Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
Review
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Review
This is a six-part serial, first broadcast between 8th March - 12th April 1975. A brief and somewhat spoiler-ish summary of the plot: the Doctor's mission, should he choose to accept it, is to return to the birthplace of the Daleks and to change their history, in order to keep them from exterminating every non-Dalek in the universe.
There are a couple of things about this serial that keep bothering me each time I watch it. Since it's difficult to discuss these without spoilers, you may want to stop reading here.
- in part one the Doctor and Harry get separated from Sarah Jane, who is left behind lying unconscious in a trench that is filling up with poisoned gas. For all the two of them know she is either dead or in grave danger, yet neither shows any concern, or even remarks on her absence, until well into part three
- at the beginning of part one the Doctor is given a time ring, a device that should enable him to leave the planet once his mission is completed. The ring's only function seems to be to distract the Doctor from his mission by going missing or being inaccessible
- the same goes for the tape recording that Davros and Nyder make of the Doctor's revelations about the Daleks' weak spots. There's also the question - ignored by the script - whether destroying the tape will actually keep the bad guys from using what they've learned to start building better Daleks
- part one opens with the Doctor accepting the Time Lord's assignment to change history. Even though this does make for a nice, Bergmanesque moment, it means that two important plot points - 'the Doctor has the chance to change history' and 'the Time Lords are behind it' - that could have left the Doctor and the audience guessing for a few episodes, are being revealed right away. Doing so also undermines the otherwise powerful "…Do I have the right?…" scene to some extent, since one can't help wondering why the Doctor didn't realise from the start that successful completion of his mission might involve killing Daleks
- and, though they can't be blamed on the script, there's that giant clam clutching Harry's foot and that baby Dalek clutching the Doctor's throat. Both of these effects are weak enough to seem out of place in an otherwise well-made and well-acted serial
On the plus side, there is a great deal to enjoy here. The serial is well-paced with excellent performances from both the regulars and the supporting cast, there's plenty of tension and the lighting is gorgeous. In this serial we also see the series trying to take a new direction after the rather cosy Pertwee era, by introducing moral choice and ambiguity.
My verdict:
A must-see serial, in spite of its flaws.
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Original version of this review:
06/08/15
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