X and the Daleks

"The Daleks offer us nothing but fear and death."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: November 2012

Series: Dark Eyes 1.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Molly

Synopsis

'Subject is called Molly O'Sullivan. An inhabitant of Earth. Born Earth year 1891. Has travelled in space and time with Time Lord known as the Doctor.'

With Straxus and his TARDIS destroyed, the Doctor and Molly have tracked the mysterious 'X' to the planet Srangor. It is here that the truth of the threat to the universe will finally be revealed. 

What is the Dalek Time Controller's ultimate plan? What exactly is the space-time projector? Who will survive this epic battle for survival?

Verdict

X and the Daleks was another fantastic episode to conclude the first series of Dark Eyes within the Eighth Doctor Adventures! Considering that there are still three more boxsets to come in this range, I was actually surprised by how much of a finality feeling there was at the end. This was really strong stuff and served as a fine conclusion to what has been a tremendously consistent set of stories and a superb story arc! I absolutely love Molly as the companion and I'm intrigued by how things were left with her here. She did seem to have something more of a scared feeling in the episode but that didn't stop her from showcasing her brash confidence. She was needed when the Doctor was taken out and she pulled her weight, quite literally, when called upon. The mystery regarding X, who we already knew as Kotris, was really strong and I enjoyed finding out more about him. The concept of a Time Lord willingly becoming part Dalek is sensational and I love the idea of looking objectively at the universe and seeing that the Time Lords were more guilty of causing death than the Daleks. That's a bold claim, but for Kotris that was what he believed and so much so that he wanted to revoke his own species. As if that was not enough, the truth regarding his origins was most unexpected as he turned out to be the next incarnation of Straxus! That was pretty amazing and I loved that Kotris was just the family name. He didn't want the name of the previous incarnation anymore. The discussion between Kotris and Straxus was really interesting stuff and the former actually stopping his future self by sacrificing himself was extraordinary! The implications for the web of time there were really interesting as for Molly, that meant her dark eyes had never become a thing because Kotris had never come into being! He had plaid an important role by saving the Dalek Time Controller, but now his life had never happened. Molly saving the Doctor and flying the TARDIS back to France so she could fulfil her role in providing care for Kitty was a lovely ending for her and really rounded out her arc for the series. The exploration into the importance of her dark eyes was excellent and I loved how defensive she was when she thought the Doctor was mocking her. She'd experienced enough of that in school which was quite sad to hear. The eyes being a result of her injection of retro-genitor particles. The idea of her being a weapon was expected, but the concept of inhibiting regeneration thanks to the radiation was really good! I thought it was wonderful for Molly to want to sacrifice herself if it meant saving people as she knew that she was infected and the key, so if she died everyone would be safe. The Doctor was having none of it, especially when she seemingly fell to her death! The Doctor wasn't dealing with that well, especially considering how much he was still reeling from Lucie's death. Nadean was a strong character too and I loved his determination to save Molly. Even if it meant the Daleks surviving. The involvement of the Time Lords in this Dalek plot is intriguing and definitely has the feeling of being a precursor to the Time War, especially when it came to the Time Lords being in control all along and knowing the effect of Molly's bonding with the Doctor would have on the particles within her. That was really nice. I'm fascinated to hear how things move forward from here with the Doctor being united again with Molly, especially when the whole Dark Eyes angle seems to have concluded! This felt final, but it's lovely to know that it is not! Overall, a fantastic listen and a fitting finale for what has been a magnificent series. 

Rating: 9/10