Doctor Who? A review of Asylum of the Daleks by @cheezypeas (spoilers!)

Well, the moment we have been waiting for has arrived and arguably one of the most anticipated returns since the 2005 relaunch. The hype, the rumours, the little tasters that Moffat and the BBC kept tempting us with to keep us guessing as to what awaited us. All we knew is we would have Daleks, and plenty of them!

With Pond Life also keeping the anticipation at an all time high, and the premier screening a few weeks ago; its wouldn’t be too surprising if most of us in the UK were poised on the edge of our seats; young and old, established Whovians and new Whovians together to see our beloved Timelord begin a new adventure in his blue box.

We were waiting for some surprises, and Mr Moffat certainly didn’t disappoint! From here you'll find spoilers so if you don't want to know STOP NOW!

The Doctor finds himself on Skaro; the birthplace of the Daleks after he is tricked into going to Dalek Parliament by a humanoid Dalek. It appears the Daleks have borrowed a few tips from the Cybermen in regards to turning humans into “one of them”. Rory and Amy (on the verge of divorce) also end up there and expect to be exterminated, until the Daleks ask for their help? What? Hang on that shouldn’t be happening? 

The Doctor and his companions are asked to visit the Planet ‘Aslyum’ where all the defunct/broken/insane Daleks are left to rot to deactivate the damaged forcefield surrounding the planet that contains those Daleks. A woman named Oswin Oswald crashed into the forcefield, and therefore making it possible for the imprisoned Daleks to escape. The ‘sane’ Daleks (if that is a term you can use for them) need to begrudgingly destroy the planet to prevent the inmates escape hence the need to deactivate the forcefield totally, but the Daleks are too frightened to do it themselves. Chickens! but more on poultry later.

Well, the biggest surprise has to be Oswin herself who is played by…..Jenna! Christmas has certainly come early! A very sassy character full of charm, intelligence and very easy on the eye. 

As I watched her in her crashed spaceship I couldn’t help but notice the interior had a very Dalek-esque theme to it, and when she found the trio on the planet her periscope was rather like an eyestalk. I thought; no, that’s too easy, she can’t be a Dalek herself as she’s helping them defeat the Daleks…..can she?

The bit where a researcher finds Amy and the Doctor was particularly chilling, and the suspense heightened when he realised he was already dead then his eyestalk appeared! Then when the skeletons of his colleagues also became Daleks that was the icing on the cake. Perhaps there should have been a warning for those of a nervous disposition prior to the broadcast?  

Meanwhile, Rory has found himself in a basement with some apparently ‘dead’ Daleks until one starts to talk to him. Poor Rory thinks he’s asking for an ‘egg’ but when the Dalek starts adding more syllables to his ‘egg’ Rory knows he’s in trouble! “EXTERMINATE!” (This is probably where that ‘team cress’ business came from- egg and cress, get it?)

Whilst Rory is being rescued by Oswin (and wooed) Amy realises she has lost her protective bracelet which was preventing her from becoming a humanoid Dalek. Rory proves his love for her in a bid to save her. Like the Cybermen, turning into a Dalek removes certain positive emotions so an emotional reconciliation keeps Amy alive. They then discover the Doctor has given Amy his bracelet and is in pursuit of finding Oswin to remove the force field. Then the moment of truth.....

……OSWIN IS A DALEK!!!! What a wonderful scene. She was so traumatised by becoming one she created the fantasy in her head that she was trapped on a crashed spaceship! 

She fights her instinct to exterminate the Doctor, and tells him to run whilst she removes the forcefield; destroying the planet and herself. Her final message to the Doctor ‘Remember’ must be important in her future role as companion, but if she has blown herself up, how will that happen???

Then the Doctor returns to Dalek Parliament to find none of the pepperpots recognise him! Are the Silence up to their old tricks, or did Oswin wipe the Dalek’s memories before she died?

Musings:

Was the Pond divorce necessary? Yes, to keep the hype up for the new series and to keep the rabid fangirls in a frenzy.  Moffat, you sadistic man you!

The Doctor has changed. He seems distant, not the bouncy fun Timelord from series 5 & 6 anymore. You can see shades of the Sixth Doctor, and the pure hatred from the Ninth doctor in Dalek. Its almost like he has been through the Time War again. This negative change in emotion is perfect for this episode as it complements the Daleks perfectly, his anger almost erupted like a volcano when the Daleks describe hate as beautiful. He isn’t a Timelord to mess around with anymore, he appears to be very disinterested in coming to the aid of others and seems to trust no-one. Perhaps the Ponds forgot his birthday this year?

What a wonderful surprise to have the next companion in the first episode. Will she still be known as Oswin? Does the Doctor travel back to her past pre Dalek? Will she be from a parallel dimension? The possibilities are endless with Moffat at the helm.

How could the trio hear her own voice, not a Dalek one? (Until the Doctor discovers the truth) Did she override the voice or was her fantasy so powerful an emotion it made the trio hear what they wanted to hear?

One criticism. I did think Moffat borrowed too heavily from the Cybermen creating the humanoid Daleks and the emotion side of things, but I think he could be excused this time!

Overall a fantastic start to a new series with lots of twists. It is clear that the Ponds days are certainly numbered and Moffat is calling time on the couple before their characters become stale and repetitive. This episode has certainly raised the bar and if this is what to expect throughout the rest of the series we are in for a truly wonderful adventure. GERONIMO!