Friday, September 27, 2013

Terror of the Vervoids (Trial of a Time Lord, 9-12)

Dear Gary—
“The future? Is it going to be the Doctor’s defense that he improves?”
Things are rising to a ridiculous level in this trial. Rather than address the charges against him, rather than refute the evidence set forth by the prosecution, the Doctor is giving up his past as indefensible and instead presenting a slice of his life that has not occurred and may never occur if the verdict goes against him. I think the Time Lord legal code is being made up as they go along.
The adventure that the Doctor chooses to defend his life, Terror of the Vervoids (Trial of a Time Lord, Parts 9-12) is diverting but unremarkable; an Agatha Christie wannabe with killer plants aboard a space liner. “Many will never complete the journey,” the Doctor advises in voiceover to start our story, “for in order to protect a secret hidden on the space liner, one will become a murderer.” This sets up what one would expect to be a straight forward, linear murder mystery. However, while there is plenty of murder and intrigue and mystery, it’s all rather haphazard and disconnected.
The first death is staged, and with no evidence to go on other than a knocked out crewman and a shoe beside the waste disposal unit the Commodore cries murder. The first real death, the electrocution of Edwardes, is inexplicable. Was this the work of Doland, and if so, why? If his intent was to keep the investigator Hallett from discovering the secret of the pods it was a clumsy way to go about it. Anyone could have triggered the booby trap, even one of his fellow scientists. And finding an electrocuted body right there in the Hydroponics Center is a sure way to call attention to the pods. Also, wouldn’t he have realized that the end result of the trap would be that the pods would come to life?
The poisoning of Hallett is the only true murder that can be directly attributed to Doland with the clear motive of keeping the secret of the liner intact. A rash of deaths follow, but most of these are now at the hands of the unleashed Vervoids. The killing of the two Mogarians could be the work of Doland, but the motive is to bring the hijacking of the ship to an end and not connected to the Vervoid experiments. The hijacking subplot, by the way, is just another diversion thrown in to muddy the waters.
The set up of the whodunit theme does allow for a nice detective element to come out in the Doctor that is refreshing to see for this sixth incarnation, and for that I give it full credit. The mystery itself, however, is a huge letdown.
Another plus to the whodunit is the way in which it allows for the introduction of Mel as a new companion. I’m not even going to comment on the absurdity of presenting a future adventure as though it were real; and the forcing of a new character into the show without benefit of explanation or meet and greet is appalling. However, if they are going to do it (which they did), this is the way to do it, with the thriller aspects taking over and giving room for the established but heretofore unseen relationship to play out as they work together to unravel the clues.
The best thing Mel has going for her is that she is not Peri. The combative nature of TARDIS life is a thing of the past. If Peri had offered the Doctor some carrot juice he probably would have smashed the glass from her hands. Mel might be overly enthusiastic, but at least there is no more nasty sniping going on.
I’m sure, too, that the clincher for casting Mel was the scream. Mel’s piercing scream, heard loud and often during Terror of the Vervoids, can even penetrate through an assortment of gas masks. Amazing.
And then there are the Vervoids. The Vervoids are as haphazard as the story; born from their pods fully formed and adult and knowledgeable and organized. I have to wonder, are they the first Vervoids to emerge? If so, how does Bruchner know they are dangerous? How does Doland know they can be used as slave labor? If not, there goes the whole genocide accusation; which by the way is bogus anyway because if Laskey, Bruchner, and Doland created these Vervoids through their experiments they can surely create more. This is not a species that evolved on their own; they were manufactured, or at least that is my understanding. And now that I think of it, shouldn’t these Vervoids get a handle on how exactly they were created and how they can reproduce before they kill off their creators? Or maybe that is part of the vast reservoir of information they spontaneously are born with.
It seems as if the script just threw every element possible into the mix with no thought of how or why; yet there is a semblance of structure and it all somehow works. There is a secret being guarded in the Isolation Ward; a mini mystery within the mystery; a fantastic mutant girl is revealed to scare Mel into one of her trademark screams; nothing ever comes of this except to present a compelling little scene completely unessential to the plot. That almost seems to be the way the script was put together—a whole bunch of little scenes that work on their own that were stitched together into a whole that doesn’t quite mesh but there you have it.
