Dalek Universe 3 – Big Finish Review

Coming out at a time when one could argue that the Daleks were being a little overdone at Big Finish, Dalek Universe saw the return of the Tenth Doctor and audio companions, Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven. But what really elevated the previous two volumes was the lack of Daleks actually involved. Instead, the writers focused on the characters, bringing them together gradually before really breaking them apart in the previous set.

With a cliff-hanger including a returning character in the form of River Song, Dalek Universe 3 promises some massive Dalek action, something that you might find in a comic book, and something that could only work on audio. If something like this were to happen on television, I doubt that there would be any budget left to bring the Daleks in! But does Dalek Universe 3 stand up to the previous sets?

The third volume opens with The First Son, which sees the cliff-hanger resolved from the end of the previous set. Author, Lizzie Hopley takes her time in reuniting the Tenth Doctor and River Song, as the Doctor and Anya find themselves at the mercy and caught up in the machinations, of the Movellans. They aren’t a new villain to Big Finish, they have been involved in plenty of audios since their onscreen debut in Destiny of the Daleks and then later, their cameo in The Pilot. But the Movellans still feel quite fresh and they certainly go on an interesting journey through this set.

The story concerns a young Movellan, a mix between robot and human, who is ultimately looking for his father while falling further and further into madness. He makes an interesting villain and the age gap between him and the Doctor make for a much more compelling standoff than the Doctor and Luke Rattigan did in The Sontaran Stratagem.

Alex Kingston puts in a good performance and the script goes to great lengths to keep us questioning whether this is really River or not. But as good as Kingston was, I’m still not entirely sure what River was doing in the story. It was an aspect that didn’t seem to make much sense but both the performances and the strong script keep you from wondering what her involvement was actually supposed to be for.

Coming from the thoughtful and emotional ending of the previous set, The First Son is a good little run around story though it serves little more than to set up the mystery of the Movellan ‘Father’ and get you back into the ongoing story across these three volumes. It’s not a story that alone, will set the world alight, but as part of the Dalek Universe series, it is a welcome inclusion, adding nicely to the strange mythology of the Movellans.

The Dalek Defense is a far more standard Dalek affair, with the Doctor and Anya facing off against, not only the Daleks but also their creator, Davros. Matt Fitton keeps things plenty interesting though, with the Movellans not being the out and out goodies, only saving the Doctor and Anya because it serves their purpose. While this isn’t too far from their actions concerning the 4th Doctor and Romana in Destiny of the Daleks, it could be very easy for writers to use them as a Dalek-killing force, rather than complex characters in their own right.

It was also interesting to hear actor Joseph Milson in a role that isn’t Maria’s Dad from The Sarah Jane Adventures. He proves to be a welcome presence in this story and the next, but his voice is so recognisable I couldn’t help but imagine him as Alan Jackson who had accidentally gotten caught up in a Dalek battle! Returning as Davros is Terry Molloy and it seems like it’s been years since he last played the character. While Michael Wisher and Julian Bleach are amazing incarnations of the character, for me, Terry Molloy was the most terrifying version of the character. He plays well with David Tennant’s Doctor too, matching him in every way. There is no question that Davros is secretly in charge in every situation the characters find themselves in this story. It’s great to have Molloy back, and I bet Tennant had a lot of fun acting opposite him.

As for the cliff-hanger, I’m still not sure if I enjoyed it and as it played such a big part in the next story, we might as well discuss it here. Mark Seven makes his return, only to be discovered as the creator of the Movellans. On the surface, it makes a lot of sense. Although he worked for the Space Security Service, Mark Seven was a robot. And the opening story of the previous set, which saw him return to his home planet, could be seen as the catalyst for him creating the Movellans. I didn’t buy though that after he was exterminated in the previous volume, Mark became evil. Yes, there was some corruption from outside forces, but the fact that he became entirely evil, with no care for his former friends in the final story, just didn’t sit right and did take me out of the story.

All of this comes to a head in the final story, The Triumph of Davros, which as the title, sees Davros actually winning. It’s a good way to frame the story, especially as even in the previous story, he was in control the whole time, even when that control was taken away from him. He manages to engage Mark in a battle of wits and wins and even though he is refrozen, allowing for his appearance in Resurrection of the Daleks to go unhindered, he manages to give the Daleks and Movellan’s enough fuel to continue their fight until his next on-screen appearance.

Where this story really shone for me, was in how it handled the plot threads which have been left hanging for the previous two sets and its conclusion. I was sad that Anya Kingdom didn’t get to go with the Tenth Doctor, even though they both wanted their adventures to continue, though, for a minute, I thought author, Matt Fitton might do the unthinkable and kill her off. I’m glad the Tenth Doctor got a least one companion where nothing really awful happened to her in her time travelling with him! And the lead into The Day of the Doctor was a nice touch with the Doctor deciding to finally go and meet Queen Elizabeth 1st.

One thing has remained constant through this series and that is the high standard of performances. For a set that was recorded entirely remotely from the actor’s individual houses, the performances from the main cast of David Tennant, Jane Slavin and Joe Sims were exceptionally good. It’s good to hear a cast having as much fun as this and writers clearly enjoying getting to play a little more in the Doctor Who sandbox, especially when it comes to including aspects of the First Doctor story, The Daleks’ Master Plan.

Overall, Dalek Universe 3 might not have been the strongest of the series, but it was still a lot of fun. With three strong scripts slightly let down by some strange, for me at least, character choices, it does serve as a great wrap up of this series, though I hope that Big Finish returns to this set sometime in the future, just so that we can get more Anya Kingdom! I remember when this series was announced and people were mad because it featured the Daleks once again. But like I said at the beginning of this review, the lack of Daleks in the previous sets, helped to make their appearance in this final outing much more deserved.