Brotherhood of the Daleks

Main Range #114

Released: October 2008

Listened: 7/18/20

This one is complicated. Writer Alan Barnes even tells you in the Extras that you can’t listen to this one while doing something else (which is how I usually listen to Big Finish, so that was a problem). It even has five parts instead of the usual four. There are lots of levels of deception going on in this story, with Daleks who think they’re Thals, missions on a planet that’s a simulation, hallucinogenic spores, and most oddly (and the bit that doesn’t really work, in my opinion) Daleks adopting Communism and its principles of brotherhood and collective effort. Charley, of course, is practicing her own deceptions, and that comes strongly to the fore here. She’s met Daleks before (in “Terror Firma,” although this project hasn’t gotten there yet), and furthermore, they know who she is. She also plays into her “experienced adventurer” role more than usual, taking the lead away from the Doctor several times. The story ends up tap-dancing all over the line of revealing the truth, miraculously never quite crossing it. She also reveals her early-20th-century upbringing in her opinions about Communism. In addition, she’s heavily snarky this time, with a cutting comment for just about every occasion. It’s not the most traditional Dalek story, but it is worthy of the attention it demands.