Skip to content
TARDIS Guide

Back to Story

Reviews

Add Review Edit Review

2 reviews

This review contains spoilers!

This review will function more so as an umbrella review for Dalek Universe as a whole, than just the Triumph of Davros. I have a lot of thoughts on it that will only really make sense with wider context, as I think the Triumph of Davros two-parter just backstabs the rest of the series.

Firstly, what is the main theme of Dalek Universe? I think, its identity. The first two boxsets focus heavily on the looking at what influences someone's personality and their character. Furthermore, as stated in the interviews for some writers this is deliberate. in 1.1 + 1.2 it focuses on the Doctor. How are  does their identity and personality shaped by: Gallifrey and the Time War (as shown by the Nun) and their companions (shown by the contrast with Ann and Anya). in 1.3 it focuses on Anya, how she was shaped by the SSS and her family. In 2.1 the themes are developed by Mark as we learn about what shaped him with flashbacks to his mother, it presents the idea of identity as something powerful that cant simply be overwritten by our natural constraints (in his case his programming). 2.2 then refocuses to Felicity, and shows how even when altered by experiments she remains the same person in some ways. 2.3 shows us this with the Lost. Whilst the Lost changes and loses their  memories, they stay the same with their motivation and goals.

The Third boxset then u-turns on this. 3.1 has part of the drama being "is Mito, River?". Whilst it's shown to be a ploy by River, it doesn't offer any interpretations or explore River. It treats her like a prop rather than a character. This is just bad writing. Next 3.2 and 3.3. The main culprit for the series' themes being backstabbed, is the First Movellan. This character is entirely used for a twist with 0 impact on the story. The fact they are Mark Seven centuries later, does show some parallels with both the Lost and Felicity, but the inclusion just makes it so the storyline of 2.1 is reversed. 2.1 showed that Mark can go against his code, having that resolve the narrative, 3.3 has him effectively a prisoner to it. It shows his identity can be overridden therefore going against what boxsets 1 and 2 were saying.

The story itself also feels very mediocre. It lacks any drama as we know all of our characters' fates excluding Anya. We know Davros doesn't really betray the Daleks, and we know the Doctor returns to the post-time war period. So the drama then has to come from the side-characters, all of whom are just bland and one-dimensional. I believe the issue with Dalek and Movellan stories is that its hard to create interesting characterisation as they intended to be one dimensional.

Whilst the end is nice, it feels unresolved. Mark's ending is completely unsatisfying as it offers finality for Mark but not the First Movellan, which to me is the worst of both worlds as Mark can't return, but the villain goes undeafeted. I feel like Anya's ending seems odd. She seemingly accepts her fate as being stranded in the far future, with no qualms. As the main characters, their endings feel rushed.

Overall its a mediocre story to an otherwise great series, which definitely harms the rest of the series.

 

 


This review contains spoilers!

A fantastic conclusion to Dalek Universe. A prospect of a Dalek/Movellan alliance is an exciting one, and Mark Seven is tragic, seeming not to remember the Doctor and Anya until towards the end. The story's ending also ties in with The Day Of The Doctor/The End Of Time, with the Doctor setting off to romance Queen Elizabeth I, which is a neat way to fit it into continuity.