The Dalek Invasion of Earth

For the first time the show was working within an epic landscape. The huge sets and real locations look amazing on screen. The bravery in a children's television programme taking on a post-apocalyptic London in the early 1960s is considerable, but pays off massively. They made the Dalek's even more formidable through turning them into a worldwide threat.

All of non-regular cast in this story are fantastic. It gives you a strong idea of how different characters would react to this kind of invasion. Some would group together, some would screw others over.

Sure, susan's relationship with some random character develops a bit to quickly for most fan's liking. After only a couple of days they have to spend their whole life together, but in the context of a show from this time, I can forgive this. Susan's leaving scene is fantastic, a perfect piece of Doctor Who history. It is always odd to hear the Doctor's famous "one day I'll come back" speech within its original context. The first companion leaves, and the show's mechanism for continual renewal is set in motion.

I’m very conflicted on this one. The Daleks are back! And this time, it’s personal!

Well, not really. Since apparently, these daleks are older models that haven’t met the doctor yet. At the same time, they’re also more advanced and can move without magnets. So, they’re both older, and newer…?

Putting that aside, this keeps in line with the “bigger species” thing that classic who has going on. In modern who, it is pretty safe to assume that, once a species has been met, they’ll remember the Doctor in every future encounter. I like that, since it makes the universe feel bigger. At the same time, maybe this story could do with a more personal touch.

The Daleks being on earth is a bit of a stretch for the same robots that wouldn’t function if they didn’t touch the ground anymore. So they put a satellite dish on their backs and called it a day. I wish their drive for invasion was a bit stronger. What if these daleks wanted revenge on the Doctor and his companions for overthrowing their civilization? So they decide to go for earth, the planet these outsiders came from, and that’s why they upgraded. It would be in context with their nazi-esque behavior and aesthetic (which is stronger than before), and it would allow for more investment.

Instead these daleks are mining for the magnetic core of the earth and are trying to turn the earth into some kind of spaceship. That’s fine. They decide to do so with the help of robo-men and some kind of strange pet. That’s… less fine. A lot of time is spent on these superficial foes instead of the main threat. Sadly, they aren’t all that interesting, and they distract from the enemy we all want to see. They’re like obstacles for the actual entertainment. Just look at how this story is remembered. It’s with Daleks walking across London, not with robo-men marching through the streets.

That’s enough complaining for now, let’s look at the character work. Ian does not get a lot to do this time, that’s okay. Something I noticed in this story and the previous one, is that he seems more stern and strict. Not sure why, but it isn’t too distracting. The Doctor gets some nice moments, and still feels very energetic. I like the direction they’re taking with him. Let’s see where that goes.

Barbara gets a lot of the limelight, maybe even too much if we consider what’s coming up, but she handles it well. A highlight is her distracting the Daleks with random history facts. Who said those don’t come in handy?

However, then we come to Susan. This is her last episode. Let me start out by saying that her leaving the Tardis was heartfelt and very well presented. It felt natural and understandable, more than I expected. These dalek stories might not always be the best, but they know how to do their endings for sure.

Susan’s motivation for leaving can be arguable, since it isn’t presented that strongly either here or in previous stories. Sadly, the audio’s haven’t really bothered to expand on it either. There just isn’t that much setup towards it. Even within this own tale.

What they could’ve done, was swap the roles of Barbara and Jenny with Susan and David. This would show them interacting a bit more and could build up to them creating a place for themselves to call home. It would also show Susan as being more capable thanks to her travelling (Instead of one of the most childish portrayals she’s had in quite a while, which is kind of awkward). Oh well, at least I still believe to romance and conflicting emotions are heartfelt. It could’ve been worse.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a lot. That’s why I’m still typing. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like it reaches for much in its storytelling. It’s pretty mundane stuff with very little actual Dalek, and an ending that could be seen as half-hearted. Still, it hits some nice personality beats and end on one of the most famous, sweetest notes in the entire history of the show, so it scrapes by because of that. I’m glad I’ve seen it, but I’m never gonna watch it again (except for that ending).

Dark, moody, gripping and a relentless downer, The Dalek Invasion of Earth explores the concept, 'What if the Nazis won', with crazed aplomb, well-rounded, compelling characters and a fleshed-out setting that is fantastic for the time. It is little wonder that this is the same mind that would eventually bring us the Dalek magnum opus Genesis of The Daleks, even if it did take a few duds along the way, this is the seed of that magnum opus.
10/10