Am I the only one who hates the episode "Dalek"? It starts out great with that rage Eccleston brought to the role, but the ending is so fucking stupid and forced. "I just want to feel the sunlight" Fuck you Davies you pretentious douche.
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Even before the current run of Doctor Who became a success on these shores, even the most novice sci-fi fan possessed a passing familiarity with the Daleks. Originally created by Terry Nation in 1963 for the second-ever Who serial -- called, you guessed it, "The Daleks" -- the race of robotic monsters with a mutated nugenty middle have become the series' most iconic villains. Because of their popularity in both runs of the show, the Daleks have been trotted out repeatedly over the years. True, it's always nice to see them, but their constant use has diminished their impact and scare value. For today's Daily List, Topless Robot will be looking at the five best and five worst episodes to feature these perilous pepperpots. Because a list like this one is bound to stir up controversy, remember that the choices featured within are subjective and just one man's opinion. So instead of planning to exterminate me, be sure to mention your own picks for the greatest and lamest Dalek adventures in the comments. Let's begin!
The Best:
5)The Parting of the Ways
Christopher Eccleston ended his all-too-brief stint on Doctor Who with this episode that marked the heartbreaking finale of the first season of revamped show. Some fans may still moan about how the Rose ex machina at the end of this episode dispatched the Daleks (and gave Captain Jack immortality), but this was an installment packed with real menace and emotion -- not to mention a threatening opponent for the Doctor in the form of the Dalek Emperor. Whether paying off the season's Bad Wolf running theme or making viewers weep from the Doctor's final transmission to Rose, "The Parting of the Ways" is the series at its most action-packed and affecting.
4) Remembrance of the Daleks
The most infamous moment of "Remembrance of the Daleks" occurs when an Imperial Dalek is able to successfully climb steps. It's a cool scene that dispenses the most common criticism about the awkward aliens, but that's not the primary reason this episode is featured here. The true strength of this installment lies in the delightful interplay between the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (the always great Sophie Aldred). The enjoyable plot -- involving the Doctor attempting to keep a Time Lord relic out of the clutches of the Daleks -- moves along nicely thanks to memorable scenes, including Ace's baseball bat attack against one of the intergalactic pepperpots. And you thought Thor had a hell of a swing.
3) The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Forty-eight years after its initial airing and the sight of Daleks crossing London's Westminster Bridge in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is truly stunning. You know how when Brits mention how Doctor Who scared them so much as children that they hid behind their sofas? Much of that can be attributed to this episode. By placing the Daleks in an environment that UK viewers were familiar with, it made the terror seem just around the corner. The fact that the rest of this episode is engrossing is notable. Really though it is the aforementioned scene that helped the Daleks become the icons they are today.
2) Dalek
When Doctor Who returned to TV in 2005, there was much curiosity about how Russell T. Davies would handle the Daleks. That answer was revealed midway through the season with this jaw-dropping installment that sees the Doctor -- still haunted by his experiences in the Time War -- confronting his old enemy. In the episode's best scene, the frenzied Doctor verbally unleashes upon a solitary Dalek. In response, the alien tells the Doctor that he would make a good Dalek. Suddenly, the Doctor is forced to examine exactly how much of himself he has lost in the Time War. Such character introspection on the series hadn't been handled so well since the classic Tom Baker episode "Genesis of the Daleks." Speaking of which...
1) Genesis of the Daleks
Serving as a sort of Dalek History 101, "Genesis of the Daleks' finds the usually cheery, jelly baby-popping Fourth Doctor grappling with ennui. Tasked by the Time Lords with halting the creation of the Dalek race, he finds himself unable to commit genocide against his greatest foes. Tom Baker's performance in this episode is a series best, and while it is not his greatest outing as the Fourth Doctor (that honor still goes to "City of Death") it is pretty damn close. As many times as viewers have seen the Doctor play God throughout the series' nearly 50-year run, his controlling of others' fates has never been as urgent or unforgettable as it is here. This is a masterpiece.
