[Vastrax @replies]

After watching “Into the Dalek (8.02)” for a second time, I found the episode to be more satisfying than I had described in my review. However, after my second viewing, I realised that a lot of my complaints and objections were very small, indeed, and that I was perhaps a little too hard on this episode seeing as how it was very different from the New Who Dalek-episode paradigm.

As such, I’d like to modify my original rating of 6.5/10 to 7.5/10. I’m looking forward to next Saturday’s episode!

@othrworldr

No, I actually hadn’t noticed that. And that is a very good observation! Moffat-thinking…

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@ellawelly Your DIY was great! I can’t imagine how much concentration, time, and patience it took to make (the diary).

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@wolfweed

That is an absolutely incredible video!!! I wish that I could’ve gone to FanExpo.

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@arbutus

Thank you for the compliment!

With Ross, I knew that he injured the Dalek, but I thought that was the Doctor gave him caused the antibodies to kill him, though I’m not entirely sure how.

Also, you asked me to cite an episode where the Daleks ran away. When I wrote that comment, I was thinking of one in particular: “Victory of the Daleks (5.03)”. But, I suppose that they (also) sort-of got a little scared in “The Asylum of the Daleks (7.01)”, and got the Doctor to do their dirty work. Though that isn’t running away or hiding, it’s still fear of eradication; whether it was of an individual Dalek or of their entire race. Those are the only episodes that I can think of.

As for the whole Missy thing, I’ve read tonnes of theories on what might be going on, and so I suppose I wouldn’t need reminding. I suppose it was more of a personal thing, really… But, still, I think it completely killed the action in that scene. I’m not exactly sure what they should’ve done; it’s almost indescribable — but, hey! I suppose that’s why I’m not making Moffat’s millions (or however much money of pounds/dollars). And, I, like you, prefer a minimal emphasis on the story arc. Though this may not be the case with you, I like to get these little hints here and there on why might be happening. I just hope that we see more progression in the long-term story-arc in the upcoming episodes.

@silverman

Sorry, I may not have been clear with my whole opinion of Danny Pink. I think he’s like the Eleventh Doctor in a way that he is a good man, but regrets his misdeeds of the past. I think that with Clara’s ability to persuade the Doctor and Danny’s possibly very troubled past experiences might shape the personality of the Twelfth Doctor. I hope that I’ve been a little more descriptive in this post…

Au revoir!

[Vastrax @replies]

I found “Into The Dalek (8.02)” to be fairly entertaining, as it dealt with a topic that has been widely discussed throughout Doctor Who reviews on the Internet: the Twelfth Doctor’s morality. I knew that Capaldi’s incarnation was to be darker, and more cynical than his predecessor, Matt Smith, but I’d no idea he’d be so utilitarian. When Ross was killed by the antibodies, I was in utter shock! I’ve never, ever seen the Doctor lead a human being to his/her death so deliberately, and with little care after the fact. In fact, I’ve never even considered it.

Also, this episode gave a little bit more meaning to that age-old phrase that we’ve all been hearing since 2005: “You would make a good Dalek.” Would he? After this episode, I’m almost absolutely certain that the Doctor can be much, much worse than any Dalek. When the Doctor sees something that he doesn’t like, he stops it: whatever the cost. You’ll never see this with the Daleks. They’ll run, and hide to prevent the eradication of their kin. You will never see this with the Doctor. He’s always been this way, and it looks like that’s how it’s always going to be. It’s worth noting, though, that I found this Doctor to be more ruthless when confronting someone who was about to sacrifice himself/herself in his name.
As far as the overall long-term plot (it is to be assumed) goes, I’m not entirely convinced. I felt like they could’ve left the part with Missy until the end, and maybe even made it a little bit shorter. Instead, they cut to a new scene and ruined the climax. Perhaps they could have left it until the very end, showing only when she (I’m not sure what her name is) awoke.

On the more positive side of things, Danny Pink could be great character to have in the TARDIS, with his also questionable morality as a soldier (because he’s taken innocent lives, or so we think), and could also raise some more questions about our new Doctor’s way of thinking. Except… Danny Pink is a ‘man who regrets’, like the Eleventh Doctor. He probably did kill an innocent, and his regret combined with Clara’s persuasion might impact the Twelfth Doctor’s personailty, morals, and ethics somehow. I have so many ideas regarding Danny Pink, but I’m afraid there’s only so much spare time I have.

Overall, I’d admired this episode for it’s crucial comparison between the Doctor and the Daleks (for the development of Capaldi’s Doctor). Also, it’s humour was in good taste, and we now have a romance in the story between Danny and Clara — I mean, it’s obvious… Isn’t it? However, it did use a recycled idea, from the last season (!!!), and even then it could have used a little more action and backdrop in this Humans vs. Daleks war. On top of that, we didn’t need Missy to remind us that these people were being sent to her little paradise, and the timing for that scene completely killed the action that we were witnissing even moments before. Also, the character that was being sent to Missy’s Heaven was, more-or-less, significant and unknown. I could go on, and on about the flaws with the Missy scene, but I’m afraid it’s come time to conclude this review.

I’d rate this about a 7/10 (10 being a great episode of Doctor Who, 1 being “Love & Monsters (2.10)”), so it’s on par with some of the non-significant episodes of Doctor Who. It was a wee bit of a dissapointment after watching “Deep Breath (8.01)”, but I loved how we discovered more about this new Doctor’s persionality! So far, Peter Capaldi’s been brilliant, but I’d say that the basic “going-inside-a-dalek” storyline should have been left for a later date, maybe even for another series or two.

Bottom line: Peter’s Doctor is absolutely fantastic, and I’ll certainly be tuned in next week!

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