‘PROJECT INFINITY’ (DE)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
The Daleks Are Coming! – Part 4
“You cannot stop the Daleks! We shall be victorious!”
The first ‘Dalek Empire’ series comes to an end!
‘Project Infinity’ is the fourth and final chapter/episode/audio drama out of the four-part CD series in ‘Dalek Empire’. It is a 70-minute episode. The first three episodes were ‘Invasion of the Daleks’; ‘The Human Factor’ and ‘”Death to the Daleks!”‘. Here all the plot threads of this series come together.
This spin-off series is written; produced and directed by Nicholas Briggs, who also voices the Daleks with Alistair Lock; Steven Allen and Robert Lock in this audio episode. It also stars Mark MacDonnell as Albert ‘Alby’ Brook and Gareth Thomas as Kalendorf with Sarah Mowat as Susan ‘Suz’ Mendez.
This fourth episode follows on after the previous cliff-hanger, as it turns out that Suz Mendez is dead. She was shot by the Daleks when she spread her message of “Death to the Daleks!” to everyone. Alby is devastated, but there’s a great deal of work to do as the Daleks’ greatest agenda comes into fruition.
The connections to previous ‘Doctor Who’ audios including ‘The Apocalypse Element’ and ‘The Genocide Machine’ relate to the Daleks’ ‘Project Infinity’, mentioned in recent episodes. There is also an element of ‘The Mutant Phase’ in this episode, especially where the Dalek Emperor is concerned.
Like Alby, I was shocked to discover that Suz had been killed off by the Daleks in the previous episode. Sarah Mowat as Susan Mendez appears only in flashback sequences as to what actually happened to her, including her speech when she says “Death to the Daleks!” to the human slaves.
It transpires that the narrator in the first three episodes of ‘Dalek Empire’ happens to be a Seer who Suz has been in mental contact with. I liked it when Suz’s voice is saying the ‘I love you’ message to Alby instead of the Seer’s. Perhaps Suz may turn out to be alive somewhere, as Alby hopes she is.
Mark McDonnell stars as Alby Brook. Alby is devastated and depressed with Suz’s death at the beginning and has taken to drinking. He refuses to talk to anyone especially when Kalendorf and Mirana need him. He hears Suz’s voice in his head, which leads him and the others to meet the Seer.
Alby eventually tells Kalendorf on what he knows about ‘Project Infinity’ and what his mission was that involved killing Suz. He gets to take part in the action of battle against the Daleks and discovers the truth about ‘Project Infinity’. He also gets a surprise when his own SSS boss turns against him.
Gareth Thomas as Kalendorf takes charge of the fight against the Daleks since Suz’s death. Everyone thinks that the Daleks have retreated and that they are finally defeated. But Kalendorf is suspicious, as he believes the Daleks are plotting something on a massive scale that nobody has even noticed.
Unlike Alby, Kalendorf has taken to accepting Suz’s death even though he misses her as a good friend. Kalendorf is keen to carry on the fight against the Daleks. He persuades Alby to snap out of his depression and to help by asking questions about ‘Project Infinity’ and everyone else who knows it.
Teresa Gallagher as Mirana joins Kalendorf and Alby in the fight against the Daleks. She seems to be encouraging and defending Alby at times. But it soon transpires that she’s an agent working for the Daleks. But she’s not a Roboman. It transpires that she has a telepathic link with the Dalek Emperor.
Fortunately Mirana is free of her link with the Dalek Emperor and gets tended to by the doctors. Mirana relays her information to Kalendorf and Alby about ‘Project Infinity’ via some Dalek transmissions. Surprisingly, Mirana even becomes aware of a Dalek presence inside a human being.
The Dalek Emperor becomes more fully involved in the story arc in this, his fourth appearance of the ‘Dalek Empire’ series. In this episode, Special Weapons Daleks from ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ make an appearance here. They have their devastating ‘booming’ canons with them in this episode.
Tim Keable does it again with his comic book artwork inside and outside the sleeve notes for ‘Project Infinity’. The extract from the ‘Galactic Free News Broadcast’ log TBOD9 with the comic book art at the back of the CD sleeve notes is also interesting. I do like how the covers for ‘Dalek Empire’ were designed.
Like the previous three episodes, there aren’t any CD extras or ‘coming soon’ trailers featured at the end of this disc. So no trailers for any new ‘Dalek Empire’ episodes or ‘Doctor Who’ stories, sadly.
The mystery of what ‘Project Infinity’ actually is becomes clearer and the Daleks’ involvement is pretty terrifying. Unfortunately, the last episode and the first series ends on a cliff-hanger, which I was annoyed about and it didn’t satisfy me as to what actually happened at the end of the episode.
I’ve enjoyed listening ‘Project Infinity’ as well as the whole of the first ‘Dalek Empire’ series. It’s something different and unusual. It has the Daleks taking centre stage. I was unhappy with the conclusion, but it does means that the series is going to continue and I wondered what would happen next…
‘Project Infinity’ (DE) rating – 7/10
| The previous story
For the Daleks was |
The next story
For the Daleks is
|
| Return to The Daleks’ Timeline | |
| Return to The Monsters’ Timelines Index | |
| Return to Doctor Who Timelines | |
| Return to Doctor Who | |
| Return to Sci-Fi |
Bradley's Basement 