The Evil of the Daleks

Patrick Troughton's final adventure in his first season is, in my opinion, the wildest and most extravagant yet. Not only is it set in three completely different areas, it's also filled with some massive sets, location shooting, and lots of explosions.

Basically, when the Doctor and Jamie return to the TARDIS in the airport, they find that someone's stolen it, and a trail has been left for the Doctor to an antique shop, where the owner:  Mr. Waterfield, has been traveling in time back to the victorian era. Taking the Doctor and Jamie back with him, he and his friend Maxtible explain that they were forced to by the Daleks. The Daleks want the Doctor to figure out what makes the humans defeat the daleks all the time, and to do so, he must use Jamie in an experiment. The Doctor willingly proceeds but is deceived as the Daleks take his calculations and formula and reverse them. They then follow the Daleks back to Skaro in order to stop them from using 'the Dalek factor' on all of humankind.

It's complicated, yes, and it is quite a large expansive plot, but it is executed perfectly. Fast paced and filled with suspense, danger, and character, there is pretty much nothing to fault at all. From the start, you can see the story looks great and is acted brilliantly. The modern day guest stars are brilliant, and the victorian actors are as well. Waterfield expertly conveys a man under pressure, and Maxtible's got the mad scientist look and voice perfectly. Victoria Waterfield is great too, and there's a lovely subplot involving Kemel, a jamaican slave, having feelings for her. It's believable, as is the bond between Jamie and Kemel.

The Doctor however, shows a different kind of acting towards his companion. Here, he plays the audience into questioning his allegiances and friends, all while having great fun doing so. It's a testimonial to Troughton's skill that he can go from being delighted and enthralled by a tune on his recorder to being dark, serious, and scarily morbid about a situation or subject.

I could go on for hours, days even, on "The Evil of the Daleks"; there's simply so much to write about and discuss, and there are so many interesting themes, from slavery and the class system, to friendship, obedience, and despair. It doesn't get much better than this.

As an afterthought, I'd like to add that the human Daleks are hilarious and a delight to watch.

The Power of the Daleks

So Patrick Troughton is the Doctor's new body, and he's lovable and insane. His recorder playing in the first episode is hilarious and serves as a lightweight introduction to his character before the main plot gets going.

The Doctor gets involved in a struggle of power between the citizens of Vulcan and rebels. However, one of the government's scientists has found a capsule in a swamp, which contains old, deactivated Daleks. After reviving them, they plot to overthrow both the Rebels and the Guards, and the serial ends in a climactic duel.

I must say, this has been one of my favourite serials so far. The Doctor is on top-form, the Daleks are great, and the characters of Bragen, Lesterson, and Henshall are all great to watch. Complementing them is a fast-paced plot which is more action orientated than previous stories have been, and this is a breath of fresh air.

Did I mention the Daleks are back? They're scary, and it's even more scary to see Daleks pretending to be under human control but actually plotting themselves. It's gripping stuff.

Overall, a great serial for the introduction of Patrick Troughton, and the story is insightful as to the direction Doctor Who is taking.

The Daleks' Master Plan (Episodes 7-12)

The second half of this serial is a lot better than the first, in my opinion. However, the Feast of Steven is a bit of a wasted episode, as nothing important happens in that episode, it just serves the purpose of wishing all the viewers a merry christmas.

I can't really think of much else to say about this story except that it really is epic, and features some great moments, such as the confrontations between the monk and the doctor in Egypt and the thrilling conclusion.

Roll on the Massacre!

The Daleks' Master Plan (Episodes 1-6)

It's been a while since I last watched a story in my Doctor Who marathon. However, I've decided to get going again and continue from where I left off. I'd stopped after episode five of this story in October, so some aspects of it are a little foggy in my mind.

I enjoyed this immensely, which the characters of Mavic Chen and Bret Vyon being some of the best single-story characters yet. The death of Katarina is a powerful moment as it shows the Doctors do not always win confrontations.

I felt that the story was just about to kick off at this point, so I'll save the rest for the second part of this story review.

Mission to the Unknown

"Mission to the Unknown" is unique among Doctor Who episodes in that it is the only one not to feature the Doctor or any of his companions. Instead, this episode serves as a prequel to the massive serial yet to come: "The Daleks' Masterplan".

In this prequel, we meet the crew of a spaceship who have been investigating the Daleks but have become stuck on the planet Kembel. After failing to send a distress signal, all of the crew members are killed. We also see the Daleks forming an alliance with aliens from 'the outer galaxies' before discussing their plan to destroy the solar system.

Contrary to what I thought before watching this, I didn't miss the Doctor nor his companions at all. Instead, the doomed crew hold together the episode well, with ample amounts of drama and suspense to keep the viewers on the edges of their seats. The characters all have backstory and strained relationships so it's interesting to watch them.

"Mission to the Unknown" is one of the darkest serials yet, in my opinion. None of the good guys reach the end credits, and as they roll, you're left with a sense of dread as to what the Daleks will do next.

