I, Davros: Purity

I, Davros #2

by James Parsons, Andrew Stirling-Brown

"We are Kaleds. We are more than a match for weak, tattered, crippled relics of the war."

Now approaching his thirtieth year, Davros is trying to get out of the Kaled military and into the Scientific Corps, determined to use his mind to create new ways to let the Kaled race survive the never-ending war with the Thals. But first, he must undertake a mission into Thal territory. A mission that will introduce him to technology and hardware he could only dream of. And it just might teach him a few life lessons too.

But however dangerous the Thal City might be, that is nothing compared to the scarred relics that inhabit the Wastelands... Wastelands that Davros and his team have to cross twice...

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction, Politics

Audio CD

First published October 31, 2006

Reviews

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one.

I like how each of these sets take place through a different part of Davros life whilst he's on trial. It’s so hard to imagine that Davros once had a family, although a corrupted, twisted family except for his sister who wanted peace before creating his own evil family, the Daleks.

Skaro is a brutal planet that has never known peace.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second part of davros' story leaps forward to his thirties. I felt that this was a missed opportunity to explore his twenties with another younger actor in the role. As a consequence he is already pretty much on his way to ammoral behavior. Having said that it does follow on nicely from "Innocence" and sets up the next progression perfectly.

[Mikes Dw Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the first in the series set up Davros's genesis and his family, this story jumps ahead to his 30s as he continues his scientific research and gets an opportunity to do a secret mission to study and destroy the base of the thals. It's this story that shows Davros fighting as a soldier/for survival and makes more like the stubborn and passionate believer of purity. And sets up his idea of what makes a true Kaled and if hatred is important.

This story isn't as strong as the previous as it shows us more battle scenes and a journey to the thal base for most of its run time but it is still important and enjoyable. It brilliantly starts to set up how Davros acts today and how he sees people. We see this through his journey to the thal base that alot of his soldiers and commanders are dying, being mutated or becoming scared of this war realty. But Davros is constantly ambitious and determined to succeed. Alot of the others give up or are in such pain that they can't go on and Davros begins to lose his Pity for them, saying that this world needs strong people and the thals are the weak ones with no ambition. Like a perfect nazi and fascist, he believes that a perfect image and attitude is what makes them better/superior.

We also see this through his debates and arguments between his sister about the thals. She believes that this will cause nothing but disaster for both sides and really feels passionately that the thals deserve to live here and even starts to spread and voice her message in speech's across the city. There's an excellent scene in which her and Davros talk about a picture that shows the two races living together. Davros believes it propaganda and preachers about how this makes them weak and the Kaleds are the real pure races/have the perfect image, to him the thals will ruin it. It's really does sound like your listening to a Hitler or Nazi speech. The audio is not so subtle, but than again I love that this audio series doesnt allow it to be, it embraces it.

Davros's mum also continues to be an evil cunning character here, she's doing everything she can to keep pushing her son further up the table. But towards the end we start to realize that she's willing to do anything to keep him safe and be in a ruling position someday. It's revealed she was the one who killed his fake father and also her own daughter as she tried to warn the thals of Davros's mission. It's incredibly dark but show us very well in this fictional world how anyone can become or be manipulated to be a fascist. Plus that fascists are willing to do anything to get what they want, even kill or scare there own people. Towards the end of the story we start to see Davros's curiosity peek with the idea of hatered. He discovers that his old tutor magarantine had been cased away and joined up with the other mutos to get revenge on Davros. His hated is what fueled him and this fascinates Davros. The story does an excellent job of showing us how the character of Magarantine really did inspire the Daleks and Davros's mind to become sick. There's a very well written and performed scene between the two as Magarantine curses Davros that someday he hopes he will feel his pain, loneliness, revenge and anger at himself. Which of course he does. It's hard to be glad for this character though, It's great that his pain gets revenge in the end but we still can't like him as he was just as horrible to his people and did influenced Davros. But even Davros is starting to not look at his own family in the same way anymore, more like just as test to secure the future. He takes his sister's body for a vaga planet test.

So overall while I don't think this is as strong as the first part, it does an excellent job at setting up each key emotions for Davros that would lead to him creating the Daleks. The series does make you want to listen to more and more, im incredibly interested in hearing how he uses hated next and see how far his respect goes for his mother.

