Davros by Lance Parkin
19 September 2003
I will not die! I WILL NOT DIE! THIS IS NOT THE END! THIS IS ONLY... THE BEGINNING!
And with that, Terry Molloy earned his paycheck and then some. I've always thought he was a brilliant Davros, going off of Remembrance, the few clips I'd seen of Revelation, and this audio of course. It's good to have my opinion reinforced by listening to this for what was actually my second time.
The singular nature of the title is quite appropriate, since Davros is never far away from his creations in any of his TV appearances. For once, the Daleks are nowhere to be seen, and he commands pride of place for himself. This gives us an opportunity to peel back the layers and get a better look at what makes this character tick.
Through flashbacks to his time on Skaro, we learn about his fascination - and his resentment - for fellow scientist Shan, a female Kaled. Davros, frustrated by his feelings for her and jealous of her genius, claimed credit for her conceptualization of the Daleks and then contrived a reason to have Shan disposed of. He denies his own humanity (for lack of a better word) and ability to feel emotions, seething in resentment and fixating himself upon his work. It's a tragic trait at first, but we know where it leads in the end, of course. His transformation from a pitiable figure to one of the most evil people in the universe is traced very capably by this story.
The all-important dissection of his relationship with the Doctor is another aspect of this exploration, and is far and away the most crucial part of the audio. Every moment that Davros and Six are in dialogue, the thing just sings. Just as in Genesis of the Daleks (or, later on, in The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar) there is a lot of potential to mine with this duo, the ways that they reflect each other, and their perspectives about the other.
Davros has once again been revived by people who should know better, and after being fed a slimy corporate sizzle reel, he is hired on as a resident scientific adviser. The Doctor insists on joining up as well in order to keep an eye on Davros. Sleazy corporate monopolist Arnold Baynes is about to turn the Doctor down, but Davros gives an honest appraisal of the Doctor's worthiness anyway, as if he can't help but to admire him a bit, which convinces Baines to keep him around. This makes for a really interesting moment, illuminating just how much Davros respects the Doctor, in his own way.
For a bit, we're kept wondering whether it's possible for Davros to reform and change his ways, as he's intrigued by the possibility of becoming a humanitarian (double entendre absolutely intentional) and seems to open up a little to Lorraine Baynes (played by our old friend Wendy Padbury). After looking the possibility in the face, however, he still chooses to remain true to himself, however for the ill it may be.
I really like the way that this audio ties into Revelation of the Daleks; in that story's second episode, the Doctor notes that the last time he saw Davros, he was on a ship that exploded. That's Resurrection, obviously, but this audio manages to slot in by having Davros on a different exploding ship. I had a good chuckle about that one. This audio also sets up Davros' career as the "Great Healer", showing how his discovery that Kaled protein pills were potentially made from corpses ultimately inspires his "solution" for the galaxy's hunger later on.
Beyond all this, it's just flat out one of the best Big Finish audios I've listened to so far. We have quite a few other good ones for the Sixth Doctor coming up soon, but for now, we have the perfect segue into Revelation of the Daleks, which is next.
The singular nature of the title is quite appropriate, since Davros is never far away from his creations in any of his TV appearances. For once, the Daleks are nowhere to be seen, and he commands pride of place for himself. This gives us an opportunity to peel back the layers and get a better look at what makes this character tick.
Through flashbacks to his time on Skaro, we learn about his fascination - and his resentment - for fellow scientist Shan, a female Kaled. Davros, frustrated by his feelings for her and jealous of her genius, claimed credit for her conceptualization of the Daleks and then contrived a reason to have Shan disposed of. He denies his own humanity (for lack of a better word) and ability to feel emotions, seething in resentment and fixating himself upon his work. It's a tragic trait at first, but we know where it leads in the end, of course. His transformation from a pitiable figure to one of the most evil people in the universe is traced very capably by this story.
The all-important dissection of his relationship with the Doctor is another aspect of this exploration, and is far and away the most crucial part of the audio. Every moment that Davros and Six are in dialogue, the thing just sings. Just as in Genesis of the Daleks (or, later on, in The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar) there is a lot of potential to mine with this duo, the ways that they reflect each other, and their perspectives about the other.
Davros has once again been revived by people who should know better, and after being fed a slimy corporate sizzle reel, he is hired on as a resident scientific adviser. The Doctor insists on joining up as well in order to keep an eye on Davros. Sleazy corporate monopolist Arnold Baynes is about to turn the Doctor down, but Davros gives an honest appraisal of the Doctor's worthiness anyway, as if he can't help but to admire him a bit, which convinces Baines to keep him around. This makes for a really interesting moment, illuminating just how much Davros respects the Doctor, in his own way.
For a bit, we're kept wondering whether it's possible for Davros to reform and change his ways, as he's intrigued by the possibility of becoming a humanitarian (double entendre absolutely intentional) and seems to open up a little to Lorraine Baynes (played by our old friend Wendy Padbury). After looking the possibility in the face, however, he still chooses to remain true to himself, however for the ill it may be.
I really like the way that this audio ties into Revelation of the Daleks; in that story's second episode, the Doctor notes that the last time he saw Davros, he was on a ship that exploded. That's Resurrection, obviously, but this audio manages to slot in by having Davros on a different exploding ship. I had a good chuckle about that one. This audio also sets up Davros' career as the "Great Healer", showing how his discovery that Kaled protein pills were potentially made from corpses ultimately inspires his "solution" for the galaxy's hunger later on.
Beyond all this, it's just flat out one of the best Big Finish audios I've listened to so far. We have quite a few other good ones for the Sixth Doctor coming up soon, but for now, we have the perfect segue into Revelation of the Daleks, which is next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 18 May 2024.)
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