After his capture on Necros, Davros is destined to face the justice of the Daleks. He sits alone, isolated in his cell. His creations will no longer listen to him. But out of the darkness comes a voice…
Davros is no longer alone in his torment. Before he faces trial on the planet Skaro, he must go through an ordeal that will force him to the very limits of his sanity.
But where do his true loyalties lie? How will he face the future?
THE DAVROS MISSION
It’s no secret that Big Finish have contributed much to the world of Doctor Who: they reinvigorated Colin Baker’s Doctor in the eyes of many fans, they brought Paul McGann back and turned him into a Doctor that could stand proudly with the others, and they demonstrated that performed Doctor Who could accomodate the sort of layered, complex storytelling that would come to define the new TV series. But in terms of their additions to the Doctor Who fictional universe, none have been greater than their achievements with Davros, transforming a recurring-yet-motiveless villain into one of the most fascinating characters in the history of the show. I was excited when the BBC released its Davros-themed DVD box set because they included not only every single Davros TV story but also every Big Finish production. I really hope consumers took the time to listen to these stories — especially Lance Parkin’s phenomenal “Davros,” Joseph Lidster’s “Terror Firma,” and the exceptional I, Davros miniseries — because they honestly make the TV stories even better. But included with this set was an exclusive audio story: Nicholas Briggs’s “The Davros Mission” — and while it has one or two obvious flaws, it’s definitely good enough to stand with the rest.
We’ll get the flaws out of the way first. I usually don’t complain too much about continuity between stories, but seeing as “The Davros Mission” was released in a set with “The Juggernauts” and is related to that story in the DVD booklet, isn’t it a bit irresponsible to have the two stories provide contradictory stories of Davros’s post-Revelation experiences? I think “Davros Mission” is better than “Juggernauts,” but in fairness to Scott Alan Woodard, he got there first. Secondly, the aliens Gus and Raz, though amusingly portrayed by Sean Connolly and Gregg Newton, seem bizarrely out of place on a Dalek ship. Yes, their biology makes them uniquely suited to serve as Dalek slaves, but sarcastic-put-upon-working-class-comic-relief characters? Really?
Looking back at “Genesis of the Daleks,” it’s obvious that story was meant to stand alone: Davros is clearly killed at the conclusion in Terry Nation’s masterful use of the cliched “creations kill the evil scientist” plot. Viewed with hindsight, however, that scene needed to happen: in surviving, Davros gained an understanding of his creations unmatched even by the Doctor. Observe how easily he can manipulate them in “Davros Mission” just by talking to them: given a matter of minutes, he nearly succeeds in talking an individual Dalek over to his side. And Briggs clearly realizes this: he actually gives Davros the virus spoken of in “Genesis,” gives him the power of life and death over his entire creation. Does that power set him up above the gods? Probably so — if there’s an “above the gods” position in the Who universe, Emperor of the Daleks is close to it. This is one of Briggs’ best scripts because of Davros alone: he’s flirting with the insanity we see flourish in “Remembrance” and “Terror Firma,” but he controls it through his desire to once again lead his creations. And there aren’t enough words to describe Terry Molloy’s performance. I said it after I, Davros, and I’ll say it again now, even in light of Julian Bleach’s excellent turn in “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End:” Molloy is the best Davros ever. The madness, the desperation, the ruthless intelligence, the manipulation — it’s all there in his performance, and he’s as good as ever in “Davros Mission.” His upcoming Unbound performance notwithstanding, this is apparently Molloy’s final appearance as Davros in the Doctor Who universe — it’s a huge loss, and we should feel fortunate that we were able to enjoy his time in the role. Miranda Raison is very good as Lareen, the invisible Thal “angel” on Davros’s shoulder — but this is Molloy’s show, and everyone else is along for the ride.
Is “The Davros Mission” flawless? No, and its flaws are noticable and confusing. But it stands up as a wonderful character study of Davros and his relationship with the Daleks, and shows Nicholas Briggs’s writing at its best. Don’t buy the Davros set just to get this — that’s just too much money to spend — but if you have the set, or if you know someone that does, give it a listen. It’s one last little piece to Big Finish’s Davros puzzle, and it makes the shared universe all the richer. Fine work.
8/10