Perhaps it is the fault of the Matrix and the whole iffy nature of a future event. But then why did the Doctor choose this as his defense? At one point during the proceedings the Doctor protests against his own evidence, claiming it has been altered. Asked if he wishes to continue he says, “But what else have I got? Without evidence to prove my innocence, I’m condemned.” That one statement is the most and probably only damning evidence against him. The fact that he can’t defend himself without unreliable and manufactured probabilities from a possible future against charges that are unclear and unsubstantiated is telling. The Doctor doesn’t believe in himself.
Luckily for the Doctor the Time Lords don’t really know what they’re doing. As the curtain descends on Terror of the Vervoids and the Time Lords swivel back in their chairs, wiping the butter from their fingers, the Valeyard says, “Whether or not the Doctor has proved himself innocent of meddling” (Seriously? Has the Doctor been charged with meddling?) “is no longer the cardinal issue before this court. He has proved himself guilty of a far greater crime.”Once again we get the shifting sands of Time Lord justice. “The charge must now be genocide.”
If the Doctor waits it out long enough there might be enough mistrials and restarts to last him his remaining regenerations.
Not to worry, Gary. Only two episodes remaining in this season long comedy of errors.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Mindwarp (Trial of a Time Lord, 5-8)

Dear Gary—
Mindwarp (Trial of a Time Lord, Parts 5-8) is where things really start to fall apart in this season long experiment. The show wants us to view this as a single Doctor Who adventure presented within the context of the overarching trial. Problem is, the adventure is a lie, or at least parts of it are and we are never sure what is and is not true. This is where the trial should have successfully exploited the adventure to get at the truth. Instead we have the Doctor interrupting the story to state, ‘This is a lie’ followed by the Valeyard countering, ‘No it’s not’ and the Inquisitor demanding ‘Sit down and shut up;’ resume story. The peanut gallery of Time Lords swivel back to passively watch just like we the audience are expected to do; I can almost imagine that they pass bowls of popcorn amongst themselves.
Mindwarp has potential, but I can’t sit back and take it at face value; the integrity of the tale is compromised. I want to do what the courtroom fails to do; dig into it to uncover the clues that will lead to what is really going on. But there aren’t even any hints thrown our way; only unsubstantiated accusations and denials; and all I can do is sit back and watch this fictitious fiction. Pass the popcorn.
The Doctor and Peri arrive on Thoros Beta and from the start I have my misgivings. Investigating gun running doesn’t seem to be in the Doctor’s line, yet that is his stated purpose for being there. When this clandestine armament angle is quickly dropped my suspicions deepen.
“My dear girl, if I stopped to question the wisdom of my actions, I’d never have left Gallifrey,” the Doctor tells a homesick Peri who is beginning to regret having left her own planet. It’s a shame that the burgeoning companionship that is long overdue between these two is literally cut dead in Mindwarp. But perhaps it is fitting that this relationship that began with the Doctor’s hands on Peri’s throat ends with the Doctor betraying her. In that first serial, The Twin Dilemma, the Doctor’s excuse was that his regeneration left him unstable. In Mindwarp, however, we’re never sure if his mind has been altered by Crozier’s machine, if he is playacting to throw the others off guard and has a plan of rescue in mind, or if it is all made up and never happened. It is a most unsatisfactory ending to this rocky friendship.
That is ironic because the scene of Peri’s demise is the most effective of her tenure, and one of the most dramatic of companion partings. Unfortunately it is tainted by Matrix manipulation.
To get to that point, though, we first have a story unfolding. A story that plays fast and loose with the facts, but it is what we have and what we must deal with.
Fortunately the story has enough good points to keep us entertained. Like Sil. Thoros Beta is Sil’s home world, much to Peri’s horror; she had enough of him back on Varos. It is interesting to see a new side to the slimy Sil. In Vengeance on Varos he was in charge; he was the driving force. In Mindwarp he is a fawning toady to Kiv. Sil is the slavering picture of greed, gobbling marsh minnows and sadistically enjoying human suffering with his creepy laugh. Kiv, on the other hand, is the single-minded economic genius leading the Mentors to capitalistic glory. With the pain of an expanding brain tormenting him, Kiv still conducts business as usual.
