Liv Chenka is back and is a hospital worker for the Daleks, though how this arrangement has come to pass is unrevealed for now. Overall, it’s a pretty standard Dalek story, not too much to take away. The voice Briggs uses for the Time Controller is delicious, but we haven’t quite reached the good stuff yet.

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!