The Doctor and Leela find themselves in the middle of London at the time of a new energy crisis. The GlobeSphere Corporation seems to have all the answers – but several thousand protestors beg to differ.
What is the connection between the National Gallery and a base on the Moon? Has radical thinker Damien Stephens simply sold out, or does he have a more sinister agenda?
The Doctor has detected a mysterious energy reading. Could it be that the most evil creatures in the universe have returned to claim ultimate victory once and for all?
ENERGY OF THE DALEKS
I’ve written hundreds of reviews of Big Finish productions by now, and even after all this time they’re normally pretty easy to write – but the exception to that is the story that is so boring and uneventful it gives me nothing to talk about. Such is Nicholas Briggs’ “Energy of the Daleks,” the fourth release in Big Finish’s Fourth Doctor Adventures range. You would think that the first Tom Baker/Dalek story since 1979 would be some sort of long-awaited achievement, but you would be wrong, as instead it’s nothing more than a protracted exercise in nostalgia.
The problems with “Energy of the Daleks” can be summed up in the format: it’s a two-episode story, but tradition dictates that the Doctor must discover the involvement of the Daleks at the cliffhanger. Therefore, we must waste half the play listening to the Doctor run around and accomplish nothing in particular until the inevitable revelation. Until then, we listen to Leela confront the Daleks for the first time. This has potential: could the ruthless, cunning Daleks psychologically manipulate the Doctor’s primitive companion, much like Boudica was able to do in the previous story? Don’t think too hard about that – Briggs would rather just have the Daleks scream at her a lot and have Leela yell back defiantly without either side saying anything meaningful at any point.
Is this even supposed to be dramatic? The Daleks have come back in time to attempt a ludicrous plan to destroy the human race: this time, they’re going to pull the moon out of its orbit and watch as the ensuing weather disaster consumes the Earth! A ha ha ha ha ha! It’s cartoon villainy, not helped by the Doctor’s total lack of concern about the threat they pose. This worked in “Destiny of the Daleks” thanks to Douglas Adams’ script editing making it hilarious; the sad but obvious truth here is that Briggs is no Adams. And then, just like in Destination: Nerva, we have supporting characters drawn entirely from stock, but suddenly two of them have a tearful, emotional moment! This may be intended to make them sympathetic but only makes the script seem schizophrenic.
Really, what am I supposed to say about this story that hasn’t been said about any one of a hundred others? The Daleks play off the insecurities of humans desperate to find a clean energy source? Why, it’s “The Claws of Axos” with Daleks! I can tell you that Tom Baker is great, even in his first Big Finish performance, and that Louise Jameson performs admirably despite her most cliché-ridden script yet. I can tell you that Alex Lowe, Mark Benton, and Caroline Keiff turn in solid if unmemorable performances. I can tell you that Briggs directs his own material, and makes the mistake of thinking that lots of noisy explosions and shouting are an effective way to convey anything on audio, even if Andy Hardwick’s noisy explosions are quite convincing noisy explosions. I can tell you that “Energy of the Daleks” accomplishes exactly nothing that wasn’t done better on television, and that it’s really only worth hearing if you’re desperate to hear a new Tom Baker/Dalek story.
I can tell you, in other words, that it’s not recommended… and that’s about it.
4/10