Doctor Who (1963) 12.04.03

Genesis of the Daleks - Part Three

Sarah doesn't fall very far. Sevrin, one of the Mutos, encourages her to get up and keep climbing up the scaffolding. She and Sevrin make it up to the nose cone of the rocket but before they can make it any further they are stopped by a couple of armed guards who climbed up after them.

The Doctor and Harry make it to the Kaled dome where they talk to some of the Kaled leaders. Mogran, the leader who convenes the meeting agrees to talk to Davros, hold an investigation, and bring a halt to all experiments in the Bunker until the investigation has been completed.

The Doctor and Harry make their way to the Thal dome, in search of Sarah, with some help from Ravon who now seems to be on the same side as them.

Davros and Nyder get wind of the meeting. Mogran comes and meets with Davros who is very conciliatory towards the Kaled leader. Davros decides that something has to be done to punish Mogran and the others once they have left.

Davros and Nyder also make their way to the Thal dome. They meet with the Thal leaders and give them the knowledge necessary to ensure that their giant rocket will successfully destroy the Kaled dome. The Thals are a bit suspicious of Davros but they are hungry enough for victory that they don't question him too much.

The Doctor and Harry free Sarah, Sevrin and the others who have been forced to help load the rocket. Harry, Sarah, and Sevrin make head back. The Doctor stays behind to try and do something to sabotage the rocket. The episode ends with him getting shocked by an energy field adjacent to the rocket.

Thoughts

I was a little surprised at how fast Harry and the Doctor, and Nyder and Davros made it to the Thal dome. One moment they were on one side of the lines and the next they are on the other.

I thought that Sarah and the others were suffering from exposure to radioactive material. That seems to be forgotten once the Doctor and Harry rescue them. Will it ever be mentioned again?

David Maloney (director), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), and Peter Miles (Nyder) are on the commentary track for this episode.

This is one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. There is no fat to trim here and the story does not feel overloaded. I've seen it at least a few times before. I am enjoying it all over again.