Released: February 2014
Range: Dark Eyes
Range Number: 2.01
Starring Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Chris Porter, David Dobson, John Dorney, Nicholas Briggs & Brian Shelley
Written and Directed by Nicholas Briggs Nixyce VII is under Dalek occupation. For many, their only hope of survival is decent medical care, as slave working conditions under the Dalek regime are appalling. But when you help people to survive under the rule of the Daleks, are you actually helping the Daleks? Med-tech Liv Chenka doesn't have the luxury of pondering these dilemmas. She must just do what she feels is right.
But then there are the soldiers of last resort... the freedom fighters left behind to cause maximum damage to the Dalek war effort, at whatever cost. To them, anyone who seems to be helping the Daleks is a traitor.
And when the Doctor arrives, his secret agenda throws him into conflict with everyone.
After Dark Eyes hadn't really worked for me on many levels, I had hoped that Dark Eyes 2 would be a massive improvement upon the previous box set, especially with the writing pool being increased, and it's structure tightened. However, Dark Eyes 2 wasn't much stronger, and in fact caused more mistakes of it's own. And these problems begin right here with The Traitor. In terms of action and adventure, it's first rate. However, if you've ever heard Nick Briggs' own Dalek Empire audios (particularly the first series), it's all things you'll have heard before. Unfortunately, The Traitor is a plot condensed. It skips along at a nice rate, but unfortunately it's not very interesting, and the issues it presents aren't very deep. It doesn't really set Dark Eyes 2 off on the best path.
As I said, the plot is very much a rehash of the first series of Dalek Empire, with Liv cast very much in the role that Susan Mendes played, and the Dalek Time Controller in the Emperor role. However, it doesn't seem that the storyline has been advanced in any way since 2001. That plot line hasn't been altered in any way, shape or form, and it comes across as a pure rewrite. It worries me that Nick Briggs, who managed to pastiche The Dalek Invasion Of Earth a few years ago with Lucie Miller/To The Death so successfully, is now stuck pastiching himself. He is very much a sucessful writer, but here, it proves that he can also be too influenced by nostalgic writing. Certainly, the story isn't uninteresting, but I don't feel like I really care about the events on Nixyce. The obscure references to a fleet of alien ships add a little bit of dramatic tension, especially when we discover that their destruction is why the Doctor has come to Nixyce VII. But for a good fifty minutes, this story does rehash a simple, obvious plot. These storylines have value, but only if you have something to say about them. This story doesn't have something new to say about these storylines, but instead ends up covering similar ground. And while the ground is interesting, it's the same kind of morals that Doctor Who has to cover all the time anyway. Mind you, the last ten minutes or so are really exciting, with the Dalek Time Controller pushing the Doctor as far as he can. The tension in that final scene is so palpable, it's untrue. It's the kind of tension that makes really, really good drama. In fact, it feels strange, bolting it on to the end of what is, in fairness, a rather undemanding, obvious story line.
The characters in this are also, unfortunately, a let down. Certainly, our previously established characters (the Doctor, Liv, the Dalek Time Controller) are interesting and well written, but the rest come across as little more than steriotypes. The rebels, in particular, are determined and dangerous... And that's it! There's no third dimension to any of them, just a paper thin "destroy the Daleks and bugger anyone else" mantra. Their so two dimensional that they make the characters of Jubilee look full formed individuals. Certainly, Chris Porter, John Dorney and David Dobson do the best they can, but they simply can't invest the characters with the necessary level of depth that is missing from the script. The Daleks themselves aren't much better: these aren't the calculating, powerful Daleks of The Power Of The Daleks or Jubilee, or the ruthless death machines of Resurrection Of The Daleks or Lucie Miller/To The Death. They just sort of trundle about, barking out orders and not really getting up to much. As for the Doctor and Liv, they certainly fair much better, as does the Dalek Time Controller. With the Doctor kept to the sidelines, it's up to Liv to carry the story, and, it's pretty fair to say that she manages it. It's interesting to compare and contrast the character with her last appearence in Robophobia. There, she jumped straight into the mystery, ready to investigate and get caught up in the danger. Here, however, she's broken, and merely trying to help people survive against the Daleks. She's seen their brutality, and is fully aware of how pointless it is. And that really gives Nicola Walker something to run with, which I'm pleased to say she does magnificently. Her opening narration really conveys the downtrodden nature of the situation, and the depravity of the conditions. It's a really coup, to get such an actress as here to come back for a second crack of the whip. And right behind her is Paul McGann, who is utterly brilliant, as per. Throughout, we can never be quite sure as to what the Doctor's agenda is, and that certainly seems to give Paul McGann plenty to play with. He may deliver empowered speeches to the rebels, but behind that is a man who knows many of them won't survive to tell the tale. It certainly follows on nicely from his amazing work on the original Dark Eyes boxset. And finally, the Dalek Time Controller makes a return appearence, Briggs filling him with the same menace as previously. He's such an exciting, well rounded character that he absolutely dominates the other Daleks completely. Added to that, Wilfredo Acosta's sound design and music is so crisp and assured, as per usual, making it clear how he's Big Finish's current go-to boy for anything of this nature.
However, all that is good about The Traitor highlights all that is poor about it even more. Unfortunately, it is not a strong launch story for Dark Eyes 2, especially because it is filled with repetitive cliches, stock characters and a rather predictable ending. Yes, there are good elements, and there is some nicely mysterious set-up, but The Traitor is, unfortunately, a rather by-the-numbers opener for Dark Eyes 2.
Rating - 5/10
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