Dan Owen reviews

Episode 6: "Dalek"

Director:

Joe Ahearne (Strange, Ultraviolet, This Life)

Screenplay:

Robert Shearman (Born And Bred)

Cast:

The Doctor: Christopher Eccleston
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Polkowski: Steven Beckingham
Henry van Statten: Corey Johnson
Goddard: Anna-Louise Plowman
Adam: Bruno Langley
Simmons: Nigel Whitmey
Bywater: John Schwab
De Maggio: Jana Carpenter
Commander: Joe Montana
Dalek Operator: Barnaby Edwards
Dalek Voice: Nicholas Briggs

Synopsis: Beneath the Salt Plains of Utah, billionaire collector Henry Van Statten holds the last relic of an alien race. When the Doctor and Rose investigate, they discover that the Doctor's most deadly enemy is about to break free. It's a fight to the death, with Rose caught in the middle...

In an episode guaranteed to bring fans out in a frenzy of excitement, Dalek sees the titular nemesis of The Doctor return - but in a quite surprising way that serves as an introduction of the Daleks for old fans, and new fans alike.

"Dalek", written by Robert Shearman, is a fairly straight-forward episode that derives almost all of its enjoyment from the sheer fascination of seeing a Dalek on-screen again after all these years.

Quite remarkably, the show's producers have kept the Dalek's iconic "pepperpot" design intact; yet manage to provide new quirks and features that make the Dalek seem more formidable than ever before. Primarily, this involves a sequence foiling the clichéd remark about Daleks being foiled by stairs (well, not anymore...), a plausible use for their seemingly ridiculous "sink plunger" attachments, and a 360-degree rotating mid-section for all-round attacks!

Simply put, "Dalek" is great fun mainly on a visual basis. The story about Henry Van Statten, an unscrupulous collector of alien technology, is little more than a set-up for the Dalek grand unveiling.

The episode builds a genuinely exciting atmosphere courtesy thanks to director Joe Ahearne (whose camerawork also manages to make us empathize with a Dalek), and the script's dramatic moments give Christopher Eccleston the opportunity to ditch smug-grins and give a more palatable performance with The Doctor stuck in a dilemma over the Dalek's future...

It's enjoyable to see the series continue its own facet of Who mythology, namely with the Time War (here confirmed as involving the Time Lords and the Daleks, as if you hadn't guessed already!). It also delights in re-introducing a classic villain to television screens. Undoubtedly, many hairs rose on the backs of many necks when "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE" blasted out into homes across the nation!

Unfortunately, "Dalek" undoubtedly falls short in other departments; the guest cast are almost superfluous to the scene-stealing Dalek - particularly Corey Johnson as Van Patten. Bruno Langley (Coronation Street's gay Todd Grimshaw) makes his first appearance and, despite being pushed into the background, certainly has presence onscreen that should make good viewing in the future...

The effects are strong and believable throughout, with nothing standing out as particularly embarrassing. The visuals throughout the series have been generally strong, although it's clear that episodes requiring fewer effects

tend to get the best effects. "Dalek" adheres to that rule, with some effectively sequences throughout - particularly the Dalek's innards, a novel self-destruct sequence, and whenever the Dalek takes to the air...

Overall, this was an entertaining story that managed to show an age-old villain in a fresh light. As expected, the Dalek steals the show from everyone, but it's refreshing to see Eccleston's Doctor put into a more dramatic situation than man-eating bins and farting aliens.

The Daleks are back; badder (and better) than ever before. Let's hope they return in greater numbers...

Next Week: The Doctor, Rose and Adam arrive in the year 200,000 on a broadcasting station that transmits programming to the Earth Empire...

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Review copyright © Dan Owen, 2005.