It has been a long 18-month wait for the next instalment of the Second Doctor’s adventures post War Games. In the fight against Time Lord and Dalek conspiracies alike, the latest boxset in the series, The Potential Daleks, kicks off where the previous left off, with their re-emergence throughout the universe.

Starting the newest trilogy, Humpty Dumpty, written by Nicholas Briggs, brings with it some big answers as the Dalek machinations come to the forefront as they plan their way back into the universe.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall…

A nursery rhyme through time is on the brink of causing a cosmic catastrophe. And for the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Raven, this is just the beginning of a final battle.

A battle which began on Skaro.

Big Finish Synopsis

As its own separate entity, this story is a difficult one to judge. Entrenched in 3 boxsets’ worth of story build-up, the entire function of this piece is to act as a bridge between one phase of the story arc and the next. The little story we do get outside of the numerous reveals sees the TARDIS team chasing down Dalek spawn points as they appear across different time periods on Earth.  

Split between 1877 and 1951, this first case of reemergence is a bit of an odd duck. In a bid to break through the vortex, the Dalek’s plans involve the use of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, a random woman, and a supped-up version of a phonograph. It’s a plan that brings with it vague memories of a previous adventure where the Daleks attempt to bring back Shakespeare, and in both cases, this weird use of Earth literature feels counterintuitive to a race that values Dalek purity above all else.

There are flashes of interest throughout the main bulk of the story, however, when it decides to focus on Raven. This adventure sees her lose her last vestige of control over the situation, and we finally see her drop this façade of confidence that has defined her character for three boxsets. Left with no one to take orders from, it is interesting to hear how her underlying fears often lead her to take more cowardly actions, and it should be good to hear how these feelings evolve as she travels with The Doctor over the coming trilogy.   

While this first part of the trilogy may lack a persuasive plot, it does make up for it with some much-needed answers. Up until this point in the series, the stories that we’ve been presented with have only really been interested in handing out cryptic plot threads and teasing hints, so it is nice to see that the series seems to be slowly heading towards an ending or ultimately a new direction.

Although there are several revelations made throughout this adventure, they basically boil down to three things: 1) A new incoming Dalek invasion 2) The Doctor and Raven were both tricked into helping them rather than the Time Lords. 3) There is a bigger mastermind at play. These revelations fit the series’ wider narrative, especially given the events in Conspiracy of Raven, and offer scope for The Doctor’s adventures beyond his first mission.