{"id":227,"date":"2011-03-21T13:00:48","date_gmt":"2011-03-21T20:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=227"},"modified":"2011-03-21T13:03:43","modified_gmt":"2011-03-21T20:03:43","slug":"mark-watches-doctor-who-s05e03-victory-of-the-daleks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2011\/03\/mark-watches-doctor-who-s05e03-victory-of-the-daleks\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S05E03 – Victory of the Daleks"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the third episode of the fifth series of Doctor Who<\/em> , the Doctor heads to London to help Winston Churchill during The Blitz, but discovers a very familiar enemy\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6sort of? I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6wait, what? If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intrigued, then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Daleks? So soon?<\/em> They had to come back with a new Doctor, but I actually had to think for a moment to remember exactly how it was possible that there could be any Daleks left. As I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said before, I like the Daleks, but I think that this might be the weakest of the stories of the new series. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that there aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t things to like here (there are quite a few), but I feel like the story is never really sure where to stick its focus.<\/p>\n

I have a slight obsession with World War II and the chance to get this view (albeit a VERY fictionalized one) of the Cabinet War Rooms was promising to me. Add to that the fact that Ian McNeice played a pretty fantastic Winston Churchill and that Churchill was seemingly unthreatened by the Daleks and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know. I had high hopes for what story Mark Gatiss would tell us, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6ok, LET ME GET THERE.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fun to watch the images of joy and excitement that cross onto the faces of Amy and the Doctor as they familiarize themselves with their surroundings. Unfortunately, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve arrived late. (This makes the third time this series that the Doctor has severely missed a date. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the logistics of how that works. Does the Doctor set a specific time or just hope that the TARDIS ends up there? Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t answer that if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spoilery.) In the time since Churchill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first call, when we saw the shadow of a Dalek, things haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite turned out like I expected. Churchill is certain that the war is going to go his way, and he takes the Doctor out onto the roof to demonstrate new technology developed by Professor Edwin Bracewell.<\/p>\n

Um. Those are Daleks. Bracewell. THOSE ARE DALEKS<\/em>. This is what this episode particularly succeeds at. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absurdist humor and drama and Doctor Who<\/em> does it well. We know those are Daleks. The Doctor knows they are Daleks. But no matter how much he shouts at the world and demonstrates his knowledge of the creatures, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to be believed.<\/p>\n

The scene of the Doctor angrily shouting in frustration at Churchill, Bracewell, and anyone else who will listen is Matt Smith\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first chance to show us the Doctor at the most furious he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been. Gatiss writes the scene well because the Doctor and us, the audience, are the only people who are in on the reality of this. Plus, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fascinating idea: Is it possible for the Daleks to be adapted? To live in peace? To be replicated? And if so, how is that even a possibility?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get to spend much time with this concept at all, as it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s revealed that the Daleks were merely pretending to be Bracewell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s creations all along. Using the Doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153testimony,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d his statements about him being the Doctor, the greatest enemy of the Daleks, the Progenator Device is activated. TRICKED YOU, THERE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S A DALEK SHIP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON.<\/p>\n

Ok, so here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing. Like I said, there is some neat stuff here. Bracewell is a fascinating character. The space battle feels like a giant Star Wars<\/em> reference. And despite that the Doctor leaves Amy behind in a way, she proves, once again, to be super useful.<\/p>\n

But, oh boy, some of this just doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense. How were the Daleks able to build Bracewell? They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have arms<\/em>. I know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m overthinking this, considering that THERE IS A GIANT DALEK SPACESHIP FLOATING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON<\/em>. Yes, all of this is ridiculous. But\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6yeah, how do the Daleks build things? How do they build each other? And\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6why exactly did they need the Doctor to activate the Progenator? Seriously, you can answer that, because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not quite sure I understand it at all.<\/p>\n

I have a lot of questions, you all. How did Bracewell modify the Spitfires in like an hour? I mean, ultimately, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter, because SPITFIRE SPACE BATTLE, which is pretty darn cool. Right? We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have enough space battles on Doctor Who<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But I imagine I am about to be a broken record for the whole fandom. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m actually pretty sure, having done no research on the subject, that there were a lot of people who felt the same way. So perhaps I am re-igniting this particular bastion of fandom anger, but I really have to say:<\/p>\n

WHY DO THE DALEKS LOOK LIKE SKITTLES<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, but what the fuck<\/em>. I actually started laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes. Which is actually a beautiful moment, so part of me is really happy that this scene existed. But seriously. Ok, so the Daleks see everything through those blue filter eye things, so why even make colored Daleks? Is it an artistic statement? Are they secret weapons because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re brightly colored? LOOK, I REALLY DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY HAVE TO BE COLORED. AT ALL.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, though I like the end result (partially), the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oblivion Continuum twist is a little too ridiculous for my tastes. How exactly does that thing work? And how can you convince a robot they are human when they know they are not? I mean, the Doctor even acknowledges that later, when he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deactivate Bracewell, telling him to go after the girl he spoke of to Amy. Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6how does that work? SURELY SHE WILL TAKE OFF HIS SHIRT AND SEE A GIANT METAL CHEST, right???<\/p>\n

I ask too many questions today. I do like that there are two huge hints to the future in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Victory of the Daleks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Amy remember the Daleks when the earth was stolen? Or, if she can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember them, did she not even see them at all? WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING? And despite that the clue is pervasive, seemingly in every episode, I love that the crack keeps appearing. What happened in Amy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s room all those years ago? How is it going to change all of this? I AM INTRIGUED.<\/p>\n

All in all, this episode is just ok. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hate it, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not one I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll probably watch again.<\/p>\n

THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n