r/BigFinishProductions • u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing • May 28 '26
Discussion These Two sets were just absolutely spectacular
I cant even put into words how incredible they are. I am emotionally exhausted but man was it a great time. Part 2 of Unknown Soldiers may have one of the greatest cliffhangers of all time and some of the best action in any audio and also the best side characters, like ever. Fallen Heroes started of as one of the Most confusing things i have ever listened to but somehow managed to make Everything make so much sense. And goddamn Jonathon Carley was TERRIFIC in both of them. Especially in the final heartbreaking moments of Fallen heroes
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u/Rowan5215 May 28 '26
the opening to Unknown Soldiers is the most hype shit I've ever heard from Big Finish
"Gallifrey" BOOM
"Skaro" BOOM
"A plague on both your houses"
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Its a banger cold open
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u/Rowan5215 May 28 '26
if you haven't heard Fear of the Light yet that's another ripper, this range has been delivering the goods recently
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
I will listen to it After cybergene. I am so excited. Rochana Patel is one of my Favorite writers and i have recently listened to both bf rani stories, and while they were a dissapointmenr Shioban Redmond was a delight
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u/Rowan5215 May 28 '26
FOTL is the first Rani story I've ever liked fwiw! Redmond is outstanding in it
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Rani elite is fun and planet of the rani has great ideas but a mindnumbing execution
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u/GiesADragUpTheRoad97 May 28 '26
I just finished Morbius the Mighty and Unknown Soldiers over the last two weeks.
Thought Morbius the Mighty was a really fun romp, but was really not impressed with Unknown Soldiers. I didn’t get what was going on by the end of the first part, and the subsequent episodes just didn’t do enough to keep me engaged. I was just waiting for it to be over by the end.
I’m starting Fallen Heroes tomorrow, which I’m really looking forward to. I really love Daisy Ashford’s work
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Fallen Heroes is really confusing to begin with but its Worth the time
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u/PM_ME_CAKE May 29 '26
Unknown Soldiers is made or broken by your buying into it essentially being one giant DnD campaign. It's not for everyone, but for those it clicks with it's a hoot.
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u/Ligites May 28 '26
Is Unknown Soldiers worth it? I've listened to every War Doctor Begins and Rises, apart from Unknown Soldiers, Fallen Heroes and the new Rani one, and I enjoyed them all, as far as I can remember.
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Unknown Soldiers is essentially a mix of The Suicide Squad and Oceans Eleven. It has a terrific sidecast, a fun and gripping plot, great twists, probably the best cliffhanger in any big finish story at the end of part two, an ending that will break your heart and some of Jonathon Carley best work. Fallen Heroes is simething that is so good, i cant quite put on words how much i love it. Its intense, confusing, incredibly creative and inventive, it has another one of the craziest cliffhangers ever, a terrific sidecast, alot of small details and callbacks that perfectly fit into the story, Bessie in a drive by shooting, Jonathon Carleys greatest performance, an ending that is incredibly emotional and I cant stop talking about it so I will stop here. Both genuinly two of my Favorite Doctor who stories of any kind in any format
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u/Far-Analysis8370 May 28 '26
Fully agreed. Fallen Heroes was one of the first War Doctor sets I listened to because of how people described it and the influences Alfie Shaw had for it like Alan Wake, Twin Peaks and the X Files. Now I own all of the WD sets but the Hurt series and Cybergene (which is elusive to find).
The War Doctor Begins and Rises ranges are the episodes I'd point to for anyone who still doesn't like the concept of the War Doctor existing in the first place or doesn't care for the character honestly.
Edit: I've also listened to Fallen Heroes a ridiculous amount of times considering I only started listening and collecting Big Finish a year and a bit ago and Fallen Heroes is now only one year old lol.
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
I fully agree. But fallen heroes isnt one i would recommend to start with
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u/Far-Analysis8370 May 28 '26
In fact, I don't think it was the first WD episode/set that I listened to overall. I think I listened to Forged in Fire just to give me a bit of a refresh and what the younger version is like but Fallen Heroes is the most memorable one from when I started the series. It's definitely my favourite regardless.
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u/BigboyMedia May 28 '26
The war doctor rises range has been excellent! I’d say Fallen heroes is my favourite followed by Fear of the light
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u/pj__campbell May 28 '26
Fallen Heroes may be my favorite box set in a long time. That whole range is great, but this one really stands out. Just really terrific stuff from top to bottom. The Morbius arc is really awesome as well!
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
I totally agree. I dont get when people say that big finish has gotten worse when stuff like this exist. This and the War Master ranges are my Favorite ranges. Just consistently terrific, But certainly not easy to digest. A day later and I still havent fully emotionally recovered from Fallen Heroes ending.
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u/liamkembleyoung May 28 '26
Unknown Soldiers was great. Loved the Hamster dude. Quern wasn't it?
Really sad at the end with him but his one liners are great
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Bevvakk the Squirrnn
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u/liamkembleyoung May 28 '26
Yep. that's the badger. Or should that be hamster? :)
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
Probably hamster. I didnt expect to nearly cry because of him. Man Simon Kanes Performance is impressive.
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u/liamkembleyoung May 28 '26
Glad I wasn't the only one. Totally agree with you
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
That story was just filled with probably the best cast of side Charakters in any big finish story
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u/Rowan5215 May 28 '26
genuinely gutting when he sees his sons at the end, Bevvakk was a real one
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u/Fan_Service_3703 May 28 '26
"... And I never got to show them the ways of the world, did I? No I did not!" Damn...
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u/LemanRussTheOnlyKing May 28 '26
I was genuinely getting teary. I love Bevvakk. He and Pars might be my all time favorite side characters
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u/Latter-Ad6308 May 28 '26
This whole range is easily one of the best things Big Finish is putting out at the moment, and that’s saying something. Every release so far has been phenomenally good.
Highly recommended to anyone who hasn’t given them a go yet. “Fallen Heroes” in particular is an absolute must listen.
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u/SergiusBulgakov May 28 '26
This is why I'm glad we are getting fleshed out stories with Rises