Hit the jump for the worst on-screen adventures of the Daleks
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51 comments
Journey's End should be number 1 on the worst Dalek episode list. What they did to Davros was horrific. "I shall defeat you by destroying reality itself!" Oh sure, what a victory. And the Daleks want to HELP you do this?
To me, the conclusion to Bad Wolf seemed a bit rushed. I enjoyed the episode immensely, but the payoff just seemed odd. On the other hand, Asylum of the Daleks was one of my favorite Matt Smith episodes ever, if just for the horror potential.
My favorite Dalek Eps are all on the 1st list, "Remembrance" being my absolute fave...
On an interesting (to me anyway) note, Peter Fraser who played Susan's beau David in Dalek Invasion of Earth is a daily visitor to the library i work in, He's a really lovely bloke who's always ready for a chat about the telly industry in the 60's, He got a real kick when i showed him this on the old ipad
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI7bZdG1okA&list=FLSVeyyL2XEC3UhMdF-EvyTQ&index=8&feature=plpp_video
You're entitled to your opinion, but you're completely wrong on just about everything. :)
"Asylum of the Daleks" is the BEST Dalek episode ever. It's just about the only time that the Daleks have ever been even remotely scary. The only other time was 2005's "Dalek," which you were right at putting at #2 on your list.
"Dalek Invasion of Earth" is also well-placed at #3, not because the Daleks are in the least bit scary, but because of the emotional first-ever departure of a Companion.
Meanwhile, the highly overrated "Genesis of the Daleks" needs to stop appearing at the top of all these dang lists! Please stop looking at it through nostalgia-tinted glasses and see it for what it really is: an overlong and boring serial that just stretches the story out to get higher ratings. (Case in point: Sarah Jane escapes from the Daleks only to get captured again. How did this move the story forward? It didn't.) The villains are all obvious and cliched and uninteresting.
The much-ballyhooed scene where the Doctor debates whether or not he should kill the Daleks is poorly handled from beginning to end. Why is it wrong to destroy a murderous army when not one person in the army has ever shown the slightest bit of being able to be redeemed? If there were innocent Daleks who just lived their lives in peace, and the Doctor would be hurting them, then it would be wrong. But by not killing the Daleks, he's giving license to the Daleks to kill other innocents.
Also, he uses the ridiculous argument, "Many worlds will come together and make peace due to fear of the Daleks." That's like saying you won't save a kid from being hit by a car, because the kid's parents will find a nice support group.
There are good reasons not to blow up the Daleks in the past, chief among them being the notion that altering the past could damage the future, including the Doctor's own knowledge of the Daleks, thus causing a universe-collapsing paradox. But none of those reasons are discussed in the Doctor's silly speech.
The best I can say about "Genesis" is that it's mostly cute, harmless fun. But best ever? No way.
Also, I really like "Victory of the Daleks." After so many times seeing the Daleks behave in unambigiously villainous ways, it was downright disturbing to see them act so friendly! I kept wondering how exactly it was going to work out: Was it a ploy? Were these Daleks reprogrammed? Is the Doctor in an alternate universe? It was unnerving, wondering what was happening!
It did turn out to be a ploy, but not for the reasons expected. They weren't trying to fool Churchill as much as they were *deliberately* trying to get the Doctor to call them by name! Brilliant!
And after a hundred appearances where the Doctor "destroys" all the Daleks "forever," and then they come back again with no explanation, wasn't it refreshing to have the Daleks simply *escape* for a change?
I do agree with you that the "Daleks in Manhattan" two-parter is one of the worst and silliest stories ever. But I think you need to flip about half of the choices on each list in order for it to make any sense. ;)
And as Dennis Miller would say, "Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." :)
I guess I'm the only one who liked Dalek Sec...
The episode was crap. But I liked him.
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I think that maybe we'll get a break from the Daleks for a while in NuWho. And I'm okay with that, since, in my opinion, they're getting used an awful lot....also, where do they keep coming from? Seriously, they're okay with getting rid of the idea of all the Daleks dying in the Time War, but we're not getting any more Time Lords? Seriously?
