With the ground set for this new version of the series, Doctor Who makes its first splash into the past with the return of the show's longest running enemies - the Daleks. In this case, a singular Dalek, purposed as being the lone survivor of the Last Great Time War (as explained in End of the World) on the Skaro side against the sole Time Lord remaining. With that angst left over from the War, and the Doctor slowly growing away from that period of his life thanks to Rose (Billie Piper), this first encounter with the Dalek kind can only go one way...but is that good way in terms of quality? And can these infamous pepperpot foes be rejuvenated right?
The story opens in the then-future 2012, where the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) detects a distress signal and arrives in an underground museum in Utah. The bunker, owned by Internet owner and alien artefact hoarder Henry van Statten (Correy Johnson), is housing a live specimen known only as the Metaltron which is what contacted the TARDIS and brought the time-travelling duo there. But when the Doctor discovers that the 'Metaltron' is actually a surviving soldier from the War awaiting orders, his reaction is one of fear and anger (leading to a brilliantly executed scene which remains one of the highlights of the show period), and declares that the alien should be destroyed immediately. But following a little emotional trickery through Rose and Statten employee Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley), the Dalek escapes its captivity and begins its primary order - "to destroy; to conquer". With a Dalek loose in the vaults and the possibility of human extinction on the cards, will the Doctor confront his fear once and for all?
Based on the audio story 'Jubilee', Robert Shearman has effortlessly brought his audio to the screen and evolved it from the Colin Baker serial it was before, with the tense atmospheric tone that follows the characters through their journey being one that instantly matches the feel for this incarnation of the Doctor against the often-comedic angle seen in more recent affairs such as the previous two-part adventure Aliens of London/World War Three. When also considering the factor that the Dalek may not have actually been able to appear in the story for copyright reasons (initially is was to be a killer sphere, leading the way for the Toclafane two seasons later), and it's a move that has worked for the better. Anywho, this is an incredibly well-written episode, with so many scenes standing the test of time thanks to both the performances and the dialogue. That aforementioned scene between an ensnared Doctor and a chained Dalek is arguably the pinnacle point to define the relationship between our hero and overbearing adversaries - the perfect way to introduce the dynamic to a brand new audience. A later scene between the Doctor and the Dalek via visual link - which Into the Dalek would attempt to copy years later to minimal success - is a true standing point for this vision of the Doctor: the man who becomes what he hates the most being described as such by that enemy. And for that, Shearman deserves all the applause and then some. It's such a great pity the writer never returned for the show, as he gave it a shine that had been missing since The Unquiet Dead.
Whilst the episode is filled with death and destruction courtesy of the Dalek in scenes which I cannot even begin to explore (a few new additions to the Dalek mythos don’t go amiss, let's leave it at that), it's more of a character piece if anything - our first true glimpse into the soul of the Ninth Doctor. Whilst previous episodes have focused on Rose and her life, with little hints here and there to regular life and her growth from commoner to adventurer, we haven’t seen much into the Doctor since End of the World with the Time War reveal. Since then, it's been either compassionate or comedic sides that have been presented. Here, we see more. We see this character, our hero, in a darker light, and in the light which has dimmed since Rose entered his life. And that's not to say that Rose gets short-changed for it, as she too gets her own mini story arc not only revolving around the escaped prisoner but also a blossoming romance with Adam. That said, considering her relationship with stay at home boyfriend Mickey does appear to still exist - heck, there isn't an actual ending point present in the show, as our next appearance by him later on in the series has him supposedly dating someone else - it is a little intriguing why this aspect gets quite a bit of coverage in the first half and very end. Why not in the middle? Because running from a genocidal "space dustbin" means it Isn't the time for love, that's why. With those two points in mind, both Eccleston and Piper really strut their stuff, with the chemistry between the two, particularly at the very end, being a strong element that makes this team really work.
For a brief period of time, a second companion was added to the mix with Adam Mitchell - a super genius from England whose flirting techniques lead to mass murder in his workplace and being made unemployed - and he has an okay presence in this episode. It isn't anything companion-material, going by the fact that there wasn't a hint of empathy towards leaving Rose trapped in the bunker or open to notions about the Dalek, but considering that him being added to the roster was simply for Rose's benefit means that he shouldn't be seen as much. And with all that, Langley does a fine job at being the little cocky twerp. It's not his most annoying appearance in the series as we’ll see next week, but companion material? Nah. As for his employer and employees, van Statten is a power-mad collector slightly akin to that of the Collector of Marvel Comics fame, and like Adam is an overly cocky little terror. He's similar to that of Harrison Chase from 1976's The Seeds of Doom, with his declaration that the Dalek shouldn't be touched when It's killing his answer to a private military being eerily similar to "People are replaceable - the Krynoid is unique", but like that Dalek doesn't have a scratch against Chase. However, he is what he is, a character you love to loathe. Right hand woman Diana Goddard (Anna-Louise Plowman) is one o the more human workers at the bunker, showing clear distress by the events which occur and doing her best to stay in a job before earning the right to go against her boss, so great kudos to her and her role in the story.
But the true highlights are of course the Dalek and Christopher Eccleston, a duo which make the episode the great it is. The Dalek is reintroduced in a bold and interesting new light to the delight of thousands, whilst Eccleston is given plenty of limelight in his best performance to date. Thanks to Shearman, we have our first true classic for the series and for this Doctor. Sure there are elements which don't work quite so well, mainly on the Adam sector, but those are minimal when considering the main hook of the episode - the Daleks are back, and better than ever. 10/10.
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