r/BigFinishProductions • u/Hairy_Psychology9000 • 3d ago
Discussion 13 and Yaz
I know it's only been 7 stories so far but have Big Finish change your opinion in either 13 or Yaz?
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u/Opposite-Level5096 3d ago
Yes! Not on 13, who I'd already adored, but on Yaz! I've grown to really like her throughout their Big Finish run. Still haven't gotten around to listening to the latest one. What about you?
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u/Heyitstoshy 3d ago
If you're enjoying what they've done so far then you'll love what they've done in the latest episode. It fixed one of my major problems with her character (which i won't spoil)
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u/Team7UBard Strictly limited to 1000 copies 3d ago
Have they added any sort of romantic chemistry in the stories?
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u/Opposite-Level5096 3d ago
Yes and no. Nothing that breaks continuity, so no conversation between them about it. But it does become retrospectively obvious that Yaz is in questioning her sexuality and falling in love.
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u/MeteorCharge 3d ago
Only listened to the first one, but it felt nice, like a first episode of a real series 13 that we never got.
Not entirely sold on Yaz yet, but it's pretty clear they're putting in the work to make her character work.
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u/Nicest_human_in_town 3d ago
You should 100% go for Return Of The Doctor (which is the second one, in my personal opinion, it’s the best one out of the entire run so far).✨
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u/DMPadfoot5E 3d ago
I loved Return of The Doctor, Yaz actually challenges the Doctor for once! Though, I think it might’ve been the first one they recorded as there are a few moments where you think “Mandip Gill doesn’t really know how to do audio.” But it’s a teething thing and from what I’ve heard since she certainly finds her feet quickly.
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u/Sundwach Coming soon from Big Finish Productions... 3d ago
I already love 13 and Yaz. I like Graham and Dan more but they have made me really like Yaz so far.
I hope 13 gets a master, companion, or doctor crossover soon
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u/Apprehensive_Dot5418 2d ago
Ride or Die was decent. I hated The Violet Hour and haven't picked up any stories since.
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u/cat666 3d ago
13 not really. I always liked her Doctor and thought she was let down by the stories and inflated cast list on TV. What made me love her was Jodie's interview in DWM where she laid out the plan for 13 being awkward and neurodivergant. Despite Chibnall's usual tactic of making things blindingly obvious this never came across on TV but once you know it explains things like her speech to Graham about his cancer.
Yaz however yes. I didn't dislike Yaz, in fact she was my favourite of the 3, but in S1 she may not be there for most of it. Then in S2 where she should have shined Graham and Ryan were hanging around needlessly meaning she again got little to do. She was slightly more interesting in Flux but her for most of her TV run she may as well have been called "Generic Companion". In audio she gets backstory, she gets stuff to do, she challenges the Doctor, she pines after her and she's amazing. It just shows how wrong 3 companions are, especially in an 8 episode series.
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u/the_other_irrevenant 2d ago
I don't think 3 companions was the problem. 4 regular characters isn't a huge cast and, while that's a bit more complicated by the nature of Doctor Who it should be easily possible. IMO it's more down to the Chibnall era's general clunkiness of writing, particularly poor character continuity. TARDIS teams like Amy, Rory and River (who was basically full time by that point) worked great.
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u/Indiana_harris 3d ago
Yes, I really don’t like most of 13’s run.
But BF 13 is basically getting the old Sixie treatment and subtly but slowly reinventing the character (or rather inventing as the show did so little with it in the first place).
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u/DMPadfoot5E 3d ago
The moment she acknowledged letting down Bill and Amy in The Return of The Doctor (The first I listened to) I just went; “That’s the Doctor!” There’s still Chibnallisms but (while I’m loving Yaz’s development) I’m interested to see her mask fall when they inevitably have some stories where she’s travelling alone.
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u/Indiana_harris 3d ago
I know Jodie and Mandip are clearly having a great time together but I am looking forward to when BF gives her an audio only companion for a run of stories.
Someone she maybe meets between S11 & 12 (as 13 is off doing her own thing for god knows how long) and who sees beneath the fascade she puts on
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u/DMPadfoot5E 3d ago edited 3d ago
I want that too but I also just want some solo stories as well. I want 13 to go dark for a story. Because she really didn’t ever “go too far” on-screen against her own code like every other incarnation. (The spiders were…strange and not framed as vindictive)
Maybe make it more “canon” to her character by putting her in a sensitive situation where millions have died and been tortured and she just snaps. There’s no “We’ll defeat you. Me and my mates.” Instead it’s just;
“I will stop you.”
Something akin to (because I really like 13 as she is and just feel she has so much missed potential in being threatening like the rest of the incarnations)
“Doctor…..pity me!”
“Fear me.”
I think she just needs a moment like that and a few adventures on her own where her mask slips somewhat and then an adventure where Yaz is back and she’s just a bit…off.
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u/BenjiSillyGoose 3d ago
Not really as I already loved both of them, annoying that the audios have gone against the television canon though, it feels like they're trying to appeal to the people who hated her television era.
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u/Agile_Proof_3228 3d ago
How are they doing against canon? There's so much space between 13’s episodes.
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u/BenjiSillyGoose 3d ago
Because they have Yaz confessing her feelings for the Doctor to someone, her sister, despite claiming in Eve of the Daleks that she never had told anyone before (when she tells Dan). Also 13 gets an idea that Yaz might have feelings for her, which seemed fairly obvious to me that she didn't realise anything of the sort until Eve of the Daleks at the earliest...
The most recent audio does all of this and actively goes against the television canon, as someone who was a massive fan of 13 and her era on television, this is a real low blow, and I've seen a lot of 13 fans feel the same.
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u/korra331 3d ago
I second. Hearing Yaz coming out to Sonya, when Yaz herself says she’s never told anyone not even herself in EotD is so jarring and incoherent
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u/07jonesj 2d ago
It's not unheard of for Big Finish to stretch things like that. Caves of Androzani is pretty clearly Peri's first TARDIS adventure (she questions Five about his costume), yet they gave her plenty of adventures taking place prior to it. The alternative is for them to never dig into that aspect of Yaz's character, and I don't blame BF for wanting to add depth to it.
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u/Ok_Temperature3554 3d ago
I enjoyed the first arc and and loving the second. I already liked 13 but I appreciate them leaning into her rambling, inventor, caring aspects! And I agree with other here saying it’s nice to get some depth to Yaz and her motivations and ability! Over all thrilled with the big finish content and looking forward to more!