The Daleks being used as part of the British war effort screams of missed opportunity. The episode shows some promise in its first 15 minutes before it turns into a generic Dalek revival story. If it had played more into the theme of the Daleks as servants of the British war effort, it would have been far more interesting. After the partly successful satire of The Beast Below, I guess the writers didn't want to push it too far on a mainstream family show, but that begs the question why introduce this theme in the first place if you're going to half-arse it? In a way this episode is a good subject of Let's Killer Hitler's meta-commentary on Doctor Who's failure to do serious episodes about the past.
At times it seems the episode is almost going to go in the direction it should have gone. When the Doctor points out the Daleks are ruthless killing machines, Churchill essentially says that's exactly the point. It would have been truly something ground-breaking if it had gone in an alternate history direction and taken this idea to its logical conclusion in order to comment on the evils of war. It's especially fitting seeing as the Daleks were originally imagined to be sci-fi versions of the Nazis, no doubt what inspired Gatiss to set this episode during the war effort. It's unmined potential that makes this episode a bit sad. Instead of using the Daleks as a cutting commentary on war, it throws that potential aside. Occasionally it does effectively make use of their potential. The Daleks' inability to be recognised by the progenitor due to their racial impurity is great. So is the moment when the new paradigm euthanise the impure Daleks. Unfortunately these great moments, some of the interesting parts of the episode, aren't expanded on.
The paradigm Dalek scene is just ridiculous. There is a disconnect between the dramatic music as these new coloured Daleks emerge and the scene's actual sense of threat. Why are we supposed to feel any sense of threat in response to the emergence of what just look like normal but coloured and slightly larger Daleks? Their existence just offers nothing, and speaks to the problems the revived series often has with making the Daleks threatening when they've been beaten time and time again. And though the Doctor's threat to blow up the ship with a jammie dodger is pretty funny, it's also incredibly stupid and an insult to the intelligence of the Daleks that the show is trying to make appear threatening again.
The greatest insult of this episode is that despite showing potential as a satire of war, after the Daleks' true nature is revealed it becomes a cringey, uncritical fest of patriotism. It all very much feels like the token, rose-tinted nationalism that The Beast Below lampooned. It's filled with the obligatory flag-raising, patriotic music, cheering and mundane CGI space battles. There's a moment where we learn some side character's husband was shot down and we're meant to feel sorry for her as she breaks down despite not knowing anything about her. That moment perfectly captures the problems with the tokenistic attitude to war this episode has. If it all feels as insincere as this, it fails to have any emotional impact. Meanwhile Winston Churchill is portrayed as a cheeky but brave man who's fighting the good fight, little more than a caricature. He isn't presented as, you know, an actual character.
The climactic scene in which the Doctor and Amy try to stop Bracewell from blowing up is the most cringeworthy in the episode, as well as one of the most cringeworthy moments of the pre-Chibnall revived era as a whole. Everything about it just sucks. I'm sorry but why doesn't the Doctor just take Bracewell away in the TARDIS and materialise him somewhere else? The scene lasts a pretty long time so it seems there would be just enough time to do that. I know he's trying to save Bracewell as well as the world, but it does seem a bit silly. The scene tries to appeal to the same idea of retaining your humanity that the Daleks themselves have always been about, but it's just too corny to work, especially when Amy makes it about... Dorabella.
To give credit where credit is due, I appreciate the way the writing ties in the Daleks' revival to the way the Doctor's character is developing through this season. It's a kind of reversal of his speech to the Atraxi in The Eleventh Hour. In his desire to assert himself, make clear who he is, he achieves the Daleks' goal for them. Unlike The Eleventh Hour where his ego worked out for him, this shows the problems with his ego. It also does well at showing his discomfort with the idea of the Daleks, the beings he despises, playing an innocent role.
Moffat's run was showing some cracks at this point, but faith in it would thankfully be restored by the Weeping Angel two-parter. It's not like Davies' run didn't struggle early on, either.
At times it seems the episode is almost going to go in the direction it should have gone. When the Doctor points out the Daleks are ruthless killing machines, Churchill essentially says that's exactly the point. It would have been truly something ground-breaking if it had gone in an alternate history direction and taken this idea to its logical conclusion in order to comment on the evils of war. It's especially fitting seeing as the Daleks were originally imagined to be sci-fi versions of the Nazis, no doubt what inspired Gatiss to set this episode during the war effort. It's unmined potential that makes this episode a bit sad. Instead of using the Daleks as a cutting commentary on war, it throws that potential aside. Occasionally it does effectively make use of their potential. The Daleks' inability to be recognised by the progenitor due to their racial impurity is great. So is the moment when the new paradigm euthanise the impure Daleks. Unfortunately these great moments, some of the interesting parts of the episode, aren't expanded on.
The paradigm Dalek scene is just ridiculous. There is a disconnect between the dramatic music as these new coloured Daleks emerge and the scene's actual sense of threat. Why are we supposed to feel any sense of threat in response to the emergence of what just look like normal but coloured and slightly larger Daleks? Their existence just offers nothing, and speaks to the problems the revived series often has with making the Daleks threatening when they've been beaten time and time again. And though the Doctor's threat to blow up the ship with a jammie dodger is pretty funny, it's also incredibly stupid and an insult to the intelligence of the Daleks that the show is trying to make appear threatening again.
The greatest insult of this episode is that despite showing potential as a satire of war, after the Daleks' true nature is revealed it becomes a cringey, uncritical fest of patriotism. It all very much feels like the token, rose-tinted nationalism that The Beast Below lampooned. It's filled with the obligatory flag-raising, patriotic music, cheering and mundane CGI space battles. There's a moment where we learn some side character's husband was shot down and we're meant to feel sorry for her as she breaks down despite not knowing anything about her. That moment perfectly captures the problems with the tokenistic attitude to war this episode has. If it all feels as insincere as this, it fails to have any emotional impact. Meanwhile Winston Churchill is portrayed as a cheeky but brave man who's fighting the good fight, little more than a caricature. He isn't presented as, you know, an actual character.
The climactic scene in which the Doctor and Amy try to stop Bracewell from blowing up is the most cringeworthy in the episode, as well as one of the most cringeworthy moments of the pre-Chibnall revived era as a whole. Everything about it just sucks. I'm sorry but why doesn't the Doctor just take Bracewell away in the TARDIS and materialise him somewhere else? The scene lasts a pretty long time so it seems there would be just enough time to do that. I know he's trying to save Bracewell as well as the world, but it does seem a bit silly. The scene tries to appeal to the same idea of retaining your humanity that the Daleks themselves have always been about, but it's just too corny to work, especially when Amy makes it about... Dorabella.
To give credit where credit is due, I appreciate the way the writing ties in the Daleks' revival to the way the Doctor's character is developing through this season. It's a kind of reversal of his speech to the Atraxi in The Eleventh Hour. In his desire to assert himself, make clear who he is, he achieves the Daleks' goal for them. Unlike The Eleventh Hour where his ego worked out for him, this shows the problems with his ego. It also does well at showing his discomfort with the idea of the Daleks, the beings he despises, playing an innocent role.
Moffat's run was showing some cracks at this point, but faith in it would thankfully be restored by the Weeping Angel two-parter. It's not like Davies' run didn't struggle early on, either.
