Dalek

This must have been the strongest story in the series so far and certainly the most anticipated (with the possible exception of “Rose”). Whilst Russell T Davies undisputed genius has revived this series he does sometimes tread a thin and slightly dangerous line with the humour occasionally (alien farting and laughter laid on a bit too thick maybe), which has never the less always been an integral and necessary part of the show, but if overdone can lapse into the self parody seen towards the end of the original series. Done well the humour doesn’t detract from but rather enhances the show (“I like a happy medium” and his put downs of “Ricky”).

However, Rob Shearman in this episode gave us much darker and more adult Dr Who. Christopher Eccleston is up there with the best of the Doctors of all time in my view, again walking a thin line between the humour and the horror, its only right the program should show a wide range of emotions afterall, but this time his acting went up several levels and the mugging, the Baker-esque grinning and the “Fantastic” of previous episodes were replaced by some very adult emotions of fear, hate, anger and sorrow.

His fear of the Dalek and what it represented; the death of his people and the destruction of his planet was real and palpable as was his panic at being locked in the same room as the Dalek.

His complete hatred of the creature was almost xenophobic. Whilst the Dalek absorbs Roses DNA and mutates, becomes almost human with human emotions that are completely new to it, the Doctor becomes the thing he hates. He becomes the executioner; the judge, jury and exterminator. Only Rose stops him from blasting the Dalek.

It is here we see probably Ecclestons best acting in the series so far. His deep hatred and anger for the Dalek; ranting, with spittle flying from his mouth, to the part where he puts the gun down, shocked at what he has become; the exterminator of the last of the Daleks.

When the Dalek says that as they are both the last of their race and that they are the same, angrily he denies this, but then he agrees with the Dalek. Maybe they are the same. Maybe the Doctor IS capable of genocide, of racial cleansing of the Daleks, which apparently he caused in the Time War. Eccleston warned that his Doctor would have a dark side and he has not disappointed. “You would make a good Dalek” is the Daleks ultimate comendation.

The moral of this episode is simply that we become the things we hate; we are reduced to their level; we lose our “humanity”, whilst the Dalek ironically gains humanity. The Daleks new found emotions were as touching as was the Doctors hatred appalling.

The Dalek itself was a revelation. Shearman was correct that the 1960’s pepper pots would today be laughable; especially to an audience brought up on Alien and Predator and there were elements of both with the stalked becoming the stalker. Taking all of the original Dalek weak points and making them terrifying, such as the sink plunger being dexterous enough to punch keys at high speed on a keypad on a wall; sucker a persons face off, and absorb the contents of the internet makes for a rather hi-tech sink plunger! I was a bit disappointed the Dalek didn’t have 360 degree vision but how you would show that on a TV screen without distracting and detracting from the action? All in all a very impressive hi tech flying and killing machine that can hack into any computer security system. The “Omen” style music was ideal for the demonic nature of this beast!

Nit picking? The exterior of the Tardifs looks like it was knocked up at B&Q yesterday, the paint looks too new, not the battered old police box we remember of old. When are we going to see some of the other parts of the Tardis? And Ecclestons departure, badly mistimed, is seen as selfish by many; but remember what this top class actor has given to the show before you slate him! I like his “dark side” and gravitas.

This series seems to get better and better. I like my Who a bit serious, deep and with gravitas. If this is what they can do with one Dalek just think what they can do with a whole army. Somehow I don’t think we have seen the last of the Daleks! 9/10