1. Victory of The Daleks
Victory of the Daleks is another Mark Gattis episode (Im not picking on him I swear) that re-introduces The Doctors greatest foe, The Daleks. Sadly, everything about felt very out of place and extremely odd. Personally, I have many issues with this episode and none more notable than the clear marketing cynicism of giving different colours to each Dalek. Now, the reason this is done in the story is so the Daleks could recognise each others rank. Have they struggled before? No, this is purely a cash grab on unsuspecting children wanting to collect every Dalek in each colour. While I can understand the need for merchandising, here it was cheap and exploitative with unsuspecting parents fitting the bill for children who know no better. To the actual story, Ive always had a fondness of retracing back to old British nostalgia and here it was World War II. Dialogue between Churchill and The Doctor was nicely conducted, showing a humility and respect between the two. However, I felt some of Churchills dialogue was specifically tuned to include various quotes and speeches, something Churchill has become synonymous with. I felt maybe more regular discussion would have benefited his character. While The Daleks are off fetching tea, it is the turn of The Doctor to be the aggressor, curiously aware of the potent threat his old enemy can provide. Its probably one the better points of the episode, flipping the worn out schematic of Doctor vs Dalek episodes and utilising a new dimension to each character, just a shame it didnt last longer. And this leads to another fault with the episode. Poor pacing. Everything feels rushed and crammed full of revelations that make the plot race toward its climax. Maybe a 2 parter would have served this better. Things get utterly preposterous with spitfires being able to fly in space as well as the pilots seemingly acquiring the manual on how to fly in space rather quickly. What a coincidence. I must never apply logic to Who. I must stop. Anyway, it just feels a pretty cheap, easy way to conclude the story and despite it provoking vivid imagery and good old British patriotism, sadly the ending is a little flat. Im not surprised that the Daleks havent featured very often since. The Russell T Davis era was pretty congested with them and featuring them in this episode didnt do them any favours. Naturally they have returned and will again, Im just glad we see less of them nowadays. Click "next" below for the 5 best episodes...