Overview: Doctor Who Classic: Davros Stories

Davros in Season 30's two part finale,

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Ah, Davros. Such a wonderful villian, the scheming megalomaniac in control of the Daleks. In the classic series he was portrayed in five different stories by three different actors, and his effects on the story vary greatly. So; here's a quick run down of all of the stories in which Davros appears.

Genesis of the Daleks

Take the most popular villians on the show and give them an origin story packed full of fearful real-life echoes and a main villian that would wipe out his own people for science, and you have something very good. The budget was medium range, and yet it was used so well and the story just gleams. Acting is top notch, Tom Baker is on form and we get our first, and sad to say, last performance by Michael Wisher.
     The Daleks in this story are mere underlings, but when they appear they do hold stark contrast to the human fighters from previously in the serial. Those human fighters were intimidating, and so this more alien death machine works perfectly to show how perverted their race has/will become. Davros here is the quiet schemer, never predictable, never understandable. He had a subtle ruthless streak that made his very presence intimidating, and his command of these scary, Nazi-like Kaleds is a great garnish to the dish.

Destiny of the Daleks

Cheap, tatty and a terrible excuse for a story - Terry Nation's Dalek swansong is unintentionally poor, with a real lack of effort made to use the visuals budget well. It seems many of the ideas have slipped as well, and now the Daleks are for some reason robots. Which is wrong.
          There's a big distinction between Davros and the Daleks here, the inverse of what we saw in Genesis. We're supposed to feel like Davros has power over the Daleks, who come to find him so that they can win their war with the Movellans. But in fact, it comes off quite differently; without Davros, the Daleks are more ruthless and are much better villians because of it. On the other hand, David Gooderson;s performance as Davros is pityful, shouty more than anything else. The way that The Doctor drags Davros around while he shouts inanely can be nothing more than a reference to elderly people. It's just too over-the-top not to be intentional. This story is a real let down.


Resurrection of the Daleks

So, JNT asked scriptwriter Eric Saward to do an Earthshock for the Daleks. What resulted wasn't quite along those lines, instead practicing a lot of fanwank as JNT stories do. However, among the nest of inconvenient and oddly place subplots, we do have a more convincing return for Davros, this time played by the wonderful Terry Molloy.
          Terry manages to make a good balance between Wisher's scheming and Gooderson's ranter, as well as adding his own brilliance to the role. The Supreme Dalek is brilliant, but overall the Daleks pale in comparison to the rest of the cast. And in a story of this low quality, that's saying something.

Revelation of the Daleks

Ah; after two bad Dalek stories, we find this gem. A wonderful piece, examining several themes ranging from honor to caniballism. Terry Molloy again here, and now we have Colin Baker as the Doctor. The main problem with the Daleks in this story is that they're a bit of an afterthought; any villian could have been The Great Healer, and the inclusion of Davros seems to be only for the viewing figures. Otherwise, a brilliant story.

Remembrance of the Daleks

A final farewell, it seems. This last Dalek story, added in for the show's 25th anniversary, is a triumph. It has brilliant Dalek action, the complete and total revival of the villians from their slump. Here they are intimidating and cunning, and seeing the brilliant Dalek Civil War is just too awesome for fans of the show to miss.
     So, with the Daleks being so awesome here, surely we missed out Davros? It is true that he seems attatched onto the story; an unwelcome visitor that spoils the party, but his appearance does give The Doctor some of his best lines in the season. Overall a wonderful story.

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