Doctor Who 2019 Special - Resolution - Review

Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill & Daniel Adegboyega

Written By: Chris Chibnall

Directed By: Wayne Yip

One of the reasons I've enjoyed Series 11 so much is simply because it broke the show out of its rut of relying so heavily on callbacks, references and recurring villains. A series of original stories with a new cast and no returning elements likes the Daleks, the Cybermen or past companions is exactly one of the things I'd hoped for from Chris Chibnall's first run. It was just so refreshing to me. So having taken a series off, and with Chibnall's first special, now feels like the right time to re-engage with some more familiar elements, and excluding cameo appearances, this is the first proper Dalek story in roughly three years since the start of Series 9. Having taken this time off, it actually feels exciting to see them back and I'm interested to see how Chibnall will handle them. So let's dive into the one and only 'Doctor Who' episode of 2019... 

In the 9th Century, three opposing factions barely succeeded in defeating an incredibly powerful alien enemy. To ensure it was absolutely dead, the factions split its body into three pieces and hid them away in different locations around the Earth. Thousands of years later in present day Sheffield, a pair of archaeologists exhume one of those parts. Still alive, the creature summons its other parts and restores itself to power. The TARDIS alerts the Doctor, Graham, Ryan and Yaz to this alien presence, and soon discover it to be one of the deadliest threats in the universe... a Dalek. 

'Resolution' was pretty skittish about revealing the fact it would feature the Daleks' return, and only announced it about a week before it was due to air. Presumably it was meant to be kept as a surprise, and given the Dalek's unique design I understand keeping any pictures of it out of the promotional material. But that Dalek is integral to 'Resolution' and it's hard to escape the feeling that a lot more hype could've been generated had the marketing focused on the fact that this is the 13th Doctor's first encounter with them. Crucially, this is also Chibnall's first time writing for the show's most iconic enemies, and his handling of the Dalek is an absolute triumph as far as I'm concerned. He does such a good job at characterizing the Reconnaissance Dalek, and it feels like a proper threat. Occasionally you get individual Daleks that just stand out from the rest - the lone survivor in the eponymous 'Dalek', Dalek Sec, the Dalek Time Controller - and the Reconnaissance Dalek is right up there with them. Before it builds a new casing, you can sense that the mutant is getting a perverse joy out of controlling Lin. Later once it's better armed, it gives a group of soldiers just a couple of seconds to surrender before massacring them, and responds to the Doctor's pleas to stand down with "You are not my commander!" - this Dalek is just so well characterized. 

Kudos to Chibnall as well for penning an episode that gives a Dalek something almost entirely new to do, fifty-five years in. The idea of one of the first Daleks to leave Skaro arriving on Earth and being trapped for centuries is a fantastic premise on its own, but this Dalek has even more material to work with. The interaction between Dalek mutants and humans has been experimented with before in stories like 'Evolution Of The Daleks', but this is a first to see a Dalek squid possess a human in this way. A de-shelled Dalek having to fashion a makeshift casing for itself is similarly another great idea. It does admittedly require some suspension of disbelief to work, and you can be a pedantic f*ck who chooses to pick holes with it all day long, but I try to avoid that line of thinking 'cause it's pretty joyless and unhelpful. The Dalek got its weaponry, flight systems and other advanced tech from the weapons company archives, and found the raw metal in that farm to fashion its casing - that's good enough for me. The casing is a great one-off design, and the way the Dalek cobbles it together is a nice contrast to the Doctor making a new sonic screwdriver in 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth'. Before it gets its new casing, it's worth stating that Charlotte Ritchie as Lin is thoroughly underrated when she's possessed by the Dalek. It's not an easy job to switch back and forth between a terrified victim and being evil and sadistic, but Ritchie is fantastic. Lin and Mitch are also two really likeable supporting characters and even share a cute romance with each other. And back to voice the Dalek is of course Nicholas Briggs, and this might be one of his best Dalek performances - I particularly liked how the mutant sounded closer to Briggs' natural voice, but gradually acquires that famous metallic Dalek rasp. 

