The Good Dalek Guide

Second week into a new series of Doctor Who and I'm not massively annoyed by anything yet, so that's pretty good going all things told.

"Into The Dalek" by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat, directed by Ben Wheatley. Spoilers after the cut.

Obviously I don't begrudge Peter Capaldi getting his Dalek episode, although wouldn't it be cool if that's exactly what it turned out to be? His one Dalek episode, like most of the original series Doctors got one Dalek storyline during their run, and regardless of how long Capaldi stays in the role, this was his one encounter? I do think there's something to be said for keeping their appearances rare, and if this was Twelve's only Dalek episode, having it be such a distinctive one would be a good record. But I wouldn't bet against them turning up again in great numbers even before this series is through.

Anyway "Into The Dalek" is a pretty enjoyable episode, its first 20 minutes or so especially really whizzing by. Doing a Doctor Who riff on Fantastic Voyage is a clever idea and gives the opportunity for some really nice production design of the Dalek interior. It does a decent job of introducing Danny Pink without it seeming too clunky - is Samuel Anderson really only the third History Boy to make it over to Doctor Who? Seems like there should have been more by now.

I didn't mention Michelle Gomez's Missy last week but that's shaping up to be an interesting story arc, the idea of someone who's created their own afterlife is a twisted and intriguing one.

Last week Capaldi's Doctor reminded me most of Seven, this week the aggressive callousness had definite touches of Six, but that isn't necessarily a reason to panic. The reason Colin Baker's Doctor didn't work for me was that he actively tried to emulate William Hartnell; but Baker was a large, younger man, so what was cantankerous eccentricity in a frail "grandfather" figure was outright bullying from him. And while I've been able to accept all kinds of different aspects to the Doctor's personality as the actors change, a bully isn't one of them, and while I have many problems with Six, that's always been my biggest issue.

There's two reasons Capaldi can evoke Hartnell and not fall into the same trap; one is of course his age, and even if he's clearly in better shape than One ever was, Capaldi is actually slightly older, and has a lean build so doesn't seem as big a physical threat as Baker. The other is the changing role of the companion, which has been going on since Rose, but looks like Jenna Coleman is really getting a chance to take it to a new level this series: The companion is no longer just someone to explain the plot to, but someone to keep the Doctor grounded, and stop him from believing in his own god-like status. Six could throttle Peri but she wouldn't have slapped him, which Clara is perfectly capable of doing to Twelve.

The other interesting callback of course is in the costume, which I know from the online extras has been designed with a few former Doctors including Hartnell and Eccleston in mind, but with the red lining harks back to Pertwee most of all. So it's interesting that we have a real contrast to Three, who was closely associated with UNIT, as Twelve's anti-gun stance now seems to encompass all soldiers as well. I don't think this is necessarily a contradiction - my own take on regeneration has always been that the Doctor doesn't actually change personality when he changes face, but different aspects of it come to the fore every time.