Doctor Who: Series 8 Ranked From Worst To Best

6. Into The Dalek

"There's a bit more to modern soldiering than just shooting people. I like to think there's a moral dimension." - Danny Pink

The Time Lord went where no Time Lord has gone before in this year's series when the Doctor journeyed into the crazed mind of a Twelfth Dalek itself. In the aptly titled Into the Dalek, it was only the Twelfth Doctor's second adventure and he was already coming face to face with his greatest enemy in this bold episode co-written by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat. It's probably worth pointing out here that Steven co-wrote many of Series 8's adventures, which was largely due to the fact that it was down as him as showrunner to introduce and establish the new Doctor to the show's legion of dedicated followers, as well as appealing to brand new ones. As a way to entice viewers, the concept was a clever idea. It's always fascinating to see how each new Doctor reacts to his most deadly and persistent adversary and each of his respective responses to the maniacal mutants really helps to define that particularly incarnation, so the sooner Capaldi took on the Daleks, the better. What's more, the ongoing Doctor vs. Dalek saga pretty much encapsulates what the heart of the show is about and it's always a spine-tingling moment when a new Doctor lays his eyes on one for the first time - let alone go into one, as was the case with this particular escapade. Following the plethora of Dalek adventures already available (the exterminating experts have appeared in over 30 stories to date), it was also refreshing to see something new and original being brought to the table. Meanwhile, the episode also harked back to Series 1's Dalek - arguably one of the most popular Dalek stories to date - in that it was a much more intimate affair, focusing more on the Doctor's personal trials in favour of the traditional 'Daleks on a rampage of world domination' malarkey. Because the show isn't exactly lacking in that department... The Dalek drama was just the tip of an iceberg too, as the episode also introduced Clara's new love interest, the bumbling but loveable Danny Pink, whose past life as an Afghanistan war veteran ignited an intriguing backstory, highlighting certain parallels of the Doctor's own past experiences, which would be developed over the coming weeks. The Doctor and Clara's dynamics was also explored too, suggesting that the Twelfth Doctor's relationship with the impossible girl was going to be much rockier than that of his predecessor. All of that, plus the mysterious Missy's second appearance in as many weeks, made for a truly classic Dalek adventure.