The Chase - The Planet of Decision

It’s a sad moment in this journey. It’s the final time that Ian and Barbara would appear in Doctor Who. It’s also the episode where Peter Purves makes his second and more significant impression on the show. Purves plays Steven Taylor who has been a prisoner of the Mechanoids for 2 years on his own. His first scene was quite a good one as we learn a lot about the planet and what the mechanoids are.

The problem with the Mechanoids is that they are big and don’t really do much. They are also quite dim really because they allow Steven and the regulars to go to the roof and come up with a plan to try and escape. The bomb that the Doctor has spent several episodes is used in rather a limp way. It’s activated and then the Doctor leaves to the roof. When it does go off it doesn’t really do much apart from kill one Dalek. In fact the Mechanoids do more damage than that single bomb. The battle between the Daleks and the Mechanoids is rather well done and even though there are only a handful of Daleks and Mechanoids it does feel like an epic battle.

The plot point about Steven going back to get his silly mascot was a way of separating him from the regulars. I thought that the point of them leaving Steven to his fate was rather a harsh thing to do and I got the impression that under normal circumstances that they would have gone back for him. It seems to be a running theme of just leaving people behind as it happened to Vicki earlier in the story.

It’s really sad that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill leave in this episode and the Doctors reaction after being asked by Ian and Barbara doesn’t seem like acting on Hartnell’s part. If this had happened in the early days then the Doctor wouldn’t have acted like this and it’s a clear indication as to how much they mean to the Doctor that he goes a bit over the top. It’s not as emotional as when Carole Ann Ford left but it’s still a lovely departure for two of the finest companions in Doctor Who history.

This is the final time that William Hartnell’s Doctor will encounter the Daleks and out of the three stories it’s the one that isn’t well liked but I think that it’s a perfectly fine story. I would probably rate this as the second best Dalek story so far. As an episode its quite a good episode that has to do a lot in just 25 minutes as does it rather well. It doesn’t feel like its rushed and only the stuff with the bomb that has taken ages to construct is what lets the episode down. That said it’s a good end to a six part story that hasn’t dragged in my opinion. There aren’t many six part adventures that I can say that about.

The Chase - The Death of Doctor Who

The rubbish idea of getting someone else to play to duplicate Doctor is thrown at us as we get the reprise. The title is called ‘The Death of Doctor Who’ and its one of the most intriguing titles in the series so far. The action takes place on Mecanous and we get to the dark side of the planet where we only encounter the huge broccoli-like creatures. They are somewhat silly in design and they show their weakness quite quickly when the sunlight appears and they go running. There is another silly moment when they attack the Daleks.

One of the reasons why this whole plan of the two Doctors fails so miserably is that for most of the time its clear that someone else is playing the Doctor. It’s hard to suspend my disbelief to this extent and every time I see this episode I ask myself the question ‘Why didn’t they film the good Doctor’s stuff first and the duplicate Doctor’s stuff second?’ It might be a bit time consuming but it would have worked a lot better.

There is a funny moment where the Ian fights what he thinks is the duplicate Doctor but is in fact the real Doctor. Again disbelief is hard to suspend when you can see the fake Doctor trying to mime William Hartnell’s lines. It is also quite fun to see both Doctors fighting each other. Thankfully they don’t drag this silliness out for too long and its quickly defeated. Now we can get back to the seriousness of the Daleks trying to kill the Doctor.

There’s a moment where the Doctor pretends to be the fake Doctor infront of the Daleks and it doesn’t work. I like it because its another example of how the Doctor has developed since Ian and Barbara first joined the show. It’s a selfless act and I think its one of the strongest moments for the Doctor.

It’s not until quite late in the episode that we discover the huge (and I do mean huge) city that stands above them. They decide that its where they have to get to and its where the final battle will take place. The cliffhanger is quite good as the regulars have to go with a giant robot. Normally they wouldn’t but with the Daleks about to attack them they have little choice. This is the first time that see them and they do look quite impressive.

With the exception of the fake Doctor and the Daleks, there aren’t any supporting artists. This means that the four regulars have to drive the story and they do it very well. I think that this episode is an improvement on the previous one and that’s a surprising statement considering for a good chunk of the story we had the fake Doctor storyline. It’s all shaping up for a great cliffhanger and I think that the departure of Ian and Barbara (and introduction of Steven Taylor) is going to be an enjoyable episode.

The Chase - Journey into Terror

We’ve reached the episode where they land at the haunted house. It does seem in the grand scheme of things, rather odd to include this in a Dalek story but actually it’s a nice bit of fun. It feels like this is the episode where the build up to the end starts to speed up. The title obviously refers to the haunted house but might also subtley refer to Vicki’s situation so what might seem like a throwaway title actually has two meanings.

This first part of the story takes place in what might look at first like a haunted house but its never really made clear whether it’s real or in the human mind. Are the people that the regulars encounter actors or monsters. There’s a moment when the Doctor and Ian encounter Frankenstein’s monster and you can clearly see a Dalek which isn’t suppose to be there. Now when I first saw this I thought (rather naively) that it was a stealth Dalek but in more recent times the obvious has come to light.

The light hearted-ness is somewhat cut short when the TARDIS leaves without Vicki and whilst the Daleks are being knocked about by Count Dracula (there’s a line I never thought I would write), she manages to get into the Daleks time machine. It’s sometime before the regulars even notice that Vicki isn’t with them. If I were Vicki I would be really hurt by that (and a bit miffed). We learn about a Dalek plan when we learn that they are planning on duplicating the Doctor (thus leading to one of the silliest ideas in Doctor Who).

