The Chase

“London 1965 !”

The Chase est une course sacrément folle. 

Maintenant que tout est possible, tout ce que l’univers compte de champignons géants, de trucs à tentacules, ou de monstres de foire, poutre joyeusement du Dalek !

Mais c’est aussi tellement foisonnant d’idées, de concepts, de moments d’anthologie, que c’est pas seulement imprévisible, c’est souvent brillant. 

Puis il y a la fin toute douce. Certes deux des compagnons les plus importants s’en vont … 

Mais on se rend compte avec eux du sacré voyage qu’on vient de vivre. 

So, after watching the episodes composing this serial semi-regularly (one or two a day, with a nice addition of Doctor Who and the Daleks between 5th and 6th), I can definently say that I overall enjoyed it. It is not a flawless story, there are some ploblems here and there, but… idc

This serial just feels really… Doctor Who. Like, you got everything here: some classic sci-fi of the Daleks vs Mechanoids, some comedy (certain episodes just outright feel like a light-hearted spoof), then there is adventure, danger and a early step into that would eventually become The Land of Fiction (lk it’s not technically The Land of Fiction, but the Nation’s idea for that place certainly have similarities with that would eventually become The Land of Fiction).

The first episode is literally just our protagonists chilling in the TARDIS and watching some historical scenes that bear practically no relevence to the plot of the story! Gotta love the story that manages to be everything Doctor Who is about. It is trying to be sci-fi, in some ways it is trying to be a horror, in some ways it is trying to be a comedy, but in all ways… It is trying to be Doctor Who. And I love this show. So it was impossible for me to not like it I think. 10/10

6️⃣🔽 = SOMEWHAT ENJOYABLE!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“THE CHASE, AKA HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY EVADE DALEKS!”

Terry Nation returns with a wild extravaganza that sees the Daleks chase the Doctor and his companions across time and space through six episodes before finally seeing Ian and Barbara leave the TARDIS at the end. It’s known as The Chase, and it's a wildly uneven affair.

Terry Nation is a lazy writer. With The Chase, Nation yet again repeats himself by essentially copy-pasting elements from his previous scripts: the idea of changing settings for each episode is taken from The Keys of Marinus (1964), while the cliffhanger to Part 1 (the “Oh my God! It’s a Dalek!” cliffhanger) is a blatant rip-off of the cliffhanger to Part 1 of The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), and the Mechanus episodes are like a compressed version of The Daleks (1963-1964). Add to that his decision to use yet another jungle setting and include another secondary monster of little value (the Slyther vs. the Mire Beasts, or, perhaps worse, the Fungoids!) and his biggest selling point, the "new Daleks," also known as the Mechonoids. And what is up with all these cringeworthy episode titles (The Death of Time! The Death of Doctor Who!)?

The Chase is also known as the point in the original run of Doctor Who where the show decided to start parodying itself. Nation's intention was probably to provide a fun-time light-hearted adventure featuring the Daleks, but the blend of a nonsensical plot, very tongue-in-cheek performances, silly concepts, and that strange, jazzy circus score makes this feel more of a spoof than an actual, serious adventure within the show's canon.

The problem with anthology stories is that we visit so many times and places throughout the six episodes that none of the settings come truly alive or feel particularly important to the story (with the possible exception of Mechanus). The first two episodes are dull and go nowhere; the middle two episodes are laughable and pointless; and the final two are trying too hard to recreate The Daleks on a smaller scale. None of it truly amazes me the way the best Doctor Who episodes do.

There are also no real stakes at play. The Daleks are so hopelessly lost in their pursuit of the Doctor, and the other dangers faced by the TARDIS crew are so stupid that there's not an inch of tension in the plot. However, the narrative remains fresh and unexpected in its silliness, which makes this one of the better-flowing six-parters in Doctor Who history.

