1.2: The Daleks
- Doctor: William Hartnell
- Companions: Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
- Creators: Verity Lambert (Producer), Terry Nation (Writer)
- Season 1
What's the rating?
Historical Interest.
What's interesting about it?
As the introduction of the Daleks -- the monsters whose instant popularity saved the series from immediate cancellation -- the historical significance can't be denied. But the story and the endless corridors and runs through forest certainly can be.
The most interesting aspect of the story occurs when everyone else wants to immediately leave the dreary planet except for The Doctor, who wants to explore the nearby city. So he lies by telling his companions that the TARDIS is broken, forcing them to visit the Dalek city and thereby endangering everyone's lives. This first Doctor is selfish and impulsive to an inexcusable degree -- for which I love him.
The ambitious set design, the pretty-much-still-unchanged design of the Daleks, and the attempt at logical extrapolations of how the species would work (such as their need for electrical contact in order to move, which would go away in later stories once the producers needed them to be more mobile) are laudable but it doesn't come together for a modern viewer, though it's infinitely better than the execrable movie version that came later.
And, admit it, it's a bit hard these days to be scared of a monster whose primary weapon is a plunger...
What are others saying?
Fans have a hard time objectively critiquing this story, being overwhelmed by the impact on the culture and the show of the introduction of the Daleks. Non-fans seem to have no trouble seeing the flaws.
- Wife in Space (score: 3/10)
- Hoo on Who podcast #29
- Afraid and a Long Way From Home (Tardis Eruditorum blog)