The regulars (minus Vicki) come up with a  good plan of stealing the Daleks time machine so that they can go back to the haunted house and get Vicki back, obviously not knowing that she is on the Daleks machine. So they decide that the next planet is where they will fight the Daleks. At the same as they arrive, the Daleks duplicate is ready to operate. Sadly it looks nothing like William Hartnell and even  someone with bad eye sight would be able to tell the difference. It’s only the last shot that is of Hartnell. I cant understand why they could have come up with a better way of getting William Hartnell to play the duplicate. It ruins what is otherwise an ok plan. It’s a this stage that I started to lose a bit enthusiasm for this story but I still maintain that it’s a good story overall.

Day 74: The Chase - Flight Through Eternity

We learn that there is a device on the TARDIS that alerts them if someone is on the same time path. We also learn that the TARDIS takes 12 minutes to get itself together. I like the idea that it has to sort itself out instead of a quick departure. The Doctor talks about constructing the alert thing and whilst they couldn’t have known what the future producers and writers would do, it’s the first bit of discontinuity.

The first scene in the Daleks time machine isn’t quite the ideal scene that it should have been. There is the age old problem of dummy Daleks with a picture at the back of the scene. In fact I don’t really like the Dalek’s time machine from the look of it right down to the sound it makes when it lands and takes off. Compare the Daleks first scene to the regulars first scene its clear that the creator of the Daleks had an easier time coming up with good lines for humans than monsters.

This episode is the first time we see Peter Purves in Doctor Who as the first point of the adventure is the Empire State building in New York. Purves plays Morton Dill who is your typical tourist that you would have come across if you have been on holiday. When you consider his performance in the final episode it’s a blatantly comedic role. It ends when he goes a bit mad after encountering two time machines landing and departing and encountering the Daleks. I’ll comment a bit more when Steven Taylor arrives but I thought that the Morton Dill character was quite fun and very tongue in cheek

The story finally becomes a chase. The first as mentioned is the Empire State Building which is quite a small set and sadly doesn’t have a proper background to show the surrounding ‘Ancient’ New York area. Though it could be argued that it was a foggy day I suppose. The second place that they land I the Mary Celeste which famously was discovered to have no crew. The set itself is quite good as its quite big and also have many levels to it. In this part, Barbara gets caught as a stowaway and Ian gets knocked out by Vicki then they leave and the Daleks arrive and scare everyone to jump overboard. It’s not until the end that Barbara realises that her love of boats led her to being on the Mary Celeste. It’s not really made obvious until the very end.

Something that happens in this episode that doesn’t get addressed is the clear image of the Dalek on a different level which clearly indicates that they can fly. It’s just that don’t see it on TV. It’s the first of two instances in this story.

The 12 minute lead has gone to 8 which is the cliffhanger and its not as effective as it could have been because of the music really. It’s a bit to upbeat for my liking and thought that they could have lowered the tone to create the right impression. As an episode its good that they have finally got to the chase part and considering they go through two different settings, its quite an achievement of what they actually get done in the episode. The episode is starting to pick up but the end of the story is getting close and we all know what that means.

Day 73: The Chase - The Death of Time

The episode starts off with the Dalek rising from the sand. After that moment the Doctor and Barbara come across the Aridians. There’s a nice shot where the Dalek is high up on the screen and the second Dalek comes in from the side at a lower angle. The Dalek location film is quite good and the best bit comes when the Dalek is coming towards the screen.

We get a nice bit of exposition as to what is going on. It seems quite a good battle between the Aridians and the Mya beast which gets even more complex when the Daleks arrive. The thing about the Aridians are going to hand the Doctor and Barbara over to the Daleks is something that you cant really blame the Aridians. They might look a bit silly but their characteristics are quite good.

There’s an odd moment after the explosion where Vicki appears to be laughing before becoming concerned. In fact out of the two groups it seems that Vicki and Ian have drawn the short straw in this episode as they don’t seem to do as much as the Doctor and Barbara. Ian gets to do a bit of action hero stuff when he helps come up with the plan to get past the Daleks.

This is the most blatant reference to the fact that the TARDIS is very difficult to destroy when the Daleks try to blow it up. Of course as the viewer is aware, it survived falling of a cliff in ‘The Romans’ so a short blast from some Dalek guns is going to be no problem.

The Mya beast isn’t particularly good as it just looks like a bloke in a suit. I suppose it serves a purpose and you can suspend your disbelief in the idea that its terrorising the Aridians but I cant say it’s the most impressive monster in Doctor Who history.

The Daleks spend a long time not really doing very much. They talk to each other but don’t get very far. They show up, threaten to attack the Aridians if they don’t hand over the Doctor and Barbara, get fooled by the regulars and shout at the camera. Not their finest 30 minutes.

The scene where they are trying to get in the TARDIS and get the Daleks out of the way is a bit of comedy but it is rather well done. It’s helped by the fact that the scene is at night and its helps create a mood.

The episode ends with the Dalek coming towards the screen ranting and raving. It was a good cliffhanger though unfortunately the episode wasn’t as good as I would have liked. There’s an awful lot of people just sitting or standing and talking. I just want the chase part of the story to start and thankfully that is what is about to happen.

Day 72: The Chase - The Executioners

The Daleks are back!! It’s their second story of the season after ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ which obviously saw the exit of Carole Ann Ford.  It’s the final story to feature William Russell and Jacqueline Hill. The Chase has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first stories that I owned on video when it was released with ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ back in the early 90’s. The episode starts off with the regulars floating around the time visualiser that the Doctor took in the previous story. It’s one of those things that gets mentioned but never gets used again. When was the last time you heard the fault locator mentioned?

