1: The Great War
#darkeyes starts well, picking up where #tothedeath left off with the traumatised 8th Doctor headed to the end of the universe...
He's looking for hope, he says to the new incarnation of Straxus (the super smooth Peter Egan) so he's sent to #thegreatwar to find & save a mysterious girl, Irish volunteer nurse Molly O'Sullivan, the eponymous #darkeyes.
The timelords neglect to mention the alien threat to destroy them comes in the shape of the Daleks.
Molly is a strong character & an instant presence thanks to Ruth Bradley but they'll have to be careful not to overdo the "Dear Mammy" Irish schtick or it'll grate.
#Thegreatwar throws the Doctor & Molly together during a gas attack & although there's good atmosphere & intrigue. There's a good half hour of disappointing water treading b4 the Daleks turn up at the cliffhanger. 7.5/10
2: Fugitives
would have been a 7.5 easy but I'm docking it half a mark as it's completely impossible to tell when the 8th Doctor actually changes his clothes!
2me would make sense round the 30mins mark or 40mins mark But there's literally no mention of it at all which is just weird.
Other than the coat cock-up #fugitives drives #darkeyes forward, but as the name suggests it's really just one long chase that takes in an escape by WW1 plane, a rather pointless sojourn to the Dunkirk landings, the 1970s & by the way am I supposed to know who Sally is & where the Doctor got this house from?
There's then an attempt at a moment's peace when the Doctor strips to his undies & goes 4 a swim so that *could* be the outfit change, but I'm led to believe it's earlier, either just after Dunkirk or in the 1970s in the house before the Daleks turn up.
Elsewhere things move on with Straxus and X But this is a middle chapter & as such fills an hour rather than truly justifying its running time. 7/10
3: Tangled Web
starts to unravel the Dalek plan & Molly's history & adds the most interesting diversion...
that of the fake future Skaro festooned with flowers where a loveably voiced mutant & laughing children live of course it sounds too good to be true & it is...
then the truth about Molly & the dark eyes comes out... 8/10
4: X and the Daleks
wraps things up after a messy faff with a dull primitive type that thankfully maneuvers everyone into place...
The final few twists are satisfying but god only knows why the Dalek time controller is happy enough to be completely written out of time.
It's a good chapter, in the end, but a long way from perfect. Molly leaves, and to be honest, I'm not altogether sorry that her story's done and dusted. A strong character, and likeable overall, but not one I'd really want much more of. 7/10
DARK EYES
Most of the middle section is just a big chase and the last episode is largely a hollow waiting game for a nicely dramatic ending, which has some great brinksmanship and powerful performances...
But this is not the fire and rage "direct action" Time War 8th Doctor we were promised in To The Death, and that is a disappointment. The traumatised post-Lucie beginning scene seems to set it up, but then they never deliver. Personally, I'm hoping the next Dark Eyes set is a whole lot darker. And not called Dark Eyes, to be honest! - that story's done, so the next one should be something else!
I'm also hoping that these next few "Dark Eyes" boxsets aren't just all Dalek stories, but at the same time I *am* very much looking forward to the next clash with the Dalek Time Controller!
The Great War: 7.5
Fugitives: 7
Tangled Web: 8
X and the Daleks: 7
DARK EYES: 8
TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... DARK EYES 2!
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