During this year's Christmas period I listened to a backlog of Big Finish Audio's - and this gives an interesting perspective on where the range is going as well as comparisons to give the review of any one tape more perspective.
Like the books, or maybe because of the books, there are massive variations in style - from the continuity chokefest of the previous Dalek release, the Apocalypse Element (new BBC novels), teenage angst in Shadow of the Scourge (Virgin New Adventures), farce in the Holy Terror (Marvel comic strips) etc. Thus in terms of the Mutant Phase, whether you like it depends on your preference.
The plot itself is quite interesting - the Doctor and Nyssa arrive in Kansas (I think) and encounter the Daleks, before being dragged into some time trap by an unholy alliance of Daleks & Thals. The reason for the alliance, the titled Mutant Phase, seems to be linked to the events in Kansas - without giving too much away! Just when you think you have the plot all worked out, mid way through episode 2, the script twists again, and everything neatly falls into place at the end - so full marks there. I was grousing when I first listened thinking I was listening to a green polemic, but the script is much cleverer than that, and the issue of genetically modified foods is a plot point only, not the plot. The fact that we are dealing with bio engineered plants is perfect for Nyssa obviously!
The settings range from Kansas, to Skaro, but mostly are set in a post apocalyptic Earth (again) - and with not much but bad news going down, exterminatecakes etc., it's pretty doom laden - so our time travellers do not get to experiment as much with the comedy that was so promising in Winter for the Adept. However, it is nice to see a script that was written with Nyssa in mind - the writing uses Nyssa to drive forward the action, provide some exposition through what she discovers, and generally she acts as a partner to the Doctor, rather than a hindrance. She also gets the "Come over here Doctor, or the girl gets it from us mean guys with the sink plungers" scene. Both Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison are great as always, and the back up cast - bar the hackneyed characters in the 'bomb shelter' are fine too.
The script seems quite cumbersome, it is a time tautology script so that's fair, but maybe because of this it is no way near as sophisticated (dare to say postmodern) as Shadow of the Scourge - nor as freshly nostalgic as the Spectre of Lanyon Moor. Ultimately you can't get past the fact that it's got the DALEKS in it - and really that's what you are (or the producers think you are) paying for. Loved the Daleks on TV, but not really enjoying them on Audio - the Mutant Phase is a lot more coherent than the Apocalypse Element, but does not have the novelty factor that the Genocide Machine had. What, when you distil it down, made the Daleks the legends they were? And it was the sink plunger, the balls on the side, the gun, the way they move, the way their eyes dilated (in the early ones anyway), and in the later ones the way they floated. The voices too were good, but their voices on their own they make your fillings rattle. The Dalek trilogy has convinced me not to buy Big Finish's Daleks only tapes. TV's tricks of getting around how monotonous the voices are maybe could be adapted here - eg Dalek agents or Davros speaking for them?
Apart from that, there is the usual provincial casting of Londoners only ensuring that the back up cast are not memorable and were probably in the last Big Finish audio (Londoners in Pompei in the Fires of Vulcan indeed!) - perfect for Dalek fodder, though I'm not sure if you are meant to be cheering the Daleks on! The exception is the whacky Russian Exposition man who tells us the plot. So on the one side you have screeching Daleks and on the other my favourite TARDIS team - I do seem to be damning with faint praise - but the Daleks are just not subtle creatures, and when you are confined to the audio medium (and perhaps used to the surefire wit of Bernice Summerfield) you can finish up the tape with a headache from all the shouting.
Better than the last Dalek outing - and a nice showcase for Doctor and Nyssa; this proves two things, this Tardis team works well together, but new enemies to fight generally make better new stories to tell. If, on the other hand, you like the Daleks on Audio, then you'll like this a lot!
Of the three Big Finish audio adventures featuring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton, this one is clearly he best.....with a few minor problems. The Peter Davison/Sarah Sutton combination has always been a great one from an acting standpoint, but the scripts seemed always a little off. "Land of the Dead" has great production values but was a little far-fetched. "Winter for the Adept" had WONDERFUL potential but was ruined by a lousy ending. "The Mutant Phase", on the other hand, is quite different and worthy of some praise.
The plot is complex, don't get me wrong. You HAVE to pay attention or you'll miss something. However, being able to stay with the action guarantees you lots of excitement with great plot twists and surprises. The Daleks are handled well in this story in that they lose their predator status and become the hunted, yet their scheming manipulations are never compromised. The multi-time zone format is also used quite effectively as are the references to William Hartnell's TV story "The Dalek Invasion of Earth".
Davison and Sutton are at their best here. Nyssa comes off as particularly strong as she solves several problems through her own ingenuity and actually helps the Doctor think problems through logically. There is a marvelous scene in which Nyssa confronts the Doctor about breaking the laws of time and, in a chilling moment, reminds him of Adric's death. The scene also reminds us that Nyssa was the ONLY companion who was consistently able to help the Doctor keep things in perspective during a crisis. Davison gives some great lines as well, my favorite being: "Fate.....never heard of it."
I can really only find three problems with "The Mutant Phase" (and I'm being real picky). First, the is an appalling lack of humor which can be forgiven to some degree because of the seriousness and complexity of the plot. Second, (and I mean no disrespect to any member of the United Kingdom) but very few British actors can do a good Southern USA accent. This is demonstrated in the opening sequence of "Red Dawn" as well as by the Dalek Robo-Man from Kansas in this story. To be fair, few Americans can get a British accent right without sounding like a hyperactive John Cleese.....so there.
Finally, I'm starting to get tired of the plots that escalate until the universe is about to explode. Not only did we just have this in "The Apocalypse Element", but it was also overused in the televised episodes ("The Three Doctors", "Logopolis", "Terminus", "The Two Doctors", "The Mysterious Planet".....need I continue?). However, if you can overlook these minor quibbles, you're in for a great time.
All in all, "The Mutant Phase" is another triumph for Big Finish. I can't quite put it on as high a pedestal as "The Fires of Vulcan" or "The Fearmonger", but it's not too far behind.