Also, glad to see some 9th Doctor love in this list. Not just because he's my favorite Doctor, either. He needs more love...
@jamawalk I can live with that.
I'd like to see the Cybermen again, anyway....and not the alternate universe cybermen, the proper, our universe, creepy old school style Cybermen.
@jamawalk @arthurdentrgv ...good point. Tomb of the Cybermen is one of my favorite stories, and it wasn't on Earth.
We do need more alien planet stories too...
@arthurdentrgv @realaregula the best cyberman stories, save The Invasion, take place somewhere other than earth. so you don't need that bit.its kind of a hat on a hat, no?
@realaregula @jamawalk Soooo true... Add in cybermen on earth turning humans into cybermen and THAT would be a great storyline!
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@jamawalk HOLY SHIT A Cyber Civil War would be FANTASTIC. You get the Cybermen of our universe, who I hope are as cool and creepy and SILENT as the old school Cybermen, and the Cybermen of the other universe who have gained a good footing in our universe, and AAAH.
You, sir, have excellent ideas. I like the way you think.
@realaregula who wouldn't? perhaps a cyber civil war between the two factions. because, as we've seen, the cybermen have advanced to the point where they have huge space convoys for Rory to explode.but if we're bringing shit back, why not the Zygons? why not the Zarbi (just jokes).or why not a more powerful entity like The Mind Robber, The Black Guardian or Celestial Toyman? we haven't seen that sort of stuff since the show returned, really.
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also, you seem to have forgotten the scene in Asylum where the Doctor is locked in a room with Daleks who have survived meeting him before. as a long time doctor who fan, that sort of thing is sooooo satisfying.
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its weird, cause on the one hand you seem to be bashing the new series pretty hard, but on the other hand, you can't possibly have watched much classic who or you'd know just how bad The Chase is.
its really bad. there are robot draculas and frankensteins and the doctor wishes everyone at home a merry christmas. also, if you think the american accents in Daleks in New York are bad, check out the scene with the "cowboy" on top of the Empire State Building.
but even that has one of my favorite Dalek moments ever. the dalek emerging from the sand of the desert? cracking stuff.
and, as a huge Dalek fan myself, i LOVED Victory of the Daleks. its got all sorts of new Dalek lore (new paradigm, the progenitor, TESTIMONY and all that) plus it harkens back to the now lost Dalek's Master Plan (I-AM-YOUR-SOILD-ER). which is always good. most of all, the Daleks act like Daleks again. its brilliant.and, you know what? spitfires in space is fucking awesome. so everyone can take their jaded shit out the door.
@jamawalk with regards to the Chase, don't forget the Dalek going "urrmmmm, uhhhhhh, urrgghhhhhhh..." before answering another Dalek's question.
there's also the one who emerges from the sand and grunting all the way up. actually, i always kind of adored that bit. but it is very silly.@PCabezuelo
I would rank Power of the Daleks as one of the best. Granted, it's hard to judge since unfortunately the film doesn't exist anymore, but based on the audio and reconstructions it's a great story. Plus it's the first time the daleks are portrayed as thinking, plotting, and devious creatures as opposed to simply killing machines (although there's plenty of that too - the last episode must have one of the highest onscreen body count in Who's history). Add to that the infamous dalek assembly line and our first clear view of the dalek creatures. Plus it's Patrick Troughton's first serial which just adds to the story's excitement in the same way that Parting of the Ways was elevated by being Eccleston's last.
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I've been watching Who since the mid-80s. I even stuck with the series during the 1996-2005 'wilderness years' via the books and comics, when we were still wondering when #8 was going to return to our screens. I was at the first (tiny, tiny, itsy-bitsy) American Who convention in LA that Sylvester McCoy attended, back in his tenure as the Doctor.
I can't stand the Daleks.
They're a one-note, oft-repeated, joke of an enemy I'd be perfectly happy to not see again for a few years.
The Daleks are not Dr. Who, and Dr. Who is not the Daleks.
There's this 49 year-old wonderful show, filled with mystery and adventure, helmed by the most captivating character who's got the ability to become different people to keep the show fresh.
