Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 6 - Dalek - Review

Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, Bruno Langley & Corey Johnson

Written By: Robert Shearman

Directed By: Joe Ahearne

 

The decision to hold off on re-introducing the Daleks till mid-way through this new series of 'Doctor Who', was indeed a smart one. While I'm sure the temptation was there to open the series with the Daleks, it wouldn't have been a wise move. Having to introduce a new Doctor, new companion and familiarize a new audience with the show is a daunting enough job to do in forty-five minutes, and throwing the iconic baddies into that mix wasn't going to help. But by holding off until now, the new audience have a decent grasp on the Doctor and Rose, are familiar with things such as the TARDIS, have been to the past, the future and more. So now is the optimum time for the show's iconic pepper pots to return...

 

Arriving at the source of a distress signal, the Doctor and Rose arrive deep underground in Utah, 2012. They find themselves in a private museum filled with alien artefacts and owned by billionaire Henry Van Statten. The Doctor is soon introduced to Van Statten's prized collection – a living alien being which he has dubbed the 'Metaltron'. However, the Doctor is horrified to discover that the 'Metaltron', weakened and in chains, is in fact a Dalek – the last survivor of its kind from the Time War.

 

 

The top priority with 'Dalek' was to sell the Daleks as a veritable threat once again. As the original run of the show declined in popularity and quality (at least in the public's eyes), the Daleks developed quite a poor reputation. During the 80s and 90s, they became the butt of jokes and were no longer loved as much as they were in their 60s heyday. Beginning this episode with a weak, powerless Dalek being kept in some dusty vaults, is symbolic of how they were regarded before this episode came along, and it's practically meta (like a lot of Robert Shearman's other work). But 'Dalek' takes this unloved alien and transforms it into something that feels dangerous once more. Focusing on just one Dalek is a great way of showing just how much damage it's capable of. The moment it escapes the cage sends chills down your spine, as the Dalek's voice increases in anger and volume, and the music swells. Incidentally, the new Dalek theme is dark and dramatic, and Nicholas Briggs is fantastic as the new voice of the Daleks. The events that follow after its escape result in a high death toll as this single Dalek takes out hundreds without an ounce of mercy or hesitation. A corridor full of armed soldiers? The Dalek's not fazed – not a single bullet even touches it, and it rotates back and forth, coolly taking each soldier out one by one. How about a warehouse full? It just activates the sprinklers and electrocutes them all in just a couple of shots. But surely stairs will stop it? Nope, just as they did in 'Remembrance Of The Daleks', the Dalek will fly up. What I love about the use of the Dalek here is that Shearman doesn't make the common mistake of treating it like a robot. Not only do we eventually get to see the mutant inside, we see its intelligence as it manipulates both the Doctor and Rose. It makes sure no-one can get to any alien weapons in the museum that may potentially be used against it, while also figuring out keypad combinations, how to restore its systems etc.

 

I also really like the update of the Dalek's physical casing too. The basic design is kept essentially the same as it's been since 1963, but with some nice modifications, such as the new gold and bronze colour scheme. While I do love the silver and later grey Daleks that were common throughout most of the classic series, this is the first design that actually feels like its made of metal and it looks all the better for it. Even its eyestalk isn't just a stick with an eye that's painted on anymore – it's a cold blue light, and many of the close-ups on it look brilliant as you simply can't tell what the Dalek is actually thinking. All in all, it's a great update of a design that's long been outdated.

 

 

As you'd expect, the reappearance of the Daleks also elicits some brilliant scenes from the Doctor, and there are plenty of great Doctor vs. Dalek moments to be found. What better way is there of showing how much of a threat the Daleks are, than the Doctor's immediate reaction when he first hears it speak? For the first time this series, he seems genuinely scared and there's so much fear in his eyes at the sight of this one Dalek. The conversation that follows helps flesh out and give a bit more weight to the events of the unseen Time War, and the mental scars that the Doctor emerged with. The Dalek brings out the Doctor's darkest side – it's brilliantly written as we see the lengths he'll go to to stop them. Later on, when the Doctor and the Dalek speak again over the video link, Christopher Eccleston delivers his best performance as the Doctor so far. His anger as he spits out “The Daleks have failed. Why don't you finish the job and make the Daleks extinct, rid the universe of your filth?! Why don't you just die?!” is delivered with so much hatred and fear. Even now, it remains one of the highlights of the first series, and one of its best scenes.

 

While the Doctor and the Dalek have centre stage in this episode, it's worth pointing out that I did also like everything it was set against. An underground alien museum is an interesting and distinct setting, and even allows for a couple of Easter Eggs that you can appreciate without them getting in the way, such as the Slitheen arm or a Cyberman's head. Corey Johnson also delivers a great performance as Van Statten – the cocky, arrogant billionaire who likes to think he's in control, but quickly loses that façade once the Dalek escapes, especially so when he comes face to face with it. The museum itself also contains a surprising amount of variety, from the dim, gloomy Dalek prison to the more industrial areas and corridors. Bringing it all together is director Joe Ahearne, who turns 'Dalek' into what is probably the best-directed episode of the series so far. He injects plenty of energy into the action scenes and includes some really nice shots when it comes to scenes such as the Doctor's first confrontation with the Dalek.

 

 

While 'Dalek' succeeds in all the essentials, and I can happily call it the strongest entry to the series so far, there is a weak link here … and that's Rose. In the first act of the episode, Rose doesn't get a whole lot to do, besides a suggested attraction to Adam. Although the scenes between them are sweet, they ultimately don't lead to anything, and Adam leaves very little overall impression. He also reminds me a lot of Adric, and while I'm mostly indifferent to Adric, I know a lot of people feel much worse about him than I do. We also seem to be forgetting that Rose does have a boyfriend back home. We do remember Mickey don't we? However, as the episode goes on, Shearman begins trying to make Rose out to be the voice of reason. She begins to sympathize with the Dalek as it becomes more human and wants to feel the sunlight. This is fair enough, but my problem comes with Rose shouting at the Doctor for wanting to kill the Dalek. Surely the Doctor has every right to want to do this? Although his behaviour may be rash, the Doctor is still recovering from the devastation of the Time War, and here he's put face to face with one of the creatures responsible for destroying his home and people. With this in mind, you can't condemn him for how he feels, especially when Rose has so little experience of the Daleks. Besides, Rose has seen this single Dalek kill hundreds of people and try to kill her – she seems oddly quick to defend it given what it's done in a single day. I will confess though that I actually find it interesting to see the Dalek begin to feel humanity and I do like the Dalek's eventual demise. A lot of people don't share my view here, but think about it: the Dalek would rather die than feel any compassion or humanity. If that's not Dalek ideology, then what is?

 

'Dalek' remains one of the show's most popular stories for a reason – it's a near-flawless reboot for the Daleks that would ensure they would be back on TV screens for a long time. Bar a few relatively minor issues, it's well-directed, has a simple but highly effective and entertaining plot, with some of the best bits of honest drama from the series so far. Now I come to think of it, I'd probably say that this episode and the Daleks' next appearance are probably where they're at their best in the revival, and both are two of my all-time favourites. It's an incredible shame and loss to the new series that Robert Shearman hasn't returned to write for it – he did a fantastic job here.

Dalek
 

9/10