Not only does the opening episode of Nation's anthology epic include some rare scenes of life inside the TARDIS, but it also includes an extended sequence with the Time-Space Visualiser (never to be seen again, sadly, although it does pop up again in other media), allowing the TARDIS crew to watch such historical events as The Beatles playing "Ticket to Ride" on Top of the Pops (the only surviving clip of that gig, ironically), and Ian jamming delightfully to the tune; Shakespeare talking with Queen Victoria (both to be seen again!) or the Gettysburg address—scenes that are completely irrelevant to the rest of the plot but somehow very fascinating nonetheless. These are the sort of moments we rarely see in the modern show because there's little to no time for extra fluff beyond plot-relevant scenes.

Part 3 is a mess of an episode, featuring additions to canon (the Doctor built the TARDIS??!), the making of history (the disappearance of the Mary Celeste), a nonsensical plot, non-sonic screwdrivers, a Dalek screaming like a human as it plunges into the water (sigh!) and terrible American accents (brought to you by the one and only Peter Purves in his Doctor Who debut a couple of episodes before his return as a totally different character, and the new companion—did I mention how strange a story this one is?). This is probably one of the weirdest, messiest, and "funniest" episodes in Doctor Who history.

What is Part 4 supposed to achieve? This trek through a house of horrors is ... interesting, to say the least, and proves to be a low point for the Daleks. This entire episode is, in fact, a low point for the series up to this point. It’s also ridden with production errors (such as the infamous Dalek visible at the back of a shot several scenes before they have arrived on the scene) that make it look like it was improvised on the spot.

The last two episodes on Mechanus provide some good sci-fi adventure. Granted, these episodes are a rehash of the far superior story The Daleks, but there's some nice production design here, and the concept of the imposter Doctor is good on paper, as is the futuristic city of the Mechanoids and the battle between them and the Daleks.

If there is one thing that truly works with The Chase, it is the naturally warm character relations between the main cast members. The Doctor is sharp throughout this and showcases determination, warmth, and empathy, but also a sense of humour. Vicki feels like a full-fledged part of the team by now, and Barbara and Ian are so closely knitted to the Doctor's world that their departure by the end of the story truly hits all the feels (the moment in Part 2 where Ian asks for Barbara’s cardigan and she replies, “Oh no, not again!” is an iconic one). That being said, Vicki's characterisation is all over the place. One second, she is eerily close to Susan; the other, she's more of the seemingly intelligent kind she is meant to be. It's as if Terry Nation wasn't told about the fact that Carole Ann Ford wasn't on the show anymore (despite, you know, writing her out in his previous story!).

The Doctor taking offence to Barbara apparently calling his singing awful, answering Morton Dill with "No, it ain’t!” or running scared from a Frankenstein's monster robot; Morton Dill's doofus dialogue (“You have different years here?”); the stuttering Dalek—whether by design or accidentally, Terry Nation provides a script filled with dialogue that frequently makes me giggle—and that’s a rare feat for a Doctor Who story, even today.

Crammed into the final few minutes of the last episode, Ian and Barbara's departure feels very sudden, but it's filled with genuine emotion from a heartbroken William Hartnell bidding his farewell (in what is a top-three acting moment from the man on this show). Seeing these two close friends get the happy ending they deserve still makes their exit one of the best the show has ever done.

Morton Dill is so bad he's good. The unnecessary supporting role in Part 3 landed Peter Purves the new companion role three episodes later, and that terrible accent and goofy persona are something to remember, for better and for worse. He’s one of the few supporting characters who’ve survived an encounter with the Daleks.

New companion Steven (played by the aforementioned Purves in the fastest return of a guest actor in the history of television) is energetic and likeable, making the last episode of this serial worth the watch. Yes, he's shoehorned in just to introduce him as the new series regular, but Purves seems to put his heart into the performance.

There's something clever about the impostor Doctor. He is antagonistic and selfish, much like the Doctor was when we first met him in An Unearthly Child (1963), a clever callback to how much the character has developed in just two seasons. How no one noticed the obvious difference between him and the real Doctor is a real mystery, though.

