Anti-body pillow fights, a fantastic voyage and the universe-threatening ejaculate of a megalomaniac space shrimp
The Doctor, Clara and some Redshirts decide to Fantastic Voyage into the seemingly only good Dalek in existence
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Human resistance forces have injured and captured the only good Dalek known to have ever existed, and are now in need of a Doctor with an eye for the most minute detail. Rescuing young soldier, Journey Blue, from the universe-subjugating lasers of the Daleks, The Twelfth Doctor is inexplicably drawn into the fight.
Meanwhile, at a completely different point in time and space, Clara is flirting with socially awkward, PTSD-ridden fellow teacher, Danny Pink, when she saunters into a cupboard and is recruited by the Doctor to join the mission.
What’s the mission? Glad you asked. Alongside Journey Blue and two redshirts, Doc and Clara are shrunken down to about an inch in height, in order to Fantastic Voyage into the dark depths of the good Dalek, to heal it — and perhaps all Daleks — from within.
Likes:
• KABOOM! Space battles! Human on Dalek, & Dalek on Dalek action! One Dalek was blasted in the gut! Another was bleeding green gunk from its head! Not seen this much pepperpot carnage since Seventh Doctor bloodbath Remembrance of the Daleks.
• Something new with the Daleks. Davros aside, this is arguably the most ambitious spin on the Daleks since they were made impotent in (criminally under-appreciated) Death to the Daleks.
• Trippy Eye Stork sequence.
• Better duty of care for our our shrunken heroes than in classic Who The Invisible Enemy (where clones of the Doctor and Leela with fruit-fly lifespans were haphazardly scooped into a syringe and injected into giant Doctor’s tear duct).
• Total badass bastard Doctor: “He was dead already. I was saving us!”, and his Arnie quip, “Top layer if you want to say a few words”. More please.
• Danny Pink. It takes skill to make a character likeable and complex within minutes of screen time.
• Ben Wheatley (Legend).
• Michael Smiley (Legend).
• Journey; “Can I come?”, Doctor; “erm, No”. REJECTED! Ha ha! (Loser).
Beefs:
• Even though we see Rusty again, a missed opportunity to create a Dalek Civil War storyline? Maybe he’ll be back.
• The Dalek antibodies weren’t as entertaining as the Doctor’s antibodies in Invisible Enemy (cotton wool stuck to balloons).
Summary: KABOOM!
Rating: 4.4/5 letters to the families of the antibody-vaporised redshirts who never made it out of the Dalek (sniff).
I don’t know why I felt so nostalgic when Doc 12 showed up, because that’s all gone now. I’m remembering how I nearly gave up on Doctor Who during early Capaldi.
Fortunately, I also remember I liked later Capaldi much more, so I shall wade through again.
There is something extravagantly judgmental about the 12th Doctor in his early episodes. Not just his Dalek-like hatred for Daleks— he’s always had that— but this Doctor both seems more aware of his own inner flaws, and also dismisses people with venom for things he tolerates in himself.
For instance: with Clara’s help, the Doctor finally was willing to think that maybe there could be a good Dalek, so he opened up his mind to try to instill his own tolerance and belief in change and hope, and… well…
He believes all species can grow and learn… except for certain species he has written off as not worthy of the effort he gives everyone else to try to help them become better than they have ever been before.
The Dalek calls him on it. But even after seeing into his own heart…
The Doctor turns to Journey, a woman actively trying to leave behind a lifestyle he despises, and condemns her. “I wish you hadn’t been a soldier.” Because to 12 at this time, that means she can never be different.
For Clara: 2.3