It’s time to listen to and discuss The Davros Mission
Buy it online using the link above, or listen for free - you’ll find links where to listen free on the story page!
Once you’ve listened, talk about it below! Even if you listened to it before and just want to discuss it - dive right in! Just please use spoiler tags where appropriate.
Everyone who participates will get a coveted Audio Club badge!
Listened to this on the plane yesterday and, well… it’s not bad exactly, but it’s also not what I’d call good. Miranda Raison is superb in it, but I feel like Davros is quite poorly characterised, the two annoying slaves were pretty tonally jarring, and like the plot is just… nothing. AND it’s 80 minutes long!! It does not justify having a runtime that long and it loses all the tension and character work from the rest of the series.
I will say that the first scene where main character woman slips into Davros’ cell and haunts him was very effective, but by the end of this I was definitely tapped out
I am in complete agreement with @sircarolyn here. This was a standalone Davros audio later retrofitted into I, Davros and it lacks pretty much everything that made the first four parts compelling. There’s no real tension, no nail-biting drama and no interesting characters, save for Lareen and Davros. And I ■■■■■■■ hated the two annoying molluscs who got too much space in this story. And it’s way too long!
The Davros Mission concludes the I, Davros saga, though it began life as a separate release and feels out of alignment with the four main chapters. Its reliance on long, wandering conversations and tonal clashes (especially the overuse of Gus and Raz, the mollusc-like Gralians with grating lisping voices) undermines the bleak psychological intensity the finale needs. Miranda Raison’s Lareen brings the story’s strongest moments, particularly her tense attempts to sway Davros against the Daleks. The interrogation scenes probe his potential for guilt, remorse and humanity. The ending is bleak and fitting, but the path there lacks the tension, atmosphere and cohesion required for a truly satisfying finale.
Here’s my review for those who fancy a read. Thanks!
I just found this whole story a bit unnecessary to be honest, there were some bits I liked, but listening to it on the back of the phenomenal I, Davros series, it just felt like the whole thing went out on a bit of a wimper
It makes me a little sad that this even exists. The rest of the series is easily some of the best Big Finish offerings to date and this last thing just feel tacked on. It feels like it is from an entirely different series altogether, the two side characters were so silly and dragged it down so much. The tone is completely different, it barely resembles the rest of the show at all.
Well, you’re spot on there. This was a standalone release, not originally released as part of the series. It was added to the I, Davros set after they re-released it as a box set in 2020.
The biggest problem with this release is retroactively putting it into the I, Davros series. It makes no sense at all. Tonally, it’s completely different, but even in terms of his timeline it’s not relevant. If you look at it as a totally separate story in its own right, it’s not quite so bad. It still screams why do I actually exist, like the whole thing feels entirely random and uncalled for. But it’s not bad. Miranda Raison is great and her scenes with Davros are genuinely engaging. I totally see why people hate the incongruous comedy double-act and while I didn’t despise them, they do feel like a very odd decision in the middle of a very odd story. Generally, I quite enjoyed it. But it serves little purpose on its own and negative purpose in the range into which it’s been slotted!
This isn’t actually a bad story. As a bridge between Revelation and Remembrance, it works fairly well. It’s not outstanding, and the interactions between Davros and Lareen are the best parts. Gus and Raz were an interesting idea, but unfortunately, in execution leave a bit to be desired and ended up being rather annoying. In the end, I rated it 3.5/5.
I agree with a few of the others that had I not listened to this immediately after the four parts of I, Davros; I probably would have liked it more. It’s not a bad audio, and it probably would have been better to be viewed as its own story.
