Dalek is interesting for a number of reasons. The first being that it’s loosely based on the 2003 Big Finish play ‘Jubilee’. Which sees the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn encounter a Dalek being kept as a plaything. In this, the Ninth Doctor and Rose arrive in an underground bunker in Utah in the year 2012. Underground bunker basically means that it cuts out the cost of either filming in Utah or trying to make a part of Wales look like Utah. The opening sequence is very good because theirs a showcase of aliens. Even a Slitheen arm which only appeared the previous week. We also get a classic Cyberman’s head. Most people watching this episode when it went out wouldn’t know what it was but for people like me there was a small cheer.
There are some impressive Dalek movements. The first that comes to mind is obviously when it flies. Obviously we saw a Dalek fly in Remembrance of the Daleks but this was far more impressive. It was quite funny watching Rose and Adam thinking that they could beat the Dalek by going up some stairs and being stunned when they saw it flying. The moment when the Dalek is under attack from the guards and is spinning 180 degrees and firing and also stopping the bullets was a wonderful moment. For me the best moment was the scene where the Doctor walks into the cell that the Dalek is kept in but doesn’t realise it as the room is dark what it is. The shock that he goes through when the lights come on is priceless. The moment when the Doctor is talking to the Dalek is a nice scene because we know all the history between the Doctor and the Dalek and this was well acted by Christopher Eccleston.
There are problems with this story. First of all I think that Van Statten is a bit 2 dimensional. He’s someone who is has too much money and is just obsessed with collecting things. When things start to go wrong the character of Van Statten (Corey Johnson) just got worse. Even worse than Van Statten was Adam. Played by Bruno Langley who at that point had only just left Coronation Street so was quite a big name. His role was as some boy wizard and love interest for Rose. The pair of them spend a lot of time together and to be honest I could do without it. I’m not one of those people who finds Rose a nuisance but in this one I just found her to be irritating. Her defence of the Dalek was just irritating because I felt that it detracted from the main story.
Christopher Eccleston is very good in this. I always think that the dramatic moments of the Doctor is what suits Eccleston’s Doctor best. The moments where the Doctor is talking to the Dalek are some very good moments. This is one of his best stories. Dalek is not a totally perfect story but its not bad. I think that large chunks of it work but ultimately it’s the Rose/Adam/bonding with the Dalek that lets it down. Robert Shearman has done a good job trying to take elements of Jubilee and making it fit a TV script that benefits from a underground bunker/trapped atmosphere well.
There are some impressive Dalek movements. The first that comes to mind is obviously when it flies. Obviously we saw a Dalek fly in Remembrance of the Daleks but this was far more impressive. It was quite funny watching Rose and Adam thinking that they could beat the Dalek by going up some stairs and being stunned when they saw it flying. The moment when the Dalek is under attack from the guards and is spinning 180 degrees and firing and also stopping the bullets was a wonderful moment. For me the best moment was the scene where the Doctor walks into the cell that the Dalek is kept in but doesn’t realise it as the room is dark what it is. The shock that he goes through when the lights come on is priceless. The moment when the Doctor is talking to the Dalek is a nice scene because we know all the history between the Doctor and the Dalek and this was well acted by Christopher Eccleston.
There are problems with this story. First of all I think that Van Statten is a bit 2 dimensional. He’s someone who is has too much money and is just obsessed with collecting things. When things start to go wrong the character of Van Statten (Corey Johnson) just got worse. Even worse than Van Statten was Adam. Played by Bruno Langley who at that point had only just left Coronation Street so was quite a big name. His role was as some boy wizard and love interest for Rose. The pair of them spend a lot of time together and to be honest I could do without it. I’m not one of those people who finds Rose a nuisance but in this one I just found her to be irritating. Her defence of the Dalek was just irritating because I felt that it detracted from the main story.
Christopher Eccleston is very good in this. I always think that the dramatic moments of the Doctor is what suits Eccleston’s Doctor best. The moments where the Doctor is talking to the Dalek are some very good moments. This is one of his best stories. Dalek is not a totally perfect story but its not bad. I think that large chunks of it work but ultimately it’s the Rose/Adam/bonding with the Dalek that lets it down. Robert Shearman has done a good job trying to take elements of Jubilee and making it fit a TV script that benefits from a underground bunker/trapped atmosphere well.
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