C+Q - Into the Dalek (2014)

I was seriously hoping we wouldn't have to do a Dalek episode this series. Maybe the Twelfth Doctor could've skipped the Daleks like how The Third Doctor never fought the Cybermen (except in The Five Doctors). The Daleks were a great idea back in 1963 which demonstrated the sheer imagination and potential of Doctor Who's format. That was half a century ago. It's 2014 now and last series had three Dalek appearances (Asylum of the Daleks, The Day of the Doctor, and The Time of the Doctor). I thought maybe we could give them a rest for a while. And I don't mean a Series 6-style rest where you think they've actually managed to go a full year without them only for a single dying Dalek to have a pointless cameo right at the start of the finale that only exists to devalue them further. I mean a proper rest; a five-year break from the Daleks like they used to have back in the day. Unfortunately, I found out recently that if the BBC went a year without using the Daleks, they'd have to buy the rights to them back from the Terry Nation estate. So that sucks.

As much as I hate the idea of having yet another Dalek adventure so soon, I understand now that their hands are kinda tied. If they don't have a say on whether or not they should bring the Daleks back, the least they could do is actually make a good job of a Dalek story, something that hasn't been done since Doomsday. Luckily, this episode nails it. Written by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat, Into the Dalek is the best and most inventive Dalek story we've had in years. For the first time since arguably The Parting of the Ways, the Daleks actually seem threatening as we once again see a proper body count. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying death is the only way to establish a threat, but in true "show, don’t tell" fashion, seeing a Dalek kill a room full of people is by far one of the most effective ways to get the job done. It's certainly a lot more effective than in The Day of the Doctor, where we saw the people of Arcadia running around scared despite the fact nobody in the entire sequence got killed. I mean the Daleks in The Day of the Doctor even glided right up to a group of children and waited in silence for a good few seconds before they detected the Doctor instead of immediately exterminating them on sight, so they obviously weren't that bad.

The idea of a Dalek turning good is not only a relatively fresh angle to take but it allows for some great character development for the Doctor. This episode gives us confirmation of something I've had as headcanon for a long time: that it was the Doctor's first ever encounter with the Daleks that changed him and turned him from a grumpy old man content to uphold Time Lord values of non-interference into a hero of the people. For a character that's been on our screens for 50 years, it's getting more and more rare to find out something new about the Doctor, so this little retconned story arc really goes a long way.

Peter Capaldi continues to impress and it's been a while since we've had a Doctor arrive so fully formed into the role. Often, the new lead starts out imitating their predecessors until they get a grasp on how they want to play the part, but Capaldi, like McCoy and the two Bakers, is already distinctly different to those who've come before. I really like how this episode begins with the Doctor on his own so his conversation with Journey doesn't have the human filter of the caring and empathic Clara to soften the blow. He reminds me a lot of the First and Sixth Doctors (which is definitely a good thing) and I'm glad we're getting away from the insufferable goody two-shoes nature of the Tenth.

In addition to the Doctor's introduction this episode, we also see quite a lengthy sequence of Clara on her own as she teaches at Coal Hill School and is introduced to a maths teacher called Danny Pink. I really hope we see more scenes like this in the future. Having long stretches set in the 'real world' with no supernatural or sci-fi shenanigans really helps to ground the characters and situations, making them more relatable. Also it was just great to see a window into Clara's everyday routine and see that her own life didn't end just because she met the Doctor, a sentiment which is summarised beautifully in the line "You're not my boss, you're one of my hobbies."

While I'm disappointed that we've got another Dalek story so soon after The Time of the Doctor, if we had to have one I'm glad it was Into the Dalek. It's a smart action-packed script with excellent direction from Ben Wheatley and a wonderful ensemble cast. Series 8 is off to a good start.

The Overuse of the Daleks

I've noticed recently that Steven Moffat and others seem to treat the Daleks like a mere box to be ticked on the CV of a new Doctor. Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi's Doctors both encountered the Daleks within their first three episodes and, although I can't find the quote now so I could be imagining things, I distinctly remember Moffat saying something along the lines of "they aren't the Doctor until they've fought the Daleks." And then of course there was The Day of the Doctor, about which the Mighty Moffinator said the words, "The Day of the Doctor could never possibly be complete without the Daleks making an appearance", and The Time of the Doctor, in which the Daleks also only featured because they are the Doctor's oldest enemy and that guaranteed them a front-row seat to his regeneration. Pile onto that the fact that the BBC will loose the rights to the Daleks if they ever went a year without using them and it seems now that every single Dalek appearance is being fuelled not by creativity and the urge to tell a great story but by obligation. It's like nobody at the Beeb has the courage to say "listen, we should probably ditch these villains now. They've carried us for 50 years, we really need new ones." The Daleks are entirely one-dimensional; in fact, that's the point. They're supposed to feel no emotions other than hatred for what isn't them. They have no depth. They have no complexity. Into the Dalek is such an interesting episode because it's about a Dalek who dared to act differently. I seriously think if Doctor Who is to survive to see its 100th birthday, it needs to get in some new villains. This show is completely unkillable because of its relentless reinvention and creativity, but the Daleks are one element that are just getting stale. The most exciting thing about them is when they get a new paint job. I think we need to rotate the crop and bring in some fresh ideas; give the A-listers (Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans etc.) a few Doctors off, do something interesting with the Z-listers (Voord, Zarbi, Zygons, Ice Warriors, Macra, and Autons), and bring in a whole new wave of original recurring monsters. The last significant new villains to be added to the roster were the Weeping Angels and that was in 2007.

I remember seeing the trailer for The Next Doctor after Journey's End, long before the BBC announced the title or that David Morrissey would be starring. The tagline said "This Christmas: the return of the Cybermen!" accompanied by the sound of their stomping mechanical legs. The last time we'd even heard about the Cybermen was in Doomsday, which at the time was two full series and two companions ago, and I remember being so excited for their return. Bringing back an old enemy is an easy way to earn attention and headlines but you can't bring an enemy back if they never leave. Send the Daleks away for a five year course on how to be interesting and when they come back, maybe nostalgia will make us care about them. Perhaps the BBC should just pay for the rights to the Daleks when they need them instead of restricting their writers to incorporate them into their stories every year.