8 Doctor Who Villains NOT Improved In The Reboot

Generally, the Daleks of the revived era have been a triumph. They have retained their imposing status while keeping their kill count in impressive numbers as well. There was a slight wobble when they went to New York, with even the Daleks themselves deciding that a half-human, half-Dalek hybrid wasn't a good idea.

Nice suit, though.

In the first season episode named after these beasts, the audience are introduced to a lone Dalek, captured by the amoral trillionaire, Henry Van Statten. Three-quarters of the episode is a solid fright-fest, reintroducing the race and truly showing the depths to which the Doctor has sunk in his quest to be rid of them.

Then comes the final scene and the characterization of the creature takes a sharp left turn. Alone in the universe, the Dalek decides first that it needs to feel the sun on its chrome and then to self-destruct. It is a little baffling that the Dalek, a member of a race whose sole purpose is to purify the universe, decides to end its own existence rather than to continue its mission. The audience has seen lone Dalek's before and since carry on this work, so this Dalek was definitely a blip on the radar.