so it ended up on eBay pretty quick.
That's such a shame! It gets better each time you listen, more and more of the pieces come together and you almost get the impression that one day, yes, one day, if you are exceptionally lucky, it might no longer be beyond your comprehension...
There is a massive error in the time paradox set up in this story. The point of divergence between the two timelines is whether or not Bailey is assassinated along with her secretary - so when both sets of Doctors, Mels, Stewarts and Reeds pop back to that point, they should meet each other - as dramatised, it's almost as if the two timelines are totally diverged already - which makes no sense.
Incidentally given the theme that refugees are really evil alien slugs trying to take over your planet, it's quite appropriate that the song 'White Christmas' is referenced throughout the story.
*Scratches head for a while*
Look...it's obviously just beyond your comprehension. You didn't listen to the disks enough times.
Nope. It's definitely a gaping plot hole. And you only need to listen to half the story to work out what's going on!
What has 'White Christmas' got to do with slugs?
Why does the Doctor ignore the Cloister Bell tolling the imminent destruction of the TARDIS?
Since when has the Doctor nipped off in the middle of a crisis to another planet to collect the stuff he needs to defeat the villains? (The only time I can think of that he does anything remotely similar is in Frontios. And he nipped off with the Gravis at the end of the crisis.) His actions are particularly inexplicable given that the aforementioned villains aboard the Space Yacht Pinto are...wait for it...QUARKS! Are you seriously telling me the Seventh Doctor of all people couldn't have defeated a few Quarks without the aid of leptonite crystals? He even has the cheek to say that 'hopefully it [exploding the Quarks with the crystals] won't come to that' so...what's he playing at?
Why does President Mitchell unnecessarily tell Professor Capra that he's slaughtered his entire family? It's unlikely to make the Prof go that extra mile to support Mitchell's dictatorship.
So in Slithergee-world Stewart becomes a terrorist because his father was executed for being anti-Slithergee. Fair enough. So why, in radiation-world, is Stewart a fanatical supporter of the regime that, er, executed his father for being pro-Slithergee?
(Hmm. Maybe it's Stewart's example that makes Mitchell so confident about murdering Capra's family.)
Why are Stewart and Reed quite so horrified at Slithergee-world? Or, to rephrase, why are they SO horrified that they want their our-planet-is-radioactive-we're-all-gonna-die future back? Surely, with access to the TARDIS, they could think of some preferable third way to try to create?
Puxatornee is an Earth colony. Couldn't they appeal for help against the Slithergee from their fellow humans? Or at least couldn't they ask for an evacuation from their radiation-soaked world instead of spending 15 years messing around with time-machines and saying 'We're all going to die'?
'•••• - power pack exhausted' - er...Stewart...when you're pointing your gun at Potter and Potter's pointing his gun at you, it's possibly not a terribly good idea to tell him this...oops...look's like my good advice comes too late...
I'm wondering why nobody pointed out all the "It's a Wonderful Life" references. Maybe that film doesn't play every Xmas in the UK like it does here?
Re: Last post
It does'nt, Mike.... (at least not on mainstream T.V networks, possibly on TCM/TCM 2 on Digital Satellite, but otherwise...)
I've never seen it though I've heard enough about it (mainly from the Red Dwarf books) that I had a feeling the Forever Autumn NSA was ripping it off (its local tramp only having become an alcoholic cos his wife died...that IS the sort of thing that happens in the movie?)
In "It's a Wonderful Life", the hero George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) stopped the local pharmacist from accidentally poisoning someone with tainted medicince. George is later shown a world in which he'd never existed; in that alternate present, the pharmacist did accidentally kill his customer. He was sent to prison and, upon his release, become an alcoholic bum.
Apparently there's also some references to the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day" (the planet's name is a reference to Punxatawney PA, the setting of the film).
'Put these on - they protect the wearer against radiation' - what are they? And since when has the Doc had anti-radiation clothing instead of pills, a la Destiny?
Why does the Doctor give Reed the crystals for 'safekeeping'? Surely they'd be a lot safer in his capacious pockets? Even leaving aside the risk of forgetting them, or Reed holding them hostage...
All these constant vaporisations seem rather wasteful when there's such a food shortage...
Blimey, the security services take their time to respond when informed there's an assassination attempt on the President's life.
Rather stupid of Mitchell to say 'No!', letting his Slithergee assassin know exactly where he was.
Surprised it took the poor oppressed Slithergees thirty years to put their (non-existent) feet down about having a human President.
'I love you! I've always loved your body! Let me unwrap it!' - the trouble with this admittedly mind-bogglingly brilliant idea for an audio is that we've got to listen to that. TWICE.
