Now approaching his 30th year, Davros is trying to get
out of the Kaled Military and into the Scientific Corps, determined
to use his mind to create new ways to allow the Kaled race
to survive its never-ending war with the Thals. First, though,
he must undertake a mission into Thal territory - a mission
that will introduce him to technology and hardware he could
only dream of. It just might teach him a few life lessons
too. But how ever dangerous the Thal City might be, it is
nothing compared to the scarred relics that inhabit the Wastelands,
which he and his team must cross...
Though
at first glance it seems like nothing more than a synonym
of Innocence
(the title of the previous chapter in this series), in fact
Purity has a neat double meaning. As well as its more
pleasant associations, the word also refers to the Kaleds'
obsession with racial purity and all the horrific connotations
of ethnic cleansing and extermination that this entails.
Talking
of racial issues, we also learn that, in addition to the familiar
Kaleds and Thals, two other intelligent races once inhabited
the planet Skaro, one of which was known as the Dals. This
seems to be an attempt to explain a reference made in the
very first Doctor Who Dalek story, The
Daleks, which indicated that the mutants' ancestors
were called Dals rather than Kaleds. Presumably scriptwriters
James Parsons and Andrew Stirling-Brown's idea is that the
Thals' historical records in that early serial were inaccurate
and had erroneously transposed or mingled characteristics
of the Kaleds and the Dals. If that's the case, wouldn't it
be simpler to just assume that the name "Dalek" had been corrupted
over the centuries to sound more like "Thal", thus becoming
the word "Dal"? That's what I've always assumed until now.
Other
than that unnecessary complication, this chapter is every
bit as enjoyable and intriguing as its predecessor. Sound
designer/musician Steve Foxon continues to evoke the sounds
of Genesis
of the Daleks. Listen out for the familiar
control panel, countdown and door effects, not to mention
Dudley Simpson style cymbals.
Terry
Molloy reprises his portrayal of a younger, able-bodied version
of the Kaled scientist, as previously depicted in the Colin
Baker Doctor Who audio drama Davros.
And Carolyn Jones is as diabolical as before in her role as
Davros's mother, Calcula - though I do find it hard not to
think of the robot Calculon from All My Circuits, the
spoof soap opera in Futurama!
Pure entertainment.
Richard
McGinlay
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