Presumably it is the Mentor’s business dealings that provided the advanced weaponry to a more primitive culture and that the Doctor is on Thoros Beta to stop. But that is merely a diversionary tactic. The complex negotiations and intrigues of the Mentors is only a backdrop. The real heart of Mindwarp is the experiments of the mad scientist Crozier. Except the whole plot of Mindwarp has been warped, so who knows if this really is the heart of the matter.
The Time Lords think it is; and this is where the trial becomes bogus. “We had to act,” the Inquisitor states. “With the discovery that Crozier had made, the whole course of natural evolution throughout the universe would be affected.”
Where to start with this? First, the Inquisitor reveals with this statement that she and the rest of the High Council have been monitoring the Doctor’s activities and already know what happened on Thoros Beta, so what was the point of sitting through the Matrix replay of events? Secondly, I seriously doubt that Crozier has his hands on the pulse of God here. He can brain swap and genetically engineer, is this really going to spread through the universe like an evolution endangering plague? Thirdly, even if Crozier is on to something, other races during the Doctor’s travels have mastered genetic mutations and augmentations and all manner of mind bending breakthroughs and the Time Lords never give it a second thought. (OK, there was the whole Genesis of theDaleks attempt at genocide to prevent Davros’ experiments from succeeding, but that was to specifically destroy the Daleks and had nothing to do with Davros’ underlying manipulation of the evolutionary chain.)
Fourthly and most importantly—I’ll let the Doctor say this—“And so they took it upon themselves to act like second-rate gods?” Taking the Doctor out of time, turning Yrcanos into an assassin, murdering Sil, Kiv, Peri, Crozier, and an assortment of guards; bit of overkill if you ask me. Rather than Trial of a Time Lord, this should be Trial of the Time Lords.
During the course of the trial they talk a great deal about the number of deaths that can be laid at the Doctor’s feet, yet the evidence presented before the court gives full and unapologetic blame for mass slaughter to the Time Lords, and they remove the Doctor from time to prevent his interference in this execution.
But wait, is that what really happened? “No,” the Doctor answers. “I was taken out of time for another reason, and I have every intention of finding out what it is.”
I don’t know, Gary. I’m getting fed up with this whole pretense of a trial. Mindwarp is a decent enough adventure. There are some nice moments for Peri with the larger than life King Yrcanos and the dog-man Dorf. It has taken a long time for me to find a story in which I actually like Peri, although I wish that in this her last tale she could have had more one on one Doctor time and with a Doctor who is not behaving erratically. But overall I find I can’t work up an enthusiasm for the story because I just can’t get over the feeling that it is all a sham presented in a fly-by-night courtroom that is rapidly losing all credibility.
The Doctor wants to know what is going on. So do I. I somehow feel that neither of us is going to have much luck. Here’s hoping that somewhere out there, Gary, you are making more sense out of this . . .

Friday, September 13, 2013

The Mysterious Planet (Trial of a Time Lord, 1-4)

Dear Gary—
“By order of the High Council, this is an impartial inquiry into the behavior of the accused person, known as the Doctor, who is charged that he, on diverse occasions, has been guilty of conduct unbecoming a Time Lord.”
Thus begins the ill-conceived Trial of a Time Lord. This is an idea that could have worked if done properly rather than used as a gimmick. But then, getting any trial conducted by the illustrious Time Lords to work properly is nigh on impossible. The show barely gives any pretense of justice to the proceedings. The Inquisitor tries to keep some semblance of order but in reality has very little control. Charges are never clearly stated and seem to change at the whim of the prosecutor, or the Valeyard. The purpose of the gathering is similarly fluid, going from a mere inquiry to a full-fledged trial part way through and again at the Valeyard’s caprice. As for the monkey gallery of Time Lords, their sole function is to swivel back and forth between the Matrix screen and the three principals while desperately trying to stay awake.