So...is Jonathan Morris a racist? And even if he WAS a goose-stepping fully-paid-up member of the Nazi Party, would I actually CARE? It's not as if funny, clever Big Finishes grow on trees...
So...is Jonathan Morris a racist?
If he isn't, then he's definately a Tory. Having read his non-fiction articles for DWM, including one which was essentially a whitewash in favour of the NVLA, and the reviews of The Prisoner for the BBC website, which was 17 weeks of sneering, I think he's a pretty objectionable little s**t.
In fact, when I had the opportunity to confront him about his Prisoner articles, his furious backpeddling would have done Chris Hoy proud, so he's also a coward and a troll.
If he isn't, then he's definately a Tory.
Most Tories do believe in democracy, don't they? He doesn't seem to, at least if Tomorrow Windows' 'Democracy is a planet-destroying meme' is anything to go by...
Having read his non-fiction articles for DWM, including one which was essentially a whitewash in favour of the NVLA
What's the NVLA?
and the reviews of The Prisoner for the BBC website, which was 17 weeks of sneering
Though to be fair, had I bothered to a) watch and b) review The Prisoner, I suspect it would have been lucky to get off with a mere 17 weeks of sneering...
I think he's a pretty objectionable little s**t.
Oh. That's a shame. They don't usually have sense of humours.
In fact, when I had the opportunity to confront him about his Prisoner articles, his furious backpeddling would have done Chris Hoy proud, so he's also a coward and a troll.
Seriously? Why can't I ever scare anyone at Tavern into backpeddling furiously?
Personally I think Flip-Flop is PROBABLY just taking a real-world issue - immigration - and stretching it to its absurd limits in Who's traditional manner.
Oh, I should probably mention our Board Creator has all these silly rules about not slagging people off so do try to be a BIT careful, even if a) he's a Trekkie so never comes here, and b) I did ASK.
'I don't think I was clever enough, because the Doctor should have saved the day somehow, in both versions, and that niggles me' - Morris in DWM. Seriously? If you'd WANTED the Doctor to defeat Stewart and Reed surely it would have been the easiest thing in the world? Certainly a lot easier than Seven (of all Doctors!)'s unconvincing failure to do so.
'I can't see myself doing any more audios'. Says the man who'll go on to write The Haunting of Thomas Brewster, A Perfect World, Mary's Story in Company of Friends, The Eternal Summer, Cobwebs, The Crimes of Thomas Brewster, The Curse of Davros, Protect and Survive, The Shadow Heart, Prisoners of Fate, Max Warp, Hothouse, The Cannibalists, Deimos, The Resurrection of Mars, The Auntie Matter, Phantoms of the Deep, The Valley of Death, The Guardians of Prophecy, The Beautiful People, The Great Space Elevator, The Glorious Revolution, The Mists of Time, Tales from the Vault, The Spirit Trap, The Theatre of Dreams, and Babblesphere.
'I hope that when people hear the finished CDs, they'll find it clear and straightforward' - Morris in DWM. Ha ha ha ha ha!
'One of the things I'm most proud of about Flip-Flop is that it drives a steamroller through the whole tedious idea of a single, fixed "canon"' - Morris. It WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!
So...is Jonathan Morris a racist?
If he isn't, then he's definately a Tory.
Hmm. Listen to We Are The Daleks and you may have to change your mind. He comes across as a rabid anti-capitalist in general and anti-Thatcherite in particular.
One of the vanishingly small number of REALLY GOOD BFs is free for a week: Merry Slime-Tide Solstice Everyone!
Are you seriously telling me the Seventh Doctor of all people couldn't have defeated a few Quarks without the aid of leptonite crystals?
Well, they ARE the fearsome creatures who ravaged the Capitol of the Time Lords...(according to Time in Office anyway.)
Have the Doctor and Mel really never had a you-can't-change-history conversation before?
'Remember, Capra, the future of Puxatornee depends on you' - so it's pretty stupid of you to inform him, minutes away from the completion of his supposedly planet-saving life's work, that you've slaughtered his whole family. He could quite easily have turned nasty and smashed the stupid machine.
Why didn't Bailey overhear the Doctor's voice on the radio to Capra's lab?
'Doctor! It's that slug-creature again!' - Mel of the perfect memory can't remember the word 'Slithergee'?
Why does Doctor expect his soon-to-materialise self to sort the disaster out (both times)? Aren't they just his past self?
I think SOME Stewart n'Reeds are left to run around in the wrong timeline? Rather careless of the Seventh Doctor, y'know, the one who's so desperate not to leave Klein running around in the wrong timeline he INVITES A NAZI ABOARD THE TARDIS.
Why do the descriptions of the fugitive Doctor and Mel always mention their names and supposed ages, but never any description, her hair and his pullover are...distinctive.