Well, there's no surprise to this adventure when the baddies are featured in the title. It was a surprise, however, to see the first episode played almost entirely as a comedy.
Sarah -
There are some things one can count on from a story with “…of the Daleks” in the title, but comedy usually isn’t one of them.
Harry -
First there's Jamie's confrontation with Hall at Gatwick - complete with jaunty music - then some delightful moments of Troughton and Hines playing it up for the cameras as they search for the TARDIS.
Sarah -
“TARDIS is a Gaelic word.”
Harry -
I like how they take turns playing the foil to each other's schtick. A classic comedy partnership!
Sarah -
There’s a reason Hines stuck around so long. I laughed out loud when he asked, “Do you think this is some kind of trap, Doctor?” and the Doctor responded with an almost-giddy, “Yes.” Then we get to hear “Paperback Writer.” Best coffee bar scene in Doctor Who ever!
Harry -
I never knew this many Beatles references existed in classic Who.
Sarah -
Did you notice the detail of the TARDIS having been signed for by J. Smith? The first John Smith of the series!
Harry -
Yes, it was subtle.
But wait, isn't this a Dalek story? Ah yes, one of them fades into being at the end of part one and launches into a furious interrogation of Kennedy, who is not long for this world...
Sarah -
It’s really an odd and clever first episode, which doesn’t go where we expect. The scenes at the airport and coffee bar set us for an extended visit in 1966, on what has to have been the most exciting day in Earth’s history – WOTAN defeated, a brokered peace with the Faceless Ones and now Daleks.
Nor are the humans we meet the baddies we expect them to be. Curiouser and curiouser…
Harry -
No kidding. No sooner do Jamie and the Doctor find their way to Waterfield's antique shoppe, than they are whisked away to the home of Theodore Maxtible in 1866... and this suddenly becomes a steampunk story!
Sarah -
All Maxtible needs is a pair of goggles and his look will be complete.
Harry -
"The Evil of the Daleks" is steampunk before such a thing even existed. The classic elements are there: Victorians tinkering with the fabric of time, bubbling laboratories and analog experiments, aliens from the future come to wreak havoc in the 19th century, fantastic stuff.
Sarah -
Plus, a sliding bookcase! Really, is there anything more exciting than a sliding bookcase and secret room?
Harry -
The Doctor sorts out the mystery and Maxtible confirms that the TARDIS plot was all a trap to bring the Daleks' greatest foe before them. This time however, they don't want to destroy him, they want him to make them extra superior. They want the so-called "human factor".
(I didn't really buy why the Daleks would not want the "Doctor factor" instead, but I went along with it.)
Sarah -
Best not to dwell too much on the science, especially in this story.
Harry -
Especially when it turns out that the Daleks have promised Maxtible the secret formula for turning iron into gold. What a rube!
Sarah -
I love the Doctor’s reaction when static electricity is mentioned and suddenly all the pieces fall into place.
Harry -
I love Patrick Troughton's acting throughout this story. Fraser Hines was great too.
Sarah -
And so begins Jamie’s Dalek adventure. His reaction to finding out they were dealing with Daleks is classic, almost rolling his eyes at the Doctor for having gone on and on about the Daleks. One imagines the Doctor in front of a TARDIS fireplace, recounting tales of his old foes over a cup of cocoa.
This time out, they want to understand humans so that they can conquer them more effectively. The Doctor appears to go along with their plan to help Waterfield get his daughter, Victoria, back from the Daleks. Unfortunately for Jamie, the plan involves using him as a guinea pig to help the Daleks understand human nature – and he’s having none of it!
Harry -
If "The Faceless Ones" was where Jamie became the acknowledged main companion, this story thrusts him into the lead for a couple of episodes completely.
While the Daleks, the Doctor and Maxtible observe, Jamie does battle with the mysterious Kemel. Having knocked each other around the house for almost five minutes of dialogue-free screentime (crazy!), they then team up to search for Victoria. This show is now The Adventures of Jamie McCrimmon and his silly friend the Doctor.
Sarah -
I kept thinking of the games in "The Celestial Toymaker" during these scenes -- I knew something exciting was going on, but wasn't quite sure what it was.
Harry -
By the time we get to Part Five, Jamie and Kemel thwart the Daleks and rescue Victoria Waterfield. The action-adventure component of the story comes to a happy conclusion, but the Daleks are still demanding the human factor and the Doctor obliges, with unexpected results!
Sarah -
The human-factor-infected Daleks were brilliant! Their reaction to being given names was priceless and their playing was the last thing you would ever expect from Daleks!
Harry -
Again, Troughton is magical here, playing "trains" and "roundabout" with the Daleks who coo like babies.
But the fun comes to an end quickly, as all Daleks are summoned back to Skaro. Everyone is either dragged along in their wake, or forced to flee as Maxtible's house is blown up. The fun never stops, does it?
Sarah -
Never ever!
Harry -
(And before I forget, one thing that bugged me throughout this story, and was never explained: why was a painting of Waterfield's wife hanging above the mantel in Maxtible's home?)
Sarah -
(Yeah, what was that?)
Harry -
Part Seven is a very dark episode. Skaro is as nasty a place as we remember. The Emperor Dalek is a new and ghastly menace.
Sarah -
It feels like both forever ago and just yesterday that we were last on Skaro.
Harry -
Poor Maxtible finally gets his payoff from the Daleks in the form of the Dalek factor. He was such a willing collaborator and total fool that I did not totally feel sorry for his demise.
Sarah -
Maxtible’s willing blindness to the utter evil of the Daleks was infuriating.
Harry -
The Doctor relies again on the art of deception, as well as the human factor, and he sows rebellion in the heart of the Dalek world. The reward for viewers (or audio listeners, or eternally-suffering recon watchers) is an unforgettable scene. The Daleks turn on each other in the Emperor's control room. What a battle! This outdoes the Daleks-Mechanoids fight scene in "The Chase".
Sarah -
I love that when the Daleks get the human factor, the first thing they do is start questioning their orders and refusing to obey.
Harry -
It was a thrilling conclusion to a wild, rollicking adventure. I think this is Troughton and Hines's best story so far, and one of the best Dalek stories ever.
Sarah -
And so ends season four.
Harry -
It was a wild one.
Sarah -
I hadn’t realized this was meant to be the final Dalek story. Troughton’s line, “I think I’ve seen the end of the Daleks forever,” could have been the end of the Daleks.
Harry -
I didn't know this either.
Sarah -
It will take a while, but I’m really glad they’ll be back.
Harry -
In keeping with the oddball entrances and departures of 1960s companions, Victoria is now along for the ride. I haven't seen many of her stories, so I'm looking forward to getting to know her. She doesn't seem to be rated highly among companions. I guess we'll soon find out why.
Sarah -
Well, there’s something to look forward to.
Harry -
Best line: "Hellooo friennnnnd!"
Favourite moment: The Doctor urges Jamie to be careful inside Waterfield's antique shoppe, then almost topples a table himself.
Lasting image: The Emperor Dalek
9/10
Sarah -
Best line: “I will obey, but not without question”
Favorite moment: Jamie calling out the Doctor for not telling him the truth.
Lasting image: The Daleks playing with the Doctor
9/10
Our marathon continues with Story #37 - The Tomb of the Cybermen...
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