Dalek S01E06

 1. Summed up in one sentence

The one in which this show makes a drastic turn from silly adventure to the deep dark rabbit hole of existential sadness. 

2. The Doctor

This episode pulls us all through the wringer along with the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor is forced to see his inner darkness when he reunites with his oldest and most bitter enemy. The one and only enemy responsible for the extinction of the time lords (well, for now anyway). 

The first scene they have together is intense. It begins with the Doctor terrified upon realizing he's locked in a room with a Dalek. Then as he realizes that the Dalek's weapons are offline so to speak, he goes from relief and joy, to intense anger, to circling the helpless Dalek gloating at his powerlessness, to sorrow at realizing that he is as alone as the Dalek, both members of an extinct species. 

When the Dalek points out their similar circumstances, the Doctor then goes to murderous outrage, doing his best to kill the Dalek before he's forced out of the room.

Phew! It's exhausting just to talk about. Kudos to Christopher Eccleston for portraying that range of emotion in such a short amount of time, and actually making that journey believable.

3. The Companions

What a lovely Rose episode as well. I also love her first scene with the Dalek, and that it did come after the Doctor's encounter, so that we could see the night and day difference between how she interacts with it as opposed to the Doctor. Granted she isn't aware of the true nature of the Dalek, but it's still touching to me. She's the first one to approach the Dalek without violence or demands, and despite the Daleks' reputation for being literal stone cold killing machines, it seems that the Dalek can't help but open up and be completely vulnerable to Rose. It tells her it's dying but was grateful to die with a human that wasn't afraid of it. Of course, Rose is moved, so much so she touches it with her hand. And of course after that is when the shit hits the fan.

If you recall, Rose's touch gave the Dalek some regenerating juice and was able to get the faculties back online and commence destruction. While Rose is mostly running from the Dalek for most of the episode, she seems to sense that she imparted a bit of herself with the Dalek. The Doctor confirms as much when the Dalek begins to depart from its usual genocidal behavior; that Rose gave the Dalek some of her human DNA, and is now able to experience human emotions.

I love how physically close Rose is for the most important moments of the Dalek. She's there when the Dalek comes into its power, and she's there at its end, unable to rise from the weight of its emotional experience. I think her supportive presence for the Dalek is the miraculous ingredient for turning this hilariously bizarre villain into something we can't help but feel intensely for. I'll admit that I was nearly moved to tears, even though this is at least the third time I've seen this episode!

4. The Villain 

Even though it seems obvious that the Dalek is the villain here, I would argue that it's actually Henry Van Statten, the man that found and imprisoned the Dalek in the first place. The Dalek was only trying to do what it was programmed to do. Can something that is only able to mindlessly follow protocol actually be a villain? Henry Van Statten has no excuse for his horrific actions and his lack of respect for life. Being a human, he has the ability to choose his actions, unlike the Dalek, until at least the Dalek absorbs human DNA.

5. The Score

9/10

Gaaaahhhhh! I love this one. After I've caught up on all the episodes I'm going to make a master list of my favorite episodes from the best to the worst. You can count on this one at least being in the top five. It handles the emotion pain of being so alone and worthless while also contemplating what truly makes a villain.

6. The Very Whoiest Moment

I was going to always choose the part that makes me wanna cry. Doctor Who is capable of such emotional upheaval, and this is only the beginning as we all know.

When the Dalek is asked what it wants, since it doesn't really feel like killing anymore, it says, "freedom." So it's left to go where it wants, which is where it can get access to the sunlight. And Rose is there by its side. Watching this again I realize she doesn't have to be anywhere near it if she doesn't want to. Why does she feel compelled to accompany it? Is it simply curiosity? A desire to comfort? The answer I come up with actually takes me to one of my other top episodes that comes from the 13th Doctor, "Demons of the Punjab" (probably also my favorite episode because it made me sob like a little girl). The point of that episode was the sanctity and gift of being able to witness those who die so they don't die alone or without someone noticing. Perhaps Rose sensed the end of the Dalek coming, and she felt compelled to accompany it to that moment, so the Dalek could know that in its last moments, even though it's far from home and its kind, it has a witness to its life, someone who won't forget that they existed. 

I dunno. Just a thought.

But the moment I'm really trying to get to is this: earlier in the episode the Dalek asked the Doctor to give it an order, clearly starting to feel the uncertainty of its purpose. The Doctor very cruelly retorts, "Kill yourself." It doesn't listen to the Doctor's command, but what it does do in its last moments is tell Rose to give it a command to kill itself. It wouldn't listen to the Doctor, but it wanted to hear the command from Rose, because she was the one there for it in its moment of vulnerability.

Now if you would excuse me while I make a mess of myself, until the next one!

*PS- I'm not always going to do this, but I wanted to share the song I had on repeat while writing this review. Whether it fits at all with the content of the episode is up to you, but for some reason it hit the right note for me.

"All We Do" by Oh Wonder