Doctor Who Season 10: 5 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Pilot'

Downs...

2. The Daleks Don't Feel Necessary

Doctor Who The Pilot Doctor Dalek
BBC

Steven Moffat might deny there being any such contract stipulating the Daleks have to appear in an episode every year (and generally the first one of any given series), but it certainly feels like the case.

Sometimes it works well - they are, after all, the Doctor's most iconic enemy - but there's a growing sense that they need an extended break to truly make them effective again.

But, of course, here they are in this episode, and for little reason other than they're the Daleks. They're used as a means to defeat the water creature, but really almost any other plot device could've been used.

The Daleks should feel special, and like a major threat, not something stuck in an episode because they have to be there as 'they're the Daleks', yet that's the overriding feeling here.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.