Doctor Who:
Into the Dalek
Reviewed By Nyssa Ainley
A chance to see the actual biology of a DALEK…
The episode opens with a Star Wars Esque battle and
music. A soldier loses her brother to the Daleks and as she is almost hit
she screams with white light blinding her. Only for her to wake up on the
TARDIS floor with the Doctor gazing down on her holding two cups of coffee.
“WHERE’S KAI?” she demands. The Doctor berates her
slightly for crying. “My brother died!” she explains curtly.
“His sister didn’t I think he’d like that!” the Doctor
replies as she mentions her name. Journey Blue. He guides her back
to her ship Aristotle. “It’s smaller on the outside …” she says stunned.
“More exciting the other way round,” the Doctor replies
drily.
After they go through the lab and talk Journey observes that
the Doctor doesn’t like soldiers much.
“This is your patient!” says Journey’s Uncle.
“DOC-TOR!”
Awesome new credits begin to roll.
Clara puts her foot in it with Mr Pink but this does not
stop her from asking him out. Inner turmoil as we see Danny
actually likes Clara. I like how different this couple is to Amy and
Rory. This scene speaks volumes to me as I think it does to many
people.
Clara clearly needs some supplies as she heads towards
the stationery cupboard, where the Doctor is offering her the coffee. The
very same coffee he promised her three weeks ago! Clara obviously got a
train back ...
Clara follows him into the TARDIS as does a touching
scene where we see the first sign of vulnerability as The Doctor needs needs an
honest answer: “Tell me am I a good man?” to which Clara replies she doesn’t
know. Speaking for the audience where we are still not sure about 12 and
his motives.
“No offence I have plans!” she says as she realises the
Doctor is about to whisk her away.
“I need you!” the Doctor pleads.
Immediately she forgets about the plans and stands by the
Doctor’s side. “Where are we going?” she asks eagerly. “Into Darkness,”
the Doctor replies.
Struggling with how to introduce Clara to the soldiers
she jumps in with the word ‘carer!’ “My carer - she cares so I don’t have
to!” putting a new twist on the reason why the Doctor needs a companion.
Anyone ever watched a film called Inner Space? This
is a trippier much darker version with a sci fi twist. Accompanied
by haunting music that is so atmospheric. Adding that extra piquant
quality of surrealism that is this particular scene.
Now we are literally Into The Dalek and the story begins.
“Welcome to the most dangerous place in the universe!”
the Doctor exclaims.
The chemistry between 12 and Clara is the best
Doctor/Companion chemistry since Sylvester and Sophie. We catch a little
glimpse of this Doctor’s cheeky side. It’s almost so good I want to see
Capaldi bop Clara’s nose…
“Hello Rusty!” says the Doctor in what is suspiciously a
Welsh accent.
Ross, a soldier who has accompanied the Doctor, Clara,
Journey and Gretchen is surrounded by Dalek antibodies. The Doctor gives
him something to swallow an antibody zaps Ross to death. Leading the
others to believe the Doctor was saving him. “He was a dead man anyway I
was saving all of us!” the Doctor explains his motives leading into the
mainstay of WHO which is: “FOLLOW ME and RUN!” when the Doctor says run
you really feel like you are watching Doctor Who!
Down the shoot time! This
will only end in .. Slime. which is confirmed by our hero as “People, the
Daleks source of protein!”
“Ross here?” Journey asks.
“Yeah, top layer if you want to say a few words!” the
Doctor says rather coldly. Another reminder that the kind, sad lonely
Doctor is now gone and we are definitely real old school Doctor - one who seems
emotionally disconnected to the situation slightly.
“Rusty, what changed you?” the Doctor asked.
“The birth of a star!” the Dalek replies as he realises
that resistance is futile. Death only creates life.
We are now into the heart of a Dalek. A
suspiciously familiar looking crack glows from within. The Doctor seals
it with the Sonic Screwdriver. Using it for what it is supposed to be
used for again another sign that the show is going in a different direction.
Thus the Dalek is healed.
This is a good thing … right? Yeah, a casual fan
might think but us seasoned Whovians know better.
“Mulfunction
is corrected!” the Dalek states. “EXTERMINATE!” he exclaims.
Well, what did you expect, Doctor? i thought when
he shook his head despondently repeating the word no. “We had a Good
Dalek and now it’s bad again?” Journey yells. “There is no such thing as
a Good Dalek…” the Doctor sighs.
Clara shows some spirit and SLAPS the Doctor’s face,
confronting the Doctor on his view of the world: “Daleks are evil all is right
with the world!” she says. “THAT is NOT what we learned today!”
“Clara Oswald, do I really not pay you?”the Doctor says
with a nuance of regret and emotion that is really more effective on second
viewing. “Couldn’t afford me!” Clara replies softly.
“A good Dalek IS possible is that what we learned,
Teach?” the Doctor say’s much later.
“Top of the class!”
One of the other soldiers questions whether the Doctor is
mad or right. Her trust is put into the Doctor as she sacrifices herself.
Giving her full name as Gretchen Alison Carlisle she demands the Do ctor
to do something good and name it after herself. Mirroring the beginning a
white light flashes as she screams … only to wake up in a quiet tea room.
“Welcome to Heaven!” the new mystery woman states.
“I am Missy, would you like some tea?”
I will leave it here … as the Doctor opens his soul to
the Dalek with a bittersweet ending the Doctor and Rusty parts ways when
Journey, Clara and the Doctor are out of the Dalek - presumably they pressed
the button on the bracelets to say their mission was completed and got big
again.
There was an interesting connection to DALEK where the
DALEK in that story tells the Doctor that he would have made a ‘good DALEK’ AND
Genesis of the Daleks where the Doctor there is given the power to destroy all
the DALEK prototype but, eventually, doesn’t. Obviously the Coal Hill
School connection brings to mind Sophie Aldred’s first proper story,
Remembrance.
I really do hope that the little girl in Remembrance
makes an appearance as I also still hope that Ian Chesterton does…
All in all this story held a moral compass to both the
Doctor and the Daleks as Steven Moffatt is definitely giving us a more
challenging concept to deal with.
Daleks were based on Nazi’s with their ideals of purity
through hatred. Just as there where good Nazi’s as the second World War
developed… why should not there be a Good Dalek? An idea to certainly
ponder on.
I love this story because of the moral dilemma it brings
up .. it did not feel rushed towards the end and the music and plot was my sort
of Doctor Who story. 12 is a non flirty Doctor and the minimal use of the
Sonic Screwdriver is certainly refreshing. Let us hope that continues.
I wonder who is the next person to go to Heaven is ...
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