Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Doctor Who (1963) 1.02.02

The Survivors
(aka The Daleks - Part Two)

The Doctor, Ian, and Susan look for Barbara. They find a radiation meter which indicates high levels of radiation are present and which also explains why they are all feeling sick. The Doctor wants to return to the TARDIS but Ian insists that they find Barbara first. 

They start to look for their missing friend and are captured by robots that glide across the floor. Ian tries to escape. One of the robots shoots him, Ian survives but his legs are numb. The Doctor and Susan have to help him walk. They are taken to a room and locked in. Barbara is there.

The robots or Daleks, as the Doctor soon discover they are called, interrogate the Doctor. He learns that they are at war with the Thals, a race of mutated beings. The Doctor theorizes that the item left near the TARDIS (in the previous episode) must have been medicine to help them deal with the radiation levels.

The Doctor asks the Daleks if one of them can go retrieve the medicine. The Daleks agree to the plan. Ian wants to be the one to go but his legs have not recovered yet. Susan is in the best shape so she agrees to go. She runs back to the TARDIS.

The Daleks have decided to let the Doctor and his companions die, even if Susan returns with the medicine.

Susan gets back to the TARDIS but not without seeing a couple shapes that look somewhat humanoid. She gets the medicine box and gets ready to return to the city.

Thoughts

Gary Russell (Big Finish, Doctor Who Magazine), Verity Lambert (producer), Christopher Barry (director) are on the commentary track for this episode. The things they talk about include
  • how Ridley Scott was originally supposed to design the Daleks but didn't due to a scheduling conflict
  • how the shadows of booms can be seen in some scenes of this episode
  • the objections from higher ups at BBC to making this story
This episode was good. Information is slowly getting revealed about the Daleks and their enemies, the Thals. I thought it was a little silly and melodramatic how Ian wants so badly to be the one to retrieve the medicine and how scared Susan acts on her trip back to the TARDIS.

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