A few weeks ago I was having a nerd chat with a colleague at work – as one does – and we were discussing the relative merits of our favourite shows. Obviously I was supporting Doctor Who, he was supporting Star Trek. The core of my argument was effectively that when Doctor Who hits its very highest peaks there is nothing else on TV that can touch it. I also conceded that when it hits its lowest ebbs there’s nothing else on telly that goes that low… But as regards my point that Doctor Who at it’s best is better than anything else ever made for TV, ladies and gentlemen, we present exhibit A…
The opening scenes of war scarred country are haunting. We get quick shots of men being shot and killed and a pretty dark tone is set early doors. The Doctor lands (his transmat beam subverted by the Time Lords) and they set him a mission – return to Skaro and bugger about with the Daleks’ creation to make them slightly less the complete and utter bastards that they are. Or wipe them out, either’s good, apparently.
The story poses two factions of a planet against each other but it is the imagery and the set ups that manage to convey the situation – there are more than a few Nazi overtones as the Kaled people strive to kick the arses of the Thals and then find a way to survive.
It turns out their, somewhat demented, scientific leader has worked out that they’re all going to mutate, sooner or later, into blobs. So he proposes to hasten this process along and create travelling devices for said blobs of the future. Those devices are, of course, the Daleks. Only he goes further and wipes out any form of niceness, pity or mercy from their genetic makeup.
The story is simply superb. I can’t think of any origin story in any SF medium that has been as on the nose as this. The Daleks are born out of war and out of a desire to survive but we see that desire corrupted and the way in which the simple survival instinct can be warped.
The characters in the story are great. Davros is simply superb. Hauntingly portrayed and you almost, almost, feel for him as he begs for pity at the end.
Davros’s right hand man, Nyder is, of course, superb. The actor had been in other Who stories but this is his defining moment in the show.
All of the sets are dark and creepy and they show again that the right ambience can add immeasurably to the story.
I usually find some reason to moan about 6 part stories but this is brilliantly paced and never drags.
It also manages some iconic cliffhangers. The first vision of a Dalek, for one, and the Doctor being throttled by a Dalek mutant for another.
But more importantly, it contains some of the most iconic scenes in Doctor Who’s long history. The scene between the Doctor and Davros and of course the Doctor’s speech as he ponders committing genocide of the Daleks – both are just brilliant.
This is one of the very few Doctor Who stories that no matter how recently I have watched it, I can watch it again. I’d quite like to watch it again right now in fact but there are a few other stories pressing I’m quite looking forward to…
Utterly brilliant. I adore this story. The cast are brilliant, the production is brilliant, the story and the scripts are peerless. 10/10
The opening scenes of war scarred country are haunting. We get quick shots of men being shot and killed and a pretty dark tone is set early doors. The Doctor lands (his transmat beam subverted by the Time Lords) and they set him a mission – return to Skaro and bugger about with the Daleks’ creation to make them slightly less the complete and utter bastards that they are. Or wipe them out, either’s good, apparently.
The story poses two factions of a planet against each other but it is the imagery and the set ups that manage to convey the situation – there are more than a few Nazi overtones as the Kaled people strive to kick the arses of the Thals and then find a way to survive.
It turns out their, somewhat demented, scientific leader has worked out that they’re all going to mutate, sooner or later, into blobs. So he proposes to hasten this process along and create travelling devices for said blobs of the future. Those devices are, of course, the Daleks. Only he goes further and wipes out any form of niceness, pity or mercy from their genetic makeup.
The story is simply superb. I can’t think of any origin story in any SF medium that has been as on the nose as this. The Daleks are born out of war and out of a desire to survive but we see that desire corrupted and the way in which the simple survival instinct can be warped.
The characters in the story are great. Davros is simply superb. Hauntingly portrayed and you almost, almost, feel for him as he begs for pity at the end.
Davros’s right hand man, Nyder is, of course, superb. The actor had been in other Who stories but this is his defining moment in the show.
All of the sets are dark and creepy and they show again that the right ambience can add immeasurably to the story.
I usually find some reason to moan about 6 part stories but this is brilliantly paced and never drags.
It also manages some iconic cliffhangers. The first vision of a Dalek, for one, and the Doctor being throttled by a Dalek mutant for another.
But more importantly, it contains some of the most iconic scenes in Doctor Who’s long history. The scene between the Doctor and Davros and of course the Doctor’s speech as he ponders committing genocide of the Daleks – both are just brilliant.
This is one of the very few Doctor Who stories that no matter how recently I have watched it, I can watch it again. I’d quite like to watch it again right now in fact but there are a few other stories pressing I’m quite looking forward to…
Utterly brilliant. I adore this story. The cast are brilliant, the production is brilliant, the story and the scripts are peerless. 10/10