There’s a nice exposition where Vicki tries to explain (without knowing it at the time) what the time visualizer is. It’s fun that after more than 70 episodes, Ian and Barbara still are none the wiser when it comes to what the Doctor is talking about. I always like the scenes that take place in the TARDIS as it feels like a second home. In the opening scene we get to see US President Abraham Lincoln, an encounter between Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare (which led to the idea of Hamlet being thought up) and also short clip of the Beatles (yes the very same). Apparently they were suppose to be involved a bit more than they were but their manager put a stop to it. To even get the clip was a move that would have been more fitting in the modern day era.

When the TARDIS crew land, they appear to be in the middle of a dessert which has two suns. The planet is called Aridious. There is a difference between the location filming and the studio stuff but the studio scenes were all quite good. It’s made to look bigger than it is due to Richard Martin’s direction and also Maureen O’Brien and William Russell do their best out of breathe acting. Also the scenes with the Doctor and Barbara help to create the illusion as the sand can be easily moved around to make it look different.

After the reprise from the previous episodes, its nearly the half way mark (15:07) before the Daleks appear again. It’s clear from their first scene that they are effectively on a revenge trip with reference to the previous Dalek adventure which if that really was their intention then it’s a bit unfair on Vicki who wasn’t even with them in that adventure. At the end of their scene where they go into their time capsule its clear that they are just walking through the door into nothing because that is all it seems to be. Slightly disappointing.

The action that takes place in the tunnels are rather well done and are well lit. It’s just as well that I like them as we will see more of them in the next episode.

The cliffhanger is rather good but is quite similar to the ending of ‘World’s End’. In that episode the Dalek comes out of the Thames and in this the Dalek rises out of the sand. I remember the first time that I saw this episode how cool that seemed and even when its clear that the ending is a rehash of another cliffhanger it still doesn’t lose any appeal. It’s a good opening episode and another thing that it has in common with other Doctor Who stories is that it the regulars don’t encounter anyone in the first episode of the story. It’s good that they get to enjoy (or not in Ian and Vicki’s case) the surroundings.

Day 63: The Web Planet - The Centre

The final episode of ‘The Web Planet’. Oh how I thought it would never end. The episode starts off with the great image of the Doctor and Vicki covered in the web. The most padded story in Doctor Who history continues to do what it has done for the previous episodes and that is to fill the running time with a lot of Zarbi and Menoptra nonsense.  Another thing that was a let down was the Animus. After several episodes of being a mysterious and at times creepy voice, it was a shame that it was a big light bulb with some tentacles. It looked like a massive mess.

Unfortunately despite my best efforts I didn’t actually understand what was going on. There was a lot of impressive visual scenes but sadly it seemed to just continue to confuse me. The one crumb of comfort in this story is that visually it works. There were some good moments when the Menoptra were flying through the air and the idea to have some new lense on the camera to give a different impression also helped make this story stand out even though at times its been a bit overpowering. The landscape of Vortis was also well realised and even though seeing it for six episodes might have got a bit repetitive there have been worst sets in the show.

As far as the human performances go, in this episode they were perfectly fine and whilst none of them shone in their usual way they did the best that they could with what was quite frankly a rubbish script.

I am so relieved to have got to the end of ‘The Web Planet’ by far the worst story in Doctor Who so far and even when you consider that it was a complicated story to produce and also very ambitious. Sadly if the budget had been bigger and the running time much shorter then it would have been a different result but sadly ‘The Web Planet’ is what it is. A elongated mess of a story.

Day 62: The Web Planet - Invasion

The penultimate episode of this serial is perhaps the most action packed that there has been so far. It’s a shame that its taken 100 minutes to get to this point. It’s been a real struggle to find positive things to say and write anything near my 500 word target about each episode. The story sees the Menoptra’s fight against the Zarbi step up a gear. There is a lot of action that has been going on with Barbara leading the fight from her side and Ian not exactly missing from the action.

The thing about six part adventures is that by the 2/3 point the story needs to shift to have any chance of being even an average story. Thankfully Bill Strutton realises that he needs to get a riggle on with the plot and so it feels from the very beginning that the plot is building towards something. I still find it frustrating that the Zarbi only communicate through that awful high pitched noise and wish that there was something else that they could do. The Menoptra are also rather disappointing but at least they have a voice and can communicate in a sensible way. Something else that is lacking from this story and most immediate this episode is that there is no incidental music. The music is there to make you feel something but if there is nothing there then your left with whats on the screen and in this case its not very much. I cant write a more detailed review because apart from the odd moment I cant recall what actually happened.

The cliffhanger is visually a stunning one. The Doctor and Vicki clutching each other whilst they get covered in the web stuff is a great image and one that ended the episode in fine style. Whilst the episode is the best so far it doesn’t change my opinion of the story as a whole. It’s too long and there is way too much padding for my liking.

Day 61: The Web Planet - Crater of Needles

It’s incredible to think that this episode got the second highest rating during this story of 13 million. 13 million! It’s mind bogging but this episode finally moves to the crater of needles which has been mentioned several times. After the almost stationery feel of the story it seems that this episode is where things start to pick up. There is a good moment when Barbara is told about the prison and there is a sense of the battle between the Zarbi and the Menoptra. After the Zarbi and the Menoptra being separated it was nice to see them interact and also another thing about the Zarbi was that we get to see them with a weapon. Quite how we were suppose to find them menacing when they just made a noise at people yet didn’t seem to have any way of stunning or killing people was one of many flaws with the creatures. There are a new set of creatures that are introduced to this episode and the are apparently simpler than either the Zarbi or the Menoptra. Frankly they look like a bit of a late addition and also look rather stupid.

