So it begins, Dark Eyes 2. The Traitor opens atmospherically, presenting an enslaved world well & into this oppressive world we welcome Liv Chenka. Having not heard Robophobia I don’t think it's required listening, Nicola Walker is so good here at bringing Liv to life & the dilemma she’s in. A complex conflicted person with a distinct personality immediately established.

Other than that it's fairly standard stuff, lots of Daleks shouting at each other giving us exposition & giving Briggs more work - he also writes & directs this one. That’s unsurprising given the proliferation of familiar tropes that he loves - Dalek occupation, robomen, rebels, etc etc. Unlike The Great War,  the first episode of Dark Eyes, this isn’t exciting or original. It feels like Dalek Empire with added Doctor Who. A good or bad thing? You decide.

There’s plenty of set up here but it's just not very interesting. Everything rushed in the last few minutes with a curt cliffhanger. It's only really the two central performances from Walker & McGann that kept me listening.

PS - Daleks really do have a mining kink!

This was a great start to the next box set, though I dislike it ending on another cliffhanger. Liv seems to be an interesting new companion, curious to see her in more stories. Getting a little tired of the Daleks again, though.