Doctor Who 08X02 "Into The Dalek" Grading/Discussion)(SPOILERS!)

They seem to have found a nice rug to sweep those under!

From what I hear, the BBC contracted out the design for the New Paradigm Daleks, which was subcontracted, which was subcontracted... And they weren't overly happy with the result but went with it anyway due to a few issues with internal staff.

Frankentsein seems quite different. To me, it has always amde sense to consider this an origin story, comic book style: It is, if anything, a dark riff on Superman, with the one visionary scientist creating the one life that will survive a doomed planet.

I thought the osciallation between horror and pride at his creation was very well done.

Well, no, because he wasn't destroying the species then, and he knew it.

And he possibly ultimately did, remember?

Yes, but they did use Tom Baker, so that's the episode we get, and it's great.

I could agree of Davros hadn't decided to doom the planet by giving the Thaals they key to destroying the Kaleds dome. It's not a like for like of Frankenstein, but the core idea of a creation not being what the creator exactly intended and has decided to try and destroy it at the end.

The horror came a little late, and rally shouldn't have been there. Would have made for a much darker storyline.

He knew it before then too, can't recall if he'd seen a Dalek yet, but was aware Davros was testing them, so they were about anyway.

I may be mis-remembering, but the only thing he managed to do was to delay by them by a few hunded years.

^^But he points out that we don't know in how many other ways that changed them. And, of course, he's right; in none of the futures we've seen have the Daleks eradicated all other intelligent life.

The idea of "good" Daleks was actually explored back in 1967 in the serial "The Evil of the Daleks".

The Daleks tried to isolate something called "The Human Factor" and install it in Daleks to give the Daleks something they lacked.

This resulted in Daleks with emotions and feelings and morals, and a "Dalek Civil War" on Skaro.

That was meant to be the LAST appearance of the Daleks forever. And it was... until 1972's "Day of the Daleks".

I think they might be my favorite Who villain, from a sheer creepiness standpoint.

Yes! And they did the same idea again, only a lot worse, in "The Daleks of Manhattan".

And, like the Daleks and Cybermen, they've already overused the Weeping Angels.

Yeah, I have no desire to see them again for a while.

Hey, if one turns up, you can always just look away.

I think the Weeping Angels worked well in "Blink" and then should never have been seen again.

exactly my thinking. Love PC, plot bordered on plagerism.

Am I the only one who figured Journey Blue as a candidate for post-Clara companion?

I thought the 'soldier' line was code for 'we need to hammer out the contract'

I am pretty sure that the production staff of the show figured that out long before you did.

my point was that one should not assume the "no soldiers" rule was final and maybe it was a thread they intentionally left dangling. So obvious did it seem to me, I took it as almost a given she would ride with him at some point.

I'm willing to bet we'll never see Journey Blue again.

I liked it. Very well written.

We see Capaldi's stamp on the Doctor emerging already, especially with his interactions with Clara and distancing himself from any romantic entanglement with her. I liked the setup with the soldier at the end asking to be a companion and the Doctor saying no. Especially in the context on the time spent with Mr. Pink, Clara's new beau, who I'd wager heavy odds becomes the next companion.

I'm pretty done with the Daleks, and find them one of the silliest bad guys of all time. However I love that they are still playing with Baker's decision to spare them in the aforementioned Genesis of the Daleks - and the question of a 'good' Dalek goes back to the 4th Doctor's quote:

You see, I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that out of their evil must come something good.

Which gives you the idea of the scale that the Doctor operates, and of course his naivete, but also strangely his own darkness - at that point he's been told the Dalek's are fated to destroy the Time Lords. Its also a juxtaposition that is interesting with the classic story that it obvioiusly derives from - Gollum in Lord of the Rings.

The fact that that storyline continues to mutate and take form 40 years later is one of the greatest strengths of the show.

So in terms of a well crafted storyline there were lots to like about this one - Pink and Blue are good hooks to the ongoing moral struggle within the Doctor and the Dalek question still is a strong one. But perhaps the biggest character moment the Doctor callously using one of the soldiers who was doomed to die as a way out, especially in the giving of the soldier hope. "Trust me" was a chilling response for someone whose death the Doctor planned on profitting from.

This is perhaps a little too foreshadowed by his discussion with Clara before that about whether he is a good man. We knew that Matt Smith and David Tennant were good men in their roles as the doctor. Their curse was the fact that their many battles brought their companions to death and danger - they were the herald of destruction, though far more good came from their struggles.

Capaldi's doctor is still the same questing spirit, but as he says when he explains Smith's youth, he's putting away the guise of the boy because he's wrestled with the guilt he felt over the time war and emerged a changed man.

Could be very interesting, a more explicit take on Sylvester McCoy's doctor, if done right.

Guess we'll see.

I think unsaid is the Doctors embrace and recognition of the War Doctor into his psyche.

That, and several centuries of increasing war on Trenzalore.

Hey, that rhymes!

After his holiday on Bad Wolf Bay,
That mad foray on Father's Day,
And the sad display on Gallifrey,
The Doctor for his worst day saw
What made him sore for evermore:
He found more war on Trenzalore.