The Triumph of Davros

Dalek Universe #3.3

Released: 13 October 2021

Listened: 12/13/22

The First Movellan turns out to be Mark Seven, tying together Terry Nation properties in a way that…kinda makes sense, but wasn’t really necessary, and smacks of narrative convenience. If you listened to these as they came out, it’s been months since Mark died, and you’ve probably forgotten about him. But if you’re listening all in a row like this, it’s only been a couple of episodes, and you’ve got a high chance of seeing it coming. I’m not sure we needed a “Genesis of the Movellans” story, because they’re really not all that interesting, except as a foil for the Daleks. As for Davros, he continues to be a complete amoral slime, helping the Movellans out until he has the opportunity to screw them over in favor of his Daleks, who don’t actually want him around. And the Doctor takes kind of a back seat in this one. He’s started actively trying to avoid mucking up the web of time, probably because he knows where Davros needs to end up next, and really doesn’t want to mess with that. With the ending known, it kind of takes some of the air out of the climax. In a Matt Fitton story, you’re really more interested in the character relationships, and it is interesting to see how Anya and the Doctor have healed the fracture that started a very long time ago (for him), but I’m not sure that she ends up as a better person because of it. She really hasn’t changed all that much. The Doctor ends up back where he needs to be, and decides to go visit Elizabeth I, leading directly to the anniversary story.