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After years of searching, Alby Brook may soon make contact
with Susan Mendez, but his latest orders could mean that he
has to kill her. Meanwhile, Suz and Kalendorf devise a desperate
plan to defeat the Daleks - but will their efforts be too
late...?
As
in the previous instalment, we hear the metal meanies sounding
distinctly ill at ease taking orders from a human being, Suz
(Sarah Mowat), as she takes advantage of the Emperor Dalek's
protection. You can almost see their gun sticks twitching
with impotent rage as they reluctantly intone, "I... obey."
Suz really pushes her luck as she toes the line with her captors,
and there is ample evidence to suggest that she is developing
something of a death wish to compensate for her guilt about
being a collaborator. The Daleks soon find a devious way to
work around Suz's obstinacy, however, and once again manipulate
her to their own evil ends.
Despite
their pretentions at human relations, the Daleks completely
misinterpret the relationship that exists between Suz and
Kalendorf (Gareth Thomas). They assume that because the humanoids
often disagree, their friendship must therefore be an inefficient
one.
This
is no cosy ensemble series, as a couple of cast changes remind
us. With John Wadmore's cowardly Pellan written out, Teresa
Gallagher joins the cast as interplanetary police officer
Mirana. (The multi-accented Gallagher also plays the President
of Earth, who may or may not be the same figure seen on TV
in the Doctor Who serial Frontier in Space.)
Such cast changes drive home the fact that nothing should
be taken for granted and no one character can be assumed to
be safe from extermination as this grandiose saga approaches
its final chapter.
Richard
McGinlay
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