The performances from the regulars is better and its nice that Jacqueline Hill made a return. I thought that William Hartnell had a good episode and he and Maureen O’Brien managed to appear to do quite a lot without really doing very much. Hartnell tinkers around with the map thing, talks to O’Brien and then goes for the hairdryer treatment. William Russell and Jacqueline Hill are on good form and do slightly more in this episode than Hartnell or O’Brien.

There are some good shots that have been achieved by Richard Martin. There are some more shots of the Menoptra flying around and its rather well done. The thing about the effect done to the screen was good in episode one but has started to get annoying because it seems to be getting out of hand. Instead of a light smudge in the first episode we get pretty much a full screen of smudge. It’s a better episode than the previous one but that’s not really saying much. So far the story is exactly as I remember this and I don’t think anything will ever change. If this had been a four part story then maybe this might have been a better story but at six it’s a big stretch.

Day 60: The Zarbi - Escape to Danger

The third installment of this serial is where we finally get some information about what is going on. I say some because all the information comes from the Menoptra. This wont the be the longest review ever because so little happens that it means a review is going to be short.

The Doctor says that somehow Vicki has corrected things in the TARDIS but due to the fact that Barbara isnt with them they cant just leave thus giving a valid reason why the story has to continue. This is another episode where Jacqueline Hill doesn’t appear (presumably she was on holiday). She doesn’t even get a credit which is unusual. The early part of this episode is quite good as the Doctor gets to interact with the voice that we hear but then after that the story reverts back to weird and not knowing what is going on. We get a bit of back story about what has happened to the Menoptra but to be honest the whole story is somewhat lacking in any excitement that its pretty hard to care.

There is a good moment where the Menoptra flies into the air. It’s a good piece of directing. There are a couple more sets in this episode which have to break the monotony that there has been so far. That’s about as good as I can do with listing the positives because whilst this episode was better than the previous one, it still lacks any coherance and just serves to show what Doctor Who can do even on a limited budget. The cliffhanger is quite good as it sees Ian in danger and there is no clear sign as to whether he is ok or who could help him.

I’m afraid that my opinion of this story has definelty not changed from what it use to be. There are moments which look good but generally it’s a question of what is going on and I have no idea because all we have are the noises that the Zarbi and the regulars guessing as to what they are saying or what they are doing.

Rating - 5.33/10

Day 59: The Web Planet - The Zarbi

The Zarbi is when any goodwill towards this story well and truly goes out of the window. After the idea that the TARDIS has disappeared it turns out in reality that its just being moved by the Zarbi. Vicki does suffer quite a lot in this episode and she seems to have been sidelined for most of the running time. Even Barbara seems to have suffered a bit but not to the extent of Vicki. Barbara is being possessed by giant bumble bees. They look quite good and are named as Menoptras but they seem a bit to weak in my opinion. It’s quite easy to see why and how the Zarbi are the superior creature in this story. The TARDIS has been moved and all Vicki does in the early part of the episode sees her just pretending to sway from side to side.

In terms of trying to explain what was going on in this episode is difficult to do because I just couldn’t follow what was going on and whilst I found the Doctor and Ian’s part in the story to be most interesting but that’s not really saying much because there is so little going on. Also another problem with the episode is that they seem to be using the same set trying to pretend that it’s a different part of the planet but its clearly the same.

The first time that it gets remotely interesting is at the quarter hour mark where Vicki is able to get out of the TARDIS and meets up with the Doctor and Ian. There is a funny moment where the Doctor is trying to communicate with the Zarbi by waving his arms around and pointing at every Zarbi in shot. William Hartnell seems to give the best performance and I like the final shot of the episode where the cylinder hangs over the Doctor’s head and a voice starts talking to him.

The cliffhanger was quite good but by this point I had completely lost track of what was actually going on. There are moments in this story which are quite good but its mixed in with a lot of nonsense which ruins the whole story. There is one thing that can be said in a positive way and that it is a brave thing for the show to do but sadly its not enough to save this story.

Day 58: The Web Planet - The Web Planet

The Web Planet is a story that has never been in my top 100 because I have felt that it was dull and just a six part story with giant bees and ants. Watching it a day at a time is hopefully going to make me reappraise it. The opening scene set in the TARDIS is a strange one because its been so long since anything more than a brief moment has taken place in the console room that when you first see what is now in the console room which kind of distracts you from the story.

It’s not long before the Zarbi are introduced and my attempt to have any goodwill towards the story is already tested. Thankfully their involvement is kept to a minimum and instead we have another episode where its just the companion. There’s a lovely moment when the Doctor points out to Ian that the ring he wears isn’t just a decorative item. Was that the same ring he gave away in ‘The Reign of Terror’? Oh how the story would have been different if he didn’t have the ring.

It was good how they managed to maintain the interest between both plot strands. The stuff between the Doctor and Ian was good because they are investigating the mystery of what caused the interference to the TARDIS. The stuff between Vicki and Barbara was also well done but that was down to Maureen O’Brien and Jacqueline Hill who work well together. The scene where Barbara and Vicki are talking is an interesting one. Barbara has had to put up with ideas of her generation been seen as primitive and backwards and its nice that she defends her generation. It’s during this scene that Barbara finally informs Vicki that she and Ian both met Nero which Vicki finds hard to believe. It’s nice how Vicki has kept some of her character even after ‘The Rescue’ ended.

There are some interesting things that happen in this episode. Effects wise there is definetly a different feel to it with the stuff outside of the TARDIS having this sort of smudge effect around the characters. It’s most noticeable on the Doctor and Ian with their white jackets and does go a bit over the top during the scene where they hear Vicki calling Barbara. Another thing I like is the spinning console. It does seem like something that was a spur of the moment thing which isn’t a bad thing cause it looks rather cool.

