The Death of the Daleks

"You wiped out their entire race."

Writer: George Mann

Format: Audio

Released: April 2022

Series: Companion Chronicles: Second Doctor 3.01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie

Synopsis

There is a creature loose on the war-torn planet of Tersimmon. It has just destroyed an entire race, and following its arrival, others are dying too. Only one person will defend this killer, this murderer, this destroyer: because Jamie McCrimmon knows the Doctor isn't himself...

Verdict

The Death of the Daleks was an outstanding start to the third volume of Companion Chronicles for the Second Doctor! This release was obviously delayed considerably throughout the Covid-19 pandemic restriction but this is certainly better late than never! This started incredibly strongly and served as a wonderful sequel to The Evil of the Daleks. I enjoyed how it seemed to take place directly after the events of that serial and the Doctor was seriously contemplating his actions which was admirable. Jamie didn't seem to understand given what the Daleks were and all they stood for, but the Doctor was not one to being referred to as a destroyer. That didn't sit well with him, and Jamie was able to assess that the Doctor just hadn't been himself since events on Skaro. It was certainly an intriguing representation of the Second Doctor here and Frazer Hines performed the role admirably, as is usually the case. I thought the setting of Tersimmon worked well and the initial reaction to seeing the scorched remains of somebody and all indications pointing towards Dalek presence was great from the Doctor and Jamie. The companion didn't seem too impressed to be encountering them again after supposedly seeing their final destruction which was very good. I was intrigued that Victoria was simply made to stay behind in the TARDIS after everything she had witnessed, but I do think she would have been a little out of place in this particular adventure. Jamie standing on a land mine was a brilliant moment that was immediately full of tension, and I liked the emergence of the other characters in coming to save him. I enjoyed the format of the Chronicle with Jamie answering questions and being tested on if it was the truth. Anya was a really strong character and I must admit that I didn't see it coming when she was revealed as the culprit responsible for the deaths on the planet. The idea and image of a Dalek grim reaper was superb and I love the concept of it going around time and space after Dalek conflicts and wiping up the mess. That's terrific, and its retort when weakness was mentioned about being the supreme beings was glorious. I liked how it initially seemed that the Doctor might be going slightly crazy with his interactions with the Dalek phantom, but it was just out of phase and you could hear he was getting through to people when it came to hearing that Dalek voice in the wind. It was there, just out of sync. It sounded creepy as well. This story was all about reflection and the timing was fantastic in allowing the Doctor to almost try and reason with Anya for her actions and try to explain that what she had done wasn't right. That was despite the actions of the Daleks. I thought everything tied up neatly in the end and we ended up with a really poignant Dalek tale and exploration of the Doctor's actions, perhaps explaining that famous moment of contemplation and hesitation in Genesis of the Daleks. Overall, a sublime audio adventure!

Rating: 10/10