Day
of Armageddon is the first of three episodes in this twelve part story that
exists on video and was the most recently discovered. I can remember the excitement
when I first saw this episode as I had heard the episode so many times on CD.
The episode was found back in 2004 and released on the Lost in Time DVD
release. After the introductory episode we finally get some substance to the
story and we get to find out a bit more as to what the Daleks are up to.
We get to see the room where all the Daleks and
their allies are meeting. The first thing we see in that scene is Mavic Chen
writing. I say writing in the It’s a great looking room and its used more than
once which is good. The aliens that are there are a wide range and one of them
looks like a giant cookie. Everytime I seem him I think that he should be
promoting cookies in a supermarket somewhere.
Like
most egomaniacs, Mavic Chen doesn’t believe that he is being a traitor and
instead thinks he is all powerful. He thinks that he is in control of the
Daleks but in truth it’s the other way around. The moment when Bret Vyon discovers
that Mavic Chen is on Kembel is a lovely moment and gives him a greater sense
of urgency. I like the character of Zephon, I thought that there was a nice bit
of rebellion about someone who has made some odd decisions. Sadly he gets KO’d
by Bret Vyon and the next time we seem him is in a state of presumed undress.
Daleks
with flames is a wonderful idea and may have been inspired by the Daleks from
the two movies. They are quite good in this episode and seem to be recovering
after the rather inferior story they had in ‘The Chase’. We are given some more
information about the Daleks plan. There is a time destructor and Mavic Chen has
spent 50 years trying to get such a small amount that is quite hard to get. It’s
almost like this gives Mavic Chen a great bargaining strength when he needs to.
It’s
nice that after being rather at odds in the previous episode, that they are now
on more friendly terms. Though there is a nice argument between the Doctor and
Steven. It seems like an awfully long time since the days of Ian, Susan and
Barbara. No sense of unity between Steven, Bret and Katarina. Speaking of
Katarina, I’m still not convinced with the character and its seems that the
producer feels the same way.
William
Hartnell continues his good form return after several episodes of walking
through the story. Here he gets to show us why we like him so much. I like how
when the Doctor is talking to Bret he refers to the events of ‘The Dalek
Invasion of Earth’ and that it will show how to defeat the Daleks. Not sure of
that myself but it was a nice bit of continuity. His best bit comes when he
pretends to be Zephon. It’s a typically Doctor like move and it’s a one that
almost works.
The
cliffhanger is quite a good one as there is the very real possibility that Bret
will take off without the Doctor much to Steven and Katarina’s dismay. It’s a
nice way to end the episode after the action packed pace of the episode. It’s
two episodes in a row that I have enjoyed and its not just because this episode
is on DVD but its told well with some great characters and its told really
well. It doesn’t feel like its all happening in the same place even though its
filmed in a studio. A good Dalek story and its back to the CD’s for the next
episode.
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