Series Synopsis: Romana’s proud new Gallifrey is falling – the Daleks have come tbyhrough the Axis from one universe, preparing to conquer all others. Swarming through the corridors of the Capitol, the Daleks seek, locate and exterminate everyone they find – because they are searching for something, a something they believe will give them domination over the entirety of existence. And it can only be found on this particular Gallifrey. Whatever happens, wherever Romana, Leela and Narvin go, the Daleks will pursue them until they have what they want. But elsewhere, someone else in another reality has a plan of their own, and is waiting for the right moment to confront Romana. Is this salvation or the ultimate betrayal?
What’s it about: Gallifrey Fights… Having infiltrated the Axis, the Daleks have secured access to a myriad alternative realities and, with them, countless Gallifreys… every one with secrets to be plundered. As her new world falls to the might of the Dalek invasion force, Romana finds herself struggling to keep her friends alive as the Capitol collapses around her. Against all odds, there may be a way out - back to the Axis and, potentially, back home. But desperate times call for desperate measures and, ultimately, sacrifices...
Presidential Babe: ‘I wonder if it is the last time I
will ever see a sight like that again. A simple, honest sunset over Gallifrey…’
Skaro was the very first world that Romana visited in her new body, this old
body. Both times she was a prisoner of the Daleks, she was
scared.
Romana acknowledges that back in the day they were lucky because they had the
Doctor and so a Dalek defeat was inevitable. Suddenly Romana is less of a
maniacal dictator and slayer of planets (I still don’t know what that was all
about) and pigeonholed into the role of a victim like everybody else in the
face of Dalek oppression. It is a massive swing in the characters favour and
suddenly she is somebody it is easy to believe in again. Operatic and tragic
delusions of grandeur are not really her style, I prefer Romana struggling
against an insoluble problem and having to use her wits and resources to win
through. Described as an over strung, highly sensitive despot! When Romana
stares out over the Gallifreyan sunset and pines for a simpler life I knew that
my Romana was back, the character I fell in love with all those years
ago. I like the fact that when the going gets tough, Romana is not above
picking up a gun and firing hell for leather at the Daleks. And when she has a
Dalek at her mercy she tortures the bastard to get the information she is
after. Down and dirty Romana kicks ass. She could have ended the Daleks when
she was President of Gallifrey, she could have trapped Skaro in a time loop but
she couldn’t because despite what they are she knew what they were. That the
universe needed the threat of the Daleks to bring out the best in others. As a
whole they are necessary but one single Dalek is expendable… After everything
she has been through, two decades of her life in a Dalek cell not knowing
whether she would see tomorrow…nothing would please her more than to murder one
lonesome, frightened Dalek. Great stuff.
Handcock is using Romana’s experiences in The Apocalypse Element to
explain away the perversion of her character in the last couple of seasons of
Gallifrey. It doesn’t quite wash but I appreciate the effort nonetheless. It
would seem she has come to her senses now but still maintains a vicious edge.
‘Ex-ter-min-ate…’ As far as their adopted planet of Gallifrey
is concerned, Romana is dead. She is back in the world that she was born on
reclaiming responsibility for her actions. Just as I always wanted it.
Noble Savage: ‘Romana has always been my friend and I
shall always support her…’ Leela believes that those who tell stories about
the Daleks are cowards, those who watch but do not fight. She’s a survivor
(thank goodness) and she has a story of her own to tell. At the end of the last
series Leela was furious with Romana and parting company with her forevermore.
It was an appalling state of affairs and I thought the creative hands behind
Gallifrey had gone doolally tat (especially since they had also erased my other
two favourite elements – K.9 and Braxiatel). However a Dalek invasion forces
them to put their differences aside (which makes me wonder why it was necessary
to cause such a dramatic rift between them in the first place) and look after
each other. Just the way I like it. Leela was always Romana’s protector in the
first three series of Gallifrey and it was a role that suited her down to the
ground. If there is blood to be shed then she will be amongst it despite
Narvin’s objections. Leela thought that everybody was following her because she
had a plan when in reality she just ran on ahead of them. She can be used for
comic relief, too. I love the role reversal for Romana and Leela when it comes
to facing a helpless Dalek, the former enjoys persecuting one whereas Leela
shows pity on another.
Snidey Sidekick: That’s not a nickname that Narvin really
deserves anymore, but I still rather like it. He can’t regenerate ever again
and he is frightened of the Daleks. There is definite chemistry between Sean
Carlsen and Louise Jameson, it was one of the few positive things I found to
say about series V. Leela acknowledges that Narvin is not the man he used to be
and he chooses to face his death head on and fight by her side. It’s a lovely
moment. Narvin is a thinker, that’s what he brings to the party and it is his
determination that convinces Romana that they could take on a squadron of
Daleks.
Standout Performance: Nick Briggs’ Dalek that is tortured by
Romana. Wowzas.
Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Their purpose is to conquer and
destroy! And if they’ve made their way to this world, if they’ve found us on
this Gallifrey, then they’ve already captured the Axis. They want Dominion over
every world in every galaxy, every reality even!’ – only Lalla Ward could made
this line as dramatic as it is.
