The Daleks

Dear Gary,

I’m sure you would disagree with me on this, the second story of Doctor Who, but I find this historic first meeting of the Doctor with his arch enemy the Daleks boring. I can just sense the waves of shock and displeasure pulsating through time and space. I can’t help it.  It’s not like his first story that I have come to appreciate over time.  No, this iconic story just stretches on and on; I’m fine through the first couple episodes, but round about episode four and five I start drowsing.  And I know, originally this was not meant to be watched through in its entirety in one sitting. It was meant to be viewed in seven 20-25 minute episodes.  Maybe one day I’ll watch it that way and come to a finer appreciation, but for now all I can say is that this story puts me to sleep. I do not find the Daleks menacing nor the Thals compelling. I wonder whatever became of the Thals? Despite their victory over the Daleks at the end of this story, the Daleks go on to spread their terror throughout all of time and space, whereas the Thals just fade away.

However, I must soldier on.  And so, Gary, I set your Dalek before me for inspiration.  I always wanted a Dalek of my very own; now I have two. Yes, the Daleks are the saving grace of this story.  They transcend the story.  Despite their clumsy limitations they soldier on, as I must do, and that is the inspiration I am seeking.

The Doctor describes the Dalek’s plans to eliminate the Thals as sheer murder.  No, the Daleks correct him, it is extermination.  Simple. Relentless. Single-minded. Exterminate. That is the power of the Daleks. Time and time and time again they are defeated. They always return. They never give up.  Exterminate.

Barbara and Ian, as our story begins, are having their ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore’ realization.  Of course they were aware of that in the story before, but it really sinks in now that they find themselves for the first time on another planet, and they are beginning to wonder if the Doctor can ever get them back to 1963 Earth. They have landed on Skaro in a broken down TARDIS, and all they want is to get back home.  But the Doctor has other ideas.  He wants to explore.  He is curious about the city he sees through his binocular eyeglasses on this seemingly dead planet. He therefore rushes them headlong into danger, smack into the Daleks.

Smack into the Daleks.  Exterminate. Ah—the fatal flaw of the Daleks. Despite their single-minded purpose to exterminate, they never kill the Doctor.  All the times they face him through the years and they never once shoot him on sight. This story marks the first of such meetings and establishes this weakness of the Daleks. Never mind that the Daleks are confined to this metal city of theirs, unable to move freely about the planet. Never mind that the Daleks, who function through the harnessing of static electricity, never mind that once this power source is knocked out they are useless. Never mind that they are so easily overpowered and killed. All of these things they can and do overcome through the evolution of Doctor Who. No. Their one and only downfall is that they ignore their prime directive whenever they face the Doctor.

It’s a long story, Gary, yet I find I have little more to say about it. There are a few interesting tidbits about the TARDIS, Skaro, and the Daleks that come out in this story, but most of these were abandoned as the series progressed.  The food machine, for instance. They turn a few dials and push some buttons and out pops a bar that they can eat and that tastes like the different portions of the meal they have chosen, ala Willie Wonka. Or the Faultdicator that lights up to tell the Doctor what part of the ship is malfunctioning. K7, apparently, is the light that indicates something is wrong with the Fluid Link (it needs mercury, or so the Doctor says). Or the TARDIS lock, which Susan explains has 21 different holes with only 1 being the correct one and 20 wrong ones.  If a mistake is made, she says, the lock melts. This strikes me as extremely foolish, and maybe Susan is a compulsive liar after all, or she has come to believe in yet another falsehood. The key to the TARDIS, however, is apparently replaceable: "I can always make another one."

Then there is the history of Skaro. It is the 12^th planet in its solar system we are told. The war between the Thals and the Daleks took place 500 years prior to our adventurers landing, and all the destruction took place in a day. Back then the Thals were the warriors and the Daleks the teachers and philosophers.  We are told that the Daleks were called simply Dals at that time, however the Thals have been carrying around their history for 500 years in a cylinder as they move from place to place on their dead planet. Who knows how muddled their history has become.

We also learn along with the Daleks in this story, that the Daleks over the years have become conditioned to radiation, and in fact rely on it for their survival. When they experiment with the anti-radiation drug that the Thals have created the Daleks die.  (Side note here, Gary. When the first Dalek dies in this way I can’t help hearing tones of Manuel from Fawlty Towers in the Dalek’s death wail.)

The Doctor in this story is motivated primarily by curiosity and then by self preservation when he realizes his Fluid Link is in the Dalek city. He has no interest in helping the Thals, but when he needs their help he has no hesitation in demanding it. Thankfully he has Ian along to convince the Thals to action.

There is a nice little bit with Ian climbing into an empty Dalek shell, and we do get to see a glimpse of the real Dalek outside of its casing. Other than that there are long bits of climbing through caves and slogging through swamps. "We need action not argument," but the action just doesn't hold my interest.

We do get a brief hint of the Doctor's past when he laments that he is too old to be a pioneer, "though I was once, among my own people." And I have to chuckle when he claims that he never gives advice.

I really don’t have much more to say on this, Gary, but I really wish I could hear your side of it.  I truly want to like this story and would love to hear your perspective. The Doctor in this story advises to always seek the truth--"mine is amongst the stars." All I can do is send this out to those stars and wait fruitlessly for an echo of a reply.