Back in 2010 Steven Moffat stated that he
believed the Doctor must fight the Daleks very early on in his run (which is
why Victory of the Daleks was the third episode in Series Five). This idea has
clearly not changed as now the new Twelfth Doctor is meeting his ancient foes
in his second story.
One of the many things I love about this
story is the way that it is not a Dalek story where the entire universe is at
stake due to a reality bomb or whatever. This Dalek story is smaller and thus
allowing us to focus more on the characters and the Daleks themselves. The
story has been told a number of times in the past (The Invisible Enemy, Let's
Kill Hitler) where the main characters are miniaturized and go inside
something, but there is more to this story than retreading the same ground. By
going inside a Dalek we get probably one of the greatest insights into the
Daleks since the show came back. The idea of a good Dalek is interesting but I
think the show could have explored that further. In the award winning Big
Finish Productions Box Set Dark Eyes, the idea of Daleks becoming good is
examined in much more depth than it is here.
The Twelfth Doctor is incredible in this
story with some classic one liners ("She cares so I don't have to").
Capaldi is one of the greatest actors to take on the role and his very
confident performance in this, highlights this fact. Clara too is very good in
this. I have always been a fan of Clara but I know many fans were saying that
she is completely uninteresting - however since the Twelfth Doctor has taken
over from the Eleventh Doctor, fan opinion is changing. Danny Pink also is
introduced in this story. The Danny scenes are not necessary for the plot of
this story but they are probably important for later on. In five minutes Moffat
and Ford have created an interesting mysterious character that has already left
all fans intrigued. Samuel Anderson gives a strong performance - I am looking
forward to seeing him get on later on.
The writing is very strong in this
story. I really hope Phil Ford returns for Series Nine. He has already written
two very strong stories (The Waters of Mars and this). The guest performances
are strong in this also. Furthermore the story is visually incredible. The CGI
in the last couple of years is beginning to rival everything else available
even the CGI in $200 million Marvel films.
It is interesting to see the theme of
parallels in this series with the references to the broom with the half-face
man in Deep Breath and now the line "You are a good Dalek" being said
by the Dalek in this. I wonder if this is set to continue.
In summary a very strong story. Not an all-time
classic but one of the best ones I have seen in a while.
9/10