| DAVROS by Lance Parkin |
| Story 48 Synopsis: The Doctor is called in to investigate claims that Trans-Alled Inc plans to lay off workers in its mine operations. He is soon more interested in why TAI's boss, Arnold Baynes, has got hold of Davros. Baynes' wife, Lorraine, is a Davros-worshipping historian. Davros revives, and Baynes offers him a job. The Doctor realises he needs to keep an eye on Davros, and offers his own services. Arnold decides to make them work together. The Doctor suspects there's more going on in TAI than Baynes says, and he finds a production line with service robots on it. Baynes says they'll just be working to clear mines, but the Doctor finds a device that he and Davros worked on is connected to it. He tries to persuade Baynes that Davros will try to usurp control. Davros gives a journalist sensitive information, and a computer equation that would wreck the galactic economy, but the journo refuses to help. He contacts the Doctor, and Baynes also comes along to the meeting. Davros has also given the journo a nuclear bomb, which he arms. The Doctor manages to drop it down a mineshaft before it explodes, but the fall-out causes chaos. Davros attempts to use Lorraine to effect his schemes, but she realises his ambition, and stalls for time. The Doctor and Baynes use the TARDIS to return to TAI HQ. Baynes tries to kill Davros, but is himself killed instead. Davros steals Baynes' private shuttle, planning to leave the planet, but the hostage he takes along drives the ship to crash into the planet. The Doctor leaves Lorraine to try and rebuild TAI and leave Davros to rest in peace, though he suspects that he won't really be dead. |
| Review:- The 2nd play in the trilogy pitting the Doctor against some of his most formidable villains brings back Davros, but without the Daleks around to disappoint him. But he doesn't need much help to get his way... The daunting problem with this play is its length - 150 minutes for 2 episodes. Some BF plays have long durations and pack them needlessly with multiple subplots that can't cover the fact that things are taking too long, and boring the listener. Fortunately, this play keeps things fairly simple, has a small, effective cast, and its references to the wider galaxy are all the more effective. Though the opening shows what sort of people Arnold and Lorraine Baynes are, as soon as the Doctor realises Davros is involved, as the Kaled scientist recovers from his sleep, then things start cooking. Their alliance is based on mutual distrust, with the Doctor not believing Davros' stated wish to turn over a new leaf, and warning Arnold to watch his back. But Arnold is not as nice, either, and the Doctor finds that he has secret plans, too. But given the choice, Arnold is the lesser of the two evils, and together, they manage to avoid nuclear armageddon, and prevent Davros' quite cunning plan. The ideas in the story are interesting enough to maintain attention during the long episodes. Lorraine, the dreadful biographer, is blind to her subject's faults, even when those faults are genocidal. Arnold, the ruthless businessman, sees Davros' aptitude and acumen as business advantages, not threats. Whilst the journalist wants to bring Baynes down, he rejects Davros' chosen method, failing to link the offered evidence of a nuclear bomb with Davros' seemingly friendly offer. And so on. It's curious that the Doctor is initially brought in because of a fear of mass redundancies, yet the robots that Arnold admits will be used in the mines are not tied in to this - I assumed that Baynes wasn't closing the mines, but replacing the human workers with more efficient forces. But perhaps that wasn't the intention at all. The nuclear attack moves the drama up a level in the final quarter, as the Doctor and Arnold have to avoid certain death, rescue TAI staff, and stop Davros. With the TARDIS and a bit of computer trickery, they can manage the first of these, but it needs Lorraine's decision not to support Davros all the way, that opens the chance to stop his scheme. Once again, we have a self-sacrifice to put a stop to Davros, even though the Doctor doubts it will be enough to really end it. Despite the broad length, which could have been tailored to shorter episodes, the story is an interesting and involving one, giving the Doctor a dangerous mission. But the heart of the play is Davros' legacy - his imprisonment in his life-support chair, and his memories of his former life, of the woman he wronged and on whom he took a terrible revenge. For adding a new depth to the diabolical genius without diminishing his character, this play is a success. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |