1x06 Dalek

Written by Robert Shearman in his only contribution to the show, Dalek is inspired by the popular Big Finish audio play Jubilee, which stars Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor. What this turns to is a very effective base-under-siege story, relying heavily on the unseen history of the Time War. It puts both the Doctor and the Daleks in a new light and gives us a very dark and emotional episode, relying on character relationships and interactions.

This episode, along with the Doctor Dances (2005) and The Parting of the Ways (2005), is Christopher Eccleston's finest performance on the show. He captures the fierce reaction of the Doctor meeting the Dalek incredibly well - the fear, the anger and the desperation. Billie Piper is also at her very best here, particularly when she confronts the Dalek. Corey Johnson plays Henry Van Statten, arguably the first classic villain of the revived era. I love his performance from the very beginning. He plays very well opposite Eccleston.
Bruno Langley isn't very good, but he gets worse in The Long Game (2005).

Dalek features some of the finest interactions between the Doctor and the Daleks - or rather one single Dalek. It's an incredibly powerful reintroduction of the iconic monster. We see a darker side of the Doctor than ever before and rarely since. One could argue that it is the Doctor who is the real villain here.

Rose is put in the ultimate trouble here and the Doctor is forced to choose between saving her and keeping the Dalek at bay. The moment he realizes what he has done to her is heart-breaking. This is also the first episode where Rose is given a very important part, in reactivating the Dalek and making it question itself.

Henry Van Statten is a lovingly slimy and ignorant collector. His stupidity almost kills everyone on the base.
What makes the Dalek in this episode so scary and effective is the fact that it shows qualities most pre-revival era Daleks haven't shown before and it is capable of slaughtering soldier left and right by itself. That's more than most Daleks since have been able to do. I didn't think I would ever say this, but this episode makes me feel bad for the Dalek since it seems to suffer.

The production is very simple, but the new Dalek design is iconic, the music is beautiful and the direction is great. The set feels claustrophobic and the dark lighting makes it look scary and small.

This is a slow episode until the Dalek is released, but since the focus is put on the Doctor's reactions and the unique atmosphere around the lonely Dalek, everything still feels engagingly tense.

The atmosphere quickly turns dark, intense and menacing, which the acting and the claustrophobic setting helps to strengthen. The scene with the Daleks in the rain is one of the most chilling scenes in all of Doctor Who.
This episode is not only intense, but it's also inherently sad and murky, which Eccleston performs perfectly. The ending is one of the darkest moments in Doctor Who history, and the darkest in any Dalek story.

The Daleks were brought back with a bang, and more complex and dangerous than ever before. At the same time, Rose and the Doctor were significantly developed as characters.

This is one of the best episodes of the first series of revival Doctor Who. It's an emotional and intense story well worth multiple rewatches.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

You know a series has been going on for a while when the first season is set at a time in the future that has since been passed in real-life. Here it is 2012.

O lovely bit of fan-wankery here; the Utah museum has the head of a Mondasian Cyberman on display. That remains the only onscreen encounter between the Ninth Doctor and a Cyberman.

Davros is indirectly mentioned here by the Doctor.

Following their latest appearance in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), the Dalek here is capable of levitating up a staircase.

Score: 113/120