It would help if the first story, The Mysterious Planet (Trial of a Time Lord, Parts 1-4) submitted by the Valeyard as evidence had any relevance to the charges. Ironically, this particular tale has one of the lowest body counts of Colin Baker’s tenure. Additionally, as the Doctor pointedly notes at the conclusion of the viewing, he not only freed the underground slaves but also saved the universe. The argument that the Bobbsey Twins Humker and Tandrell might have averted the black light explosion on their own is spurious—they had long since hightailed it out to the surface at the first hint of danger. Perhaps Katryca and Broken Tooth might not have been killed by Drathro if the Doctor had not gone to Ravolox, but that is academic because then they just would have died in the explosion.
The choice of The Mysterious Planet to open his case also strikes me as the height of stupidity, full as it is of glaring red flags leading directly to the fact that the Matrix has been tampered with. And if he was going to edit the evidence, wouldn’t the Valeyard have cut the damning scenes entirely rather than merely bleeping out the crucial lines, especially since anyone can clearly lip read the key word, if not gather from context? It almost seems as though the Valeyard is sabotaging his own case (and given the subsequent revelation about the Valeyard, perhaps it is a subconscious attempt to do so; this would have made a much more intriguing development if embellished).
Having said that, The Mysterious Planet as a story is really quite good (if only it wasn’t continually interrupted by the courtroom sequences). The action is straight forward, but the strength of the script lies in its characterizations. For starters, the Doctor and Peri are actually quite chummy for a change. Peri is much less annoying when she is being pleasant. The Doctor, too, is much more positively engaged in the action. “I can’t let people die if there’s a chance of saving them” is a sentiment we haven’t heard much from the Doctor of late. And it is nice to see his good old fashioned curiosity: “There’s a mystery here; questions to which I must have an answer.”
Also helping are several well defined roles played by some solid guest actors. Chief among these are Glitz and Dibber, a Robert Holmes trademark double act. Sabalom Glitz (another Holmes trademark—the fantastic character name) is remarkable in his own right, but for my money it is Dibber who adds the perfect deadpan touch to make this one of the all time great duos of Doctor Who.
Glitz: “My malaise is much more complex. A deep-rooted maladjustment, my psychiatrist said, brought on by an infantile inability to come to terms with the more pertinent, concrete aspects of life.”
Dibber: “That sounds more like an insult than a diagnosis, Mr. Glitz.”
Wonderful dialogue like that with just the right delivery has been sorely missing for quite a while now.
Or how about this:
Glitz: “Don’t I look like a philanthropist?”
Dibber: “Well, how do I know? I’ve never seen one.”
Glitz: “A philanthropist, my son, is someone who gives away all their grotzits out of the simple goodness of their heart.”
Dibber: “Oh, you mean they’re stupid. Oh, yeah, you probably do look like one then.”
Balazar is another good character. This “reader of the books” is a gentle soul despite the stoning, and he plays well against the Doctor, or “old one” as Balazar calls him. The revelation that the only three books to survive are Moby (Mo Bi) Dick, The Water Babies, and The UK Habitats of the Canadian Goose by HM Stationary Office is one of those delightfully whimsical touches that always add so much to Doctor Who. (I do have to wonder, though, why, if water is such a precious commodity, it is left sitting out and vulnerable.)
Next we have Drathro, the robot in charge and guardian of the ‘secrets’ that Glitz and Dibber are after. Drathro is impressive looking for a Doctor Who robot, and his philosophical exchange with the Doctor over the value of ‘organics’ is extraordinary and something that has been sadly absent during most of Colin Baker’s run. The script for The Mysterious Planet is the first in a long time to offer some character depth and interaction for the Doctor. For me this is the Sixth Doctor at his best, and it makes me wonder even more why the Valeyard chose this particular section of the Matrix to start his case against the Doctor.