The cliffhanger is a great one because it sees Vicki somehow operating the TARDIS and it spears that the TARDIS has moved much to the dismay of the Doctor. It’s a great question that must have run in the minds of the viewers which would have festered for seven days. Where has the TARDIS gone? It’s one of the better endings to an episode for some time. I’m not quite sure whether my opinion of this story will change as my reaction when I saw the Zarbi was the same as its always been. Time will only tell…

Day 51: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Flashpoint

It’s the final episode for Susan and also the final story of what I think has been a stronger story for the Daleks than their debut. In this episode their plan comes to suppose to come to fruition. Ian is still in the bomb and its about to be deployed but the way that he gets out of it is quite clever and doesn’t seem like a cop out. Barbara and Jenny have got out of the mines and are in the Daleks control room where she is implementing her plan. I like how it nearly works. It’s a wonderful scene where she tries to blind the Daleks with bits of historical information but disguising it as current. Sadly it doenst work and the Dalek tie her and Jenny up instead of killing them. It’s the classic gag in Austin Powers where Dr Evil tells Jenny and Baraba their plans and instead of killing them they just lock them away.


William Hartnell is really good in this episode. It’s the most active that I remember seeing him for a long time. His best moment comes when the Dalek is coming towards him and he’s acting defiant. It’s a good performance from Hartnell helped in part by Richard Martin’s direction. His speech about going forth in all your beliefs is one of his best and its so well played. Considering its her last episode, very little is given to Carole Ann Ford to do. Apart from her final scene we barely get anything from her. It’s the same as the final episode of ‘The Reign of Terror’. It’s reasons like this that make you understand why she chose to leave. That final scene is very good and its down to Ford and Hartnell that make it even more emotional. The Grandfather/Granddaughter relationship was more than just a on-screen thing and it was sad that it was broken up.

The models are good in this episode. In particular the model that is used for the bomb going down the shaft. What makes that bit better is that the camera shakes about to give the illusion that its being moved about. Another good bit is when he manages to escape and falls down the tube.

It’s good how all the characters have got collectively more dishevelled. Their clothes are looking more ruined and the dirt on their faces is more evident. It’s good that they done keep on looking clean cut as it would ruin the illusion.

After 51 episodes, Carole Ann Ford bows out of the series. I must say that whilst I would be sad to see Carole Ann Ford go, I wont necessarily be sad to see Susan go. At times she has been annoying and at times she has been really strong. After the first episode of An Unearthly Child, she went from being mysterious to just a youngster. Almost toddler like at times. If only she had been better written for then I think the character would have been more popular. Oh well it’s a historic moment in Doctor Who and as the series rolls into 1965, we get more arrivals, more departures and more Daleks.

As an episode it was the best final one in several stories as it didn’t feel like a weak ending or feel like it was rushing itself. It felt like it was the natural conclusion for the story and the Daleks were thwarted and there was enough time to have the emotional send off. Its something that Russell T Davies could learn after his prolonged emotional send offs. As a six part story it was much better in my mind than the first Dalek story as it didn’t seem like people were spending a long time sitting down, there was always something going on and that’s what I like about this story.

Rating - 7.67/10

Day 50: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The Waking Ally

The penultimate episode in the story and this is where it’s the beginning of the end for Susan and its also the point where all four regulars reach their lowest ebb. The opening moments see Ian and Larry trying to fight off the slither. I mentioned that I found Ian’s story to be particularly dull which might seem unfair (and I don’t like writing it) but its true and in this episode its different. It starts the same with the pair of them being lowered into the mine shaft. It picks up once they have got to the bottom and Larry meets a very grim end after being reunited with his brother who has been turned into a Roboman. It’s the first time that I have really found the part of the story to be interesting.


William Hartnell returns after his unexpected abscene in the previous episode. The Doctor seems to have recovered from the effects of the robo-conversion unit. The Doctor and David are having a serious discussion and then Susan ruins it by telling him that the foods getting cold. It’s good to have William Hartnell back as unlike when he was away during ‘The Keys of Marinus’, this time his absence was noticeable.

Barbara and Jenny’s story is again the most interesting as they have quite the torrid time in just 25 minutes. They stumble across two rough looking women. They make clothes for the Daleks and the Robomen but there is something instantly odd about them. One of them goes off and it’s obviously to everyone watching that Jenny and Barbara are doomed. The moment when Barbara and Jenny realise that they have been betrayed and Jenny goes for the women is one of my favourite moments in the episode. They are not sorry for what they have done and that’s why despite their brief involvement in the story. Barbara and Jenny are taken to work in the mines but it doesn’t last long before Barbara comes up with a plan and is taken to the Black Dalek.

There is another moment between Susan and David having fun. The idea of Susan warming to someone is perhaps new but this is the most time that’s ever been given to her being interested in someone. It’s a shame that Susan ruins the Doctor and David’s scene by telling them about the food getting cold because up until that point I thought that Susan was doing well and was being quite normal but that one moment ruins it.

The final few minutes of the episode are a bit odd. Ian somehow stumbles into the bomb which has just enough for him to fit it and he gets into it without anyone noticing. The cliffhanger ends with the bomb about to be deployed. It’s a good ending but its just the contrived way that it comes about that causes me to feel a bit cold towards it. As an episode it’s a good one and its clear building up to the end and it’s a strong penultimate episode.

It’s another well directed episode by Richard Martin. The scenes in the Dalek control room are rather well done. The final scenes in that room are the best as Martin has decided to film it at an angle like you would get in the baddies lair in the Batman TV series. Martin has been one of the best directors in the show so far with some consistently good episodes under his belt.

