Day 71 — March 12th 2021
The Power of the Daleks Episodes Five and Six
The Power of the Daleks — Episode Five
Take a look at the scores for this story so far — three nines and an eight. It’s very high, and a score that any story would kill for. And yet I found myself thinking it was oddly low for The Power of the Daleks! On my last marathon I was a bit cautious about my scoring. I didn’t hand out tens easily, and I didn’t dip too low either. This time around I’ve been a little looser with my numbers and I’ve already given out a few tens by now.
I bring this up because I remembered that last time I wanted to give one of the early episodes a 10/10, and hesitated because I worried it looked bad to say ‘this is better than any episode in the Hartnell era’, where I’d not given any tens. I can’t remember if I decided to give the ten anyway or if I chickened out and gave it a nine instead (I look forward to finding out at the end of the year when I dig out my old scores to compare to the ones this time), but I know it’s something I debated.
In saying this, I’m sure you’ve already guessed, Episode Five is 100% a 10/10.
Oh my God this episode is good. And it’s proper packed, too. So much happens here and all of it is brilliant. The Daleks, of course, continue to be the best they’ve ever been, and I’m increasingly thinking that The Power of the Daleks might well be the peak for the Daleks on television. They’ve got so much character here which they’re lacking in other stories. Take for example the moment when Lesterson, half crazed, tries to convince Bragen that the Daleks are operating to their own design rather then his instructions;
Lesterson: ‘What are you doing?!’
Dalek: ‘Laying the new emergency power supply as you ordered, master.’
Lesterson: ‘It’s a lie!’
The Dalek’s voice this this moment is so incredible, dripping with innocence and sarcasm which really brings it to life. People often say that the Daleks pretending to be servants is what makes them scary in this episode, and while they’re not wrong, I think it’s moments like this which are the most effective; when they’re being totally obvious about their evil and almost no one is catching on.
And as much as Eric Sward has said in the past that the Daleks are difficult to write for, they’ve been given so much material here. Later in the episode, having obeyed an order to kill Hensol;
Dalek: ‘Why do human beings kill human beings?’
Bragen: ‘Get on with your work.’
Dalek: ‘Yes, master. I obey.’
Bragen: ‘Yes, obey me! From now on, I’ll have complete obedience from everyone!’
It’s a gorgeous moment, and one which really works. I’ve written down so many Dalek moments from this episode as highlights, including them realising that no more than three of them can be seen in the colony at a time and when one slips up and has to correct itself when ranting about the power supply (‘The Daleks can be twice as… useful…’). And then there’s the cliffhanger (making us five for five on them being brilliant in this story) where they chant about Exterminating all Humans and we get what I think might be our first appearance of the phrase ‘Daleks conquer and Destroy’.
And it’s not only the Daleks who have great characterisation here, because the guest cast continue to be brilliant too. Both Lesterson and Bragen find themselves slipping into madness here, and in each case it’s carefully crafted so that it feels distinct for each man. I once read that The Power of the Daleks isn’t just about the pepper pots trying to obtain power, but the humans too, and that’s never more in evidence than here.
The confrontation between Hensol and Bragen is genuinely tense, and watching it all unfold is incredibly satisfying. If I’ve one complaint about the story it’s that sometimes I’ve struggled to remember which side everyone is on — there’s a lot of alternate agendas at play here — but it’s all perfectly clear here, and that feels good. I also suspect that it would be easier to keep track were we able to actually see the episodes. The tele-snaps are good, but they don’t always help you put a face to a name.
So there we have it, out first 10/10 for the Troughton era, and one which is thoroughly deserved.
The Power of the Daleks — Episode Six
I’ve seen it said that The Power of the Daleks falls apart in the final episode — as so many stories risk doing — but I don’t think I agree with that. Certainly, I’ve not enjoyed this one any less than the rest of the story, and I think we’ve still got lots of great material on hand.
I don’t think there’s a particular frequency with which the tele-snaps were taken but even so it’s slightly scary just how many shots there are of the dead Colonists laying in the corridors. Doctor Who as a programme features a lot of death, but it doesn’t usually hit quite as hard as this. Based on the soundtrack there’s an extended sequence lingering on the bodies, and the camera script indicates two distinct scenes of the dead — one of them just laying in the corridor, and another shot from a Dalek POV as it moves around to check everyone is dead. It feels quite gruesome, and yet it feels totally fitting for the story.
We get a decent wrapping up for the human characters on the whole. Bragan is killed, Janley goes down too. It feels incredibly bleak, and yet it also ties things up nicely. I’m not as familiar with the characters who are left to take over the running of the Colony (of course the characters with the strongest personalities are the ones who’ve died), but I really love that instead of thanking Doctor Who for saving the day they berate him for messing up the Colony’s power supply! Hah! That’s brilliant, and feels very human.
I think the absolute highlight of this episode has to be Robert James’ final turn as Lesterson, who’s totally snapped by this stage in the story. It’s an incredible performance, and the moment where he mocks a Dalek — ‘I am your servant!’ — is so good. Lesterson’s character arc across these six episodes is stronger than we usually see any character given at this stage in the programme’s history, and it’s a testament to how deft Whittaker is as a writer.
I’ve already said it in the last few days but I really do think this has good claim to be the greatest Dalek story of them all. Everything about it falls into place perfectly, and it’s probably the story I’d most like to see returned to the archives. Not only would it be important to have Patrick Troughton’s earliest performances back in the archives, but I just think it would be the perfect story to show people as an example of how brilliant Doctor Who can be.
A score of 9/10 for this final episode nudges the story into the top spot, with an average score of 9/10 across the six episodes sitting it ever so slightly higher than The Aztecs for me. It’s a strong start to the Second Doctor Who, but the next story is one I’ve not been looking forward to, for reasons I’ll go into tomorrow…!
A few years ago a couple of friends and I put together a Doctor Who card game, and we based it on The Power of the Daleks because it seemed both the most exciting story to use, and the one which fitted what we were doing the best. We got through a few play tests of the game before other things took priority, but hearing this story again now I’m itching to get back to finishing off the game and having another play through.
The game featured some gorgeous Dalek artwork from the brilliant Rob Richie who worked on the animated version of the story, and although I’m biased I thought they looked great! Here’s a few of the cards as an example;