The Daleks in The Chase are made ridiculous and useless for no good reason. Gone are the Nazi allegories, larger-than-life plots, and cold-blooded murders. What's left are hopeless shells of stuttering and one-liner-dropping dustbins.

The Mechanoids are a concept that works only on paper. They are big and clumsy, with terribly annoying voices, and lack any of the character or authority of the Daleks. It's no wonder they ended up being another failed attempt at recreating the success of the Daleks.

Most ideas fall flat due to bad execution. The Visualiser is a concept never used for anything substantial; the action direction on Mary Celeste and in the House of Horrors is messy and sloppy, and the Doctor's robot clone doesn't look at all like Hartnell and falls short on amateurish sound design and editing. The way they edit between Hartnell and his stand-in is so jarringly bad that a three-year-old would have done a better job using nothing but MS Paint!

Richard Martin's direction simply isn't good enough. The House of Horrors sequence is made worse by Martin's directorial decisions, and the frankly impressive set used for Mechanus is likewise made less impressive by the fact that Martin doesn't know how to direct the characters acting on it.

This adventure is a mixed bag for me—there are many good and enjoyable things about it, but also so many silly and downright bad things that drag it down for me. All things considered, The Chase should be a 5/10, but there are enough good things (the variety, some of the humour, the performances, and Ian and Barabara’s exit) to push the rating to a 6/10.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• This is the first time we encounter a doppelgänger of the Doctor, something that will reoccur multiple times going forward (in stories such as The Massacre, The Enemy of the World, Meglos, The Arc of Infinity, A Nightmare in Silver, and so on).

“We’ve made it! London, 1965!”

A definition of a mixed bag, but it’s mostly fun, even if very campy and silly at points. The basic plot of the Daleks chasing the crew through time and space is a great idea, allowing for different locales and times, with fun moments at the Empire State and an absolutely bizarre interlude at a haunted house.

The cast are all having a blast, and the ending for Ian and Barbara is nicely done. The Daleks aren’t as threatening as their previous stories but still make a fun appearance here. Perhaps underutilised but enjoyable.

Fun and silly, but with plenty of great moments.

While The Dalek Invasion of Earth is the most iconic Hartnell story, one of the most iconic dalek stories period, this is the winner in my book. There is nothing like The Chase. There is nothing as exciting, as exhilarating, as The Chase. The Beatles are in it, for god's sake. From the Empire State Building in my very own New York City to the best haunted house of all time, this is the precursor to the blockbuster stories of the third and fourth doctor eras, it is is non-stop action and it is non-stop amazing. For some reason Steven is there playing a cowboy (in New York?) for like a full ten minutes. That alone makes it a 10/10. Ian and Barbra are the sweetest companions, and their absences, both of them, will be greatly missed. As I slog through some of my less favored companions, leggy young women, I remember Barbra. The school teacher. As much dramatic action, as much content, as Ian or The Doctor.

The Chase: 9.5/10 - I have said this about a large amount of stories but this one was just so much fun. The Daleks were extremely entertaining in this story and the main cast really got to shine. Vicki was amazing in this story and her infiltration of the Dardis was really cool. The different settings really made it feel like a grand adventure across time and these locations themselves all felt very lived in. I thought episodes 2 and 5 were a bit slow at points but the other 4 episodes were all quality. The Mechanoids were an interesting new species and the battle between them and the Daleks was also interesting. I thought Steven was off to a rocky start in this story but he still seems very interesting and I’m excited to get to know him more. Ian and Barbara’s departure was honestly so great. They have both been absolutely amazing companions and seeing them so happy to return to their old lives was very wholesome. 

It's hard to get my head around this one, there are good and bad bits.

It's nice to feel there is a linear storyline at work here and that each journey leads off from the previous one. It's just a shame that we spend such little time in each location. It follows a very repetitive pattern: the TARDIS lands, the Daleks land soon after, the TARDIS lands somewhere else, etc. It's almost as if Terry Nation is trying to suggest that it is enough to land on a pirate ship without writing anything more than that. The number of locations does not make up for the lack of ideas.

