Planet of the Daleks - Episode 3

The third episode of this story is one that until it was released on DVD only existed in black and white and due to technological advances, we know have this in colour and its rather well done and looks just as good as the rest of the episodes.

The Thals have a plan and at least that’s better than them aimlessly stumbling around. I am still unsure as to whether we need as many Thals as we have but thankfully that number is going to be reduced in this episode. During this episode we are told a bit about the planet and that instead of explosions of volcanic lava we get the exact opposite. I don’t know why but I like the idea of molten ice. It’s a typically Doctor Who idea that is used well in this episode and the acting helps create the impression that this isn’t the sort of thing you would want to be near. The tunnel sets were so good that even I became a little chilly watching them.

Jo is quite proactive in this episode as she sneaks her way into the Dalek’s base. Once she’s in though she doesn’t do very much and that’s a shame after the good start that she had. Out of the two female characters in this episode, she falls into second place behind Rebec who isn’t the most proactive character ever imagined but at least she’s active. The Doctor starts the episode still in the cell and is just waiting to test his new gadget on a Dalek and the scene where he does is quite dramatic though its over too quickly for my liking. Once the Doctor gets out with Codal, there is a game where they try and dodge the Daleks does seem a bit like what happened during the Daleks first adventure. This ends with the Doctor and Codal reunited with Taron just before the ice explodes into the corridor.

The Daleks don’t really seem to have a purpose in this episode, at least their voices have been sorted out and the colour scheme is a lot better. Speaking of the voices (no pun intended), they are becoming more like the ones that we would come to expect in later Dalek stories. At the end of the previous episode it was referred to that there were 10,000 daleks on the planet and we have to wait until the 21^st minute to see a blink and you’ll miss it shot of them. The cliffhanger is rather weak compared to previous ends and it pretty much sums up what I think of the episode and that it does feel a little bit like a transitional episode and those episodes are rarely interesting.