Now established within the Science Elite, Davros is pushing the boundaries of Kaled experimentation forward. Others around him begin to fear him.
Now established within the Science Elite, Davros is pushing the boundaries of Kaled experimentation forward. Others around him begin to fear him.
I, DAVROS: CORRUPTION
“Corruption” is arguably the most important of the I, Davros plays, simply because it depicts the moment of Davros’s crippling injuries that confine him to his famous life support chair. It’s unsurprising, then, that Lance Parkin, author of the brilliant “Davros” from the main Doctor Who range, writes this script, as he’d previously dealt with the same material. Ironically, this leads to the play’s biggest weakness: it’s much more effective if the listener is familiar with “Davros.” This is not to say that “Corruption” is sub-par — it’s excellent, in fact — but there are certain scenes that benefit from knowledge of the Doctor Who play. Davros’s relationship with Shan (Katarina Olsson), for example, isn’t completely fleshed out, and his betrayal of her to the Supremo isn’t nearly as tragic without that extra knowledge. We get to see Davros offered suicide from the perspective of the Supremo, and knowing that on the other side of the wall Davros is in the midst of the astonishing “When I press this switch, I will die” speech makes the scene all the more effective.
With or without this knowledge, though, Parkin’s script is exceptional. This is easily the best portrayal of Calcula, as her manipulation and her obsession with her son’s success is now coupled with a vicious streak of black humor. She’s genuinely funny — as such things go — and yet chilling, as in the scene where she watches the massacre of the Thals. Perhaps she goes on a bit too long preaching about children’s television, but I suspect those speeches are there to make her final scene with Fenn (Daniel Hogarth) all the more shocking. I said in the previous review that Davros lacked interest in politics, and that is borne out here — he quickly learns the advantages of playing the game, as his manipulation of the Supremo shows, but he has no interest in gaining power. His single-mindedness is now becoming ruthless, and while he still appears unwilling to kill, he’s building toward that end…
..which is why the transformation is utterly gripping. Davros’s philosophy is utterly changed, as he now sees life from the perspective of someone dependant entirely upon machines for survival. He’s been experimenting on fetuses, and creating what are clearly Dalek mutants, but hasn’t been able to keep them alive upon delivery — the conclusion here is obvious. We know the Daleks are akin to Davros’s children, but this series is finally showing why: he considers emotion unnecessary to science, so why not breed out “unnecessary” emotions entirely? He’s kept alive by machines, and considers that this gives him enlightenment — why shouldn’t the Kaled race live the same way? The final chapter, “Guilt,” presumably takes us up to “Genesis of the Daleks” — and with the way this series has been building, I can’t wait.
“Corruption” is great stuff, and highly recommended. Be sure to listen to “Davros” to appreciate it fully.
9/10