This is a very unique Dalek story - In Genesis of the Daleks, they discuss the ethics of the titular creature, and the positive and negative impact they have on the Universe - this story puts those ethics into action, with a timey wimey script being built around the fact that the Daleks must kill to reinforce the timelines.

The Doctor is very morally grey, actively saving the Daleks in order to maintain the timelines from diverting, but the examples he gives are ethically wrong - "The Daleks have to kill!" It's a very interesting dilemma that this story poses and the way it's discussed is mature and engaging - The Doctor himself is deathly serious and insanely stubborn throughout - it's an odd shade for him to play, especially a kind-hearted portrayal that Peter Davison gives the character, but with a very grim story like this, it works. There's also nuanced and subtle character moments that both the Doctor and Nyssa get - they're pushed to the extremes, but get time to really get into each other - he's scared for his companion, who's constantly challenging him, wondering how they can meddle with time to save the Daleks if they couldn't do that for Adric. The pair really grow together as Nyssa is horrified by the Daleks' methods and wants to do anything she can to help the Doctor, but is surprised to discover his reluctance to spill the secrets of infinite temporal flux - Davison and Sutton are on a roll, their chemistry is fantastic and I love their relationship.

At first, I was a little sceptical to a wasp sting bringing about the end of the Dalek race - however, I really like the idea they were going with; small actions change the world. They did something similar with Rosa, but here we see the effect of it - The Daleks have ravaged the entire Universe, but they're dying out themselves. They're effective and ruthless throughout, and the Emperor returns. I have to admit, I absolutely adore the Emperor's voice from the Classic Series, it's far more intimidating than the New Series one. It's a little odd that the Emperor hid in a Thal for a while, it's kinda funny to hear him try and convince the Daleks that he's their ruler. Aside from that, this is a brilliant story for them - it's gritty, they're relentless and at their most desperate, killing off any mutated forms of the Kaled creature inside without a second thought. The final confrontation felt a little convoluted, where one's just shouting "Silence!" whilst Ganatus is threatening the Doctor and Ptolem is going to kill the Daleks, it's a lot of noise, but it's followed by a fairly sombre scene where the Doctor and Nyssa reflect on this, and the story ends pretty well.

A sequel to my favourite Dalek story! Nothing can top The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but it's still nice to see more of the invasion, with American Robomen - it's nice that we see more of a grander scale, as well as exploring the deadly aftermath of the Dalek's wrath - only 25 humans left on a dead Earth, and Skaro's incredibly atmospheric.

I love that we see more of the Daleks' nature in the side characters, taking advantage of Thal spies and being more sneaky - whilst they might be angry killing machines, they're not without subtler tactics. It was a shock to discover that almost everyone had some sort of allegiance with the Daleks, and if they didn't, they were killed off! Like I always say, to have a good Dalek story, you need to have characters to make them a threat!

The score is atmospheric and brilliantly sets the dismal tone of this story - it's excellently realised, blending in with the Skaro sound effects and there's some brilliant stings that make the Daleks feel like a powerful force.

Favourite Line: It's not so much that there is a correct or incorrect version of history, it's more a matter of the survival of the Universe.

This is an excellent Dalek episode - after the last few being a bit weak, it's a strong return to form. The story is grim, the actors are excellent and there's a mixture of beautiful and action-packed moments, accompanied by a very strong score. A well-balanced, tight script overall!