WARNING: Due to the nature of this episode, this review will contain spoilers - I recommend reading it after you watch the episode if you do not wish to be spoiled from any of the major plotlines present in this episode.
With Clara, Missy and the TARDIS apparently meeting their doom and the Doctor willing to kill the child incarnation of Davros by the end of the enjoyable but largely-flawed The Magician's Apprentice last week, the audience reached something of a middle ground with series executive producer and writer Steven Moffat – that is to say the fan-based audience did, going by the diminishing overnight viewing figures which have put the BBC in such a state that they're repeating it in a feature-lengthed format with this episode the following day. That middle ground being the continuous following of continuity, thanks partially to an opening reminiscent of other Moffat scribed stories The Pandorica Opens and A Good Man Goes to War, and standard tropes that the divisive screenwriter has come to rely on since taking over the mantle from Russell T Davies five years prior. With that, fans could overlook aspects like the terrible creation that is Missy and having a child version of an important character and instead enjoy the return of Davros' megalomania and a intriguing cliffhanger. But can the continuation of a cliffhanger that doesn't hold up all much when death is such a diminishing factor in the show these days lead to a satisfying conclusion, or will it all be for nothing and signify what kind of series of serials we've got in store for us this season?
Opening quite quickly after the events of last week with an exposition overload courtesy of everyone's favourite living nightmare Missy (Michelle Gomez) to a tied-up Clara (Jenna Coleman), the duo begin their travel back to the Dalek city – with Clara taking a page from Ian Chesterton's book from 1963's The Daleks – while the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) continues his verbal attack on the decadent Dalek creator (Julian Bleach), as he demands that Clara is returned to him. But as he and Davros begin to bond over mortality and potential genocide, the question remains: will the Doctor go back to kill the younger Davros (Joey Price) to save his presumably dead comrades? Or will he and Davros finally bond over something?
The thing about this second half is that it's biggest crime is how little actually happens in it. While last week went all over the galaxy alongside all of time and space with multiple plot threads, this week kept to two – Missy and Clara returning to the Doctor, and the Doctor and Davros talking. Now, less can often mean more, but when the most engaging thing in the entire episode is the Doctor stealing Davros' seat in an admittedly well-written scene, that can be a worrisome thing; especially when the whole focus of the episode revolves around the dynamic between him and Davros, where you can just see all the plotlines bending into shape when they aren't cop-outs of any kind. If the whole thing was as engaging as Doctor-Davros saying the usual "I'm the Doctor, just accept it" malarkey, then perhaps we'd have a different tale to tell, but sadly not. While the sewer/graveyard segment is just screaming out "RELEVANT" and offers Asylum of the Daleks parallels, it doesn't offer us anything else outside of a way to get Missy and Clara back into the plot...and yet not actually putting them back into the story. They return, Missy tries her hand at being annoyingly evil and actually comes close to succeeding, then pops off again for a tantalising teaser where she'll try and escape again. It's such a waste of the only female characters in this half of the story.
But let's return to the selling point of the entire episode – the Doctor and Davros, along with his feeble attempt at tricking the Doctor into using up a regeneration to turn his Daleks into Dalek-Time Lord hybrids...wait, didn't that happen in Evolution of the Daleks back in Series 3? And didn't they question the whole killing thing before being killed by Dalek Caan? Anywho, while the actual effect made by Davros' trickery ended up being somewhat lacklustre, the journey was at least appealing in some areas. The dynamic between hero and villain when explored correctly can always work really well – think to things like Batman and the Joker; Thor and Loki; The Doctor and any Master who isn't Missy – and the one with Davros in the past has always worked so well. You look back at classics like Genesis of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks and even Journey's End and you get to see these little glimmers of excellence. And here, when given an entire episode to explore that, they do...to an extent. Before it went into the emotional area, things were good, but then it did get better – until Davros opened his eyes. You know, that wrinkly bit on his face where his eyes should be? Turns out they’ve just been closed the entire time, but he opened them just so he can get the Doctor to regenerate for him so he can live for a tad longer. It's sound like I really hate this, but I don't – like I said, this is the main part of the episode, and at times can be a real highlight. But the fact that it's pulled out from under our feet in the end in a rushed finale, alongside the fan in me rejecting the idea that Davros still has eyes, is what makes all this so disappointing – there's potential for something great, and the obvious ploy from Davros reminds of just how conniving he is shows how merciless he is (funny that, as the ideology of mercy comes to play in the last five minutes), but having the Doctor know anyway and know about the Dalek sewers and what they do? Then have Missy turn up like a deus ex machina, poke Davros in his fake eye the run off back into her irrelevant subplot? It makes the whole thing feel like a big waste of time outside of reminding audiences that "hey, Davros still exists!".
At least the biggest compliment that this story can offer is its actors. As per usual, Capaldi excels as the Doctor who still doesn't feel like his own character (there's still quite a bit of Matt Smith in him, and it isn't helped by the new 'sonic sunglasses' which may be a thing from now on...please don't be) and he bounces off everyone superbly; Coleman does her best in a role which really doesn't have any purpose outside of "be here" and showing off the apparent way Daleks avoid emotions - going against the idea that the whole concept was removed from them – and Gomez is still a good actress but a terrible character. Missy is a pantomime character on ecstasy with no appeal whatsoever, and every near-extermination comes with a "Damnit" from the audience. Granted, it's nice we get a semi-explanation for her escape in Death in Heaven, but aside from that? There only for fan service, just like Clara's only there to be credited and to be thought as dead soon after her leaving announcement is done. As for Bleach, he remains the biggest success of the bunch – not much else to say about that. And when it comes to the Daleks? Well, they're there. They chat a bit, Clara hides in one, the Doctor come close to shooting her despite how obvious Missy is, and...yeah, that's about it for the Daleks. No explanation for the classic versions nor major purpose just like in Asylum of the Daleks, and really just there to appeal to Terry Nation's estate.
Despite its numerous flaws, I enjoyed The Magician's Apprentice. This week on the other hand, it just feels like we're back on autopilot for this era of Doctor Who. With the whole first part wasted for a slow-going conclusion which never really goes anywhere despite its valiant attempts, it instead trudges across its variables and struggles to place them in the right places – like a toddler doing his first jigsaw. Despite good performances, occasionally funny dialogue and a dynamic which, for the most part, succeeds in continuing the show's tradition, it becomes bogged down by the usual fare that this era of the show is plagued with, and lends itself to a rather rushed conclusion and feeble attempt at tying plot threads together. If this is how the rest of the series is going to be, then we're certainly in for a bumpy ride. 5/10.
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