The rest of the guest roles are adequate if not of the same caliber as Dibber, Glitz, Balazar and Drathro, and I’m not certain if it is a letdown of the script or of the portrayals; perhaps a bit of both. Humker and Trandrell are annoying more than anything and certainly don’t represent the best and brightest of the underground society in the best or brightest light. This is a Holmes double act that doesn’t quite work. They are introduced as characters who finish each other’s sentences and come up with sampler quotes between them, and then become a means for providing exposition, and then turn into a bickering duo. There is no consistency in the pair.
Katryca is another example of a wasted character. This warrior queen is a lot of bluster with no real substance. Her only purpose seems to be to keep Dibber, Glitz, and Peri separated from the underground action (although she does allow for Peri to consider the possibility of taking on multiple husbands).
Merdeen is the best of this second tier. He has a complexity of character, acting as Drathro’s chief henchman but secretly helping slaves to escape to the surface, and then having to kill his protégé who was set to betray his underground operation. However there is a subtlety missing; his seems more a role of convenience, and again I’m not sure if it is a failure of the script or of the portrayal. (I have to admit, too, that I keep expecting Merdeen to break out in a little Duggan thumping ala Tom Chadbon’s earlier turn at Doctor Who in City of Death.)
The Mysterious Planet might not be the most effective story for the Valeyard to begin his case with, but it does introduce the necessary elements to set up the season long arc, mainly that Ravolox is really Earth only a couple of light years out of its own space, and that there is something suspicious going on with the Matrix and so-called evidence that the Valeyard is presenting. It also provides some much needed sympathy for both the Doctor and Peri, preparing us nicely for developments to come.
“Five rounds rapid should do the trick,” Glitz tells Dibber; an inside reference to the Brigadier of old. The Mysterious Planet is just such a welcome echo of the past, of Doctor Who at its best. It might not be the best, but it reminds us and keeps us invested in the show.
I remain, as ever Gary, invested . . .

Friday, September 6, 2013

Revelation of the Daleks

Dear Gary—
Revelation of the Daleks borrows several elements of recent serials that didn’t quite work and has combined them beautifully into a well crafted whole: a multitude of characters, all with their own agenda; the returning foe; the destruction of an antagonist that turns out to be just a decoy; and the mercenary. At the center of all of this action is Davros, sitting in the deeps of the catacombs under Tranquil Repose like a spider in his web as his prey draw ever nearer; and watching over the action in a detached and bizarre way is the DJ, providing running commentary for our various story strands.
DJ: “The maiden in distress is a-coming this way.”
The maiden in distress is of course Peri, but she and the Doctor take their time arriving. Usually with so many subplots in a story someone gets the short end of the stick. In this case all of the guest roles are well rounded and for the most part superbly acted and if anyone gets overlooked it is the Doctor and Peri. However, even though minimally utilized, they are skillfully utilized. For the entire first episode they don’t even reach the scene of the action, but this allows for a more in-depth view of their relationship. While still griping at one another, they also share some touching moments, most notably when the Doctor comforts Peri after she kills the mutant. There is also a dash of humor, and while the Doctor needling Peri for her weight is rather cruel, it is hilarious when she gets her own back, calling him Porky in the delightfully amusing scene as they clamor over the wall.
Davros: “Excellent. My lure has worked.”
Davros is also noting the progress of the Doctor and Peri as they approach Tranquil Repose on the way to pay their respects to the recently departed Professor Arthur Stenglos. I’m not really sure why Davros wants to drag the Doctor in at this point. He can only be motivated by revenge and blinded by hubris. For a wanted man, hunted on every front, he does seem to keep a high profile. Even the alias of the Great Healer isn’t going to fool many while his Daleks roam freely about Necros and Kara’s factory.
Davros: “Get me Kara.”
Davros has enough on his hands with Kara to worry about the Doctor. Kara the fawning, two-faced pawn of Davros, along with her  ‘secretary’ Vogel (“they’re like a double act”), is tired of Davros siphoning off all of the profits from their Soylent Green type factory.
DJ: “Hey there, you guys, we have you-know-what in the building. Looks like somebody could be in for a sudden defrosting.”
