Here we are in the second half of our first continuous serial since the Hartnell years, and we’ve run into some friends we haven’t seen since then. The Thals have certainly evolved since the First Doctor’s visit to Skaro. They’ve developed the technology for space travel, acquired a more robust source of raw materials for clothing, and achieved a level of personal conflict required for a proper science-fiction story.
Harry -
These are proper Thals, in that the ones we first met on Skaro seemed such unlikely opponents for the Daleks. These Thals are much more up to speed on all that sciencey, weapony stuff.
Sarah -
And more fully clothed!
Harry -
Maybe Terry Nation realized that they were due for an upgrade. Which brings us to... Terry Nation! The third member of the classic Who circle of writers. It's great that we get a Holmes, Hulke and Nation story all in a row.
Sarah -
It's the trifecta! Unfortunately, it’s not a terribly original story. Is it just me, Harry, or is "Planet of the Daleks" basically a rewrite of the original Dalek story?
Harry -
Yeah, it's familiar stuff. And this one took forever to get going. The first two episodes offered all the characters a chance to creep around the jungle for a bit, get into a spot of trouble, split up, get captured or sick and separated from the others. Sounds like a lot, but I was surprised to get to the end of part two and it felt like all of ten minutes had elapsed so far. Great pacing, but barely anything had happened.
Sarah -
You know what was particularly wonderful about this story? Jo Grant! Katy Manning was given every opportunity to shine - setting off to find help for the Doctor, surviving the fungal infection, and getting herself into the Dalek city to save the Doctor. Jo was particularly brilliant in this story.
Harry -
You could argue that Jo is the lead character here, and it's great that she was the focus of so much action. She is assertive throughout, be it exploring the wrecked ship, sneaking into the Daleks' base, defusing the explosives... not even a boulder to the head will slow her down!
Sarah -
Jo is unstoppable!
Harry -
Meanwhile, the Doctor is just along for the ride for the most part. He seems to enjoy hanging with his old friends the Thals. He's been captured and thrown into a cell so many times this season he barely puts up a fuss this time. And so we come to the scene where the Doctor is in a cell with Codal, the sciencey Thal. To effect an escape, the Doctor rigs up a device to cripple the Dalek guard - a device made from a cassette tape casing! A brilliant piece of improvised engineering, or quite simply the worst prop ever?
Sarah -
I imagine it looked quite cutting-edge at the time.
Harry -
I can't help but focus on little details like that. There's so little to this story, Sarah. As you said, it's practically a remake of the original Dalek story with better costumes.
As well, it's unmistakeably a Terry Nation story. He had a knack for pacing out his adventures so that each new peril or plot development fit neatly into a 22 minute block. Look at part three. Jo spends almost the entire episode creeping around a room - a room! - manoeuvring herself around consoles and posts to evade the Daleks' eyestalks. Meanwhile, the Doctor and the Thals fashion a marvellous escape up a ventilation shaft with a makeshift sail. Introduce new peril, and cue end theme. And of course, this is all happening on a jungle planet with a core of molten ice. It's so Terry Nation.
Did you have a favourite Thal?
Sarah -
I hadn't thought of having a favorite, but I kept looking at Taron and trying to remember where I had seen him before. A quick search answered my question - Bernard Horsfall was Lemuel Gulliver in "The Mind Robber" and a Time Lord in "The War Games". I love returning guest actors!
Do you have a fave?
Harry -
Taron is definitely my favourite and for the same reason. Horsfall made several appearances in Doctor Who over the years, and also appeared in a fantastic Big Finish audio released ten years ago: Davros.
Sadly, Horsfall passed away earlier this year, but he'll be remembered as one of Doctor Who's best guest actors.
While we wait excitedly for the next volume from our friends Rob Shearman and Toby Hadoke, I flipped through Outside In, a collection of fan essays on all the classic Who stories. The entry for "Planet of the Daleks" summed up my feelings about this story. Basically, it's great to watch Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning performing in their best season together, the Daleks do their Daleky thing, and it's a fun story to wile away some time. That's pretty much what I got out of it.
Sarah -
That's about it. I was never bored or bothered by the story, but neither did it capture me. I can't help but think it would have been a standout in almost any other season of Doctor Who, but this season has been so strong that "Planet of the Daleks" ends up being the weakest story.
Harry -
The post-viewing shine really came off as we've been writing about it. I do want to note that, uninspiring story aside, it was well served by the set design. The jungles of Spirodon and the labyrinthine corridors of the Dalek base both looked vast and sprawling. The little tin models of the Dalek army were neat too.
Sarah -
The design team we're on their game in this story. Making small studios look like part of a massive structure can't be easy.
Harry -
In the end, everybody worked together to put the Dalek army back on ice, blow up most of their base and leave a few of them stranded on Spirodon.
Sarah -
HUZZAH!
Harry -
HUZZAH!
Jo's Farewell Arc comes into play again at the end, when she declines a personal invite to join the Thals on their journey back to Skaro. She's eager to return to Earth and the Doctor happily obliges. The arc is about to reach its end.
Sarah -
I'm going to be sad about saying goodbye to Jo, but I'm ready to start her final story. Shall we move on to "The Green Death"?
Harry -
It was interesting to see a kind of "Daleks' Master Plan" epic in the Pertwee era. "Frontier in Space" was a great first half, but the transition from space opera to a formulaic Terry Nation runabout didn't quite work.
Well, we can't put it off forever. I'm ready for Jo's farewell story too!
Sarah -
Best Line: "You know, for a man who abhors violence, I took great satisfaction in doing that."
Favorite Moment: Jo heading into the Dalek City to save the Doctor.
Lasting Image: The Doctor in that fabulous fur disguise!
6/10
Harry -
Best Line: "Doctor, I'm tired of being hunted too." Another example of Jo foreshadowing her departure.
Favourite Moment: Jo asks the Doctor to take her home to Earth, and he cheerily obliges, not realising how little time together they have left.
Lasting Image: the army of Dalek miniatures
6/10
Our marathon continues with Story #69: The Green Death...
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