Rating - 7.75/10

Day 49: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The End of Tomorrow

This is another episode where William Hartnell doesn’t appear apart from the reprise. The fact that he doesn’t appear is filmed in quite a clever way so that all we see are the backs of David, Susan and the Doctor. We finally get to Bedfordshire and see a proper sense of the scale of destruction that the Daleks have caused. The location footage is something that I have commented on before but it’s surprising to me how much energy it seems to have put into the story. It’s one thing to have studio sets that convey the destruction but location filming makes it seem more real. Filming outside is still relatively new to the show by its using effectively.


Susan and David go travelling through the sewers. The first scene of them in it is ended with a brilliant shot of someone holding a gun at David and Susan. It turns out to be Tyler. Quite why they didn’t notice it was him or vice versa sooner is a bit of a mystery but it doesn’t ruin the effectiveness of the scene. We get a scene between Susan and David which is another indication about Susan’s impending departure as she loves the idea of building a new city. It’s been at least two episodes since Susan was used as a source to introduce some drama. This time she is hanging from a broken ladder and it falls to David and Tyler to rescue her from being eaten by an alligator.

The scene of Barbara driving the truck through the Daleks is perhaps less dramatic than the film version but it’s a great scene. I think that the partnership of Barbara and Jenny is a good one. They are very much like chalk and cheese and that’s why I enjoy it when they are on screen together. The scene with Ian isn’t quite as exciting as Susan or Barbara’s stuff. It’s just Ian trying to negotiate with a smuggler. The Smuggler is called Aston and I thought that Philip Madoc was better in the movie. This is probably the weakest part of the episode and its not a regular think to attach the word weak with William Russell or Ian Chesterton. The only time that he has something good happen to him is at the end and that lasts about ten seconds. The absence (if unscripted) of William Hartnell means that the regulars get more to do and its certainly the case that they benefit from this.

Richard Martin has directed a wonderful episode and there are several shots that are very good (though there are one or two that are a bit iffy). Terry Nation should be praised for writing a story that doesn’t feel like it’s a holding pattern for something bigger that’s happening in a later episode. The story is moving forward and its helped by stronger and weary characters. On the whole the episode was another good one. The characters are all ones that you can care about and despite Jenny being slightly annoying, its all shaping up to be a good story.

Day 48: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Day of Reckoning

The battle continues with the Doctor being rescued. It seemed a bit lacklustre compared to the previous episode and the music doenst really help matters as it seems a bit cheery and cookey. After the long winded battle is over we got to the resistance’s base and it’s a very sombre affair with no-one looing particularly happy. Tyler walks in looking like a defeated man and seems quite miffed that the bombs didn’t work.


The Daleks sound like their on helium. Not like what we saw the first time. I cant make up my mind about whether it makes them sound less menacing than they did before. Was it the setting and the mood that made them seems so striking or was it the look and voice?

Theres a nice trio that forms with Dortmun, Jenny and Barbara. They go on a trip through the streets of London. The sequence where they are going through some of the landmarks and seeing Daleks travelling across Westminister Bridge is one of the best in the story. The sight of a Dalek pulling up infront of Big Ben is another great moment. The whole bit of location footage is brilliant even though not a single word is uttered and it’s a mixture of the performances from the trio and also the music is far more interesting than what we got in the battle at the beginning of the episode. It’s weird to see one of the most populated cities in the world look so empty.

The sets are very impressive in this episode, in particular the scene where Susan and David hide from a Dalek. It gets used more than once in this episode and there are other sets that are good to watch and it feels like some money has been chucked at this story.

Susan does get quite emotional and for the first time I don’t think it’s a sense of being told to act like child I get the feeling that she’s just tired of the fighting. It’s a bit like Tegan would be in ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’. Susan entertains the idea of her and David running on board and go somewhere that have never heard of Daleks and when David questions what to do if there is something bad, she just thinks about moving on and David doesn’t like this idea. I like how they casually drop in the idea of Susan’s exit. She seems to be more willing to listen to David than the Doctor and whilst a couple of stories ago this would have been a source of conflict, here it’s a minor irritation.

William Hartnell doesn’t really do a great deal as the Doctor is still recovering from being on the robotising machine. It’s not until the final five minutes that he gets on his feet and tries to pass of an idea as his own that he seems to show some life. It’s the last we see of Hartnell until Episode Five as he was unwell during the next episode and it’s another opportunity for the rest of the regulars to get a bit more of the action.

Dortmun’s death is quite a surprise as I think it was a wasted move. There was plenty more that the character could have done and his death came a couple of episodes too early.

The cliffhanger is another good one. The Doctor, David and Susan are waiting and just as they are doing this, two robomen plant a bomb. It’s a nice incentive to see what will happen to the trio in the next episode. As an episode it started off iffy but soon picked up and is memorable for the location footage. It’s the most extensive filming outside for the show up until this point and it seems to add a nice dimension to the story. At the halfway point of the Daleks’ second story, I think it’s a better story because the characters are better and there isn’t as much standing around talking.

Day 47: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The Daleks

After what must have been a surprising return, the Daleks are well and truly back and even the episode is called ‘The Daleks’. The Daleks are slightly different because they have a disc on their backs. They also sound different and in their first encounter with the Doctor, he has a wonderful moment of defiance and the Daleks proclaim themselves as the Masters of Earth. It’s at this point that they are sent to the saucer. We are introduced to Jenny who comes across as quite a cold and abrupt character. Its quite hard to believe that there was talk about making her a companion. It’s possible as she could mellow over the rest of the story and want to travel with the Doctor.