Meanwhile Natasha and Grigory sneak through the halls of Tranquil Repose in search of the body of Natasha’s father, the same Professor Stenglos the Doctor has come for. These two body snatchers bicker more than the Doctor and Peri, if that’s possible, but they are on a serious mission. With rebel factions on the loose in addition to Kara’s double dealings, Davros really should have reconsidered his Doctor trap.
Davros: “Inform Takis there are body snatchers in the catacombs.”
Takis and his sidekick Lilt carry out Davros’ orders, maintaining security at Tranquil Repose, but they too chafe under his control. Davros really has his hands full.
Davros: “You are a fool, Jobel. I have offered you immortality, but you are content to play with the bodies of the dead.
And then there is Jobel, yet another worry for Davros. Jobel, the pathetically vain chief embalmer just asking for a sexual harassment suit to be filed against him. Jobel is quietly whispering on the side with the disgruntled Takis and Lilt.
Davros: “Have that woman brought to me.”
The long suffering Tasambeker, receiving the brunt of Jobel’s casual cruelty but inexplicably loving him all the same, is ripe for Davros’ machinations. Too bad the character is so thoroughly unlikeable. If any person deserves our sympathy at Tranquil Repose it is Tasambeker; but she is too unsympathetic to merit a second thought. The story really misses out on some major plot depth here.
DJ: “Now listen, you guys. I don’t wish to alarm you but there’s some pretty weird things going on out there. “
Natasha has found her father. The people protein Davros is manufacturing from the recently departed is only a side line to make money for his real venture—turning dead heads into Daleks. What the story lost in subtlety with Tasambeker it gains back with the equally unlikeable but greatly more sympathetic Natasha as she discovers her Dalek daddy and struggles with her decision of patricide. It is a heart rending and atmospheric scene; one of the highlights of the serial.
DJ: “As you know we have snatchers in the complex, but it gets even creepier when the word is that the snatchers have been out-snatched. So, if any of you guys are able, lock yourselves in your caskets now. Snap down those bolts, otherwise you could find yourselves on the outside going who knows where!”
Natasha and the gin swilling doctor Grigory are taken captive by Takis and Lilt. These characters seem to have run their course. Natasha served her purpose by killing her father. Takis and Lilt already know that Tranquil Repose no longer serves the purpose for which it was built; all they are interested in is finding out about the body snatching accomplices to keep the truth from being revealed, and since this is a plot point that is rapidly petering out there seems little reason for the scene. Their idea of torturing Grigory by forcing him to drink what little remains in his flask is laughable, but no more so than Grigory’s lolling tongue drunk act.
Davros: “Suddenly everyone sees and knows too much!”
I am amazed that it has taken Davros so long to realize or care that all of the cameras placed about are broadcasting to more than just him. And I am equally amazed that the general populace don’t guard their tongues more knowing that everything they say is being monitored.
Davros: “It seems my agents were correct. Kara has employed assassins.”
Just when it seems Davros has all he can handle, Orcini and his loyal squire Bostock show up. Kara has hired Orcini, the noble but excommunicated Knight of the Grand Order of Oberon to assassinate Davros. Kara and Vogel are excellent in their double act, but Orcini and Bostock top them in every way. While the relationship between Kara and Vogel is creepily amusing, that between Orcini and Bostock is touchingly droll.
Davros: “It is all as planned.”
With all of the plots against him, Davros gloats upon the arrival of the Doctor. However, of all the schemes floating about, Davros’ idea of a giant polystyrene depiction of the Doctor falling on the Doctor has to be the lamest.
Davros: “Serve me with your total being and I shall allow you to become a Dalek.”
At last Davros begins to take action against all of the plots. Davros’ recruitment of Tasambeker to take out Jobel has promise, but in the end it too peters out. The dramatic confrontation as Tasambeker tries to warn an oblivious Jobel looses much due to the overblown ranting of the spurned lover.  When Jobel cuts her with, “I would rather run away with my mother than own a fawning little creep like you,” we should feel the full force of the torment of soul along with Tasambeker; instead we can only agree with Jobel’s assessment. And then when the Dalek exterminates the screaming murderer I can only wonder why a Dalek wasn’t dispatched to do the deed to begin with; and I can only mourn that we never get to see and hear a raving Tasambeker Dalek.
