REVIEW: I, Davros: Corruption (Doctor Who Audio Spin-Off)

I, Davros really kicks into high-gear with its penultimate episode ‘Corruption‘, packing in a lot of story and giving us so much more crucial development in just over an hour, while at the same time never feeling rushed. What helps is that, like its first episode, the relationships between its main characters are the crucial focus, whether those relationships be through family, politics or even science.

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A new character is introduced in the series and becomes rather important to Davros: Shan, a young scientist with a rather gifted mind that Davros clearly respects and admires. Hearing the relationship between the two develop and grow is really enjoyable to hear, as it gives us a side of Davros rarely explored. However, hints of this relationship had been given previously in the excellent Big Finish Doctor Who story, ‘Davros‘. (Also written by the writer of ‘Corruption’, Lance Parkin.) Like much of Davros’s previously established mythology, it’s great to have storylines like this fleshed out in the series.

The political side of the series is explored even further in this episode, not just with Davros’ mother Calcula, whose devious ways and blind devotion to her son are always fantastic to listen to, but with Davros himself. Here, he starts to learn what it takes to control people and get what he wants, even if he has to push aside the deepest and most basic emotions to do so. He’s gradually becoming more and more important to the fate of Skaro – a fact even his enemies begin to recognise, not just from the Thals but from his own people, too. He suffers several crucial losses in this episode that would destroy many others, but only help to make his will and his hunger for power even stronger.

Terry Molloy really is a joy to hear as the Kaled scientist. You really do get to hear his character develop naturally more and more into the obsessive megalomaniac we all know and hate, and it’s a very subtle and gradual transformation, too, one that he portrays rather brilliantly. He’s certainly come a long way since taking on the role in the Peter Davison story ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’.

It’s not just the characters or the story that makes I, Davros such a fantastic spin-off, but the number of themes it explores along the way. Themes of betrayal, of love, of revenge, of destiny – themes not only explored in just this episode alone but also covered in many classic epics. These not only help to give I, Davros its own distinct identity compared to other Doctor Who spin-offs, but almost makes it feel like a historical tale, despite the clear science-fiction setting. The whole episode flies by at an exceptional pace, with the last few scenes making it very, very clear that Davros is so close to finally achieving his destiny.

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