The Dalek Invasion of Earth

World's End

Once again there is no materialisation noise as the TARDIS materialises. So, here is the first ever Doctor Who story with a returning monster. Will it live up to the okay-ness of the original story? Unusually, we also have a good episode title from Terry Nation, too. Usually though, he begins with a traditional mysterious first episode, so I'm happy. You have to work extremely hard for me to not enjoy one of those.

The look on Ian and Barbara's faces as they realise they're on Earth is really sweet, even if they were on Earth in both of the previous two stories anyway. Ian's assertion that it doesn't matter to him or Barbara if they're a year or two out from when they left is all very well, but surely it is rather important? Particularly if they've arrived before they left?

The Doctor gets some odd lines here. He says, "I'm not a halfwit!" to Ian just for saying that they should be careful. He also has the bizarre line, "a dead human body in the river, I should say that's near murder isn't it, hmm?" And of course, he tells Susan she needs a jolly good smacked bottom. She does get a good line though, after David has looked at Barbara and told her she can cook, he turns to Susan and asks her what she does and she replies, "I eat".

It's a pretty good first episode. The warehouse set here is very impressive considering it's never seen again. It's Terry Nation, so the dialogue isn't brilliant, but we don't know the plot at this point, so we can enjoy it for what it is, and it builds the tension admirably. The way Ian and the Doctor are surrounded by the Robomen at the cliffhanger is very creepy. 8/10

The Daleks

That's more like Nation. The Daleks. What an inspiring title that is. The first thing that hit me about this episode is that the Dalek voices are absolutely dreadful here. People complain about Day of the Daleks, but that was fun, this is just horrible. What were they thinking? They sound ridiculous. It doesn't exactly help when they go around babbling about being the masters of Earth. Yes, we know you are, thanks. To be fair though, that is paid off with a very good joke in the final part when Barbara's trying to fool them and they say, "we are the masters of India". At least, I think that is a joke?

I like that the Daleks have turned the whole of Bedfordshire into a gigantic mining area. It's the obvious target... not that these Daleks are exactly very smart. They leave things in their cells which allow the prisoners to unlock the door? What the hell? And people criticise the Chase? I love the Doctor's explanation that "suppose you were a Dalek and got yourself trapped in this room, what would you do?" It just gets stupider. The Daleks leave something in their cells which allows prisoners to escape because they're worried about Daleks getting trapped in their own cells? Who on earth wrote this rubbish? No wonder they get defeated so easily. No wonder the Doctor is confident enough to stride up to them and say, "just who are you to condemn us to death?"

It's not all stupid, though. The description of how the Robomen can go mad and bash their heads against walls to kill themselves is pretty gruesome, and I do quite like the post-invasion stuff, and the Dalek propaganda. They do the whole apocalypse thing pretty well, I will give them that. It does have a good feel.

This episode shows nicely why episode four suffers hugely from Hartnell's absence. He is the one who brings this to life brilliantly. Russell and Hill are superb too, but Hartnell is magical in his performance, even when he's given total rubbish to spout. This episode shows the world the Daleks' invasion has created, and separates the regulars quite well to set them up for their journeys to Bedforshire. It's a pretty enjoyable episode, though functional rather than spectacular. 7/10

Day of Reckoning

The focus of this episode for me is that three minute scene of Barbara, Jenny and Dortmun running around London with the Daleks. Essentially it's an excuse to get the Daleks in front of a few London landmarks, and should really be utterly tedious, but it's actually the only part of this episode when I wasn't dying of boredom. The music is great, although the Daleks look terrible as well, I noticed here. They sound awful, look awful here, yet it's Day and Destiny which get the criticism. But it is a fun little scene.

There's some really subtle foreshadowing as Susan talks about how, "there's never been any time or place I've belonged to". It's almost as if she's leaving in this story. Rather bizarrely, she tries to convince David to come with them in the TARDIS. Aside from anything else, a married couple on the TARDIS? That'll never happen, mark my words.

Bugger all happens in this episode. It's dire. The Doctor, David and Susan wander around for a bit, Ian barely even appears, and all he's doing is using the Dalek ship as a glorified bus service, and Barbara runs around London for a bit. There is one terrific bit with Hartnell (for a change) where David plays to the Doctor's ego as he asks him for a suggestion, and repeatedly calls him Sir. Carole Ann Ford is terrific in that scene too, getting to play a funny side of Susan for, what, the first time ever?

Yes, well, not too much can be said about this. The regulars were nicely manoeuvred into position in the last episode, and spend this one doing precisely nothing. It gets points for the couple of good parts I mentioned, but this has fallen apart scarily fast. 4/10.

