10 Huge Questions After Doctor Who: Legend Of The Sea Devils
3. How Did Dan Kill The Sea Devils So Easily?
What is it with Dan and his ability to triumph against the odds? From defeating Sontarans with a wok to taking out a bunch of Sea Devils with an electrified sword, he’s become the archetypical accidental hero. Aside from acting as matchmaker and relationship adviser to Yaz, his role has never been particularly well-defined. For the most part he is made to look decidedly out of place, a fact that is accentuated by Yaz getting him to wear fancy dress. He’s also an expert blagger and can use his charm to even talk round the greatest pirate of all time.
Unlike Ryan and Graham before him, there is little development in Dan’s character. He remains the same happy-go-lucky, kind-hearted and selfless Liverpudlian that we first met in The Halloween Apocalypse.
Exactly why the Sea Devils could be so quickly dispensed with, and why this act of aggressive self-defence isn’t called into question can only be down to the desire to move the plot forward with the greatest economy. It’s not unique to Chibnall or even Doctor Who, but why do so many fearsome aliens fall so easily, especially to someone as ill-prepared as Dan?