10 Doctor Who Episodes That Took Risks And Failed
6. The Smarties Daleks
Victory of the Daleks brought the Doctor’s archnemeses back in spectacular fashion after their last appearance during the events of the Stolen Earth/Journey’s End. However, there is a crucial difference in the beginning – Amy Pond doesn’t recognise them, despite having lived through a Dalek invasion.
This was one of the first big clues to the cracks in time and space, though the Daleks that are introduced into this episode were a swing and a miss. Steven Moffat attempted a complete redesign of these creatures, separating them by colour. It was supposed to make them easily distinguishable, yet instead, it served to disappoint audiences and felt like an obvious attempt to wipe away the Davies-era creatures.
It is telling that these multicoloured Daleks didn’t last long in the series. They reappear in the big finale, then vanish. When they return, it is in the classic configuration in Asylum of the Daleks. This quite obviously came across as the show’s attempt to retcon this change, with the writers having clearly heard the outcry from the audiences who hated the redesign. There is something to be said for making a change and taking a chance, but this one fell at the first hurdle.