Is it time for Davros to return?
Guest contributor Ben Wells on bringing back the Daleks’ creator.
With the eighth series of Doctor Who fast approaching I can’t help but wonder if we’re missing something… Of course I am talking about the one and only creator of the Daleks, Davros.
When Davros returned to the revived series in ‘The Stolen Earth,’ played by the brilliant Julian Bleach, it was a most welcome return. I, for one, find Davros one of the most threatening and manipulative of the Doctor’s enemies and I would gladly welcome his return again.
“I’m sick of the Daleks,” I hear you cry, “They’ve been used over and over again recently!”
Well yes, while it’s true that lately the Daleks have been used to death, and I agree it would probably be best to give them a miss for Series 8, I think if Capaldi is going to face the Daleks, who better to represent them than Davros himself? I believe Davros could lend to a much needed proper Dalek story, making the Daleks a threat again. But, how could this be done?
Davros could lend to a great Dalek story either dead or alive. How? Now, let me explain.
If Davros survived the intense fireballs on the Crucible and somehow managed to escape undetected, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that he’d be completely enraged by the Doctor. This could lead to a further deranged, manic and revenge-driven Davros, capable of designing a plot so atrocious and destructive in order to achieve his revenge on the Doctor. However, if this were to happen I don’t think it would be abrupt; Davros tends to work best when he is patient and calculating and I would expect him to plan out his revenge the same.
Alternatively if Davros truly met his fate in ‘Journey’s End‘ it could lead to a nice story about the Doctor stumbling upon his resurrection as the Daleks become so desperate they consult their creator from beyond the grave, the Doctor helpless to stop them. Just a thought though, i’m sure Moffat and the crew will come up with a better story than me.
Where has Davros been all this time?
Whether or not he was finally defeated in ‘Journey’s End’ after being left burning on the Crucible, or still out there clinging to some rattled old Dalek remains to be seen. The point is, like the Master, Davros has been absent for some time, almost 6 years. While this absence probably helps Davros (making him a greater threat for when he does eventually return) I can’t help but wonder if now is the time. Of course the return of Davros should be threatening, every time we have seen Davros he has always been second to the Daleks, he needs to be sinister again and he needs to be cold and calculating.
Why now though?
The Daleks are in need of a decent story and I feel Davros could provide the basis for one. But more than that, the Doctor and Davros tend to be more equal in their intellect, taunting each other. Truth is, I can think of no better of a time for his return with the start of the Twelfth Doctor’s era. I want Capaldi to face him and I think number Twelve’s apparent fiercer nature would result in a great clash between the two. Similar to Nine’s rage towards the Dalek in ‘Dalek’. I think (and hope) that Peter’s performance as the Twelfth incarnation would contribute to the scare and the “rebirth” of the Daleks. But above all I hope that the Daleks are given a decent story in Series 8, and I hope this is achieved with the return of Davros.