Rating 3/5 7/10

[Seb Hasi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Episode two of I Davros was effectively the same as episode one, just slightly better and with Terry Molloy playing Davros now. There is more than just Shakespearean drama in the Kaled city, with travels to the Thal city and character drama that is slightly less simplistic. That being said, I still really have no investment in the series; I had no shock when yet again the good guys are betrayed and killed because that has happened already and can predict with confidence will happen in the two following stories. That is the problem with a premise like this, nothing really matters surrounding the main character as we know their fate, but means I could not care less about any side character who will obviously be dead by series end. The experiments with genetic mutations, and the Varga plants were interesting, but a few good scenes do not make a whole story good.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This episode focuses on the drive for racial and genetic purity that motivates both Davros and, eventually, the Daleks. Clearly, Davros is an irredeemable character. He is repugnant and offensive in almost every way imaginable. This story doesn’t offer anything else for this deplorable character. We pick up the story with Davros being a bit older and the so the voice actor has changed. I thought the previous actor, portraying young Davros, did a fine job and hoping that they might just use the sesame voice for at least two episodes, perhaps pitched deeper. Alas that was not to be. A good performance, but for what it’s worth, I had some trouble connecting the two voice as the same person.

[Daniel Cork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got back round to listening to this range and wow what an audio to come back on. It's bleak, scary and also contains great drama between Davros' family. Another brilliant installment in the range, 9.5/10. I can't wait to finish the last 2 tomorrow! :)

[Kelly McCubbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno. They seemed to have decided that they had fully plumbed Robert Graves' novels and could now through some hackneyed "Red Badge of Courage" nonsense in there too.
It's also bad.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one ups the drama showing when Davros started to loose his soul to purity of the race. One step closer to his evil children

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This continues to be a well-written and well-performed series. It's still not entirely my cup of tea, but it's good enough to keep listening to.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Davros, full of enthusiasm for the war against the Thals, is sent on a secret military mission to infiltrate one of their facilities. I really enjoyed it.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - Starts to dip a little here but still interesting

[Jim Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The action picks up about fourteen years after the close of 'Innocence'. Davros is increasingly dissatisfied with his life in the military and confides to his friend Tech-Ops Reston how fed up he is of testing substandard weaponry. There is an implication that the war with the Thals has simmered down somewhat. To Davros this means the Thals are simply regrouping - to his sister Yarvell it's clear evidence that both sides are approaching exhaustion and a peace treaty has to be signed while they still can. Summoned to the office of the Kaled Supremo, Davros is amazed to be told that his work has been closely followed by the authorities. He is offered the chance to take part in a covert mission behind Thal lines. The objective is a new Thal weapons production plant. The mission goes ahead - but with consequences that will change Davros' life forever.

The backstory of Skaro is further fleshed out and we start to see that the nuclear and chemical effects of the war have begun to mutate the surviving life. Drammankin Lake, by whose shores Davros grew up is now referred to as the Lake of Mutations. Indeed, it's well on the way to becoming the monster-infested radioactive bog encountered by the First Doctor.

Expect by the end of the story to have the Byzantine scheming of Davros' mother Lady Calcula revealled in full. Davros' single-minded obsession to ensure the survival of the Kaled race at any cost is leading him further and further down the route of genetic experimentation and accelerated mutation and he will let nothing and no-one stand in his way.

A thoroughly rivetting piece of audio drama.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just a bit disappointed in this as well. It was nice to have Terry Malloy back as young Davros. There's just too much here that seems to be wanting to be I Claudius but it just falls so far short. Davros being so evil just doesn't make sense. One moment he's only interested in science, another a great military leader and anti-peace. If the Daleks are supposed to be the ultimate of racial purity how would his science get there by mixing Kaled and Thal DNA? It was also disappointing that on the "military" adventure there were only men, and the women were relegated to a couple scenes of family disagreement (and evil). Normally Big Finish does a much better job at fixing gender imbalance, not furthering it. I think I will take a break and listen to something else before continuing this box set. I'm glad I got it in the sale.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/994704.html[return][return]Terry Molloy comes back in Purity, to tell the story of young Davros' entry to the military elite and the continuation of the story of his calculating mother, Calcula. Lots of glorious references to canonical Skaro lore, including not just the Mutos from Genesis of the Daleks but also the Varga plants from Mission to the Unknown/The Daleks' Master Plan; and the political leader of teh Kaleds is the Kaled Supremo, a very nice touch. The plot is perhaps the least original of the four stories - Davros and friends sent on a mission which is fore-ordained to failure - but it's very enjoyable.

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the I, Davros series and am wondering why it took me so long to press play. In this installment, about fifteen years have passed and Davros is sent on a mission to investigate a Thal weapons factory. I can't say anymore without spoiling but these are very well written and acted. Davros, the man who created the Daleks, is one of Doctor who's most memorable villains. His origin story, told over four releases, is a lot more interesting than expected. Believe me, this is very worth the time for any Doctor Who fan.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series really shows how Davros got demented and evil. The mother kills people who try to kill Davros. Meanwhile Davros goes on a mission to take a look at Thal weapons to end the war. He finds his old mentor still alive but incredible deformed. He decides then and there to mix deformed DNA to Thal DNA and see if he can create an ultimate weapon.