The Curse That Keeps On Giving.
Written by Jonathan Morris, "The Curse of Davros" was the second Doctor Who audio story to have original companion, Phillipa "Flip" Jackson. The story itself is something of a sequel, dealing with Flip and her boyfriend Jared who previously appeared in "The Crimes of Thomas Brewster", now meeting The Doctor for the second time. This Story would see Flip join the TARDIS as a permanent companion.
Flip and Jared Ramon run into the Doctor. However, they are then attacked by the Daleks, who have been chasing him down to England using technology that allows them to swap minds with human beings.
The Doctor and Flip eventually get captured after a chase, and are brought back to the Dalek Emperor's timezone. Luckily they find themselves able to escape, but stuck in Belgium, Waterloo, where Napoleon did surrender, 1815. The Daleks are organizing a plan to manipulate Napoleon's brain into victory in order to change Earth's timeline into one under Dalek control.
The Curse of Davros has examples of the following tropes:
- And I Must Scream: The humans trapped inside the Daleks can't see, can only taste anti-septic, are in constant pain and can only scream.
- The Doctor describes Davros' life as this, and mentions if the roles were reversed and he could end his life, he would do so immediately.
- And Then What?: Flip asks this of Davros.
- Ambiguous Robots: Pointed out by Flip.
- Batman Gambit: Davros gives away his location to the Daleks, and they begin tracking him, and through that he can track where they are.
- Flip pulls one on Davros and the Doctor when they've undergone a (faulty) "Freaky Friday" Flip. Flip previously told Davros the name of her mum's boyfriend. The Doctor guesses wrong while Davros gets it right, and Flip reluctantly reveals which is the Doctor. The Daleks assume it's a trick and imprison Davros.
- Call-Back: Jared suggests giving DI Menzies a call to help out the Doctor, and Flip refers to the Terravore, the aliens from that story.
- The Doctor refers to Translator Microbes as "a Time-Lord gift".
- The Doctor recalls meeting Flip, and Flip asks him about Evelyn. He mentions she met some chap called Rossiter.
- The most important thing Davros gives Napoleon is knowledge of his future defeats.
- Davros once more asks for PITTTYYYYYY.
- The Doctor disguises himself as a Dalek.
- The Doctor at one point asks Davros if he (Davros) "was expecting someone else?"
- The Duke of Wellington's right hand man is Major General Fergus Lethbridge-Stewart.
- Call-Forward: Davros is the Emperor of the Daleks in this iteration.
- Cassandra Truth: See also Batman Gambit.
- Double-Meaning Title: The Curse of Davros can refer to Davros causing others suffering and to Davros's own suffering.
- Dressing as the Enemy: The Doctor dresses himself as a Dalek. Again.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Davros says the Doctor will never be able to win the ultimate war because he cannot sacrifice others' lives, the Doctor says that's exactly why he'll always win.
- Exact Eavesdropping: When Davros turns the Daleks' attention to the Doctor, they hear exactly what they need to hear. The Doctor pulled the exact same on him before the story started.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Flip encounters Napoleon and is surprised he's not a little short bloke with a big hat.
- Failed a Spot Check: Davros does not recognize the Doctor disguised as a Dalek until he gives himself away.
- Fate Worse than Death: Davros describes his existence like this, and condemns the Doctor to the same fate.
- Flash Back: There's one explaining the "Freaky Friday" Flip.
- Flying Saucer: There's one that crashes down in the opening scene.
- For the Evulz: Davros kills off all the French soldiers after he's lost to the Doctor, just because he can.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: Davros has developed this type of technology. The Daleks do this to many humans and Davros plans to have a Dalek take over Napoleon's body.
- Genius Cripple: Discussed.
- Giving Radio to the Romans: Davros is giving Dalek help to Napoleon to win Waterloo.
- Hero Antagonist: For most of the story, it sounds like Davros is commanding the Daleks to capture the Doctor. It's actually the Doctor (in Davros's body) tricking them into capturing Davros (in the Doctor's body).
- Heroic Sacrifice: The Doctor claims it's worth dying to defeat Davros, and attempts it.
- Historical Domain Character: Napoléon Bonaparte and The Duke of Wellington.
- Humans Are Special / Humans Are Bastards: Davros describes the humans are possible allies but only under the leadership of Napoleon. Because some previous conquerors were too occupied with religion, or minor genetic differences, whilst Bonaparte focused merely on POWER.
- Invisibility Cloak: The Dalek pursuit ship has one.
- Irony:The Doctor: The Doctor, rescued by the Daleks? Heheheh... There's a first time for everything.
- It's a Long StoryFlip: It's the Doctor! It's complicated!Jared: He used the Dalek mind swap thing, right?Flip: Okay maybe it's not.
-
Jerkass Woobie: Davros. - Joker Immunity: The Doctor reversed the polarity of the mind swap machine, turning it into a Mind Wipe. Davros is the only one among the Daleks to survive it unscathed.
- Jumped at the Call: Flip at the end.
- Just Between You and Me: Davros confronts the Doctor and tries to get him to spill the beans, but the Doctor refuses to tell Davros his plans.
- Lamp Shade Hanging: The Doctor suggests that the Dalek threaten the life of Flip so that he is forced to cooperate.
- Mistaken for Spies: The Doctor and his companions, as per usual. Taken up to eleven when both the French and the English arrest Jared as an enemy spy.
- Not Himself: When the Doctor first speaks in this story, you'll find his choice in vocabulary to be ... different from his usual self. Then he shows gradually increasing contempt for his companion, and ultimately becomes shockingly callous about human lives.
- Pet the Dog: Davros actually shows some sympathy to the events he's put Flip through.
- The Reveal:The Doctor: Who do I think I am? Girl, who do you think I am?
- Robo Speak: Human beings doing this. Indicating that they've been taking over by Daleks.
- Shout-Out: Jared thinks the war in Walloon is "just like Command & Conquer!"
- Something Only They Would Say: Davros tries to implore this with the Daleks.
- Flip pulls this on Davros and the Doctor, to expose their true identities.
- Sympathy for the Devil: The Doctor seems to feel some for Davros after realising the agony he is constantly in from being inside his body.
- Take That!: "Don't call me babes, it makes you sound like you're in JLS."
- Thrown Out the Airlock: The Daleks plan to do this to the humans whose bodies they've used once no longer required.
- Translator Microbes: Flip's inability to understand these gets her outed as English, and captured by the French.
- Villain Protagonist: The story follows Davros, along with Flip & Jared, and their plight from the Daleks and The Doctor.
- Waxing Lyrical: Flip quotes ABBA for her knowledge about Waterloo.
- You Cannot Fight Fate: Napoleon throws his final battle to ensure the Daleks lose.
