Saturday, November 8, 2008

Series 22: Revelation of the Daleks

The TARDIS lands on Necros, the location of the funeral home and suspended animation centre Tranquil Repose. The Sixth Doctor and Peri have come to visit a deceased scientist acquaintance. On the way, the Doctor points out great numbers of flowers that are similar to the soybean in terms of food versatility. The Doctor is attacked by a mutant, and Peri is forced to kill him to save the Doctor. Before he dies, the mutant tells the Doctor that the Great Healer used him as a genetic experiment and his appearance and hostility were a direct result of the experiments.

At Tranquil Repose, a disc jockey plays songs and chats as a form of entertainment to those who are in suspended animation. He notes privately cures for some were invented long ago.

A couple, Natasha and Grigory, have illegally entered Tranquil Repose, also looking for the man the Doctor is visiting — Arthur Stengos, Natasha's father. Upon finding his assigned suspended animation capsule, they discover it is empty. Shocked, they continue looking and head downward. They find a dark room filled with pulsating brains and other experiments. Grigory walks past a glass Dalek casing with a mutating red creature inside it. It opens its eye, and Grigory comments on how gruesome the thing is. When Natasha looks at it, the creature opens its mouth and starts saying "Na.. tasha? Natasha?" Natasha is shocked as she realises it is the head of her father, and he is being metamorphosed into a Dalek.

Kara, who owns a company that distributes food throughout the galaxy (though one of many), is a pawn of the Great Healer, who is in actuality Davros (now apparently reduced to a disembodied head in a tank as a result of being infected by the Movellan virus). Davros contacts Kara demanding more money for his research. He created the product manufactured by Kara's factories and already takes virtually all the profit she makes. To dissolve this arrangement, Kara has hired the mercenary Orcini and his squire, Bostock. She provides a transmitter to Orcini which has a five-button passcode. This must be entered when Orcini enters Davros's headquarters. Orcini accepts the contract solely for the honour of killing Davros. With Davros eliminated, she believes she will have the power and the capital necessary to control the galaxy's food supply.

Arthur Stengos, who is now just a head with red flesh growing over him, explains to Natasha and Grigory that the brains of everybody in Tranquil Repose are to be metamorphosed into new Dalek mutants. He says that his mind has been conditioned to serve 'The Great Healer', but he can't remember who 'The Great Healer' actually is. As a last request, he orders his daughter to kill him before he fully mutates. As she hesitates, Grigory pulls up his own gun to do it, but Natasha stops him and shoots her father herself. The two are then captured, thrown in a cell, and questioned by Takis and Lilt, who try rum on Grigory as a truth serum.

The Doctor and Peri arrive and are greeted by Tasambeker. Intrigued by the DJ's recordings, Peri wants to meet him and the Doctor urges her to do so, despite having Jobel as a companion. The Doctor wants to see the person who erected a statue dedicated to his passing and the Doctor suspects trouble.

Orcini destroys a Dalek and Davros is notified. He is convinced Kara has sent assassins, so he deploys some Daleks to bring her to him. They arrive, kill her secretary, and take her back.

Peri departs, and the Daleks capture the Doctor. He is thrown into a cell with the Natasha and Grigory who are soon rescued by Orcini as scapegoats. Orcini penetrates Davros's lair, and he and Bostock empty their guns into Davros' life-support system. Davros appears to be killed by the ensuing explosion, but Orcini realises that the kill was too easy. Sure enough, the real Davros - who in fact survived the virus unscathed - appears with a group of Daleks. Orcini and Bostock try to shoot their way out, but the two are quickly subdued, with one of Orcini's legs being blown off in the process. Kara is brought in and he betrays her motives to Davros. Shocked, Kara states that they are both dead. Orcini responds "You before me," and kills her for her betrayal — the "transmitter" was actually a bomb.

Natasha and Grigory infiltrate the incubator room yet again, and plan to destroy the brains that are scheduled for metamorphosis. When Natasha tries to fire her gun, it dies due to lack of power. Grigory reckons there's a self-destruct switch on the brain incubator console. He presses some buttons, but stops as Natasha spots a glass Dalek incubator materialise, and she cries "There's another Dalek!"

The Doctor, via communicator, warns Peri to get back to the TARDIS and hail the President's ship which is enroute for the internment of the body of the deceased First Lady. The DJ persuades Peri to use his equipment. Overhearing the transmission, Davros orders the DJ killed and Peri captured. The DJ produces a sonar weapon which blows up two Daleks as they enter his room, but is killed when a third Dalek enters. Peri is captured. The Doctor overhears the events via broadcast audio and rushes to save her but is caught by two Daleks en route. Both meet back in Davros' laboratory where he reveals that he has a new army of Daleks, hidden in catacombs somewhere underneath his laboratory.

Natasha and Grigory plan to escape the incubator room before the Dalek fully grows. They make their way to the door, but Natasha turns around and notices that the glass Dalek has disappeared. The two look up to spot a Dalek machine hovering high above the ground towards them. The two try to open the door, but the flying Dalek exterminates them before self destructing.

Daleks not loyal to Davros arrive from Skaro, called by Takis, who now realise what has been going on. The Skaro Daleks demand to be taken to Davros. Takis leads the way, and shortly some of Davros's Daleks appear and the two factions engage in battle. The Skaro Daleks win and progress toward Davros.

Davros is shocked when the Skaro Daleks enter the room and tries to persuade them that it is the Doctor who should be captured. However, the Skaro Daleks do not recognize the Doctor due to his regeneration. They take Davros back to Skaro to be executed for crimes committed against the Daleks. Upon learning of what Davros had established on Necros, the Skaro forces decide to continue what he began and control the galaxy's demand for famine relief.

Orcini wants to detonate the bomb before Davros's ship leaves - he hesitates and allows all to leave because of the Doctor. The Doctor wants to create a timer, but Orcini claims there is no time. They all rush out and Orcini blows the bomb after hugging the body of Bostock, who was exterminated by a Dalek a few minutes ago. The Doctor states that Orcini did die for something very honourable: the destruction of Davros's new generation of Daleks.

Peri wants a vacation, so the Doctor agrees: "All right, I'll take you to --"

Cast
Doctor Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor)
Companion Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown)
Guest stars
Terry Molloy — Davros
Eleanor Bron — Kara
Hugh Walters — Vogel
Clive Swift — Jobel
Jenny Tomasin — Tasambeker
Trevor Cooper — Takis
Colin Spaull — Lilt
Alexei Sayle — DJ
William Gaunt — Orcini
John Ogwen — Bostock
Stephen Flynn — Grigory
Bridget Lynch-Blosse — Natasha
Alec Linstead — Stengos
Penelope Lee — Computer Voice
John Scott Martin, Cy Town, Tony Starr, Toby Byrne — Daleks
Royce Mills, Roy Skelton — Dalek Voices
Ken Barker — Mutant

Production
Writer Eric Saward
Director Graeme Harper
Script editor Eric Saward
Producer John Nathan-Turner
Executive producer(s) None
Production code 6Z
Series Season 22
Length 2 episodes, 45 minutes each
Originally broadcast March 23–March 30, 1985

source: wikipedia

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