The End of Tomorrow

Here's the Hartnell-free episode, as the Doctor mysteriously passes out. More nothing happens in this episode. Ian and his friend Larry meet Ashton the black marketeer, here not played by Philip Madoc. Then they meet the Slyther. David and Susan keep on wandering through some sewers, and Barbara and Jenny have a nice little drive through the country. This is abysmal too, even if it is fun to see Jenny's girl crush on Barbara growing slowly. This episode sorely misses Hartnell. 

 

It says a lot that the highlight of this episode for me is Ashton asking Ian, "are you one of those brotherhood of man kind of people?" It's probably rather sad of me that I was hoping Ian would tell him, "as long as you don't save your kisses for me, thanks".

Jenny and Barbara's little drive through the country is quite enjoyable, but really there isn't much in this episode at all. Susan screams, which is rather unusual for her, I'm not sure we've seen that before, and she definitely won't do it next week. What's that? Oh bloody hell! 2.5/10

The Waking Ally

The Waking Ally? Does that refer to the Doctor waking after his little sleep in the last episode? Anyway, this is exciting, things actually happen! I thought old Terry had given up writing this after episode two, but no, like the Doctor, he's woken up! The Doctor really bashes that Roboman with his walking stick. It's yet more violence from the Doctor, after smacking the Overseer in the Reign of Terror. In spite of that, he does claim, "I never take lives, not unless my own is severely threatened".

Ah, we're four decades before RTD, yet here is the first bit of schmaltzy rubbish in Doctor Who, and it's from Terry Nation of all people as Susan dreamily calls the Doctor, "a pretty fantastic sort of man". To be fair, that is counterbalanced by the fact that she has just screamed at a fish and then jumped on David. They even share a kiss, which I hadn't remembered.

Babs and Jenny give food to a couple of mad (and quite scary) women who quickly sell them out to the Daleks for, er, food. Oh well, they'd have been captured anyway. They oversell the "Jenny may act tough but that's just a cover to avoid being hurt" thing, as she breaks down for the second consecutive episode when things get mildly tough.

Oh yes, it's this episode where we find out the Daleks' plan. They want to remove the Earth's core, replace it with an engine and fly the Earth around like a ridiculously (read: pointlessly) gigantic spaceship? Erm, right. Once again I'm compelled to ask why people think the Chase is so bad in comparison! To be fair, there are serious moments. Larry finding his brother Phil and dying with him is pretty horrific. That's the trouble, though. All the best moments in this story are quite brutal, which is no fun.

This is better simply because things actually happen, but they aren't actually particularly exciting things, sadly. This is one of the problems with a marathon. I used to give the Dalek Invasion of Earth 9 out of 10. Somehow I think it won't quite manage that this time. Anyway, it's an improvement, and everybody is now in their places for the final episode. 6.5/10

Flashpoint

This episode exists for one purpose: to provide Susan with a goodbye. The Daleks are defeated exceptionally swiftly and we get a whole ten minutes devoted to her departure! Which is a good thing, in my opinion, since I didn't care about the Dalek story anyway. As much as I can't stand Susan (we don't meet a companion I like less than her until Season 24), her exit is beautifully played. I always find it sad certain other companions were got rid of so hastily they vanished without trace in the middle of a story. This is how to do a companion's exit. It's not too much, like with the new series, and it's not ignored, like poor sweet Dodo, it's a Goldilocks departure. Just right. Carole Ann Ford does overact a little, but Hartnell more than makes up for that. As good as he is everywhere else, it's here that shows what a great actor he really was. He does the emotional scenes so well. So yes, it is quite a nice episode.

Barbara having fun with the Daleks at the beginning is enjoyable, but like in the Daleks, the Daleks are beaten so easily. I know I've already mentioned the plot reasons for that, but it still makes them look poor. What they could really use is a large-scale climatic battle with some big robots with funny voices. I wonder if that will happen... Oh, and the TARDIS makes a dematerialisation noise! I wonder if any eagle-eyed viewer of the time remembered five weeks ago when it didn't.

It's a pretty underwhelming conclusion, and yet I'm giving a high mark simply because of the brilliant exit for Susan. They better it, though, just six stories later. 7.5/10

Conclusion

I've long held this story up as a classic, but sadly it seems I'll have to change that view. It has good sections, but it's a bit slow, and with a ridiculous plot. But I should emphasise that 6/10 for Doctor Who beats 10/10 for pretty much any other show. The first episode is superb, and Susan gets a wonderful exit, but the pacing between those two things is terrible. 

 

I've always been a big fan of Hartnell, but this marathon is really helping me appreciate just how good he is. As capable as Hill and Russsell are, it really stands out when Hartnell is away. He is the life and soul of the show, and he is utterly terrific. He's also the my favourite Doctor so far in this marathon. I know that sounds daft, but I had to get that in, as he'll be the only Doctor I'll get to say that about other than Pat. 

 

Average Rating: 5.92

Old Rating: 9

New Rating: 6