After my high praise of the first episode Deep Breath, I felt that Into The Dalek had a LOT to live up to. The synopsis that was released created such a buzz, I for one was incredibly excited with the concept of the story. After watching it twice, I think it is safe to say it didn’t quite live up to those expectations. Not for me anyway.
The episode itself, was great. I LOVED the visuals, the look and feel of it was outstanding. Starting off in the middle of a intergalactic battle, the Dalek fleets and the human army were magical to look at. We are introduced to Journey Blue, whose ship has just been critically hit and her brother unconscious presumed dead. She wakes up on board the TARDIS, the Doctor has saved her, but not her brother. The following scene for me was possibly one of the most standout scenes of the entire episode. The Doctor, not doing what she asks unless she says ‘please’. There was something quite uncomfortable about that to watch. It did reinforce the alien about him, how entirely different he is compared to his predecessors. As a younger viewer who has grown up with the modern 2005+ run, it is still quite unsettling to see the Doctor completely reinvented, compared to the more flamboyant, whimsical and somewhat child like 10th and 11th Doctors (and 9 to an extent). So to see such a harsh persona is going to take some getting used to, but I am loving the new direction.
Back to the story though..
Skipping forward to Danny Pink, ex-soldier turned school teacher. He seems like a character that I am going to like, and I am certainly intrigued by his back story (did he kill someone? if so who? If it is the Doctor again like River I will be annoyed). Clara and Danny’s relationship is obvious and predictable to me. Doesn’t mean I won’t like them together, they seem to have good chemistry so far, however it does feel somewhat forced. Now she has stopped fancying the Eleventh Doctor there’s another man in her life. Which begs the question; given the recent rumours of Jenna maybe/maybe not quitting the show, it feels like they are using him as a means of her possible exit? Again, I do like Danny however their romance will have to grow on me.
Fast paced editing and quick cuts backwards and forwards between them and the Doctor stepping onto the ‘Aristotle’ are very much welcome. The quality of the episode and the series now as a whole has been completely upgraded, with more budget and cleverer technology they can show off much more. This for me was also proved when Clara, the Doctor and co get shrunk by the miniaturization chamber. The first few moments of Uncle picking them all up with tweezers and inserting them into the eye stalk of the Dalek was absolutely incredible. First class graphics there.
The concept of the episode is a great one. A Dalek so damaged it’s turned good? Too good to be true surely. It is original, and unique. However I think the real story of this episode wasn’t stepping inside the mind of a Dalek, it was taking a closer look at the Doctor’s soul. The fact he NEEDS Clara there to keep him in line is fascinating. It also, harks back to Series 7’s Town Called Mercy where Amy says to the Eleventh Doctor, “See this is what happens when you travel alone for too long.” It is almost as if the Twelfth Doctor has clung onto this, and now seemingly incapable of trusting himself with the more risky adventures he is faced with, therefore acquiring Clara as and when he needs her. Again, as Clara is being introduced by the Doctor to Journey Blue, Uncle and Co, he says “She cares so I don’t have to.” This is a Doctor whose morality has been corrupted and set back to factory settings. Only a companion can keep him grounded.
Finally inside the Dalek, a sense of scale is effortlessly brought to the screen. You really believe that they are miniature in size and the interior of the Dalek is amazing. As the crew embark on their mission, they soon realise that they have to go to the centre of the Dalek, so Ross, one of ‘Aristotle’s soldiers, starts hitting the inner of the Dalek with his equipment. Here, is when I found the Doctor to be at his coldest and most manipulative. Antibodies (anyone else immediately think of Let’s Kill Hitler?) were released and surround Ross, with almost no way out, The Doctor essentially murders him in cold blood in front of everyone, with seemingly no remorse or guilt, just to save themselves. That right there, is when I realised that he is not ever going to be the Doctor I personally have been used to all these years, and that scared me. Capaldi is brilliant once again at conveying the Doctor’s newly brought out cold nature, and Jenna is equally brilliant in being his ‘carer’.
Notable mention must go out to Zawe Ashton who plays Journey Blue also, great performance and one that may secure her bigger roles in the future no doubt.
As the story continues and the plot thickens, we see the Dalek itself, in all it’s glorious tentacle like form. We find out the object that keeps a Dalek pure and that a radiation leak has caused brain damage reawakening past memories. The Doctor soon patches up the tear, but oh wait, it starts going bad again. To me it was a bit predictable. Cleverly done but predictable, Clara slapping the Doctor as he was proved right, wasn’t. The slap again reinforces the fact the Doctor needs to be kept grounded. On the outside the newly repaired Dalek goes into full exterminate mode, escaping from it’s wires and proceeds to kill members of the Aristotle.
Inside, the mission continued with a new objective; to open the Dalek’s mind and change it back to being good. Gretchen, another soldier, sacrifices herself in order for Clara, the Doctor and Journey to continue. Another AMAZING cameo by Michelle Gomez as Missy as Gretchen somehow lands in ‘heaven’.
I noticed that for the first time since Russell T. Davies era that the skeletons/x ray like glow are back when people are being exterminated. Speaking of nostalgia, glimpses of Journey’s End/Dalek/Parting of the Ways among others flashed before us when Clara starts rebooting the Dalek’s memories. That was an awesome little nod back to some of the best episode in Doctor Who‘s history (in my opinion) and brought back some wonderful memories.
I really thought for one moment that we would be getting a scene reminiscent of Genesis of the Daleks, I was expecting another “Do I have the right?” speech like the Fourth so famously made. Alas I was wrong, and that was one of the biggest anti-climaxes for me. Especially when Twelve picks up two parts of the Dalek’s membrane, seems like a missed opportunity there. The scene as a whole where The Doctor is trying to reach into the Dalek’s mind must be one of the most poignant of the episode. For the Dalek, sees pure hatred inside the Doctor’s soul and chooses to act on that instead of the more beautiful aspects of life and the universe. Capaldi’s reaction to this is brilliant, his utter horror at the fact despite everything he has seen and done in his life hatred is the one thing the Dalek sees.
This did remind me of A Good Man Goes To War rather randomly, where Vastra says to Eleven, “Well, they saw you.” when baby Melody/River is revealed to be a weapon against him. It also reminded me briefly of Amy’s Choice, where Eleven says to the DreamLord (he must come back at some point HE MUST) “There’s only one man who hates you as much as I do.” subsequently referring to himself.
Into The Dalek had everything in order to create a GREAT episode, and it was, however on the whole I think something was missing for me. Definitely one of the best Dalek stories for a long while, but I think something wasn’t quite there. I can’t put my finger on it.
I am extremely hopeful for next week’s Robot of Sherwood. Seems to be more light hearted from the trailers and Ben Miller making his Doctor Who debut is something not to be missed.
Until next week, Geronimo.
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