After centuries of peace the galaxy is invaded by the Daleks, and nothing will ever be the same again…
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 8:36 PM
DALEK EMPIRE: INVASION OF THE DALEKS
The idea of a Dalek spinoff from Doctor Who has been around almost as long as the show itself, as far back as Terry Nation’s idea to bring an independent Dalek program to American television. And yet, despite successful (Bernice Summerfield) and failed (K9 and Company) spinoff attempts, the Daleks never got that chance — until 2001, when Nicholas Briggs and Big Finish took their ruthless, Davros-free Daleks from “The Genocide Machine,” “The Apocalypse Element,” and “The Mutant Phase” and gave them their own series: Dalek Empire.
The first offering in the first series, “Invasion of the Daleks,” serves primarily as a setup to later episodes. Briggs presents the usual setup for a story like this: the Daleks, absent from the consciousness for generations, suddenly reappear and launch a massive attack on the Earth Alliance. The story focuses upon the Dalek conquest of the planet Vega VI — how the cruel metal killers destroy the planet, slaughter most of the population, and enslave the rest as veganite mine workers. Briggs’ story is told through two sets of eyes: those of Susan “Suz” Mendes (Sarah Mowat), a geologist working on Vega VI, and Albert “Alby” Brook (Mark McDonnell), a Space Security Service operative working undercover as a driver on the same planet. Naturally, these two characters are in love — well, more to the point, Alby is desperately in love while Suz seems only vaguely interested, so the whole thing’s a bit unbelievable — so after the Daleks invade, and the characters are separated, this gives Alby a believable motive to stay involved with the affairs of Vega VI. We’re also introduced to Kalendorf (Gareth Thomas), Knight of Velyshaa, and target of Alby’s undercover work, but we don’t learn much more than this.
Despite being on uneven footing throughout, “Invasion of the Daleks” really shines when it comes to the Daleks. They are in control throughout: they expect someone to rebel against their authority, and the Dalek Supreme interrogates Suz from a position of superiority. The concept of “false hope” is never more evident than it is here: the Daleks encourage Suz to give her fellow slaves hope, knowing full well that all it will accomplish is to make them more efficient before their eventual extermination. While the extent of the Dalek plan is unknowable at this point, it is clear that it will run through the entire series — never once, despite Suz’s apparent independence and defiance, are we ever given the impression that she is in control of her actions or her situation. Daleks like this are truly scary, a true credit to Briggs’ writing.
Unfortunately, the acting doesn’t measure up especially well. Mowat is competent enough in her quieter scenes, but when asked to give dramatic speeches she veers wildly into OTT unbelievability. McDonnell’s character talks to himself too much, and his interpretation is surprisingly low-key, but there is promise there for later episodes. Thomas, meanwhile, is fascinating even in his relatively few scenes, and demands more time in the future. John Wadmore doesn’t make any mark at all as the naive Gordon Pellan. Joyce Gibbs’ narration is very good, however, as is Ian Brooker in all of his various roles — and of course Briggs’ and Alistair Lock’s Dalek voices are excellent.
As with his main Doctor Who range productions, Briggs handles every aspect of the production of “Invasion of the Daleks.” The sound design is exceptional, recapturing both the feel of Dalek enviroments as well as the epic nature of the script. The music, however, is an electronic style that doesn’t add anything to the production — and the theme music is best described as boring. Briggs’ direction is solid as ever, though — the action never drags.
Overall, “Invasion of the Daleks” is a decent setup episode that plants the seeds of a series that could potentially get much better. The central characters aren’t especially interesting to this point, but the prospect of the Dalek plan is absolutely gripping. Every new series takes an episode or two to find its feet — unfortunately, this one’s already 25% gone…
DALEK EMPIRE: INVASION OF THE DALEKS
The idea of a Dalek spinoff from Doctor Who has been around almost as long as the show itself, as far back as Terry Nation’s idea to bring an independent Dalek program to American television. And yet, despite successful (Bernice Summerfield) and failed (K9 and Company) spinoff attempts, the Daleks never got that chance — until 2001, when Nicholas Briggs and Big Finish took their ruthless, Davros-free Daleks from “The Genocide Machine,” “The Apocalypse Element,” and “The Mutant Phase” and gave them their own series: Dalek Empire.
The first offering in the first series, “Invasion of the Daleks,” serves primarily as a setup to later episodes. Briggs presents the usual setup for a story like this: the Daleks, absent from the consciousness for generations, suddenly reappear and launch a massive attack on the Earth Alliance. The story focuses upon the Dalek conquest of the planet Vega VI — how the cruel metal killers destroy the planet, slaughter most of the population, and enslave the rest as veganite mine workers. Briggs’ story is told through two sets of eyes: those of Susan “Suz” Mendes (Sarah Mowat), a geologist working on Vega VI, and Albert “Alby” Brook (Mark McDonnell), a Space Security Service operative working undercover as a driver on the same planet. Naturally, these two characters are in love — well, more to the point, Alby is desperately in love while Suz seems only vaguely interested, so the whole thing’s a bit unbelievable — so after the Daleks invade, and the characters are separated, this gives Alby a believable motive to stay involved with the affairs of Vega VI. We’re also introduced to Kalendorf (Gareth Thomas), Knight of Velyshaa, and target of Alby’s undercover work, but we don’t learn much more than this.
Despite being on uneven footing throughout, “Invasion of the Daleks” really shines when it comes to the Daleks. They are in control throughout: they expect someone to rebel against their authority, and the Dalek Supreme interrogates Suz from a position of superiority. The concept of “false hope” is never more evident than it is here: the Daleks encourage Suz to give her fellow slaves hope, knowing full well that all it will accomplish is to make them more efficient before their eventual extermination. While the extent of the Dalek plan is unknowable at this point, it is clear that it will run through the entire series — never once, despite Suz’s apparent independence and defiance, are we ever given the impression that she is in control of her actions or her situation. Daleks like this are truly scary, a true credit to Briggs’ writing.
Unfortunately, the acting doesn’t measure up especially well. Mowat is competent enough in her quieter scenes, but when asked to give dramatic speeches she veers wildly into OTT unbelievability. McDonnell’s character talks to himself too much, and his interpretation is surprisingly low-key, but there is promise there for later episodes. Thomas, meanwhile, is fascinating even in his relatively few scenes, and demands more time in the future. John Wadmore doesn’t make any mark at all as the naive Gordon Pellan. Joyce Gibbs’ narration is very good, however, as is Ian Brooker in all of his various roles — and of course Briggs’ and Alistair Lock’s Dalek voices are excellent.
As with his main Doctor Who range productions, Briggs handles every aspect of the production of “Invasion of the Daleks.” The sound design is exceptional, recapturing both the feel of Dalek enviroments as well as the epic nature of the script. The music, however, is an electronic style that doesn’t add anything to the production — and the theme music is best described as boring. Briggs’ direction is solid as ever, though — the action never drags.
Overall, “Invasion of the Daleks” is a decent setup episode that plants the seeds of a series that could potentially get much better. The central characters aren’t especially interesting to this point, but the prospect of the Dalek plan is absolutely gripping. Every new series takes an episode or two to find its feet — unfortunately, this one’s already 25% gone…
6/10.