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| Doctor Who makes television history: Our first glimpse of the Daleks! |
7 episodes: The Dead Planet, The Survivors, The Escape, The Ambush, The Expedition, The Ordeal, The Rescue. Written by: Terry Nation. Directed by: Christopher Barry, Richard Martin. Produced by: Verity Lambert.
THE PLOT
After their rapid departure from prehistoric Earth, the time travelers find themselves on an apparently dead world. The Doctor's attention is drawn by a mysterious alien city. But with Ian, Barbara, and Susan all wanting them to move on, he resorts to subterfuge, sabotaging the TARDIS in order to coerce the others into agreeing to explore the city.
It proves to be a severe mistake. The city is not uninhabited, but is populated by the Daleks, the severely mutated creatures who once were humanoid, but now are anything but. The Daleks shielded themselves in metal casings to survive the effects of nuclear radiation. The other race on the planet, the Thals, also mutated - but completed a full cycle of mutation over the centuries and returned to human form. Now the Daleks have hatched a plot to destroy the Thals forever - and the Doctor and his companions right along with them!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: The First Doctor's manipulative side shows itself again in his sabotaging of the fluid link in order to get what he wants - to explore the city. The tactic does not appear to fool Ian for one second, but it still works - whether done deliberately or accidentally, the "accident" means that there really is no choice save to go to the city.
Hartnell's authority remains evident throughout. His strongest moment probably comes in the final episode. The Doctor is a prisoner of the Daleks, restrained to a wall, helpless to act against the Daleks' plan to commit genocide. And it is from that position that he decries "this senseless, EVIL killing!" It's a line delivery that's impossible to forget, as Hartnell puts such layers of revulsion into it. The Doctor is a character the audience still cannot fully trust, a character many probably weren't sure yet that they even liked... and here, we see him morally outraged. When he tells the Dalek at the end that even if he wanted to help the Daleks, he doesn't know how, his tone and posture seem vaguely like that of a judge passing sentence.
Ian: Readily assumes a leadership position, both among the other travellers and with the Thals. Despite his naming the Doctor "leader" in An Unearthly Child, he has no problem in assuming authority over the Doctor, insisting that the Doctor cannot explore the city alone (because, as the only one who can control the ship, he is not expendable), then taking the lead in planning their exploration of the city. He then takes the lead among the Thal expedition to the Dalek city. At this point in the series' run, Ian is far more the series' hero than the Doctor is.
Barbara: Still, by her own admission, a very "unwilling adventurer." The strong Barbara of my memories does begin to emerge around Episode Three. When Ian and the Doctor are planning the Dalek escape, trying to figure out how to deal with the impossibility of hiding from the Dalek, it is Barbara who comes up with the simple solution of using the dirt from Susan's shoes and their water supply to create mud to throw onto the eyestalk. Actors Jacqueline Hill and Philip Bond also do a nice job of picking up on fairly mild script cues to create a fairly convincing relationship between Barbara and the Thal second-in-command, Ganatus (Bond).
Susan: Gets some surprisingly strong scenes. Her eagerness to show off the various TARDIS functions to Ian and Barbara is touching, like a child seeking approval. She also gets a particularly plucky moment in Episode Four, preventing a too-early detection of the group's escape plan through a quick-witted show of false panic (sadly oversold by an unnecessary close-up showing her winking to the camera).
Daleks: Their first-ever appearance is a very different Dalek characterization than any of their later outings. Several things arrive fully-formed. The design, the voice, the near-hysterical xenophobia... These things are part and parcel of their makeup from the beginning. However, these Daleks are weaker - and, perversely, more complex and interesting - than their later counterparts. These Daleks are not interstellar space conquerors. They do not seem even to be aware of life beyond Skaro, assuming that the Doctor and his companions are Thals simply because they cannot conceive of any alternative existing other than "Thal" and "Dalek."
The Daleks seem to be constantly afraid. They select the Doctor for interrogation, likely because he is clearly physically the weakest of the group. Despite his age and clear state of illness, they insist on him staying "in the light," and back away from him when he starts to leave that area. When the regulars stage their escape, attacking their Dalek guard, the guard responds with sheer panic, repeating, "Keep away from me! Keep away!" These Daleks are, essentially, cornered animals. What makes them dangerous is not immense power, strength, or technology - it is simply that they will do anything to stay alive.
THOUGHTS
The story that put Doctor Who on the map. Today, The Daleks is often regarded as being a bit sluggish and dated, with the latter episodes particularly coming under fire. Certainly, it is dated - which is hardly a surprise, for a 45-year-old piece of low-budget British television. The story isn't the fastest-paced, and parts of it might well test the patience of viewers used to today's roller coaster-paced entertainment.
It's fair to say that the entire content of Episode One could be condensed into a 2 - 3 minute precredit teaser in a modern equivalent of this story. However, that doesn't mean that it should be. I think The Dead Planet was my favorite of the seven episodes, because at this point in the story you really don't know what you're in for. The regulars explore a genuinely alien setting, while all the while the shifting power dynamic between Ian and the Doctor drives the character interest of the episode. By the time they reach the city, we have become gradually aware that they are being watched - just as the Dalek plunger is revealed for the first episode's iconic cliffhanger. The episode may be practically plot-free, but the characterizations remain vivid, the atmosphere is thick, and there's a real sense of exploration and wonder to the proceedings.
The story that follows is also rather well done, as well. Following that one-part introduction - which is more about the interaction of the regulars and setting a tone than about story - what we get are effectively two linked three-parters: one in which the regulars must escape from the Dalek city, and one in which they help the Thals to defeat the Daleks. The first adventure is the more effective of the two, tense and claustrophobic and boosted by the excellent design of the Dalek city.
Still, the latter part of the serial, following the Thal expedition, is better than its reputation. I particularly refer to Episode Six, The Ordeal, which has come to be regarded as the episode where half of it is spent jumping over a chasm. In reality, about six minutes is spent on this sequence (which begins at 16 minutes, and is interrupted by a scene between the Doctor and the Daleks) - and I found it quite enjoyable. I don't necessarily mind a story taking a little time to show characters actually working to overcome an obstacle. Ian and Ganatos vying for the leadership position, and Ian acknowledging that Ganatos' jump was better and that the Thal actually should have gone first (showing grace on Ian's part) are good little character beats. The efforts taken with the rope, Ian prepping his run before actually making it, Ganatos taking time to explore the ledge and find the tunnel... Sure, you could do all that in a single minute, but it wouldn't be as detailed and it wouldn't feel as textured as it does here.
Rating: 8/10. Yes, a handful of later Dalek stories would end up bettering it - though I'd put far more Dalek stories below it than above it. But the character dynamics remain interesting, and I find I am rather a fan of the more gradual storytelling pace of the '60's.
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