Dalek is the first episode, in the revised and re-envisioned Doctor Who series that was profoundly good, the ones leading up to this one, have their strengths, and while contain great stories, this one, the sixth episode in this Season One, formally, to me, known as the Ninth Doctor, was superb. Contains the (re)introduction of the Dalek as the Time Lord's oldest and most cunning adversary, (would like to know more on this cosmology, this character relation, how it started, what kinds of stories have been developed containing this rivalry, etc. also has it been from the beginnings? the actual first season??)
EXTERMINATE!
And so, this episode, goes in depth with this newly planted story arc of the Last Great Time War, between the Daleks and the Time Lords, in which all perished, leaving, as he once thought, him the only survivor, and him being the reason for this genocide (on both ends)
This episode is so strong, because it pits these two last remaining remnants of a species, a Dalek and a Time Lord, face to face, mortal enemies, then develops their characters throughout the episode in a way that places them in each other's shoes,. ie: the Dalek is given feelings because Rose Tyler touched him ("touched" him, get it? with emotions?) allowing him to regenerate based on her time-traveling energy, which apparently is kept within her DNA, which is the fuel it uses to regenerate itself. And in this process, he is given feelings, and emotions, he begins to have an existential crisis, in which he ruminates and questions his existence, his purpose, if I do not kill, then what is my purpose, if I cannot take orders, then what is my purpose? Who can give me orders, when there is no other Dalek left in existence to give me any? Lo and behold, in later episodes, we find that there are indeed other Daleks, actual pure ones, who are not mutated as this one was, with "mangled" mutt emotions and the putrid filth of feeling.
On top of this is suicide and genocide, with the Dalek committing suicide at the end, based on Rose's orders, it places her above him, as some sort of savior, and takes his final command from her, to exterminate itself. It begins to feel fear...is this the basis of self questioning? The basis of all existential angst? Fear? Seems rightly so, seems obvious, however never connected the two. With the incorporation of human genes, it begins to question its own reality, place in the universe, asking proverbial questions as "What is a Dalek?" Violence and hatred. Genocide and ignorance. Intolerance. Tyranny. Injustice. These creatures are unmerciful and will not stop destroying anything that is un-Dalek. And in an ingenious move, the writer, Robert Shearman, places the Doctor in this context, as one who also has committed genocide on his enemy's race, who hates, and who will go to anything to destroy, who is the better?
What I love about this series, is that it takes more of a reasoning approach, almost empathic, that takes into consideration larger issues of things like, genocide, and gives more credit to the supposed "other", giving them a context and viewpoint, when so often, they are just painted black or white and given no gray area to swim about in. Enemies are that way for a reason, and it is not always so obvious or plain, it does not take a reductionist "kill all" mentality, as would a genocidal race, which has been seen from the context of the "good guys" perspective all too often, but not portrayed in this way (paradoxical perhaps?) its deeper than that, this show's perspective, and treats most of the monsters and aliens with at least some respect,although most do turn to be self-serving and "evil", or power hungry, or greedy, or gluttonous, etc.
And corporate interests and the artifactation and museumizing of the universe is also dealt with, in a pretty biased way, in which i agree, a great line is in this vein:
the Doctor:
"An old friend of mine, well, enemy...the stuff of nightmares now reduced to an exhibit...I'm getting old."
Definitely makes it clear that out and living in the universe, to see it firsthand, and to experience it is living, not containing it and keeping it within a museum, or burying it, and I guess a museum or archive is of this like, a burial, a coffin, it is placed to rest, for its context is then lost, left to the realm of thoughts and knowledge, the realm of memory and nostalgia, once entered into a museum, it is dead...life sucked right out, eh? Sure, people will be able to experience it, but I suppose, it is the act of experiencing something in ts habitat, its own context, or just out of categorization, or alphabetization that makes it alive...an archive is a graveyard is it not? A burial chamber, a Temple of the Dead? A pyramid? Waiting for that trip to the other World? That trip across Acheron? Styx?
Great direction and storytelling/writing and the performances were also quite good, although the van Statten character was a bit stereotypical, he nevertheless served his purpose. The slaughter of the soldiers by the lone Dalek was handled with a bit of sympathy and empathy, which served to embolden the main thesis/point of the episode, which was to characterize the feelings of murder and violence against another, to either be able to sympathize, or to be intolerant towards, the supposed "other". In ways such as this, one defines the other. They are in essence, connected, through their hatred and murder, their deaths...the lone of each, singularity, which is the Doctor's life at this point. Will he be nothing more than this emptied Dalek? Who must get his orders? Who, in the end, will commit suicide, as the lone Dalek did, to end his race in shame? Of course not, for the Doctor represents, in some ways, all that is good in humanity, or what could possibly be, an archetype of sorts, an alien's view of humanity yet imbued with the human condition in himself, so that we can relate, we can see the Doctor within us, and with his problems, we strive to see ours, and possibly gain inspiration from him, an answer perhaps?
The corporatizing of life. The sell of it. Why when you could be a participant? The Doctor told van Statten that the Dalek was more honest about what it was, and therefore better than him, nice. Honesty and truth seem to be valued over many things. Was he an actor of Sartre's "bad faith"? Was it truly him to act as the corporate pig? Or was it just "all the World's a stage?" Ignoring his essential being of having freedom for choice...too..."corporate-ly"?
Anyways, excellent episode, and the best one of the series so far, Donnie needs to watch this one, thought about him as I watched the Dalek struggle with his new-found "humanity" think he could definitely relate, he reminds me of a Dalek in some ways! Interestingly enough, it wasn't even written by Davies, however Davies is an excellent writer, no question there, kudos to Robert Shearman, though!
