Doctor Who spin-off review: Dalek Empire III begins a new era with The Exterminators
By James Aggas
The third series of Doctor Who spin-off Dalek Empire begins with The Exterminators, which represents a fresh and very different start to the series…
When you listen to The Exterminators, the first episode of Doctor Who spin-off Dalek Empire III, one thing leaps out: this isn’t just another epic Dalek invasion story. While the ending of the previous series Dalek War seemed to strongly hint at that, Nicholas Briggs has gone in another direction with the third series.
The first episode in the series primarily focuses on the Graxis Wardens. Studying a species of primate on a far off world, they’re not expecting anything more than welcoming a brand new recruit.
But something else has arrived on this world. Something that hasn’t been directly seen by humans for centuries. The Daleks have returned. But what are they up to this time?
For this series, writer Nicholas Briggs takes inspiration less from Terry Nation and more David Whitaker, who wrote stories as iconic as The Power of the Daleks.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
A new start
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It’s not surprising that Briggs has gone in such a radically different direction, really. By the end of Dalek War, so many of the characters had died. And the events of this series take place thousands of years later anyway. So essentially, Nicholas Briggs has a blank canvas in terms of story and characters. Dalek Empire III may deal with the consequences of previous series, but Briggs certainly has a lot more freedom here than with Dalek War.
The previous two series have mainly focused on telling dark and gritty sci-fi war stories, as humanity struggled to fight back against the might of the Dalek Empire. But The Exterminators starts out completely differently.
In this one, the Daleks aren’t trying to conquer the galaxy. At least, not openly. No, they’re being far more sneaky and creative this time. But what is their ultimate aim?
A different approach
Briggs has been very clever by taking a completely different direction with the third series. In the past, he’s paid tribute to the more epic Dalek stories, such as The Dalek Invasion of Earth or The Daleks’ Master Plan.
But he avoids doing the same with Dalek Empire III. Based on The Exterminators alone, it’s clear that Briggs is taking a very different approach with this series. Dalek Empire III‘s full length is six episodes, which is two episodes longer than the other series. So it’s unsurprising that he takes his time more this time. He’s paying tribute more to David Whitaker than to Terry Nation with series three, taking a similar slow burn approach as Whitaker did with The Power of the Daleks. And I have no problem with that.
The first episode of Dalek Empire III is a simple but effective start, and ends on quite the effective little cliffhanger. Certainly, it leaves you invested enough with the new characters to wonder what happens next. A slow but strong start to the third series.
Next. Torchwood review: Sync. dark
Which type of Dalek story do you prefer? One with a huge, epic invasion? Or one where they use a subtler and more devious approach? Let us know in the comments below.