The Dalek is the unquestionable star of 'Resolution', but their reappearance also brings out the best in Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. Many of the 13th Doctor's best moments so far have taken place when she's removed from her companions and left to face off against a villain and that's true here. Whittaker get some great scenes alongside the Dalek, such as when she taunts it in the TARDIS via hologram - her line "Do that again to my face" is delivered with some real vitriol. We also have a great direct confrontation when the Dalek unveils its new casing and twigs who precisely it's facing, causing it to flip out. Although a lot of people took issue with it, I also think it was a good idea to keep UNIT out of the picture here. It cuts the TARDIS crew off from help and elevates the sense of threat. UNIT being disbanded because of funding withdrawals has been interpreted largely as a Brexit joke, which is take I mostly agree with but I think the scene with call centre Polly is also a joke at bureaucracy in general and how difficult it is getting anything done over the phone. I hope that UNIT aren't disbanded forever, but as of right now it works in this story's favour. And while we're on popular points of contention with 'Resolution', I've seen other complaints that the Dalek being defeated by a microwave is silly. It is, but two counterpoints come to mind. First, the Daleks have been defeated in numerous ridiculous ways before - in 'Death To The Daleks' one of them has a hissy fit and self-destructs for merely losing sight of a prisoner! Secondly, the Dalek isn't defeated by the microwave is it? It survives and possesses Ryan's dad, Aaron - it just loses its casing. Sure it's a setback, but they have to throw the Dalek into a supernova before they're rid of it, which turns out to be one of the most emotionally charged scenes from the episode, so what's the problem there?

The lack of UNIT or the stuff with the microwave aren't really major problems with 'Resolution'. Instead, one of the few real problems with the episode lies in its narrative structure. The subplot about Ryan's dad returning and working through the reasons why he didn't show up to Grace's funeral is pretty good... at least when viewed in isolation. The Doctor immediately sticking up for Ryan, the scene in the café, and later Graham and Aaron talking about Grace are really good moments, but they feel tonally wrong being intercut with a pulpy Dalek action story. In fairness, the two plot strands do overlap in time for the ending, and hearing Ryan bawl "Leave my dad alone!" as they expel the Dalek - I'd be lying if I said I didn't get chills in that moment. But to go back and forth between serious family drama, to a Dalek mutant trying to piece together a new casing - the two don't gel together well at all. Maybe the subplot with Aaron might've worked better in another episode from Series 11. Maybe he could've returned during 'Arachnids In The UK' and we instead deal with Ryan's issues with his dad in that episode instead. As it stands, removing it from 'Resolution' might've instead allowed for a bit of time exploring concepts like the Custodians and their initial battle with the Dalek when it first arrived. I seem to be the only one thinking this, but the idea of the Custodians guarding the Dalek's scattered body for thousands of years is a really interesting one, and could've been explored more than in just the opening. And while we're taking out the subplot with Ryan's dad, let's also ditch the Wi-Fi joke from near the end - it's just no good.

I don't want to get too hung up on this issue however, as I did really enjoy 'Resolution' and it is easily the most energetic and action-packed story of the 13th Doctor's run thus far. While I don't necessarily agree with it, those who found Series 11 to be lethargic may have a better time with 'Resolution', as right from the start it feels lively. Returning director Wayne Yip keeps things moving at a brisk pace, with one of my favourite details being the disorientating cross-fades that emphasize Lin's initial panic at the Dalek on her back. Segun Akinola also trades in his more subdued style for a much more bombastic score that goes heavy on the drums and guitar. There's a noticeable increase in straight-up action scenes too, and that scene of the Dalek wiping out a squad of soldiers is brilliantly put together and a great show of force for this one Dalek. Even the physics of the CGI feels tangible and nasty - the Dalek death ray seems even more painful than usual, and it's a tiny detail but I love the fact that they used the same gun sound effect from 'Remembrance Of The Daleks'. 

As a 'Doctor Who' episode, and as the first proper Dalek story in a couple of years, 'Resolution' is a triumph. While not perfect, it serves its purpose well in pitting a new Doctor against a familiar enemy remarkably well. If his handling of the Daleks is anything to go by, it would seem that one of Chibnall's strengths is reinvigorating old foes, and while I didn't dislike 'The Battle Of Ranskoor Av Kolos', this is a much more fitting way of concluding Series 11, and for resolving a major aspect of Ryan's character. 'Resolution' is frequently exciting and a blast to watch - see you again in 2020 'Doctor Who'!

Resolution

8/10