The writing of the Aridians, Mara and Mechanoids are fantastic. I wish these aspects of the story had more air time. It feels like everything has been thrown at this story and whilst 2 out of 3 things worked, 1 in 3 really don't. In contrast, the Daleks are made too comical in parts - all that effort in making them scary in their first two stories is completely wasted, it becomes a farce. Though the Dalek rising out of the sand has to be one of the best shots in the show. The soundtrack is odd from episode two onwards, something terrible can be happening but this jingly jangly happy piano sound in the background.

Steven is as amazing as he is deranged in this story. I can't wait to see more of him. It is very brave to leave him on the planet. "I need my mascot!"

There is an amazing send off for Ian and Barbara, I'm sincerely going to miss them. There is an odd photo sequence in London, but this is more than made up for by the exploding time machine, the bus ride confusion and the doctor's sad farewell. Who said that classic who couldn't do companion send-offs well?

The Chase is a lot of goofy fun and nothing but a bit of classic Doctor Who. Definitely the kind of story one needs to enjoy with a bit of context for its time, but on the whole I had a lot of fun with this. The Daleks even manage a bit of menace in spite of the silliness with their ability to just keep chasing down the Doctor. Ian and Barbara's departure leaves a lot to be desired just because it is edited so oddly, but still, it was a memorable moment and now has a bittersweet tone to it with so many of these actors lost to time.  I was entertained, and in a lot of ways that's more than enough for a pretty solid Classic Doctor Who adventure.

This is such a fun camp story it shocks me that there are people who hate this story and dispise the haunted house segment I love it it’s what i live for in 2024

A massive story that combines the most successful elements of the show into one big saga. If Doctor Who had stopped after 2 seasons, this would’ve been the finale.

The Daleks are back! Again! But this time, they have mastered time travel. The party might be a little ahead, but their lead is slipping….

First of all, I mentioned in my review of “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” that I wish there were more personal stakes between the Doctor and the Daleks. This story decides to go that route. The Daleks have a clear goal: Revenge. Revenge on the doctor for stopping 3 of their previous plans (How that works timeline-wise, I leave up to you).

Before the titular chase, we have an adventure like any other. The party has some great moments in the tardis with each other. And I just love these party relations. Vicki has fully earned her spot by now too. Everyone reacts to each other in fun way, but there can still be some tension. It’s like a family in a sense.

After some random squabbling in the tardis, we land on a sand planet. It’s fun! Not outstanding, but the party is having a blast, so we join them! Some standard Doctor Who fare happens. 2 party members get lost and hurt and all that stuff. The usual. But this changes once the Daleks come into view. The party has to leave! And quick!

It's a great subversion. All is well in the world. Another adventure with Doctor Who, but then that message is heard, and a Dalek rises from the sand. Very exciting stuff. Especially that dalek appearing in the desert. It’s a great visual.

The next episodes spends some time with the locals. Nothing too noteworthy. Their concept is interesting, but no time for all that! We bring the party back together in the tardis, and we RUN! We Flee through time and space from the most famous enemy. Peak Doctor Who. We go to New York, the Mary Celeste, a horror house and a fungus planet. And it’s a blast! All of Doctor Who is happening in quick succession and this is the most alive the TV show has ever felt. Showing us all the show has done, while at the same time showing us it has loads more potential.

And it is just some great visual variety. We meet an Alabama guy on a roof, We throw a Dalek off a boat, Dracula is there and a monster dunks a dalek on the ground. It’s dynamic, surprising and just plain fun.

The Daleks even decide to make a robot clone of the Doctor, which leads to some fun shenanigans. The way they discover who the real doctor is, is really fun too. The robot suddenly calls Vicki “Susan”, and everybody knows what’s up. And it makes sense! How would the Daleks know she left? Great callback that makes sense in context.