DJ: “Is that your real accent?”
The Doctor and Peri have finally made it into Tranquil Repose and Peri meets up with the DJ. Struggling to hide her embarrassment over being exposed, Peri replies to the DJ’s hysterically funny question, “Well I hope so.” Ironically, I don’t find Peri’s annoying voice half as irritating as usual. For starters, her horribly halting delivery seems to have been frozen in its tracks by the cold weather on Necros. There are times where it appears as though her usual stammer is about to rear its ugly head, but then it comes out in more of a silent hesitation as she struggles against the bitter air.
Davros: “You fools! You cannot kill me; I am Davros!”
After a miraculous escape from the double whammy of a virus and an explosion back in Resurrection of the Daleks, (he is rather like the Master in that way—the whole universe knows he is indestructible), Davros survives yet another seemingly impossible situation. His head in a tank act was just that—a puppet act. Surprise! Davros has been hiding behind the curtain all along.
DJ: “This is a highly directional ultrasonic beam of rock and roll.”
Things are really starting to pick up now. Davros’ Daleks are on a rampage.
Davros: “Intriguing. A box of delight or a box of hate.”
Kara, Orcini, Bostock, and the Doctor have all made their way into Davros’ lair where Davros has been lying in wait for them. I am slightly disappointed in Kara; knowing she was dead either way, I would have expected her to coolly allow Orcini to push the final button. However Orcini’s revenge on her is sweet. By the way, Orcini and Bostock seem to be as indestructible as Davros for a time, both taking multiple hits and still popping back up.
DJ: “Hey you guys, this is the broadcast to end all broadcasts.”
The DJ stupidly walks straight into a Dalek barrage and Peri gets yet another poignant moment in our story. She and the DJ develop a sweet acquaintanceship in the brief time they spend together, and Peri is much more human and approachable with him than she ever is with the Doctor.
Davros: “That would have created what I believe is termed consumer resistance.”
Believing himself in control, Davros can take the time to banter with the Doctor and lay bare all of his plans. Building a new army of Daleks, he is feeding the galaxy (but did not “bother to tell anyone they might be eating their own relatives”), allowing them to live until such time as he can take over their planets and convert them.
Davros: “No! Take him! He is the sworn enemy of the Daleks. He is the Doctor."
Davros had one too many plots against him; odds were that one of them would succeed. Takis and Lilt have called in the Kaled Daleks. Interesting that the originals don’t know the Doctor when they have had experience with recognizing new generations, as they did in The Power of the Daleks. And as long as I’m citing that earlier serial, back then the Daleks posed the question, “Why do human beings kill human beings?” Now here they are, Dalek killing Dalek. This civil war aspect of the Daleks is an intriguing chapter in their history. What I find mystifying, though, is that these Daleks have a sense of justice. They do not exterminate Davros, they are taking him “back to Skaro to stand trial for crimes against the Daleks.”
Davros: “That upstart. I could make you all Supreme Daleks. I have the power. You must obey me!”
Davros is wheeled away in full rant. He escapes the explosion that destroys his own manufactured Dalek army and most of Tranquil Repose. Orcini gets his moving and quietly heroic moment as he takes leave of Bostock and pushes that final button on Kara’s bomb. Takis and Lilt alone survive out of our sprawling cast of guest stars, not that they deserve to live any more than the rest. But the Doctor needs someone he can tell his famine busting plan to. The Doctor has had little to do with the outcome of the story. He and Peri could still be outside the walls for all they contributed. But now is his moment—the flowers found growing on Necros can be cultivated; “it’s very similar in food value to the soya bean plant on Earth.” Conveniently Takis is somewhat of a botanist.
I like Revelation of the Daleks. It has its problems, but overall I enjoy the dark humor; it works much better than Vengeance on Varos in that regard. It ends with Peri yet again complaining about their adventures and the Doctor promising to take her someplace fun, but we never get to travel along with them. Doctor Who went into its forced hiatus at this point. Thankfully, Gary, it picked back up again after an extended break; and so, the adventure continues . . .