Doctor Who review: It’s Dalek versus Dalek in Dalek Empire II: Chapter One
By James Aggas
Humanity’s war with the Daleks continues as Dalek Empire II: Dalek War begins, continuing where the last series of the Doctor Who spin-off left off…more or less.
The first series of Doctor Who spin-off series Dalek Empire ended on a major cliffhanger with Project: Infinity. Just as humanity finally seemed to be beating the forces of the Dalek Empire, the Daleks had created a bridge to another universe where they were the dominant life form.
However, there was just one flaw in the plan for the Daleks from our universe: they didn’t expect the other Daleks to have a problem with the idea of extermination and conquest. And they certainly weren’t expecting them to attack!
Dalek War, the second series of Dalek Empire, kind of continues where the previous series left off. It’s actually set several years later, and throws us right into the middle of the Dalek war. The Daleks from the other universe have allied with the Earth Empire. After all, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, right?
So why are the regular characters – Kalendorf, Alby and Mirana – keeping secrets from their allies? What has happened to Susan Mendes? And could these seemingly nicer Daleks actually be as bad as the Daleks we’re used to?
The parallel universe Daleks were introduced in series one finale Dalek Empire: Project Infinity. How well does the second series continue this major development?
(Image credit: Dalek Empire/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Right in the middle of things
Nicholas Briggs throws a lot at the listener with this opening chapter. If setting the majority of the episode several years after the last episode wasn’t extreme enough, we also have flash forwards set centuries after the events of this series. Bit by bit, we start to learn that whatever happens at the end of this war, humanity will suffer for centuries to come. Like I said, it’s a lot to include in one episode.
That’s actually not surprising, though. Despite having just four episodes, the first series of Dalek Empire took place across at least a decade. And we would regularly hear how the war went in bits and pieces, usually far from the front lines.
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So it’s not surprising that the second series starts some time after the first, even when we were given such a major cliffhanger. In fact, this opening episode seems less to be in the middle of the war and more towards the end of it. The allied forces of the Earth Empire and the other Daleks are fighting against the regular Daleks hard. They’re very close to victory. But could Kalendorf’s plans ruin that?
Chapter One of Dalek Empire II: Dalek War is a decent start to the second series. It gives us a good idea of where the characters are now and feels like a natural continuation of what came before. At the same time, while it’s not exactly a fresh start, it does take the series in a brand new direction. One that’s as equally dark and gritty as what came before.
dark. Next. Review: The Evil of the Daleks is still one of the greatest ever Dalek stories
We’ve had Doctor Who feature parallel universe Cybermen. Should parallel universe Daleks feature in the TV series? Are you a fan of the second series of Dalek Empire? Let us know in the comments below.