Evolution of the Daleks - the aftermath

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I do hate it. It was really poorly conceived. I won't say that this is entirely Helen Raynor's fault, since she was pretty much given her brief with all the elements. From what I can tell in Confidential the major contribution she brought to it was Hooverville (which was the best part of it, really.) But, it's "marvelous" and "brilliant" and "fabulous" ... never trust anyone who says this stuff all the time.

What really gets me about this show, apart from what I've already written, is simple - the premise that the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords after this Time War with the Daleks ... ostensibly to get rid of Gallifrey and give mystery to the main character once again ... but, what we have is this constant referencing of the above over and over ... not to mention the Doctor's name, etc. The mystery isn't there. In fact, it's less mysterious than it's ever been in the show's history.

In series One (whatever) in 2005, the Dalek story arc was central to entire season and even the 9th Doctor's personna. His entire existence was geared toward his final battle, his emotional growth, etc. The Daleks were restored to being scary.
Last season they were trotted out as a "trick" at the end of the series. This year, they've become exactly what they started out as before the reinvention ... silly. I would have prefered just a simple Dalek story without all the "final solution, last of the daleks" stuff. Let alone the entirely stupid Dalek-human discovering his "feelings." Man, that was stupid in the 1966 Star Trek episode "What Little Girls are Made of" ...




Sorry fans, the show was doing so well, but if Dalek Caan turns up in the finale at all ... please pull the plug.

Doctor Who “Daleks In Manhattan” and “Evolutions of the Daleks”

5/10 - I didn’t hate it …

Plot - The Doctor and Martha arrive at the Statue of Liberty. There is no real reason given as to why Martha is still with the Doctor (in the last episode, he said "one more" ... and at the end explains about the Time War with the Daleks.)

Seeing the uncompleted Empire State Building, the Doctor estimates the date, while Martha finds a newspaper dated November 1st 1930. The Doctor notes the headline 'Hooverville Mystery Deepens' and reads about people going missing. He then takes Martha to Central Park where a Hooverville is located.

At the top of the Empire State Building, Mr Diagoras orders a foreman to speed up construction on the mast. When the foreman refuses, Mr Diagoras summons one of his 'Masters' to deal with him. Dalek Caan and two Pig Men emerge from the lift, and Mr Diagoras tells them that the foreman is disobeying his orders. Dalek Caan has the foreman taken away for 'the final experiment'. He then orders Mr Diagoras to recruit more 'bodies' for the final experiment.





Savage pig creatures hide in the sewers, and at the bottom of the Empire State Building, some of the Doctor's greatest and oldest enemies, the Cult of Skaro, are at work, preparing their most horrific plan yet...

Rant - Oh well, I guess the last Dalek will be popping up in the end … again. I’m really sick of the Daleks. Sorry new fans, but they’ve been around so long. They don’t need to be in every season. I think that’s the lesson the old series learned after the 3rd year. Perhaps this time around they’ll learn it, too. Still, better them than farting aliens.



My Review - In short, this is a feeble story. It’s a King King homage with very little substance or originality. Unlike “Dalek,” the big return two years ago, now it’s gone on long enough. The production team have boxed themselves in with Time War and the “last of the Daleks.” No one bothers to explain that, in a show about Time Travel, how do you go back and forth through time and yet these two events remain a constant. (?)



I think, much like the return of the Cybermen last year, there had better be a big payoff for this story to hold water. On its own, its rubbish.

Doctor Who - The Wrath of Caan