The Dalek Contract

"If you don't work together, you'll die together."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 2.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis 

"These creatures have ravaged half the cosmos. They're experts at this kind of thing. Nothing can stand in their way."

The Doctor and Romana find themselves in the Proxima System, where enigmatic Conglomerate CEO Cuthbert has been conducting his infamous 'experiment'. An experiment which might accidentally rip the universe apart.

Meanwhile, living conditions on Proxima Major have become harsh and hostile. Climate change has turned the landscape into a freezing wasteland and an alien power has condemned much of the population to life inside internment camps. For those still clinging to their freedom, the struggle for survival is now beyond desperate and outsiders such as the Doctor and Romana are only seen as a threat.

What is Cuthbert really up to in the Proxima System, and just how does he expect the dreaded Daleks to fit into his plan?

Verdict 

The Dalek Contract was a strong start to the two-part finale of the second series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures! It’s always exciting when the Daleks are involved and it’s quite staggering that throughout the lengthy tenure of the Fourth Doctor’s run on television, he only encountered his greatest foes on two occasions. Of course, Energy of the Daleks saw to rectifying that and it’s just nice to be getting Dalek stories with this incarnation of the Doctor that don’t involve Davros. I’m all for more of the evil Dalek creator, but it does allow the Daleks to shine by themselves as was the case here. It was amusing to think of the Daleks as acting as a security force and it’s actually quite fun to think this came a decade or so before that happened on a political scale in the Revolution of the Daleks special. We always knew that the Daleks would have a motive other than acting as a security force, but it’s fun to hear them play the game. It’s important for the Doctor to acknowledge that the Daleks won’t adhere to the terms of their contract, but someone as self-righteous as Cuthbert was always going to think he was in control. I’m really enjoying the continuity throughout this series going back to The Sands of Life/War Against the Laan with the Conglomerate making their return. I liked how Cuthbert had spent time building his popularity back up after the events of the aforementioned episodes and he wasn’t so fussed on seeing that Romana was back in play. It was fun to have Dorrick back again and his awkwardness in delivering the message of the slowly increasing and yet unidentified particles was terrific. He’s a good character and just helps highlight the villainous nature of Cuthbert. Having him team up with the Daleks is a fine combination and I look forward to that inevitably collapsing in the final episode of the series. Romana mentioning how she’d heard of the Daleks was fun and I liked that she knew the Doctor always got the better of them. The Doctor knowing that the unidentified particles were a result of the Laan time experiment was good and I’m looking forward to finding out what Cuthbert’s ‘final phase’ will be. It’s a little weird to me still to have what is essentially a four-parter released as two different episodes as whilst a cliffhanger finish is nothing new, that usually leads us somewhere else with the story resolved. Here, the Doctor’s surrender will simply be an immediate continuation. That’s no problem, but there was just a little feeling of openness as the episode concludes. I can’t imagine having to wait a month for the next part as would have been the case when released! The Proxima System setting worked well and I thought it was wonderful to hear Romana’s reaction to the Doctor overwriting the randomiser once again. He really didn’t seem to be taking the Black Guardian threat seriously at all! The moment when the claw was coming for the TARDIS and the Doctor mentioned that he’d cancelled Romana’s modifications that would enhance the exterior shields because he didn’t like tampering! That was glorious and so perfectly in line with the Fourth Doctor’s personality. I now look forward to what’s to come in the second half and series finale, with the Daleks hopefully putting their plan into motion and the Doctor revealing his plans in surrender. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10