‘I want to know how this story ends for all of us. And if
today’s the day and this is our final chapter like you say well, I’m determined
to make it a good one.’
‘This is where it ends. You and I, at point blank range with
a weapon I don’t have the faintest idea how to use…’
‘So the Destroyer of Worlds finally became the creator of
worlds. Let’s hope I can finally save my own.’
Great Ideas: The idea of having a roll call of monologues at
the beginning of the tale to introduce us to the horror of the Daleks and
re-introduce us to the characters that were left standing at the end of series
V was a terrific notion. It’s an arresting opening, informative and attention
grabbing. Davros (via the Doctor) gave the Daleks concepts and knowledge of
other worlds that they should never have had and set them on their task of
bringing the rest of the universe to heel. Denying them pity, they did so
viciously. Scott Handcock has been delivering some fine work over on the
Bernice and Dorian Gray ranges so it is only fair that he is handed the reward
of getting to play with the best toys in the box. Are the Daleks scavenging the
multiverse for some kind of multiversal anomaly? They plan to make Romana’s
adopted Gallifrey their base of power in this universe, a springboard to wreck
havoc across the enormity of the Axis. That’s a pretty terrifying concept,
Daleks spreading into every possible universe, creating chaos and slaughtering
millions ad infinitum. Despite being portrayed by my good pal Peter Sheward,
Castellan Slyne made very little impression on me in the previous season, he
seemed to be introduced and then vanish for the length of a bible before
re-emerging towards the climax. He is immediately much more striking in
Gallifrey VI because rather than indulging in petty politicking (and nobody can
hold a candle to Inquisitor Darkel when it comes to that) he is messing with
the Daleks now, a dangerous game that he seems rather adept at playing. A squad
of eight Daleks is more than enough to lay waste to an entire sector of the
galaxy. Considering the use of the New Series Daleks in Gallifrey VI it is
bound to generate some discussion about how this segues into the Time War (with
a story about Daleks invading Gallifrey how can it not?). I want to wait and
see how things pan out first. What I did appreciate was a mention of The
Apocalypse Element, the Daleks’ first attempt to invade Gallifrey Prime and
Romana’s involvement in that. You can take lots of steps throughout Doctor Who
to guide you to the Time War; the Doctor’s attempt to avert their creation in
Genesis of the Daleks, the Daleks attempt to invade Gallifrey in The Apocalypse
Element, the Doctor wiping Skaro off the face of the universe in Remembrance of
the Daleks…and now the events of Gallifrey VI. Experimental, underdeveloped weaponry
to defeat the Daleks with? The Daleks know that the Time Lords harbour secrets
in every alternative universe which they thought they would try to plunder
through the Axis. There is a Dalek Co-ordinator stationed in the Axis that
examines every timeline and predicts what they would encounter in each
universe.
Audio Landscape: Despite the fact that I was mightily
unimpressed with his post-production work on Gallifrey V (seriously, go and
listen to it again), I am pleased that David Darlington is back for the final
series because he was so instrumental in giving this range its aural identity
when it started all those years ago. At his best, Darlington cannot be faulted
and a Dalek invasion of countless Gallifreys is exactly the sort of epic
challenge that he thrives on. Listen to the Daleks screaming in unison as they
wipe out everybody in the Panopticon, alarms, waves of extermination blasts,
plasma torches cutting through doors, firings guns and stasers.
Musical Cues: I still love the revised Gallifrey theme. It
worms into your head and I find myself humming it at inopportune moments.
Darlington’s organ of death that was such a popular staple of the ranges first
three years gets an appropriate revival this series and I can’t think of better
excuse for such a portentous score than an invasion by Daleks. The one stirring
thing about Romana’s goodbye speech was the music. Good job.
Isn’t it Odd: Was Councillor Allora in the last series? I
don’t remember her at all. Mind you I have tried to wipe most of the material
from my mind. Anomaly or not, she is culled pretty sharply (and channels
Ressurection of the Daleks for an overwrought extermination death rattle). The
only note of character that doesn’t ring true is Romana’s melancholy in her
goodbye speech to her adopted Gallifrey. It never felt as though she had truly
settled in and made a life for herself and the majority of the audience wanted
her back home anyway. It’s a perfunctory scene that had to be fitted in but I
wont pretend it moved me.
Standout Scene: There’s a gorgeous moment when Romana and
Leela are reunited and they practically fall into each others arms with relief.
Finally these characters are back to where they need to be, as firm friends.
The real life chemistry between Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson spills across
into their characters and it is a joy to bask in it. ‘This is Leela, a
friend of mine. My best friend.’
