In the third episode of the new season of Doctor Who, we find the Doctor in World War II, hanging out with Winston Churchill and … Daleks?! Yeah, you see that correctly. These Ironsides were created by a Scottish scientist under the employ of Churchill, but of course the Doctor doesn’t believe them. The Doctor knows the Daleks, and he knows them well. So how can he help Winston Churchill, Britain’s #1 tactical genius, realize that their greatest weapon is actually their greatest threat?
Click behind the jump for my thoughts on yesterday’s episode. Spoilers abound.
Admittedly, this is the first episode of Doctor Who that I didn’t really like. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Daleks outside of the season with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor (Cybermen forever!). As much as I knew they would be back this season, I was hoping that in general it’d be in a more new and exciting way. So far Moffat has done a great job of bringing a fresh take into the Doctor’s universe, so I was hoping this would fall under that. However, this episode wasn’t written by Moffat, so obviously there are certain concessions that have to be made. However, my biggest… “complaint,” if I can call it that, would have to be this:
Presenting to you, the iPod Daleks! Put some color on.
You know, Doctor Who has always done a great job of making the unlikely seem terrifying. Remember “Waters of Mars”? They made WATER scary. Put multicolored Daleks is just … silly. It’s not scary, it’s just incredibly odd – disconcerting even. I liked the old rusty look of the Daleks. It was very fitting. The last thing they really needed was to accessorize.
This wasn’t the greatest episode by any standards. The writing wasn’t as clever, the story just not as gripping. There were a lot of moments that, even for a science fiction program, I was a bit taken aback at the “REALLY?” element. For example, we’ve got a scientist built by Daleks who understands Dalek technology… and in the span of minutes he can build a video receiver for some camera inside the spaceship (where was that camera, by the way?) and create the proper technology to get not one but three fighter planes to go into space. I figured they’d launch a missile off the ground, but no – they launched fighter planes! And with laser guns! I mean… how? Are the Daleks so superior with their technology that they can’t crack the Progenitor Device, but they can create an android who can make ships break the atmosphere in a matter of minutes? I’m not begging for realism or anything here, but that’s reaching a bit.
Another thing I disliked, which will be a quick comment, is how even without Moffat writing the wall cracks aren’t placed subtly. I honestly think the coolest thing about previous seasons is you had to try hard to catch the recurring elements, and if you weren’t watching carefully you’d miss it. Now we get a crack in the wall at the end of each episode. It’s just not as effective of a story telling tool. It’s too “in your face” for me, like “Hey, Bad Wolf may be written on a wall, but LOOK! THERE’S A CRACK THERE AND IT’S SHINY!” Eh. I thought they were being a tad more subtle when they mentioned Amy didn’t remember the previous Dalek attack(s) on Earth, but looks like they threw in a crack for good measure. Again: eh.
Matt Smith continues to be fantastic though. I really am loving him as the Doctor, and he continues to shine with every chance I get to see him. Hell, he alone is literally worth watching the show for, just like Tennant or Eccleston. I love his mood swings, his odd hand motions, his jumpy attitude – everything. This episode has a lot less comedic overtones from him than other episodes we’ve seen, but he’s still knocking it out of the park. I am very proud of whatever casting director settled on him, because at this point I already know that even if in the next episode of Doctor Who they replace everyone with brightly colored Daleks who can only scream “EXTERMINATE,” I will still watch because of how awesome Matt Smith has ended up.
So we’ve reached the first low moment of the show, but that’s ok. Even the best baseball team loses a game every now and then, and the next episode is written by Moffat and promises the return of the Blink monsters as well as River. Hopefully it turns out better, and I am interested to see exactly what is coming from the iDaleks and how that plays into the endgame of the season.
