I'll admit that I didn't really have high hopes for the episode to begin with, and that was down to mostly one thing: the fact that this was only the Doctor's second adventure with Capaldi at the helm and it was already a Dalek episode. Of course, this was the first Dalek story in two years, but even then it felt as if Moffat and co. felt as if Daleks were the be-all- end-all of the series, when really they aren't: they didn't appear as often in the original series as people think they did (to reiterate: Hartnell got four Dalek stories, Troughton and Baker only got two, Pertwee got three, and Davison, Colin Baker and McCoy all got one each), and a lot of fans of the classic series consider the seasons without daleks as some of the best seasons. But nonetheless I sat back and let myself be proved wrong by Moffat.
The concept of the episode is pretty interesting, if rather quite done before: The TARDIS materializes on board a military fleet after The Doctor rescues a soldier named Journey Blue. Taken into captivity by Uncle Smiley, the head of the fleet, The Doctor uses his name to be able to get out of the situation. Except he is given one thing he must do: care for a Dalek. Not just any Dalek: a good Dalek. So he goes to present day earth, grabs Clara and takes her back, and it's here where we realize they have to go into the Dalek (hence, the title) to see how he got so good all of a sudden. The concept, as Theo Robertson here correctly pointed out, is very reminiscent of the film "A Fantastic Voyage" as well as the 1987 comedy "Innerspace", and a few nods to both movies are given. The episode succeeds when it's actually a Dalek episode: for one we get a rather long and unnecessary opening at Coal Hill school, and we are introduced to Clara having a new boyfriend by the name of Danny Pink. It feels pointless and tacked-on, especially when Danny Pink only gets 2 minutes of screen time. When Clara finds The Doctor, that's when the episode really begins to pick up. The Daleks are back to being scary again by doing what they do best: trundling through corridors, screaming "EXTERMINATE" and zapping some poor sucker in its path. And so when they're on screen, they're terrifying and a pleasure to watch, especially after seeing them neutered.
On the topic of Capaldi though, which is another issue I find with the series so far: Peter Capaldi as The Doctor. Not in a bad way, the issue is that he's such a great actor that whenever he was not on screen, my interest began to wane. Undoubtedly he's the best of the NuWho Doctors so far, and I can see him going on to be considered one of the great Doctors; he seems like a mix of the first doctor, the third doctor and the fifth doctor, and so I really hope that he doesn't end up having to carry the episodes by himself, or otherwise he'll be a great doctor let down by weak scriptwriting. Nonetheless though, as per usual he was a pleasure to watch, even in the third act when he talks to the Dalek face to face in his shell. His acting here was emotional gravitas not seen since Tennant's portrayal, and let's hope he continues this path.
Overall, despite the few gripes I had, I enjoyed the episode and while it's a bit too early to tell yet, I can tell things are looking up for the eighth series of the show. In fact, next week was written by one of my favourite writers (Mark Gatiss, who wrote undoubtedly the best episode of 7.2 "Cold War") and it's about Robin Hood. This could end up being my favourite series since series 2, and if the show continues down the darker path with the newer Doctor, it may achieve a new sense of greatness.
The concept of the episode is pretty interesting, if rather quite done before: The TARDIS materializes on board a military fleet after The Doctor rescues a soldier named Journey Blue. Taken into captivity by Uncle Smiley, the head of the fleet, The Doctor uses his name to be able to get out of the situation. Except he is given one thing he must do: care for a Dalek. Not just any Dalek: a good Dalek. So he goes to present day earth, grabs Clara and takes her back, and it's here where we realize they have to go into the Dalek (hence, the title) to see how he got so good all of a sudden. The concept, as Theo Robertson here correctly pointed out, is very reminiscent of the film "A Fantastic Voyage" as well as the 1987 comedy "Innerspace", and a few nods to both movies are given. The episode succeeds when it's actually a Dalek episode: for one we get a rather long and unnecessary opening at Coal Hill school, and we are introduced to Clara having a new boyfriend by the name of Danny Pink. It feels pointless and tacked-on, especially when Danny Pink only gets 2 minutes of screen time. When Clara finds The Doctor, that's when the episode really begins to pick up. The Daleks are back to being scary again by doing what they do best: trundling through corridors, screaming "EXTERMINATE" and zapping some poor sucker in its path. And so when they're on screen, they're terrifying and a pleasure to watch, especially after seeing them neutered.
On the topic of Capaldi though, which is another issue I find with the series so far: Peter Capaldi as The Doctor. Not in a bad way, the issue is that he's such a great actor that whenever he was not on screen, my interest began to wane. Undoubtedly he's the best of the NuWho Doctors so far, and I can see him going on to be considered one of the great Doctors; he seems like a mix of the first doctor, the third doctor and the fifth doctor, and so I really hope that he doesn't end up having to carry the episodes by himself, or otherwise he'll be a great doctor let down by weak scriptwriting. Nonetheless though, as per usual he was a pleasure to watch, even in the third act when he talks to the Dalek face to face in his shell. His acting here was emotional gravitas not seen since Tennant's portrayal, and let's hope he continues this path.
Overall, despite the few gripes I had, I enjoyed the episode and while it's a bit too early to tell yet, I can tell things are looking up for the eighth series of the show. In fact, next week was written by one of my favourite writers (Mark Gatiss, who wrote undoubtedly the best episode of 7.2 "Cold War") and it's about Robin Hood. This could end up being my favourite series since series 2, and if the show continues down the darker path with the newer Doctor, it may achieve a new sense of greatness.