Return of the Daleks

"I'm working for the Daleks now and I really must get started."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2006

Series: Special Release IV

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Suz, Kalendorf

Synopsis 

No one could ever know. We had to erase the past. Change everything. Start again. 

But even though it's been centuries now... In our hearts, none of us feels truly...

Safe. I think, even if our people were to survive until the end of time itself, we would still fear... The return of the Daleks.

Verdict 

Return of the Daleks was an outstanding special release audio! I love the idea of throwing the Doctor into the world of the Dalek Empire but also bringing in magnificent continuity from the classic TV series. After my recent venture into the Dalek Empire spinoff range, I'm more than familiar with the characters of Suz and Kalendorf, both whom I like really much. And adding the Seventh Doctor to the pairing in a story set during the first series of Dalek Empire really gives us a splendid story. I like how the story is set between The Human Factor and "Death to the Daleks!", that much is evident and it's a great throwback to the series with Kalendorf resenting Suz and her 'Angel of Mercy' title in which she serves the Daleks. It was brilliant that the Doctor knew all about the plan of Suz and Kalendorf as they went on a Dalek conquered planet's merry-go-round, to implant the trace of overthrowing the conquerers of the galaxy via Kalendorf's telepathic ability. It was tremendous seeing the plan unfold over the four stories of the first series and I guess the pair must be written in folklore after stopping the Dalek plan. The reference to Invasion of the Daleks was very good and not exactly unexpected but the continuity I liked best was that of Planet of the Daleks and the surprise return of Spiradon! I thought the reveal was excellent and throughout I was intrigued why the Daleks were so interested in Zaleria, but then the truth came out and all was obvious then - the abandoned Dalek army frozen in animation beneath the ice. Just like in the Third Doctor story, the Daleks were after invisibility to aid them in their conquest of the galaxy. Skerrill represented the Spiradons wonderfully and she perfectly showed the hurt and heartache and shame and embarrassment the race felt after previously working for the Daleks as slaves. They'd never forgiven themselves and were now doing everything to ensure that the Daleks wouldn't find them again. The speech at the start of the audio was an emotional one and just showed how much of an emotional scar the Daleks had left on Spiradon as they feared the day that the Daleks would possibly return for their sleeping army - and now that day had come. The Doctor's role in the story wasn't as prominent as I thought it'd have been but I guess that just shows you how well the cast of the Dalek Empire range have done. I'm now affiliated with them so only having minimal appearances from the Doctor wasn't bad at all. But when he did say something, it meant something. Now, I've been somewhat slightly critical of Sylvester McCoy's Doctor in the audios but here was one of his best performances that I've come across. It really was excellent! Without a companion, something that's new for me other than the opening snippets of The Movie, and that just allowed him to act alone without having to worry what Mel or Ace or whoever was up to. He would now be solely focused on defeating the Daleks, something he's not failed to do before. That's a statement I question. If he always defeats the Daleks then how come they've got a galaxy wide empire? And how can he just acknowledge it as the Second Great Dalek Occupation? Surely he'd want to do something about it. Instead, he went and worked for the Daleks over many years, something I found of high interest, always plotting their downfall. Instead of giving them invisibility, he returned it to the Spiradons for their natural state and instead infected the Daleks with the same deadly disease that he defeated them with in the already mentioned Planet of the Daleks. It was very interesting seeing how close the Doctor was to regeneration and it almost seemed like he didn't want to change which I thought was extremely intriguing. Overall, a fantastic special audio! Great relationships with the Doctor, Suz and Kalendorf, brilliant continuity with the Third Doctor story and a wonderful sense of pride after the Doctor heard of the Empire's falling on Yaldos. Terrific!

Rating: 9/10