Doctor Who: Modern Era Davros (2008-15)

Doctor Who: Modern Era Davros (2008-15)

NOTE: there are SPOILERS for a number of Modern Era Dr Who stories below this paragraph. It would be advisable not to read any further if you're not okay with that.

Following on from the Classic Era Davros (1975-88) post, some words on his appearances in the Modern era. He was mentioned a couple of times during Series 01 and 03, but he didn't actually appear until later, in a noteworthy Series 04 adventure.

I won't mention the title of the episode in this introductory paragraph, for anyone that would prefer to enjoy the surprise reveal during a first watch-through. Personally, I feel that's the best way to experience the story, but I'll need to name it if I'm to write about it, so, as already mentioned, SPOLERS below the cut!

01. The episode in question is actually two, a two-parter titled The Stolen Earth and Journey's End (2008), respectively. It's a Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) story written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Graeme Harper. The companion is Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).

Davros is played by Julian Bleach, in a tremendous performance. Normally, the egomaniacal genius' return would be classed as a big moment, a highpoint that by itself can even be a defining event in an episode, but The Stolen Earth is bursting with big, BIG moments, making the Dalek creator just another part of what's going on. That's not a criticism. The episode is non-stop momentum, packed with Doctor Who characters past and present. It's like a class reunion, with no one event overshadowing another. It was Russell T. Davies on top form, back when he was a writer who prioritised story over his own political self-interests, as opposed to his later work. It's ironic that the person credited with saving the Doctor Who franchise from TV obscurity three years previously is the same one who would ultimately destroy it again many years later.

A full appreciation of the two-parter's story will require a broad knowledge of the franchise, in general. As well as its Classic and Revived Eras, you'll need some familiarity with spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood because it features characters from all of those things.

The second part, Journey's End, gets kind of ridiculous about two-thirds of the way through its extended 1+ hour runtime, but it's not too bad and the wealth of feel-good energy that's present onscreen won me over. I acknowledge that won't be the case for everyone, but I'm willing to bet that fewer people would argue against the episode's coda being almost perfect. It's a bittersweet parting of the ways that ended the fourth series on a truly heart-breaking note.

02. His next appearance is another two-parter, the opening episodes of the series' ninth year (2015). Titled The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar, respectively, it's a Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) story written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacDonald.

It's an odd tale that shows the Dalek creator to be in a weakened state, in need of help. And who does he ask for help? There's no prizes for guessing the answer to that.

It references a defining moment in the Davros / Doctor relationship of yesteryear, furthering a concept first explored in a Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) story titled Genesis of the Daleks (1975).

There's more going on than just the Doctor / Davros meet-up, with continuing arcs for both Clara (Jenna Coleman) and Missy (Michelle Gomez). Missy's inclusion is multipurpose, in that it enables the companion character to get where she needs to be and it adds an additional layer of threat to the story. The Missy character, in general, split the Doctor Who fanbase quite a bit. Personally, I didn't mind the showboating in previous episodes, but her antics in the two-parter get a bit much and it's then that the annoying aspects of her personality start to overwhelm the intriguing parts. Worse still, some of Davros' scenes feel overly scripted / forced.

NOTE: Wikipedia mentions that a version of Davros next appeared in a short 5-min Children in Need Special titled Destination: Skaro (2023), which is a Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) story written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Jamie Donoughue. I've not watched it, nor do I have any plans to ever do so. Doctor Who ended for me when Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat left the series. The 2017 Xmas special Twice Upon a Time (2017) was their last.