156. The Curse of Davros

A solid plot that has the Doctor and Flip trying to stop Davros' plot to change the course of human history by changing the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo.

Overall, this is a superb adventure. Colin Baker and Terry Malloy are old hands at their roles, but still manage to pull new insights out of the Doctor-Davros relationship. Flip is a solid companion in her first story in the role and her somewhat snarky manner really produces comedy gold with Davros around, given Davros' tendency to go on villainous rants.

The story itself is a solid adventure that highlights the horrific idea of the Daleks' latest concept, a plot that can swap minds and with which the Daleks can swap the human mind in with the Dalek. Plots involving body swapping are often iffy propositions. However, the actors involved really carry it off brilliantly and it's treated with the proper weight.

It's also worth nothing that the story features Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington (two historical figures who have appeared in Big Finish before.) The portrayal of Napoleon is surprising, particularly at the end.

At the same time, the script is balanced with enough lighter moments to stop it from being depressing or too intense. Overall, a great script by Morris and a very solid start for Flip as a companion.

'The Curse of Davros' was written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Nick Briggs. This audio drama was recorded on 6 and 7 June 2011. The destruction of Flip's flat and the death of the humans who had been occupied by Daleks would be referred to as the Thames Mead Massacre and would be dealt with by Charlie Sato in the Companion Chronicle 'Mastermind'.

Publisher Summary: "It's been a year since Philippa "Flip" Jackson found herself transported by Tube train to battle robot mosquitoes on a bizarre alien planet in the company of a Time Lord known only as "the Doctor"
Lightning never strikes twice, they say. Only now there's a flying saucer whooshing over the top of the night bus taking her home. Inside: the Doctor, with another extra-terrestrial menace on his tail - the Daleks, and their twisted creator Davros!
But while Flip and the fugitive Doctor struggle to beat back the Daleks' incursion into 21st century London, Davros's real plan is taking shape nearly 200 years in the past, on the other side of the English Channel. At the battle of Waterloo..."

Nick Briggs' direction was mostly good but confusing at times. The music is good but fails to make much of an impact. Like the story itself it's all rather hit and miss. Lisa Greenwood is great as Flip (Philippa) Jackson; she manages to be amusing at times without being cringe-worthy, although she does have a habit of undermining tension at times. Flip makes the perfect companion, someone who is bored of the mundanity of her existence and finds the Doctor. Nice they have given Flip such a good introduction story as a companion, having briefly appeared in 'The Crimes of Thomas Brewster'. After Flip's boyfriend Jared is allowed his mind back he allows us an insight into the state of a Dalek mind, and with later events we are told how Davros' existence is filled with constant pain. The interplay between Davros and the Doctor is scintillating in latter scenes. Davros' sadistic streak is brought to the listener's attention when he orders Daleks to self-destruct or orders the Supreme Dalek to increase its brain electro-stimulation by a factor of ten as a punishment.

What makes this great is the characterisation. Allowing us an insight into the mindset of various characters with the use of mind swap technology and it's put to great effect. But it's far from perfect as the tone is quite light hearted at times and lacks sufficient realism and tension. The battle of Waterloo element is rather odd and at times feels out of place but at the same time it's an attempt at something different; I am grateful for that. Apparently Davros is a big fan of Napoleon. Odd. Despite certain flaws, this is still very entertaining.

This in summary should be a corker, we have the Doctor, and the Daleks and Davros to boot. The Doctor as Flip as a companion who has proven to be popular mainly because of the actor than her role perhaps, and we have good old number 6 who never fails to deliver. What we have here is a quite an expansive outing, with the Doctor, Flip and Jared her sort of boyfriend venturing into the past, to of all period the Battle of Waterloo. However, it becomes apparent that there is something amiss with the Doctor, when he allows people to die without the slightest outrage or rebuke. Based on the fact that Flip as not had that long a time with the Timelord she does not get this as a character flaw, unlike the listener, as this is the big reveal of the story, the thing that sews the crashed Dalek Battle cruiser opening to the time traveling escapades in the battlefields of the low lands of Europe, with Wellington to boot (pun intended). What we do get however is an insight into Davros suffering as the mangled wreck of the father of all Daleks. We also get an insight into the captured French soldiers whom are being turned into future Dalek's. This is more of the most disturbing, and insightful part of the whole adventure. The use of Jared as the method to which the Duke of Wellington is availed of laser cannons and guns is a clever construction by the writer and cleverly played out in the action. The ending is a little weak, in which learning the future truth about France, from the Doctor, Napoleon throws the battle to avoid the consequences of altering the time continuum, seemed to me a little weak, after all I would have thought that the little general would have thought vous enculer, je suis Napoléon.

Colin is on form, Terry also superb, you really get the feeling that if nothing else he is Davros, the supporting cast do there bit, as for Flip, well she is too much trying and not enough equal to the sum of her part.

see Doctor Who: The Crimes of Thomas Brewster for Philippa 'Flip' Jackson first time with the doctor