Doctor Who (1963) 1.02.03

The Escape

(aka The Daleks - Part Three)

Susan meets Alydon, one of the Thals, when she leaves the TARDIS. She is surprised to see that he is not mutated as the Daleks indicated. He gives her extra medicine to take back with her to the city.

Susan makes it back to the city. The Daleks find both boxes of medicine. They allow Susan to take one box to her friends. The Daleks keep the other box.

The Doctor, Ian, and Barbara recover once they have taken the medicine. The Daleks dictate a letter for Susan to take to the Thals. She signs it with her own name which puzzles the Daleks. She explains that the Thals expect it to be signed with her name.

Temmosus, the Thal leader, meets with Alydon and other Thals near the TARDIS. They talk about Susan and whether she can be trusted. Alydon trusts her and that is enough for Temmosus but he also thinks that they should be able to trust the Daleks. Alydon isn't quite so sure about that.

The Daleks eavesdrop on the Doctor and his companions. Ian figures this out based on something one of the Daleks says. The Doctor and the other stage an argument to give them an excuse to make it look like the security camera was damaged accidentally.

The Doctor and his companions set a trap for the Daleks. they immobilize one of the Daleks. They remove the creature they find inside out of the Dalek. Ian gets in to pilot the Dalek. The Doctor and the others don't see it but after they leave the room in which they were held prisoner, the creature they pulled out of the Dalek starts to move around the room.

Thoughts

There are two other Thals with names and speaking parts in this episode: Dyoni and Ganatus. Dyoni and Alydon seem to share a mutual attraction. She gets miffed when she hears him mention Susan. Ganatus is Alydon's brither. 

It's a little disturbing how the Thals all seem to have light blond hair. 

This episode does not feel padded in the least bit. There was a moment or two when they advanced the story faster than I expected. 

This isn't half bad. It isn't great by today's standards but this story is 60 years old.