Story: The Daleks
Written By: Terry Nation
Length: 7 Episodes
Year: 1963
Its week five of the original run of Doctor Who. Week Five. That's pretty incredible for what this serial does for the series. Moves it from an interesting little sci-fi show that aired the past four weeks, to a whole new ballgame. It introduces the monsters that propelled the show to super stardom. The Daleks.
The Daleks turned up in only week five, and they return frequently to this day. That is pretty damned impressive, next to the TARDIS, the Daleks are the most iconic element of this show, more so than even Regeneration. They spawned two films, were featured in two stageplays (one that featured them alone - no Doctor), worlds of toys, comics, planned spin-offs, and many subsequent appearances.
So how good is the story that introduced the most long lasting and evil foes the Doctor has ever faced? Decent. Just like the previous story, this serial is pretty important to the series on the whole. I would also say that the story is quite entertaining, but definitely padded. That is the problem with a 7 parter, you get far too much drag in the plot sometimes.
The story is simple enough, taking off where "An Unearthly Child" left us, the Doctor and his companions land on a strange planet. They venture off to see this strange new world, and while the Doctor is excited to explore, the rest of the crew wants to leave ASAP. The Doctor, in a conniving little trick, claims that something is missing in the TARDIS and he can not leave without finding a replacement. Therefore they are forced to stay and explore. Once there the crew ends up in a fight between the Thals and the Daleks. The war has been going so long neither side is sure how it began.
Ultimately, the Doctor discovers something clever and figures out a way to stop the Daleks and save the Thals. The story isn't really what makes this a piece of Who history, its the monsters. When watching, really think about this in those terms - the simple beginning to what makes this show so popular.
The story is a bit slow going at times, but the Daleks ARE something special, and you can see it from this story. They are completely void of any human quality. They aren't shaped at all like a human, they have no emotions, and all they do is kill. They are scary, and this story is very much a part of why the show has lasted so long.
NEXT TIME: The Doctor verses his companions.
Written By: Terry Nation
Length: 7 Episodes
Year: 1963
Its week five of the original run of Doctor Who. Week Five. That's pretty incredible for what this serial does for the series. Moves it from an interesting little sci-fi show that aired the past four weeks, to a whole new ballgame. It introduces the monsters that propelled the show to super stardom. The Daleks.
The Daleks turned up in only week five, and they return frequently to this day. That is pretty damned impressive, next to the TARDIS, the Daleks are the most iconic element of this show, more so than even Regeneration. They spawned two films, were featured in two stageplays (one that featured them alone - no Doctor), worlds of toys, comics, planned spin-offs, and many subsequent appearances.
The story is simple enough, taking off where "An Unearthly Child" left us, the Doctor and his companions land on a strange planet. They venture off to see this strange new world, and while the Doctor is excited to explore, the rest of the crew wants to leave ASAP. The Doctor, in a conniving little trick, claims that something is missing in the TARDIS and he can not leave without finding a replacement. Therefore they are forced to stay and explore. Once there the crew ends up in a fight between the Thals and the Daleks. The war has been going so long neither side is sure how it began.
Ultimately, the Doctor discovers something clever and figures out a way to stop the Daleks and save the Thals. The story isn't really what makes this a piece of Who history, its the monsters. When watching, really think about this in those terms - the simple beginning to what makes this show so popular.
The story is a bit slow going at times, but the Daleks ARE something special, and you can see it from this story. They are completely void of any human quality. They aren't shaped at all like a human, they have no emotions, and all they do is kill. They are scary, and this story is very much a part of why the show has lasted so long.
NEXT TIME: The Doctor verses his companions.
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