The Daleks

Warning: all reviews contain some spoilers

Season 1 : episode 2

The TARDIS is off again and this time they land on the ruined world of Skaro, scarred by an ancient war between two people, the inhuman Daleks and the noble Thals. In the end, the Doctor disables a whole people by removing their static cling.

I had heard nothing of the Daleks before my friends spoiled their nature for me a few days before beginning my series review. After taking a look at the BBC episode guide to assist me in viewing order, I became aware of how important the Daleks are to Doctor Who. It seems they pull these bad boys out around once a season. Like Superman and Lex Luthor or Batman and the Joker, The Doc and his pylon shaped enemies are peas and carrots.

Imagine my surprise when I was totally unimpressed. Let's set aside their voices. Sure, if I ask a seven year old to talk like a robot, he would sound just like a Dalek. We'll just assume for the sake of argument that Doctor Who invented the whole stilted robot-speak in 1963. Even beyond that the Daleks are easily outrun, can't climb stairs, have horrible peripheral vision, have a toilet plunger for an arm, if they're knocked over they couldn't upright themselves, and they shoot invisible rays played out by the cameraman flashing the negative switch on his camera. They don't seem altogether smart either. On top of that, they can ONLY travel on static charged metal floors? Put a rug down and they're disabled...

As they say, in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Perhaps 60's England just hadn't seen a good monster up until this point. I guess the sheer novelty of them drove their success. I also have to assume that the beasts become a bit more sophisticated as time wears on. I can't imagine the new series resurrecting these bad boys without some serious upgrades.

I'm being a bit harsh, and based on the ump-teen Who episodes with Dalek in the title, they must have quite a following. I'm sure the fans boys would be frothing at the mouth if they heard me blast the wheeled garbage cans they call a monster.

To give the episode and the Daleks their due: There was a very nice scene where the Doctor and Ian pry open a Dalek and peel its gooey body out like a clam. Wrapped up in someone's coat, the little mutant's tentacle only appears for a split second, writhing from underneath. Knowing that these tin cans contain something even more horrible, and worse... alive, does add to their appeal.

After thinking about the story line, I did come to a strange revelation. The plot in the four later episodes nearly mimics The Lord of the Rings. The Doctor as Gandalf, makes a frontal assault on the city with the Thals (Elves) while Frodo Chesterton treks his way through a dangerous swamp and then a dank cave, to sneak into the evil city where the Daleks least expect. Catching the them unaware, Ian's job is to destroy the source of the Dalek's power, leaving them helpless. I double checked, and LOTRs precedes the Dalek story by about a decade.

Overall, the episode does work. The action is split up between different locations providing different dangers and making certain to keep the viewer's interest. The Daleks, while a bit inept, are fun to watch play bumper cars with each other. The sets are a bit weak in the cave, the Styrofoam actually breaks off in Ian's hand at one point, but the Dalek city looks great considering the era and budget.

In my opinionit is the Doctor who steals the show once again. Irascible and ornery, it's his fault they get caught by the Daleks by ignoring his companions' wishes and disembarking from the TARDIS. Pompous, yet rightly so, he plays Odysseus to Ian's Achilles, thinking through problems rather than bashing through them with brute force. He is never short on opinion and quick to counter bad ideas. I even laughed when he proclaims near the end: "I rarely give out advice, but for you I'll make an exception." The character played well enough that the irony of the comment is not lost.

The show is still in its infancy at this point but the potential is definitely there.