I do like the episode, i think it was good. Oswin was very charming throughout the episode and i really liked her.
I watched this live at the age of 14, which is a weird experience to think about. I watched it 6 years later, and now 5 years later i'm watching it again. Weird. I grew up with doctor who, and i'm glad i've been revisiting it and getting out my full thoughts and criticism recently.
I really, really don't like Amy and Rory traveling with the doctor again. I hoped hat was well and truly over at the end of The God Complex, and then again at the end of that season. It should have been over for Amy and Rory, to let them live peacefully in their life. The doctor even left them saying he didn't want them coming with him because he didn't want to be standing over their grave because of the danger of his adventures. When he returned to them for christmas dinner it had even been 2 years later.
Nevermind.
But i will say, i loved the ending of the last christmas special.
One of the greatest love stories in doctor who, the relationship between Rory and Amy. How much it was strengthened through the seasons, and they came to care so much for each other.
Nevermind, they're seperated. Oh now they're back together again, only Amy is randomly made infertile. Disrespectful.
At once it feels unrealistic the daleks acquiring the doctor and his companions in this way, so easily and sneakily. On the other hand it can go to the cunning and power of the daleks, adding more to their threat and legend and capability, because of course to stalemate the timelord race they must have been very capable and inventive in all kinds of ways. We've seen that through the show too, and like the dalek said in this episode, how they evolved to combat the doctor.
But it's then undermined by how the daleks plead with the doctor to save them.
As much as the episode undermines standard daleks, i do like parts where they think of the doctor as their predator. Though it is suspicious, i mean they could just kill him right there. And the daleks being scared of the other daleks or not wanting to kill them doesn't really make sense.
How did a cruise liner crash into the planet if there's an impenetrable forcefield?
It was nice seeing the doctor destroy some daleks. While it's understandable against the old and damaged daleks, we only see one really powerful dalek in the form of Oswin. The human dalek ones were just part of the planetary defense system. There should have been more examples of powerful, crazed daleks or something. I mean the daleks above were scared to go into this facility against these daleks? Really?
Amy feels like she can slap Rory when she regains consciousness. Imagine if it was the other way around. Oh and she slaps him again later. Remember that comment from River Song last season regarding the doctor "Oh you could just slap him sometimes" imagine if it was the other way around. Sexist.
Ugh.
It was fun seeing the asylum. The old, worn down or damaged daleks, and the infirmiry room near Oswin which housed daleks that the doctor had fought in various wars, i liked that bit of lore and how that was applied here, it was interesting, and the atmosphere was a bit creepy.
We should have had much more dialogue from the standard daleks in the asylum and from the infirmary ones, to really emphasis more their insanity. The infirmary ones should have had more dialogue to emphasize more their past experience with the doctor to make it more interesting. Make the various madness of the episode more interesting. Instead, we just got "doctor" repeated over and over as dialogue. No.
I knew already, but Oswin being an fused human and dalek is a fantastic and heartbreaking twist. And in the end, this dalek saved the doctor and his companions.
The most nuanced portrayal of a dalek since the season 1 episode "Dalek"
Actually no, i think the season 3 portrayal of the human dalek was more nuanced. But this episode had a good nuanced portrayal of the dalek human character. It was interesting and emotionally resonant.
The doctor who line at the end was corny but kinda cool, but i'm really not sure about wiping the memory of the doctor from the dalek's memory. And that ability from the Oswin dalek to do that felt overpowered.
Review by WardVIP 8BlockedParentSpoilers2023-12-13T10:43:28Z
I do like the episode, i think it was good. Oswin was very charming throughout the episode and i really liked her.
I watched this live at the age of 14, which is a weird experience to think about. I watched it 6 years later, and now 5 years later i'm watching it again. Weird. I grew up with doctor who, and i'm glad i've been revisiting it and getting out my full thoughts and criticism recently.
I really, really don't like Amy and Rory traveling with the doctor again. I hoped hat was well and truly over at the end of The God Complex, and then again at the end of that season. It should have been over for Amy and Rory, to let them live peacefully in their life. The doctor even left them saying he didn't want them coming with him because he didn't want to be standing over their grave because of the danger of his adventures. When he returned to them for christmas dinner it had even been 2 years later.
Nevermind.
But i will say, i loved the ending of the last christmas special.
One of the greatest love stories in doctor who, the relationship between Rory and Amy. How much it was strengthened through the seasons, and they came to care so much for each other.
Nevermind, they're seperated. Oh now they're back together again, only Amy is randomly made infertile. Disrespectful.
At once it feels unrealistic the daleks acquiring the doctor and his companions in this way, so easily and sneakily. On the other hand it can go to the cunning and power of the daleks, adding more to their threat and legend and capability, because of course to stalemate the timelord race they must have been very capable and inventive in all kinds of ways. We've seen that through the show too, and like the dalek said in this episode, how they evolved to combat the doctor.
But it's then undermined by how the daleks plead with the doctor to save them.
As much as the episode undermines standard daleks, i do like parts where they think of the doctor as their predator. Though it is suspicious, i mean they could just kill him right there. And the daleks being scared of the other daleks or not wanting to kill them doesn't really make sense.
How did a cruise liner crash into the planet if there's an impenetrable forcefield?
It was nice seeing the doctor destroy some daleks. While it's understandable against the old and damaged daleks, we only see one really powerful dalek in the form of Oswin. The human dalek ones were just part of the planetary defense system. There should have been more examples of powerful, crazed daleks or something. I mean the daleks above were scared to go into this facility against these daleks? Really?
Amy feels like she can slap Rory when she regains consciousness. Imagine if it was the other way around. Oh and she slaps him again later. Remember that comment from River Song last season regarding the doctor "Oh you could just slap him sometimes" imagine if it was the other way around. Sexist.
Ugh.
It was fun seeing the asylum. The old, worn down or damaged daleks, and the infirmiry room near Oswin which housed daleks that the doctor had fought in various wars, i liked that bit of lore and how that was applied here, it was interesting, and the atmosphere was a bit creepy.
We should have had much more dialogue from the standard daleks in the asylum and from the infirmary ones, to really emphasis more their insanity. The infirmary ones should have had more dialogue to emphasize more their past experience with the doctor to make it more interesting. Make the various madness of the episode more interesting. Instead, we just got "doctor" repeated over and over as dialogue. No.
I knew already, but Oswin being an fused human and dalek is a fantastic and heartbreaking twist. And in the end, this dalek saved the doctor and his companions.
The most nuanced portrayal of a dalek since the season 1 episode "Dalek"
Actually no, i think the season 3 portrayal of the human dalek was more nuanced. But this episode had a good nuanced portrayal of the dalek human character. It was interesting and emotionally resonant.
The doctor who line at the end was corny but kinda cool, but i'm really not sure about wiping the memory of the doctor from the dalek's memory. And that ability from the Oswin dalek to do that felt overpowered.