#48 I, Davros: The Davros Mission

One short random selection away from the slow recovery of Dalek-ravaged Earth comes...

I, Davros: The Davros Mission

Starring: Terry Molloy as Davros
Format: Full-cast one-CD-length download
Silly? No
Standalone? This is a bridging story between Revelation of the Daleks and I, Davros, but the main action of the story is its own incident.
Recommended? Yes

My reactions to this story contain spoilers for it and possible spoilers for the beginning of I, Davros.

Before listening

I have not heard this and know almost nothing about it. It came out several years after the four main episodes of I, Davros. The website blurb makes it sound like it might be a prequel about something that happened to Davros shortly before the beginning of the trial in I, Davros. Since it seems to be isolated from the original run of I, Davros, I've decided to take the random selection as given and not override it. Hopefully it is standalone enough to understand without having listened to episodes 2-4 of I, Davros.

After listening

The Davros Mission is emphatic about its continuity placement. It begins at the end of Revelation of the Daleks, with the Daleks taking Davros away from Necros, and it ends shortly before the beginning of I, Davros. Because of these known events before and after, not much can happen to upset the status quo. A pair of snarky alien molluscs kept as Dalek slaves serve as the story's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, though they don't get openly metafictional.
The protagonist is a Thal agent assigned to infiltrate the Dalek ship, locate Davros, and carry out her choice among multiple possible mission objectives. There is a Silence of the Lambs aspect to her conversations with Davros, and while we know where Davros will end up next, this Thal is new to the story so her decisions and fate can be a source of tension.
There were spoken closing credits in The Davros Mission, which is atypical of Big Finish, so I looked up its release history. I was mistaken about how separated it was from I, Davros; it had been produced as a bonus feature for a special edition DVD boxset fairly shortly before the original I, Davros run, but wasn't independently released as a downloadable item until years later.
I enjoyed The Davros Mission. It is an inconsequential interlude, but it is a good character piece for Davros and his relationship with the Daleks. Considering how little frame tale is present in the first episode of I, Davros, I feel The Davros Mission is a helpful complement to the start of Davros's trial, and I certainly recommend it.