The set to the landing ramp is quite good but is slightly ruined by the return of the dreaded cut-out daleks. I don’t know why they persist with them. It would be better to have just the five Daleks on set and believe that its just them. It isn’t helped when the spot light seem to hover on and around the cut-outs which just seems to add insult to injury. The Robomen are given a bit of backstory and some of the language used by David is quite strong. They are human but in the end they are just the lackeys of the Daleks. The performances are that good because they are slow in talking and look half asleep. I know that this is how they are suppose to look but its not a great way of portraying a group of people The battle out on the loading bay is short but it was well done. They use all five Daleks and even though its in a quite tight space its still quite well achieved.

I like the resistance of Dortmun, Jenny and co. Even though they are visitors it is Barbara comes with a plan to help the attack become a success. This is a good group of people and they work in such a way that makes them weary and just as determined to fight back and its done well and it makes you want them to succeed and I particularly like Tyler as he seems quite smart and is strong. Dortmun is slightly annoying and David is quite sprite and perky. Almost a bit too perky and if I didn’t know better then I would say he’s working for the Daleks.

The Doctor and Ian are trapped on the saucer with a bloke named Craddock. The Doctor and Ian work together to try and get out and they come up with a plan to escape their cell despite the gloom from Craddock though the plan doesn’t go that well when they are captured almost immediately. The Doctor is manhandled onto a bench and the Doctor gets the cliffhanger as he is by the end unconscious. I think that the cliffhanger isn’t the greatest but the sight of the Doctor in danger with no obvious sign of rescue must be quite a good reason to tune in. As a result its good at getting the story going after the introduction episode. We learn about the Robomen and what the Daleks may want on Earth.

It’s a good episode and carries on at the same pace as the first one did and apart from the cut-outs the direction and production of the episode was good.

Day 46: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Worlds End

After the success of the Daleks in the last season, it was obvious that there was going to be a second story. However it had to serve a purpose and that was to write out the exit of Carole Ann Ford who had decided that the restrictive character was getting tiresome. It’s also interesting that ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ is production wise the last story of the first season. This story and Planet of Giants were kept over to launch the second season. This is also Terry Nation’s third offering to the show after the first Dalek story and ‘The Keys of Marinus’. This time the adventure takes place on Earth in 2164. Though it’s not the London that Barbara and Ian know. We get this idea due to the fact that they don’t encounter anyone for a long time, they don’t hear any traffic and Battersea Power Station has lost its chimneys.


First shot is of someone in ragged clothes walking into the river and killing himself. Quite a bold thing to do in a family drama. It pretty much sets the tone for this story. It’s not a cheery story with a faint hint of terror but the terror is the overwhelming factor and the Daleks haven’t even appeared. This episode has the most substantial location filming that we have had. It’s not just someone pretending to be the Doctor but actually outside filming at its quite good because it gives a great scale of where the story is set and makes it feel like London and not just a studio. The smiles on Barbara and Ian’s face as they realise that they are in London is a joy to see. It’s a very different reaction compared to in ‘The Reign of Terror’.

Despite this being Susan’s last story it’s a shame that she starts off by spraining her ankle. Then the Doctor tells her that she need a “jolly good smacked bottom”. It does muddy the waters of what her age is. Cant believe Gallifreyans would put up with that type of talk even from someone like their grandfather. The exit (or the Doctor and Susan) is somewhat stopped by the fact that a girder that has fallen on the TARDIS blocking the door. Like ‘The Keys of Marinus’ and ‘The Sensorites’ and ‘The Aztecs’ there is a contrivance that is put in place to prevent them from just leaving.

Nice bit of dramatic music to go over the scene where Susan, Barbara and Tyler are running. It’s helped by the where they were filming and the fact it’s a nice sunny day. We are introduced to David who’s first question to Barbara is if she can cook. Clearly womens rights took a battering in the year 2164. The first interaction between these future love interest doesn’t get off to the best start. Dortmund is the leader but has been put in a wheelchair. He’s not letting his disability get in the way and feels he can contribute just as much as everyone else.

There is a slight downside and its that the flying saucer is a bit poor. Apart from that it was a good and solidly produced episode. Richard Martin directs this six part story and its clear because its very good and there are some shots which are really well done.

When this episode went out no one would have known that the Daleks were going to return. So when the cliffhanger comes it must have been tremendously exciting for viewers. After being surrounded by guards. The sight of the Dalek coming out of the water is one of the most impressive sights since the show started. The mere idea of a Dalek underwater is something could have come out of the comic strips that were out at the time. It was a great opening episode as it was atmospheric and seemed that it was going to be very gloomy.

Inside the Spaceship: The Edge of Destruction

The Edge of Destruction is one of my favourites ever. The cliffhanger from the previous episode had Ian, the Doctor and Susan in the console room before being thrown to the ground and a white light blinding the screen. After the a few moments everyone wakes up acting a bit strange. Barbara was the only one who wasn’t in the console room at the time so apart from a bit of forgetfulness she seems the be the best out of them all. A noticeable thing in the early stages is the lack of the humming that we have come to expect.

The early theory is that something or someone has got inside the TARDIS after they discover the doors are open. Considering we don’t hear or see anything it’s not a theory that works but the actors perform like they believe it. We have a moment where the TARDIS scanner is apparently showing them pictures of what is outside and we learn that the there was an adventure before ‘An Unearthly Child’ (this forms the story Qunnis released by Big Finish in 2010). Another strange thing that the TARDIS is doing is opening the doors and when someone moves towards them like Ian does a couple of times they then close.

