This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Auton Infinity

Well the good story streak had to end at some point didn't it? That was awful, I thought the days of needlessly padding out stories were over but apparently not. The plot could have been resolved in one 20-minute part not two 40-minute ones. Davros was the highlight here, but it hurts that he was wasted on a story like this.

After some great writing for Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor in the first half of Season 21, we're back to the stiff, unnatural and boring dialogue. Davison really tries his best but there's nothing even the most charismatic of actors could do to save this script. The Doctor attempting to kill Davros was a pathetic attempt to bring an moral dilemma into this story, like Genesis of the Daleks. Only with Genesis of the Daleks, it was actually interesting. Here, the Doctor kills countless Daleks without remorse only to suddenly stop at Davros and leave him be for no apparent reason.

It's a shame because I was hooked on this story at the start, there was a solid mystery for a bit and the grimy London streets were very reminscent of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. The only thing that I think was handled well here was Tegan's departure, a brilliant bit of acting from Janet Fielding but it's a shame that it had to cap off such a horrific story.

Next Story: Phantasmagoria