Doctor Who: Eve Of The Daleks Review - 9 Ups & 4 Downs
6. UP - Dan Does Stuff (Finally!)
One of the most baffling issues with Doctor Who: Flux was the decision to introduce a loveable new companion in the form of Dan Lewis, and then proceed to have him do a grand total of nothing for an entire series. Dan seemed entirely disconnected from the series plot, didn’t really have a single moment after his wok rampage in episode two, and also shared next to no screen time with the Doctor. He was, despite being the most likeable Chibnall era companion, a complete non-presence to the point where it was almost comical.
Well - Dan fans rejoice! This time around, Dan finally gets to be a proper companion. Our favourite scouser gets a hero moment that is infinitely better executed than Wokageddon, with him realising that he can help the team by dying in one loop to give the Doctor and Yaz time to formulate a plan. Dan has a characteristically scouse stand-off with a Dalek, where he belittles it and makes jokes at the Dalek’s expense. He also uncovers a long suspected Dalek weakness by getting up in its grill and running around it in a circle. Honestly, it was great fun finally seeing someone attempting this long-theorised Dalek survival approach.
He also plays matchmaker in this episode, but we’ll come to that in a moment - all we’ll say here is that John and Mandip’s scenes together are always great and the banter between their two characters really sells their friendship in a way that was sorely missing with the ‘fam’ in series 11 and 12.
More of this Dan, please!