William Hartnell is superb in this episode. I like how as Ian puts it he is playing the perfect butler just moments after accusing them of terrible things. He gives a solid performance though he is slightly undermined by the silly bandage around his head for a cut we don’t know how he got considering he wasn’t by the console when he fell. Ian is acting very strange, almost un-Ian like. The delivery of his lines is cold and dare I say it alien. After spending seven weeks in various versions of being a hero, William Russell gets to play a different part of his character and over the course of the episode goes through a wide ranging emotions and deals with it well. Susan is child like but given the weird circumstances that she finds herself in then it’s perfectly fine. That does change after about 12 minutes when she starts to act weirdly and is dressed in a black gown and it’s the best performance from Carole Ann Ford so far. They all have a pain at the back of their heads which is first noticed by Barbara. Barbara really shines in this episode because she stands up to the Doctor and is the one that tries to solve the puzzle. With Ian behaving oddly, it means she’s the sensible one. Barbara’s best scene was when she stands up to the Doctor after being accused and pointing out that the Doctor owes a lot to her and Ian. It’s one of the best scenes in the episode.

We get to see a bit more of the TARDIS in this story as we get to see the sleeping quarters. Admittedly its only the lounge and the sunbeds but it still good to see more than the console room. On the back of designing the Daleks, Raymond Cusick does a great job of creating the extended TARDIS sets with next to no money. So the sunbeds do look a bit out of place but it’s better and less silly than it could have done.

The scene with Susan and the scissors is one of the scenes that got Verity Lambert into trouble and it’s easy to see why. Not only is it because scissors are an easily obtained item but also it’s a superbly acted scene between William Russell and Carole Ann Ford. Richard Martin can’t really do anything special like he did in ‘The Daleks’ but he still manages to create a great episode and does have some moments of brilliance especially with the clock and Barbara’s watch melting.

what I like about this episode is how the relationship between all four characters breaks down in a spectacular way. There has always been friction between Ian and Barbara and the Doctor but Susan has always been there to calm things down but when she starts to side with her grandfather. The Doctor accuses Ian and Barbara of tampering the ship.

The final minute of the episode is fantastic. The music along with Hartnell wandering from room to room checking of Ian and Barbara before going over to the console and before he gets chance to do anything a pair of hands appear from behind him and we don’t see who it is. Now we are still to believe that someone or something has got into the TARDIS but as I don’t buy that I knew that the hands must have been Ian’s and that works as a much better cliffhanger because we have two of the series regulars who as a viewer we are suppose to like are now at each others throats. This was a great cliffhanger.

As an episode it was atmospheric and almost like a play with only two real sets and just the four regulars. One of the reasons why I love these two episodes is that there is great character development and we get to see different sides of the characters than what we had seen in the previous 11 weeks.

 

The Daleks - The Rescue

The final episode and we left Ian literally on a cliff trying not to get pulled down with Antodus. Despite being thoroughly annoying, Antodus gives his own life, whether he knows that he has no hope or he’s trying to save Ian’s life is unclear but it’s a nice end to a character that I haven’t rated very highly. Ian’s party have suffered loss and despite being on the verge of heading back, they discover that they have been travelling near the pipes all the time. When they get back into the city, it’s not long before their presence is felt. This is also the first episode that a Dalek has been seen moving about the corridors.

The Daleks want to go out of the city and think that the bomb will be their best chance. That’s basically their goal in this episode and all is going well until Ian and company storm the room. After the bomb has been stopped their source of power has been also been knocked out and just a they are about to die they plea with the Doctor to help and the Doctor tells him that even if he wanted to he doesn’t know how.

The Doctor and Susan are now tied up in the Daleks control room. In a last final desperate attempt, the Doctor tells the Daleks about the TARDIS. This doesn’t work and what we get is a wonderful bit of tension as the countdown continues and Ian and the rest have to try and disrupt the countdown whilst not being killed by the Daleks. Neither William Hartnell or Carole Ann Ford do much for large chunks of the episode as they are tied up. What little they do is good but it’s Hartnell who has the better dialogue. Carole Ann Ford almost gets a child-free like performance in this episode. But there is a moment where she is wearing something from the Thals, does a spin and then childishly falls to the floor.

William Russell is very good in this episode being the driving force of the party to get through the last bit of the cave. The look on his face when he’s peering through the wall into the room with the pipes was fun too see. Jacqueline Hill was also very good in this episode as she throws herself into some of the more dramatic moments such as when the doors are about to slam down and manages to squeeze herself through the small gap. The romance between herself and Ganatus is short lived and sadly comes to an end and it’s a shame because even though it’s never really been looked at in any way it’s been a nice thing that they have both performed well with.

As a final episode it seems almost like the journey for the fluid link was almost forgotten as the rescue took centre stage. It’s only referred to at the very end of the battle in the control room. Even then it’s not a big thing that the last four episodes have been about getting this fluid link. The battle was rather well done, it was your typical fight with Thals coming down from the ceiling before being gunned down. There is a wonderful final shot of the dead Daleks in their control room it’s the first time there has been any real silence in the story and it’s a wonderful moment, it shows that even in a mini war like what we got there is still losses on both sides even though the Thals came out on top.

The cliffhanger was a fantastic one. Everything is seemingly carrying on as normal but then the Doctor, Ian and Susan (Barbara walks off screen) are thrown to the floor with a white light blinding the screen. At the time it must have been as impressive ending as ‘The Dead Planet’. As an episode ‘The Rescue’ is a really good episode with some good scenes and good performances. Over the course of the last seven episodes the characters have developed nicely with some strong performances from all four regulars. Even the supporting cast have been good even though they aren’t quite given the best costumes in the world. The first encounter with the Daleks is what every Doctor Who story after it will be compared against.