And there's this weight, in the shape of those things, chained to it's leg, called the Daleks. This obligation to trot them out *EVERY STINKIN' SEASON* (last year only had cameos, I admit), because somehow everyone else sees them as scary.
(Rant off; breathes into paper bag...)
But at least the two stories I actually like with them were #1 and #2.
was going to be surprised if geninus of the daleks did not make the list for it not only showed how good tom baker was as the doctor but also that the doctor would not committ genocide even if it ment getting rid of the Daleks for good. and can't believe some one made a dalek porno proving like doctor who the daleks are icons even if they look like r2 deranged brother with plungers
@demoncat_4 Not sure what word you meant to type, so I'm going to automatically assume you meant "ginas of the Daleks"...is that another Dr Who porn? ;-p
@RCynicL1 @demoncat_4 the word was suppose to be Genesis for after all think one dalek porn is enough .
Big surprise, except for the porn at the end, all the 'bad' episodes are from the new run. Sort of like all the TNG bashing from Trek: TOS fans (that still goes on in some places).
@Nicnac Two of the top five are from the new run as well.
The Daleks are an old concept, and one that Doctor Who has revisited time and time again. A lot of the original stuff was already done long before the new run existed. And while there were bad Dalek stories in the original series, it just seems to be less of an excuse to making a bad Dalek story in the new run.
Instead of Star Trek TOS versus NG, think of it as Star Trek "Borg" stories from across the entire franchise. The "Worst" list will probably have more later occurances than early, and the "Best" list will have more early than later.
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While I'll give you the fact that the amy/rory marriage debacle was a bit forced, "Asylum of the Daleks" was a really good episode. I have always found slow transformations to be one of the most terrifying plot devices--that you are slowly becoming that which you hate, without any way to stop yourself. Maybe that's just me, but because of it, I found the beginning parts of Amy's transformation truly creepy, and the twist at the end with Oswin (okay, I should have expected it) truly heart-wrenching. Everybody I've spoken to about the episode agreed that it managed to "Make the Daleks scary again."
Appreciated the 9th Doctor love in this list, though. Love Smith and Tennant, but Eccleston is my Doctor through and through. And you're right about Victory of the Daleks--aside from the fun of the scene where the Doctor convinces the Daleks that a jammy dodger is a self-destruct button, that episode wasn't especially fun or interesting.
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Ouch. The second part of this list HURT. I guess this means that I AM a bigger "Doctor Who" fan than you are, Chris. Because I really did enjoy the Daleks in Manhattan two-parter. I'm a sucker for noir/pulpy stories, and throwing the Doctor into the mix made it so much better. Is it a great episode? Probably not. But it's endearingly goofy and cheesy fun.
I'll admit that while I've got pretty much all the DW episodes available on my terabyte drive, I've not seen them all, so I can't claim to know everything there is to know about the Doctor and the Daleks, however, what I have seen, I've enjoyed immensely. And that includes the nuWho stuff. I've got the ability to let go of logic and reasoning while watching a movie or television show and just enjoy the ride. It's only when something really frelling glaring shows up that pulls me out of the product and leaves me unable to enjoy it (I'm looking at YOU, "Dark Knight Rises," you unbelievably stupid film). About 90% of the time, I just let go and let the madman with the box whisk me off on an adventure.
Victory of the Daleks is WAY worse than Manhattan, which I actually enjoyed. Spitfires in space? Um...no.
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@p.hale Turn in your Brit card, IMMEDIATELY. If the sight of the R.A.F. strafing Dalek mother ships didn't stoke the fires of patriotism in your heart, then you can just go back to France with all the other savages/europeans.
But in all seriousness they were both crap episodes. Victory was just merely poor, whereas Daleks in Manhatten was utterly excreable.
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I just had a tiff with someone about VIctory of the Daleks, and seeing their opinion reaffirmed here on TR still isn't swaying my opinion. I thought that episode was mad Doctor fun. WWII fighter planes -- in space! Made me squealy with how perfect that played out, and the "I. Am. Your. Soldier." line is delightfully menacing.