Sadly we are running out of steam a bit though. Even with the fun Doctor duplicate, the last location is a bit of a dud. It’s a fungus planet and we spend a lot of time in a cave. Not the most exciting. The show has just hyped us all the way to Mars, so having to slow down is a bit sad and could be a bit smoother. Suddenly going back to being captured and locked up feels like a downgrade.

It's not all bad though! We meet Steven! A guy who has been left alone in a cage for 2 years. They present him really well. Barbara says his name and he almost begs to hear it again. Lovely stuff. Makes him immediately endearing.

Sadly, the appearance of Steven also marks the end of an era for the show. Ian and Barbara will be leaving. They’ve been with us for over 50 adventures, and it will be a shame to see them go. While I will miss them, I do think they could’ve been handled a little better this story. Nothing hints at this being their final story, and the goodbyes feel a bit too short. We get a slideshow of them being back, but I’d rather have a more clear throughline in the story. Some hints along the way. Oh well, it was nice for what it was and we do get some emotional moments with the Doctor. Those do feel earned.

And that’s “The Chase”. It’s breakfast, lunch and dinner in one. Everything happens. It’s up to you to keep up. And it’s a joy. While I have my qualms with it, like the last location and the final moments of Ian and Barbara, I still had an amazing time. While not perfect, it’s one of the most Doctor Who episodes ever. That’s worth seeing.

The Chase is basically a better-written version of The Keys to Marinus with Daleks, and it's quite fun actually. A nice breezy watch, with the first couple of parts functioning like a Universal Studios attraction, which is very fun. Every part seems to just fly by, honestly can't believe it's a 6-parter, cause it feels like a short 4-parter, definitely, I'd say it's the most 'fun' Dalek story, whether that's something you'd want is a different matter, though I will say things like Barbara imitating a machine gun with the long torch and Peter Purves' introduction being a funny country bumpkin is absolutely lovely.

Mind you, it isn't the best-written story, more than a little mediocre throughout, and is at its best when it is light and fun, however, some things are too silly to be enjoyable, I don't care much for a Dalek whose quirk is saying, "umm, umm" a lot, or the Daleks nodding with their eye-stalks.

I quite like the idea of the Daleks making a clone of the Doctor to sow chaos and disorder and ultimately try to kill the TARDIS team (classic Dalek manipulation going forward) and if memory serves, this is the first instance that really shows their great strategic mind, though if they did this in future they'd probably give the robot a better weapon than a stick, in fact, when they do this in the future they give the robots a better weapon than a stick, still a good idea though.

I quite like the Mechanoids, they're good fun, this is my first time seeing them, and I'm already sad we don't see them more, I know they're basically just spherical Daleks that only attack when provoked, but I think they could still be a lot of fun to revisit from time to time, like the Judoon or the Ood.

Now, I am not usually big on male companions, call me a lesbian, but I don't really like it when men talk, but despite this, I already like Steven quite a lot, Peter is a magnetic performer and I feel like I'm going to have a lot of fun watching Steven be a good-hearted, ridiculous fool.

I must admit I got quite emotional watching Ian and Barabara leave, I used to think that they were little more than caricatures, but as I have warmed to Classic Who, looking past the shoddy effects and instead looking at the writing, engaging with the story as it is, I have grown quite fond of those two lovelies, I shall miss them, silly old fusspots. I think their farewell was handled very well and I especially like the fun photograph montage of them having fun and going home and especially, especially that it cuts to The Doctor and Vicki watching it on Time-Space Visualizer set up in part 1, which is actually quite a modern technique of filmmaking, quite impressed with how well that all fit together.

I guess it is nice to have 1 Dalek story that isn't about the horrors of war or racism, but the light tone makes them feel like much less of a threat than I believe they should be, it's an experiment to be sure, just not one I feel quite works, it is weird to see the Daleks in what can best be described as a 'space romp', with funny characters and cooky locations, it's an odd fit yet despite that I still quite like the story. it isn't the best-written story, it isn't the best utilization of the Daleks, or the Mechanoids, but all-together it is just very likeable in the same way that a lot of Nu-Who manages to be.
8/10