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A Doctor Who a Day - Day 5 - Review: Dalek

Updated: Jan 2

The Doctor staring at a Dalek eye stalk
@BBC

Doctor Who Series 1, Episode 6, Dalek

Original Air Date: 30th April 2005


“Doctor?? THE DOCTOR!!”


I honestly think there is only one thing that lets this episode down. Fucking Adam! He is an absolute weapon, and I could imagine Adam to be every bit as sex pesty as the actor who plays him. I don’t think of myself as a violent person, but I had to restrain myself from punching his face through the TV. Then, to rub salt into the wounds, Rose seems to bloody like him for some reason. She treats Mickey like shit, but happily brings along the biggest bellend going. This felt very out of character for Rose. I know, she is young, and heaven knows we all make bad choices when we are young, we make bad choices when we are old as well to be fair, but Jesus H Christ. Adam? Really Rose?


Anyway, apart from Adam this is amazing!


"Broken. Broken. Hairdryer."


I know the title of the episode gives away what is coming, but the build up to what is coming is still thrilling. The episode starts out simple enough, looking through the alien artifacts and seeing some old foes on display. I love how this series doesn’t rely on anything particular from classic Doctor Who, the old Cyberman head was brilliant, but it was just a little easter egg. Likewise, you didn’t need to have any knowledge of the show to know that the Doctor was coming face to face with an absolute evil, POS icon.


It is something the show has struggled with majorly of late. The Disney era being branded a new jumping on point then throwing in Donna, the Fourteenth Doctor, UNIT, Mel, Susan, the Rani, Sutekh, etc. I know, this has been said a million times before, but watching series 1 and comparing it to series 14, or season 1, or whatever it is, is chalk and cheese.


This series doesn’t have the big budget, the flashy effects, but it feels like it has a whole lot more heart. Maybe that is unfair? Maybe having a greedy, massive, American corporation involved just took away some of the magic.


The main event of this episode is the Doctor being put in the cell with the Dalek and Christopher Eccleston is amazing in this scene. When the Dalek awakens and realises who is in the cell with him, fuck yes that was good. I don't think you needed any past Doctor Who lore knowledge after this scene to realise that the Daleks are evil fuckers, Eccleston sold that for us.


"I watched it happen. I made it happen."


We get to learn a bit more about the Time War here, which is always a nice thing. RTD pulled a blinder with the Time War idea, freeing the modern version to make its own way and give the Doctor some much needed mystery.


Once the Dalek is on the loose and causing mayhem it is a thrilling watch. Setting off sprinklers and electrocuting everyone in sight whilst making sure everyone can see what it is doing is pretty dark shit.


One thing that makes me laugh, if I may... does Doctor Who ever make an American character just normal and nice? Do they always have to be complete tools? I can only think of Canton in Series 6 who is a decent guy, even minor characters facing imminent (certain) death are portrayed as cocky and arrogant. I am British by the way, just something that occasionally gets on my goat.


Maybe Doctor Who has a point though. Because the United States is an absolute disgrace of a place right now. A place that seems hell bent on destroying itself, and the rest of the planet. I know that there has to be more good than bad in the country, but fucking hell its hard to see right now.


Jesus, Trump and guns?! What! The! Actual! Fuck!


"Put him on the road someplace. Memphis. Minneapolis. Somewhere beginning with M."


Seeing the Doctor with a gun is a rare occurrence, but here he has one, locked, loaded and ready to use. I love this part, watching him realise he is acting like a Dalek, needing Rose to help him stand down, great stuff.


Van Statten's ending was a bit odd, I think he might have put up a bit more of a fight than he did. Now if we could only do that to all rich, narcissistic people, maybe I wouldn’t have such a bad perception of the United States!


A Dalek chained up in a dark cell. The Dalek is a pepperpot shape with a gun and plunger in the middle of its metal casing and an eyestalk on a domed top. The eyestalk is glowing blue.
@BBC

So there we have it, a great episode and that is despite me having a major dislike for one of the characters in it. They really did knock this series out of the park.


What did you think of the return of the legendary killing machines? Let me know in the comments below or run the risk of being exterminated!






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© by Matty James

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