Dalek

“Oh my God. Oh. My. God.” (as someone in ‘Friends’ would surely say, had they the wit to understand Doctor Who at its very best!)

‘Dalek’ is almost unbelievable in the way in which it raises the level that the new series is operating on. As someone who was distinctly unimpressed by all the hype and gushing praise that surrounded ‘Jubilee’, I was all ready to be disappointed by this too – it just goes to show how catastrophically wrong one can sometimes be. This is by far the best episode of the new series so far, almost certainly one of the best episodes in all of Doctor Who, and in terms of Dalek stories is right up there with Evil and Remembrance.

And that is odd, considering that ‘Dalek’ is extremely highly influenced by ‘Jubilee’, and is by the same writer. Robert Shearman’s audios have never done it for me, so for this episode to be a success in my household (or rather my grandmother’s – that’s where I watch it. I’m 18) Shearman would have to make some pretty drastic changes. And here he’s nailed it – boy, has he nailed it! The script takes all the best elements of Jubilee – that is, the Dalek itself – and creates (or recreates?) something awesome.

This Dalek can do everything! It is, in a very real sense, SuperDalek. Sure, it can fly (yawn yawn, been there, done that), but watch out for what else it can do! Project a force field! Suffocate people with its sucker arm! Manipulate keypads designed for human fingers! Emote convincingly! Regenerate! Drain the entire US East Coast power grid! Survive firestorms of bullets (that’ll show those Resurrection Daleks)! Erm…open up its casing! Speaking of which, the thingy inside was another inspired Dalek design – I loved the hesitant way in which its tentacles nuzzled the sunlight, feeling the warmth of a star for the first time in uncounted years.

Oh, and of course it slaughters hundreds.

This Dalek, just like the one in Jubilee, is a real character, and nowhere is this more evident than in the scene where it confronts Van Statten. It moves realistically and reacts to the humans surrounding it. Its eyestalk actually looks at people, its lights flash in synchronicity with Nick Briggs’ superb voice work, and it conveys emotion through body language. Really, it does! Just watch and you’ll see what I mean. This is a masterpiece of direction by Joe Aherne, and a triumph of design, that the metal monstrosity could have come back with all appendages present and correct, no obvious alterations (except making it shinier and better), but still be so very much more than the slightly mobile lump of scenery of yesteryear. It even gets character development, beginning to question its meaningless existence and begging for release at the end. We haven’t seen the like since Evil of the Daleks, and Scott Gray’s seminal comic strip in DWM, ‘Children of the Revolution’.

Eccleston is again the weak link in a fairly good cast. The lines at the end, for example – along the lines of “I couldn’t… I wasn’t…” – would have been shattering delivered by somebody unimpeded by having to try so hard to play the role. But even Eccleston manages to make something out of the excellent material Shearman’s script and Billie Piper’s Rose give him; I am thinking particularly of the scene where Rose, cornered with no hope of escape, tells the Doctor she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Coming so soon after Jackie’s anxiety that her daughter will not be safe (and what a world of difference between the writing here and the writing just one or two weeks ago), this is more epic stuff.

This story had me completely hooked from the very beginning. Even before we discuss the high-octane set-pieces and thrilling mix of action and character moments, which seemed to go on forever (in a good way, just to be clear – whenever I wanted more, there was more. It was a truly great script), the teaser was one of my favourite things in the entire series, and the best single moment of the story. Most of you will doubtless spit at this, but I really am such a fanboy that that Cyberman head, and the subsequent lines (“The stuff of nightmares, turned into an exhibit. I’m getting old.”), managed to be the most thrilling example of Doctor Who I’ve seen in a very long time. I was literally bouncing up and down in my seat with childish glee when the Cyber-head hove into view – and a proper head, as well, ritually engraved teardrops and all! Forget the Dalek’s self-destruction, that’s when I almost cried, with sheer joy that Robert Shearman – and yes, even Russell T Davis, I suppose – care that much about Doctor Who fans and Doctor Who continuity. Mentions of Davros later on made me grin warmly as well – and, on current form, I would suggest that a story showpiecing a lone Davros, possibly directed by Aherne again, would be just the ticket for Season Two. Lance Parkin has shown what can be achieved.

So, yes, the more I think about it the more I am gobsmacked by just how good this was all told, and just how much Mr Shearman has improved the series. I can only hope that Paul Cornell and Steven Moffat excel themselves in the same way that he has. Here’s to the future, although probably not ‘The Long Game’.