The Creator: I want to talk about Gary Russell. Because it
might appear to some on this blog, even to Gary himself, that I have some beef
with the man. When that isn’t the case at all. I do have some criticisms of his
creative choices from time to time but considering this is a review blog and
that he has been responsible for a great many creative choices for Big Finish
over the years then that was inevitable. Nobody gets it right for one person
all the time. I wont make any secret that I wasn’t a fan of Gallifrey IV or
that I thought Gallifrey V was one of the weakest things to have ever come out
of Big Finish Towers (go and read the reviews if you want to find out why I
think this). Doctor Who Magazine gave it a similar trouncing and the general
consensus online was that it was pretty poor. I certainly wasn’t alone in my
criticism of the way the series had developed, I was probably just a little
more vocal than others. I found Gary’s reaction to my reviews on the Big Finish
forum quite interesting because he accused me of not liking change (nothing
could be further than the truth – I loved the new direction Jago & Litefoot
took last season as just one example) and that if they hadn’t fiddled with the
formula and pushed the series on I would have been complaining that it was same
old/same old. Again wrong, if a formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Innovative
on occasion but stick to what you are good at; the Companion Chronicles are a
fantastic example of this, generally sticking to the same formula but every now
and again doing something completely different. Now Gary is perfectly entitled
to his opinion (although I found it amusing that the very night he was finding
my criticism hard to swallow he took to Twitter to publicly slam Doctor Who
Magazine in quite a vehement fashion – although to his credit he did publicly
apologise the next day but it just goes to show we are all guilty of saying
what we feel about things out in the open) and it did make me consider my
position a little. It didn’t change my opinion on Gallifrey V at all, but it
did make me think. It also made me think about Gary’s work in general and
everything that he brought to the party when Big Finish begun and how much I
owe him in that respect as a fan of Doctor Who audio drama. He introduced one
of my favourite companions (Evelyn Smythe). He gave me the eighth Doctor back.
He took hold of my favourite Doctor and completely revolutionised him in the
eyes of the wider audience who pretty much despised him. He produced three
incredible series of Gallifrey. He directed some awesome stories. I have a
great deal to thank Gary Russell for. If I’m not fond of his writing style then
that is my prerogative and I make no apologises for it (as a former editor for
Doctor Who magazine Gary probably understands better than anyone that you can’t
like everything) but he more than compensates for that with his other talents.
He might have written some of my least favourite Doctor Who stories but he has
directed some of my absolute favourites. I didn’t intend to dribble on for this
long but I wanted to engage on the subject of Gary who is wonderfully creative
and wonderfully flawed, a contributor to Doctor Who that creates waves as much
as he creates great pieces of work. I raise my glass to him as Gallifrey comes
to a close.
Result: That was…
good. To say I had my
reservations about Gallifrey Series VI is an understatement but despite my
allergic reaction to the last two seasons I was still excited to learn that the
final trilogy of stories had been released. Obviously a lot of my earlier love
for the range hasn’t dissipated as I thought. I harped on about the Daleks
being dragged out by Big Finish once again in my recent review of The Final
Phase and my witterings about the conclusion of series V of Gallifrey. Whilst I
do think they have been overused to the point of exhaustion, this is clearly
the sort of dramatic threat that Gallifrey has needed for some time now to pull
all the characters together, make them forget their differences and curtail the
bizarre character development the regulars have been forced to endure (Romana –
the destroyer of worlds?) and get on with telling some stories with a punch.
And that’s what Extermination (great title, I wonder why it hasn’t been used
before?) has in spades – energy, drama and conviction. As mentioned, another
huge plus in it’s favour is the characterisation of the regulars who have gone
from a disparate bunch of barely recognisable anti-heroes from the previous
year to a beautifully formed unit of characters working together to fight a
common enemy. Leela and Romana are the best of friends again, Narvin surprises
at every turn, Braxiatel is back and even some of the original guest characters
from Gallifrey V are starting to emerge as ones to watch. Handcock has a
terrific grasp on all of them, it feels as though he has taken on board a lot
of the complaints from the previous year (not necessarily mine before you think
I’ve got a God complex) and decided to wipe the slate clean and return the
characters to their (previously successful) factory settings. Or maybe things
were always heading this way. Whatever, it is such a leap in the right direction
I could kiss the man. Topping off a nourishing first part to this trilogy is
the larger development within the series that sees the adopted Gallifrey (which
never took off for me) fall to the Daleks before rising high and the series
return to its proper time and place. Extermination isn’t the best Gallifrey has
ever been (it is still is set on the one of the alternative Gallifrey’s) but it
is the best it has been in a long while, a massive return to form for a range
that I thought had lost the plot and offers a lot of hope for the rest of the
concluding trilogy:
8/10
2 comments:
Hey Joe - Good review, I learned about this release with just enough time to d/l and stick it on my MP3 player for the commute to work this morning.
I seldom go as extreme as you do in your depths of for bad stories (case in point, I rather enjoyed this last Klein trilogy which I listened to a few days ago) and I also thought Gallifrey 4 and 5 were OK - not great but not nearly as bad as they rubbed you. So I was interested and surprised to find the review up so quickly! I am glad you liked it.
The one bit that I didn't like was the docile-ness of the Daleks when the guardsmen start shooting. It's not like them to have that kind of patience - sure it's explained that it was a strategy to separate the captain from his troops, but to me, for them to sit there... ... ... ... just seemed WRONG.
That was my only nitpick, I loved the rest of it.
-Andy
Extreme? Yeah, I suppose I do rant a bit. But I'm so happy when a range turns a corner like this, especially Gallifrey, which was always one of my favourites.
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