The Daleks begin to show their true colors while the mad scientist Martez (in the body of his assistant Asha) has revealed his own version of the Daleks, built from salvaged technology. The Doctor realizes that it is these “new” Daleks that are the reason the “true” Daleks have come to Red Rocket Rising. As an all-out war breaks out between the two factions, the Doctor finds himself with little choice but to choose sides in the battle, in the hopes that the lesser of the two evils wins out in the end.
written by Steve Lyons
directed by Nicholas Briggs
music by ERSCast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Sheridan Smith (Lucie Miller), Anita Dobson (Eileen Klint), Hayley Atwell (Asha), Kenneth Cranham (Tom Cardwell), Katarina Olsson (Headhunter), Nicholas Briggs (Daleks)
Timeline: after Blood Of The Daleks Part 1 and before The Horror Of Glam Rock
LogBook entry & review by Philip R. Frey
Review: Blood of the Daleks concludes with a satisfying bang. The conflict between the two Dalek factions is reminiscent of Evil Of The Daleks and Remembrance Of The Daleks and feels right. That a group of Daleks would go through so much trouble just to stamp out a “rogue” group fits well with the notion that the Daleks hate all other species, but hate “impure” Daleks more.
There are hints dropped throughout that tie in to the new TV series, including mentions of the Daleks being involved in a costly war. The Doctor seems unaware of the details, so this may not be the “Time War” mentioned so often by the Ninth Doctor, but it may be that the producers are implying that the Doctor just hasn’t gotten involved yet. Given Lucie Miller’s origin, the Time Lords are certainly still on the scene, but perhaps pre-occupied.
My only real complaint is Big Finish’s tendency to over-explain or over-describe things. They even worked in a lengthy description of the Doctor by Lucie that I didn’t feel was necessary. It only serves to underline Lucie’s attitudes towards the Doctor, which I think can be better expressed in regular dialogue. There is also a sly little joke at the end of the story that seems to indicate that Red Rocket Rising’s troubles aren’t over that I hope is only a sly little joke. A return to the planet would be a bit too similar to Doctor Who Season One‘s insular tendencies.
But overall, Blood Of The Daleks is a solid Dalek story that hearkens back to the Daleks of old. I certainly felt it was more of a “proper” Dalek tale than the Ninth Doctor episode Dalek. Lots of double dealing and menace from our galactic pepperpots with no quibbling. They are shown as unqualified evil, as they should be.
Lucie Miller is shaping up nicely enough. She’s a bit too much like Rose for my tastes, but at least she doesn’t trust the Doctor as quickly as Rose does and has less of the “Buffy-effect” about her. I’m not crazy about her Time Lord angle, as it seems to point to a “theme” underlying the series that is also too reminiscent of the TV series. I would prefer straight-up stories. But as long as it doesn’t overshadow everything (and the conclusion is satisfactory), it’s not too much of a problem.