In the Kedru system, the Earth Alliance is winning, but at a terrible cost.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 9, 2016 at 4:02 AM
DALEK EMPIRE: THE FEARLESS
PART TWO
Halfway through “The Fearless,” and it’s obvious: unlike the previous three Dalek Empire serials, the fourth installment is a very traditional action-adventure story. Unlike the first part, this Nicholas Briggs script belongs entirely to Noel Clarke, who dominates proceedings as Salus Kade. We see him attacking a Dalek ship, capturing a solar disc, and suffering through a horrible tragedy — and let me say that Clarke’s performance is astonishingly good. I haven’t seen any of his work outside of Doctor Who, but the range he displays here is quite impressive — he puts a raw anger into his performance, giving it an intensity rarely heard in Big Finish. His scenes of depression are genuinely unsettling; frankly, he’s the best thing about this story by a long shot. Maureen O’Brien naturally holds her own opposite Clarke, but unfortunately she doesn’t get as much screen time in this episode. Unfortunately, there’s not much to talk about: the plot is extremely straightforward and the Daleks do absolutely nothing, serving only as a faceless adversary for Earth to rage against. The final twist at the end is surprising, yes, but this presents a problem: we already know their efforts won’t succeed, so it falls to the author to keep the story interesting. Still, Clarke’s performance alone makes this a worthwhile listen.
DALEK EMPIRE: THE FEARLESS
PART TWO
Halfway through “The Fearless,” and it’s obvious: unlike the previous three Dalek Empire serials, the fourth installment is a very traditional action-adventure story. Unlike the first part, this Nicholas Briggs script belongs entirely to Noel Clarke, who dominates proceedings as Salus Kade. We see him attacking a Dalek ship, capturing a solar disc, and suffering through a horrible tragedy — and let me say that Clarke’s performance is astonishingly good. I haven’t seen any of his work outside of Doctor Who, but the range he displays here is quite impressive — he puts a raw anger into his performance, giving it an intensity rarely heard in Big Finish. His scenes of depression are genuinely unsettling; frankly, he’s the best thing about this story by a long shot. Maureen O’Brien naturally holds her own opposite Clarke, but unfortunately she doesn’t get as much screen time in this episode. Unfortunately, there’s not much to talk about: the plot is extremely straightforward and the Daleks do absolutely nothing, serving only as a faceless adversary for Earth to rage against. The final twist at the end is surprising, yes, but this presents a problem: we already know their efforts won’t succeed, so it falls to the author to keep the story interesting. Still, Clarke’s performance alone makes this a worthwhile listen.
7/10