After the Daleks

Early Adventures 7.1

Released: 17 August 2021

Listened: 8/18/21

This Early Adventure is a departure for the series, as it focuses entirely on Susan, and the Doctor doesn’t appear. It starts immediately after “The Dalek Invasion of Earth,” and addresses the fact that maybe leaving Susan on a war-torn planet with a guy she just met wasn’t exactly the best recipe for happily-ever-after. Because humans are humans, and as we’ve learned in the real world, when people are frightened and desperate, they’ll turn to an autocratic strong-man for leadership. It might have been better if the former governor had genuine reasons for believing himself the best leader, but the story was deliberately written in a 1960s style, so he’s basically just a selfish collaborator. The plot also has some 60s-style contrivances, like a creature whose origin is never explained, but who happens to secrete a substance that reverses the Roboman conversion process. But it’s Susan’s arc that’s done properly here, as she goes from feeling somewhat helpless, to trying to channel what her grandfather would do, to trying to stick to her people’s non-intervention policy, to finally taking brave action and making an active choice to stay on Earth with David, instead of having it made for her. David and Jenny from the original story are recast, with David played by Sean Biggerstaff, who’s turning into a Big Finish stalwart. His accent is pretty distinctive, but it’s also fantastic, so I don’t mind at all. Jenny is played by Lucy Briers, taking the role originated by her mother in the original story. All new stories from this early period have to choose between trying to imitate a 1960s style, or going for more modern pacing and storytelling. This time, Big Finish chose the former, and while it gets the job done, I think it might have been a bit more enjoyable if it had gone the other way.