The Chase

"The Chase" is the third Dalek story, excluding "The Space Museum", which did not feature the Daleks as enemies. In this serial, the Daleks pursue the TARDIS crew through space and time, stopping off for an amusing scene at the Empire State Building and explaining the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

This story has a lighter feel in comparison with some of the earlier stories in this season, and it greatly benefits this story; you don't feel like anything is repetitive. The Daleks make their comeback, and as always, they're better than ever.

The first couple of episodes see the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki held captive on an alien planet while their captives reason with the Daleks. These episodes start off "The Chase" by giving it a dark tone, but that's lost as the travelers escape. Following up are great scenes about the Mary Celeste and on the Empire State Building. The latter is the high-point of this particular serial, as it's great to watch, and feature the great Peter Purves (who later appears in the same serial as Steven).

It's an upsetting moment at the end of the last episode as Ian and Barbara return to Earth, leaving the TARDIS at it's lowest passenger count yet. Now it's only the Doctor and Vicki left to tour the universe, but the mysterious disappearance of Steven suggests that the TARDIS might be picking up a new recruit sometime in the new future.

The Space Museum

"The Space Museum" is in essence a giant labyrinth story, where the characters all get lost and are being hunted for by the villains. However, what makes this serial unique is the fact that it throws in a subplot about changing the future except, this time, the TARDIS crew are trying to change the future, not prevent change.

I don't have much to say about this story as a whole, but I thought that the characters weren't that interesting, aside from our regulars, of course. The story begins to drag on a bit after the second episode, and it seems to me that the writer just ran out of steam.

Nevertheless, the first episode is one of the best yet, in my opinion, and I can't wait to see what the Daleks have in store for the TARDIS crew in the next serial...

The Dalek Invasion of Earth

So, the Daleks are back, and they're better than ever. Expansive sets, lots of location work, and our four regulars all make this, quite possibly' the best Doctor Who serial yet.

The Doctor, Ian, Susan, and Barbara land in London in the the 22nd century to find it deserted. Soon, they discover that the Daleks have invaded the whole planet, and the few humans left are either held prisoner or are part of small resistance groups. Obviously, the characters all join a London resistance group, but not before Ian and the Doctor are captured. The story is strong, and there is never a dull moment.

The characters of Jenny, Dortman, and David all bring life to the dead city, and in the presence of these actors, you almost forget that Earth is supposed to be in danger. As the plot moves forward, we are constantly aware of the terror the Daleks bring, and this makes the story seem more 'believable' than any other.

The serial itself was obviously expensive to produce, as the level of detail in every set is great and you completely forget that the invasion never happened. This is helped by Doctor Who's first major use of locations. The London streets deserted is quite a memorable image.

In spite of the dark undertones and fast pace, the cast still inject humour into the script, and have time for some witty banter and dialogue. One thing I found particularly funny was Barbara driving a 1950's lorry through some Daleks during her escape from London.

I think that towards the last two episodes, the plot begins to weaken and the flaws in the script shine through the production values, but at the last moment, before the next adventure begins, something happens that makes us forget anything we ever thought was bad about this epic journey. Susan, who throughout the programme had almost no character development whatsoever, leaves the TARDIS crew to stay on Earth with David. William Hartnell plays this scene fantastically, and you might even shed a tear as the TARDIS dematerializes on Susan.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth is the most expansive serial yet, with high production values and a generally strong script. Great supporting cast members portray a sense of believability about this whole adventure, and we end on a sad note as the TARDIS crew leaves Earth with one less member than 6 episodes ago.

The Daleks

The second serial in Doctor Who's history introduced one of Britain's most well-known cultural icons: the Daleks. This race of mutants was the first of thousands to face the Doctor and they have returned to the television series in more than 50 episodes.

'The Daleks' carries straight on from 'An Unearthly Child' and as the characters develop, the story unfolds into an epic adventure that just goes on for far too long. This serial is more than two hours long and by the end of it, you'll either be gripping the edge of your seat, or falling asleep on it. The first couple of episodes are incredible to watch, but as the episode count rises, so does the number of times you'll nod off to sleep. Yes, there are some hilarious moments like Barbara's over-exaggeration to the appearance of a plunger to the odd sets and amusing costumes, but these barely cover the dark underside to the story which conveys themes of nuclear devastation and Nazi leadership.

But, 'The Daleks' offers something for everyone, whether you like disaster movies, enjoy a good night in, or if you just want to cringe at the production values.

Dr. Who and the Daleks

It was the first time the Daleks had been seen in colour, and on the big screen as well. It's a great children's film, but only if you forget that it's supposed to be Doctor Who. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Who, an eccentric English inventor who has invented TARDIS. If you're a fan of the series, the film seems a little strange compared to the serial "The Daleks". It get a lot of things wrong and has dumbed down a lot of the things that make Doctor Who what it is.

However, the general storyline remains similar, and I think it was the first time the Dalek voices sounded at all decent. Perhaps it can be forgiven for changing too much and deviating from the TV series with it's simple charm and some oddly placed jokes. It's a high budget stroll through familiar ground and can be a great film to watch when you're with a group of fans. This could be great, but failed a bit.