|
The
Doctor and Nyssa arrive on the Dalek-occupied Earth of the
22nd century. They escape, only to find themselves carried
along a time corridor to the 43rd century. Why do only a handful
of humans survive on this future Earth, and why are Thals
co-operating with their old enemies?...
This, the last of Big Finish's thematic trilogy Dalek Empire,
is extremely unusual for a Dalek story. Instead of trying
to conquer a race, a planet or a galaxy, as they did in every
single one of their TV appearances, here the metal meanies
fight a more desperate battle: to defeat a debilitating genetic
affliction known as the Mutant Phase. In fact, the Daleks'
plight has more in common with the perils they regularly faced
in their 1960s' TV21 comic strip exploits. Not that
this diminishes their menace - like a cornered predator, there
are few things more dangerous than a frightened Dalek, and,
as the Doctor could hardly be seen to be concerned about their
potential doom, the Mutant Phase also threatens countless
innocent lives. As in the previous Dalek Empire story,
the Doctor and his arch foes are forced into an uneasy alliance,
though on this occasion the partnership is one of the main
thrusts of the story, rather than being the more minor plot
development that occurred in The Apocalypse Element.
Nicholas
Briggs' clever and complex tale weaves in popular elements
from several TV stories, including the Robomen from 1964's
The Dalek Invasion of Earth and the Emperor from 1967's
The Evil of the Daleks. Briggs also echoes the Supreme
Dalek's connection with a human servant in Remembrance
of the Daleks (1988), while the story's resolution adds
a twist to the time paradox that was central to 1972's The
Day of the Daleks. Unfortunately, even with this added
twist, the paradox idea is still too similar to the one used
in 1972, while the story's topical moral discussion on genetic
modification is glaringly sign-posted from the outset.
Nevertheless
the performers, particularly Davison and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa,
all lend the tale appropriate gravitas, and as an engaging
piece of escapism, this audio drama does the trick very nicely
indeed.
Richard
McGinlay
|
