The Power of the Daleks by David Whitaker and Dennis Spooner
5 November - 10 December 1966
Now this is certainly one heck of a way to kick things off. I won't lie to you, I found this a tremendous story, and it's done a lot already to get me excited for the rest of this run. The creepy, well-developed setting, the tense atmosphere, and the performances of the main cast all come across magnificently. Ben and Polly finally started to "click" for me with this one, much to my relief. There is a lot more warmth between them and the new lead than there was with Hartnell, which helps quite a bit (I was particularly charmed by the Doctor and Polly's little Lesterson listen chant), and I've started to grow accustomed to their skeptical one/open-minded one dynamic. The Doctor is a little harder to pin down. He does immediately come across as a more quiet, reactive Doctor than the First, which I know will stick, but his curious behavior and seemingly distracted air are most definitely against the grain and put us at a deliberate distance from the new guy. I found myself warming to him by the end, though. If nothing else, it's a performance that inspires curiosity.
David Whitaker's thumbprint is all over this thing. The intention behind having the newly-changed Doctor's first adventure be on a planet full of mercury is dead obvious, but it is a nice touch that the Daleks prove to be immune to mercury's effect. Their utter conceptual opposition to the Doctor is driven home once more as the Daleks somehow recognize the Doctor long before Ben and Polly themselves are even sure of his identity. (This recognition seemingly defining the Doctor will be brilliantly reflected in the otherwise quite underwhelming Victory of the Daleks many years from now when the Doctor defines the Daleks in turn, giving them life.) Whitaker seems to understand what makes the Daleks tick just as well as their creator did, because they are absolutely creepy in this story, with their underhanded tactics coming at odds with their previous bombastic attempts to conquer the universe. Because they are underplayed in this manner at first, they seem far more dangerous than when they were drilling out planets' cores or gunning down ancient Egyptians by the cryptload. Their constant recitation of "I am your SERvant" becomes more sarcastic and cruel as the serial goes on, while the humans, too wrapped up in their own concerns, blithely continue to think they're telling the truth.
I think it's understandable to be frustrated at the stupidity of the human beings populating planet Vulcan as they fail to realize the danger inherent in the Daleks, but the whole point is that they're so busy with their petty power struggle that they're too blinkered to notice the threat that's right under their noses. Keeping in mind that the Daleks are essentially an allegory for fascism, this is sadly apposite, as the rise of hate and extremism is often ignored until it's too late. The more the Vulcan colonists plot and scheme against one another, the more the Daleks start to propagate themselves, increasing in number. There is a bleak scene in the final episode where we see countless colonists from all sides of the conflict lying dead, all killed by the same evil, their squabbles now meaning nothing. It's telling that in an earlier episode, even the Daleks are surprised by Bragen's murder of Hensell, with one making the chilling remark:
"Why do human beings kill human beings?"
It's a very good question. That is the power of the Daleks. Just like the Cybermen, they're a dark reflection of our own worst tendencies, and when played well (like this) they can make for some truly powerful stories. To descend even deeper into nerd territory, I'm made to think of Theoden's despairing line from the defense of Helm's Deep: "What can men do against such reckless hate?" That's easy: they can fight it. Or they can make stories about fighting it, which is as suitable of a substitute as I can think of. Having stories about it, even when steeped as firmly in allegory as this one, is a good reminder that the worst monsters are the ones of our own making, and it's up to us to defeat them.
I'll make no bones about saying that this is absolutely the best Dalek story yet. A few days ago I opined that Dalek fatigue had started to exact its toll on Doctor Who, but then this came along so soon after, proving that there were still new things to be done with them.
It's almost fitting that this is all being done as preparation to kill them off for good.
Anyway, more on the new Doctor himself next, and a hard swerve into psychedelia, as I search for some gentle people in Wonderland.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 13 May 2020.)
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