To the Death

"This is the second Dalek occupation I have lived through."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2011

Series: EDA 4.10

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie, Susan, Alex

Synopsis

'He can't be alive.'

After a last, futile fight-back against the Daleks, Lucie, Susan and Alex are heading home to England in the desperate hope of saving the Doctor's life. But the true, terrible nature of the Daleks' plan is beginning to emerge and the Monk has blood on his hands.

To defeat the Daleks, it can only be a struggle... to the death.

Verdict

To the Death was an outstanding episode to conclude the story already started in Lucie Miller and to conclude the fourth and final series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! Wow. It's been one hell of a ride and this was a fitting finale for the range and for Lucie Miller. She's been a terrific companion alongside the Eighth Doctor and her sendoff was handled so well. After such a good cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode, I was surprised with how calmly things started with Lucie, Susan and co finding the Doctor's body after the missile strike. He had fallen far and there was no sign of life, but he was just about holding and despite not waking. Using Susan's TARDIS key to find the police box was good and I liked how that comfort would help with the Doctor's condition. The Monk confessing that he was scared was great but not surprising given his childish nature and I liked how it was Tamsin that had the Doctor's key as well as her having second thoughts on her relationship with the meddler. The Doctor being revived was a fun moment with Susan and the insinuation that the Monk didn't know what he was doing was fun, but the truth was actually that he was collecting human artefacts to remember the race by once the Daleks had destroyed them. That was incredible. He was the one that betrayed humanity to the Daleks and he revealed that the Daleks were planning to put a time warp engine into the centre of the Earth and pilot it through time as a plague planet. That was incredibly audacious and I loved how the Dalek Time Controller was behind it. The explanation of his survival from the Amethyst explosion was excellent and the Monk's role in repairing and slowing the decay surrounding this Dalek was fantastic. It certainly explained a lot with how he was here at this point in Dalek history! Tamsin realising the error of her ways and wanting to help was good and I loved how Susan stood up to the Doctor and disagreed with his desire to go into the future and change history with the Amethyst debacle. Lucie had her own plan which was just wonderful despite her condition as she wanted to pilot a Dalek saucer and drop the bomb down their mineshaft and wipe them out and their plague planet plan. The Monk showing her how to pilot was great and just hearing how unhinged and changed she was made for such a powerful sequence. As if things weren't shocking enough, Tamsin was coldly exterminated and hearing how distraught the Monk was made for a big surprise. He had remorse for his reward for helping the Daleks. The flashback moments where he got the initial plea from the Daleks for help was really beneficial and the attempts of the Daleks to change their future where the Doctor wiped them out were superb. The Monk's desire being to purely get rich was so pompous but right up his alley and the calm way in which he revealed he was responsible for the plague was incredible. So simple and powerful. The Daleks planning to pilot the planet to the moment where all of the viruses converged was brilliant and I thought the attack from Lucie and co was extraordinary with Alex suffering the same fate as Tamsin. Susan was distraught, but the Doctor was noticeably calm throughout. His recollection of Genesis of the Daleks and that famed moment was brilliant but now he knew that the Daleks had to be stopped, no matter what. And the cost was Lucie Miller. What did the Daleks have when humanity took away the fear of death? A fine line and Lucie's sacrifice was fitting. She saved the universe from the Daleks. What a way to go! The Monk saving the Doctor and Susan from destruction was good and I loved how disgusted the Doctor was with his fellow Time Lord. The recollection to Susan of An Unearthly Child and the moment Ian stopped him from killing a savage was wonderful, but now he was thinking he was too soft. Had this pushed him over the edge? His listening of Lucie's message on the gizmo was emotional and I loved the continuity with him repeating The Dalek Invasion of Earth line of one day going back. Overall, an incredible finale!

Rating: 10/10