And yeah, I'm the only one on the planet that thought the colored Daleks were cool-looking.
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@Mike_Pants I'll admit it - I liked that episode. The Doctor with Winston Churchill! You could not have done better if there had been a Doctor Who/Magnum PI crossover back in the 80's!
And the colored Daleks were awesome. They reminded my of the Peter Cushing movies, which were my first exposure to Doctor Who when I was a kid.
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All new Who for worst Daleks?
So all the older Who are classics by comparison?
What about the 4th Doctors "Destiny of the Daleks"?
The whole stalemate between the Daleks and Movellans was pretty cheesy.
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3 and 2 are definitely the worst. Utterly wretched episodes. Asylum wasn't all that bad.
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sorry but i really like assylum of the daleks, its clearly not the worse. i thought it thought it brought back some clearly needed fear into the daleks, or at lease for a moment. Only problem was it was less a dalek episode and more of a companion story. I feel you have tried to feel up the worse dalek episodes with all new who.I have to agree davis went hairway with journeys end but i still think some great moments in there just let down by some crap moments. And whats peple issue with simms master but the victory of the daleks can go to hell
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@16748431 I agree it seemed like there was a streak of nu-Who bashing at the end there. Frankly I find that the bad Who episodes are still better than most of what they put on TV. My problem with the worst of the nu-Who shows is that they are unimaginative and cliche - not truly bad in the same way that bad Trek episodes are just unwatchable crap that clearly no one cared about any aspect except getting their paycheck - every episode of Who feels to me like someone cared about it - they might not have been good at their job, but they cared.
@Gallen_Dugall @16748431 Agreed. Particularly during Moffat's run there doesn't seem to be anything worse than mediocre. Not to say I like mediocre, but there have been no episodes in the past few years I would call terrible. Which might not nescessarily be a good thing, but new Who definitely lacks something on the level of bad Trek. Sometimes I think Nu Who could use a Spock's Brain or a Threshold to really kick it in the ass.
@jamawalk @mqtwells @InspectorSpacetime @16748431 there are a lot of Who episodes that I don't care if I ever see them again, however there are a fair number of Trek episodes I wish could be unmade. I'll watch the worst Doctor Who episode over the worst Trek episode any time and be happy.
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@mqtwells @InspectorSpacetime @Gallen_Dugall @16748431 see, now, i liked BoomTown. The doctor sitting down to dinner with that week's monster? great stuff. in all, though, i'm glad we don't get much Slitheen anymore. they are terribly silly. more suited to SJA than DW.oh, i should also point out: "Love & Monsters" is also shit.
@jamawalk @InspectorSpacetime @Gallen_Dugall @16748431 I'm not sure that's entirely fair on Fear Her. Granted, it is pretty shit. But the main villain is a drawing of the rapist dad of a little girl given monstrous life by alien powers? That's pretty bold stuff.
My personal low point for Nu Who is easily "Boom Town". My favourite review likened it to an episode of Hollyoaks, but with a bit more explosions.
@jamawalk @InspectorSpacetime @16748431 Excellent point - Fear Her was just boring and predictable - aimed at kids and playing on the "feeling like an alien" that all children experience, it succeeds there. It even had some nice visuals. It scored 3 out of 5 with fans, and it's the absolute worst episode. With that as a low point Who fans should be grateful.
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@InspectorSpacetime @Gallen_Dugall @16748431 i'm pretty sure they already use "Fear Her" as a measuring stick, so there's no reason to drag Trek into this.
@InspectorSpacetime @16748431 Spock's Brain was an average episode in the third season of Trek . The Enterprise Incident, Turnabout Intruder and Elann of Troyius were more degrading to women, And The Children Shall Lead and The Way To Eden were more cringe worthy. I just think it gets a bad rap simply because it was dumb. Certainly Who has never produced anything nearly so insultingly bad as TNGs Code of Honor or as contiunity wrecking as ST:E's A Night In Sickbay. And I point to these because writers this bad must exist in the UK but clearly someone at the BBC cares enough to stop such crap from happening on Who.
