What’s it about: The Dalek Supreme’s forces have attained
their first objective. But will Alby, Mirana and Morli be able to escape?
Meanwhile Kalendorf’s forces seem to be defeating the Daleks in the solar
system. However, the mysterious Mentor’s suspicions are growing…
Angel of Mercy: Suze has nothing to lose by giving herself
up to the Daleks and many lives to save as she does so but proving their usual
trustworthy selves they start shooting as soon as she agrees to go with them.
They want her back because they think she is the living repository of the Dalek
Emperor and so the only hold she has over them is to threaten to blow her
brains all over the place. Its very funny to hear the Daleks who are usually
ready to murder without pity screaming ‘YOU MAY NOT SACRIFICE YOURSELF!’ as if
they have the right to make that choice! They take that choice out of her hands
by offering her the bargain that if she doesn’t kill herself Alby will be
allowed to live. Once Suze told the Daleks that she wanted to die because she
was tired and angry of everything that was happening on Vega 6 when they
invaded. They didn’t have to coerce her into helping them, they just had to wait.
They took away all of her creature comforts just so they could give them back
to her and remind her that life can be good again. That was all it took to
convince her to become the Angel of Mercy.
Anti Hero: I’ve always found Alby the least impressive of
the three main stars of Dalek Empire/War but this is his best instalment so far
in either series and a real chance for Mark McDonnell to shine. Its always felt
as though there is little more to this character than his pining after Suze and
now they are reunited Nick Briggs is forced to give his character a new focus.
Her relationship with Morli is unexpectedly sweet. Its nice that after all the
hopes they had pinned on their potential relationship in Dalek Empire that as
soon as they meet in Dalek War there is an uncomfortable chemistry between
them. How can either of them possibly live up to the expectations of the other
after the romance they had built around a few moments of happiness before the
killing began? The Daleks are still using psychology as a weapon and try to
suggest to Alby that Kalendorf and Mirana have been keeping their real plan in
an attempt to divide and conquer. Ultimately if Suze dies then the Daleks are a
force without a leader and they will have technically won the war but that is a
dilemma that Alby refuses to consider because he will never let it happen. It
seems to me that Alby and Suze are a romance born out of warfare and it is when
the threaten of the pair of them being torn apart that their feelings are at
their strongest. It makes me wonder if they ever have any kind of long term
prospects (unlikely considering there hasn’t been a whisper of a happy ending
for any of the characters in this range so far) but at least their continued
survival gives the other hope.
Standout Performance: Its quite jarring to introduce Morli with a Scouse accent because it sounds rather like Briggs has dropped Cheryl Cole right in
the middle of his Dalek War series (‘stop hurting him, man!’). Despite this
handicap Danni Carr gives a highly charged, charming performance and adds a
touch of rough around the edges charm to the proceedings.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Sometimes the Daleks understand us
better than we understand ourselves…’
Great Ideas: Earth is currently where the Daleks have their
stronghold and that is where the Dalek Emperor’s casing can be found. They took
the casing from the Earth Alliance hospital and left a hologram in its place to
lure Alby in to lead them to Susan Mendez and the intelligence of their
Emperor. Once again Briggs is showing his hand first (the Daleks bursting from
Alby’s ship at the end of the last instalment) before explaining how he got
there (as he does here with Alby’s tale of meeting Morli and being captured by
Dalek forces) but there isn’t the same wait for the answers as there was in
Chapter One so it is more satisfying. Plus the cliffhanger was a doozy so it
was worth experiencing the shock first and the explanations later. The Mentor
wanted Suze fired into a collapsing star and with her the Dalek Emperor’s mind
completely destroyed. Mirana asks a fascinating questions – what exactly are
the Mentor are her alternative Daleks going to do once the enemy Daleks have
been destroyed? What is in it for them? Jupiter is being terraformed by the
Daleks and is now suitable for human habitations – there are several large land
masses and oceans.
Audio Landscape: Dalek extermination blasts and blood
curdling screams, the damaged, hiccupping alternative Dalek, footsteps, the
hull breach screaming, zero gravity boots sucking against the hull, Alby
blasting a Dalek straight to hell (I’m sorry but the macho tone of this series
demands such melodramatic descriptions!), the Daleks entering Suze’s mind,
Musical Cues: Briggs always manages to capture me with his
music when exciting things start happening and the escape from the enemy Daleks
is improved tenfold by the use of some very dramatic music.
Isn’t it Odd: What a shame that we should end an otherwise
perfectly judged story (in dramatic terms) on a ridiculous ‘Nooooooooo!’ from
Alby. It rather undercuts the strength of the cliffhanger.
Standout Scene: The first scream of the Dalek Emperor in the
Angel of Mercy’s mind is a chilling moment. A genuinely formidable force hiding
inside of her. Her scream when he cries ‘WE ARE THE EMPEROR OF THE DALEKS!’
is spine tingling. That would have made a fantastic cliffhanger.
Result: ‘You’re saying that the enemy Daleks have
deliberately turned the biggest gas giant of the solar systems into an
inhabitable planet?’ I was trying to think what the fatalistic tone of
Dalek War reminded me of and it came to me in Chapter Two. Its Blakes’ 7!
There’s a feeling of crushing oppression within the galaxy and the constant
feeling of the protagonists (most of who alternate between enemy and ally)
always being on the run from something nasty. It’s an engaging, dark, almost
defeatist tone that whilst leaving little room for light relief is nonetheless
absorbing. Nobody has a happy life in a universe where the Daleks are battling
the Daleks but it makes for great drama. There are more eye opening
developments here (Jupiter has been terraformed and the Dalek Emperor begins to
reassert himself) but also a nagging feeling that the first two instalments
could have had their flab cut away and made one swiftly paced 90 minute
re-introduction to the series. This is a great instalment for Mark McDonnell’s
Alby Brook who gets to meet new friends, try and understand his relationship
with Suze and proves himself to be an action hero in every way by taking on
Dalek squadrons in flashback and real time. The big plus that this has over the
first instalment is its focus on character which makes the material a lot more
likable but it lacks the shock factor of setting up the scenario and is slower
paced (despite some fine action set pieces). Overall this is a fine
continuation but again better seen as a part of the series than as a story in
its own right: 7/10
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