The Evil Of The Daleks: Doctor Who: Season 4

Goldby

Boland

Missing episodes 1,3,4,5,6,7

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Evil Of The Daleks REVIEWS



Goldby

Having dug Evil Of The Daleks out of the archives was actually surprised to find the sole episode existing being number 2 was in the English parlance "a jolly good watch". It certainly had pace for an early Troughton episode. Both Pat and Frazer Hines as Dr.2 & Jamie have become a proper double act by this late stage of the 4th season and it shows. They have a good knack of comic timing with each other.

It's set in the 1966 to begin with, then Jamie and the Dr are kidnapped by the daleks unwitting slave Edward Waterfield and are whizzed back to a mansion in 1866. Why? Because there Waterfield and the owner of the mansion one Professor Maxtible have been had their place invaded by the Daleks. Plus we meet for the first time popular future companion, the young and busty Victoria Waterfield. Presumably why the Daleks went to 1966 to begin with wasn't just to grab the Doctor's Tardis but was an attempt at leaping forward in time to get better technology. But who knows…the whole plot was about the daleks trying to scientifically distill the human factor so they could become nastier beings and finally have an edge over the humans that kept beating them only to find it turned them into nice daleks…or something like that…hmmm sounds like a new series episode….

But the acting was sound, direction was good and having at least one scene existing where Troughton's doctor confronts the daleks is gold. Bet as an early seven parter it would have dragged a bit around the Victorian mansion bits. But as they kept changing time periods and locales; 1 and a half episodes in 1966, 4 and a half in 1866 and one set on Skaro in the future for a meeting with the Emperor dalek for the first time and ended with a huge dalek civil war it would have held it's viewing interest.

From the only evidence we've got reckon it probably was the best story of that series and the best dalek story for the 60's.Hard to rate but will give it a 7.5/10 based on what's available.



Boland

I have delved into the world of Doctor Who reconstructions to do this review. ‘The Evil of the Daleks’ is widely regarded as one of the greatest episodes of Doctor Who, despite only Episode Two existing in the archives. Then again there are people out there who swear The Massacre is the best Doctor Who story of all time which seems quite the claim as it is the story with the LEAST amount of existing ANYTHING (ie there are like four pictures, no telesnaps or anything, just the audio really).But I am already digressing. David Whitaker presents a seven part story here following on from ‘The Faceless Ones’. Episode One appears to be rather tacked on to the start, and I wonder if “Evil” was initially supposed to be a six parter. It sort of links the previous story to this one. Thusly episode Two feels a little like an opening episode.It’s a good one to exist too, as it moves the story into Victorian England and introduces us to most of the players in this epic. I like the story a lot, however it does suffer from being a seven parter – the middle bit is rather drawn out and uninteresting. Episode four is the worst. It’s interesting too that there are only a small number of characters in this story (and it includes a rather bizarre cameo from Windsor Davies) so they have a lot of carrying (of the plot) to do.Episodes 3-5 centre around the test that has been set for Jamie – to rescue Victoria Waterfield. The Daleks and the Doctor judge his progress and record information to create ‘The Human Factor’, which the Doctor is told will make the Daleks the ultimate creatures. The rescue sequence occupies a good two episodes (starting mid-episode three) and is probably would be more interesting if one could follow the action. Jamie is ably helped by the mute Kemel. But the Daleks are aware of their every move. Meanwhile there is a subplot with a dude called Arthur Terrell who is being controlled by the Daleks, and seems mostly superfluous to the plot. Seems like he was included to stretch the story over the allotted seven episodes.The real figure of interest is Theodore Maxtible, who is so desperate to know how to turn metal to gold little things like murder and the destruction of Earth seems irrelevant to him. Well played and quite a chilling character. Finally in episode six the story moves to Skaro. The Human Factor has been transplanted into three Daleks with rather amusing scenes ensuing. Not nearly as funny as Episode Seven’s ‘Dizzy Daleks’ moment though. BUT they’ve all been tricked! By identifying the Human Factor, the Doctor has unwittingly shown the Daleks the DALEK factor. The truth is out – they plan to give the Dalek factor to everyone on Earth! They will obey with out question. The Doctor tricks them though, and many Daleks end up with the Human Factor and start to question orders and the Emperor Dalek. A short and deadly civil war ensues, only one Dalek appears to have survived.The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are the only other survivors. A classic comes to a close. The last two episodes have made up for some of the meandering in the middle. Wonderful stuff. Great performances, clever script. The only thing I didn’t like was the background music, using themes that would be repeated in the less-successful Pertwee seven-parter ‘The Ambassadors of Death’. The final two episodes are pretty bloody good as far as I can make out. The first time we have returned to Skaro too. This may well have been the final Dalek story, and I think it would have been rather fitting. Okay, so that would mean no gems such as Genesis and Revelations, but then we wouldn’t have had the duds either – Resurrection, Evolution and the grand daddy of them all – Victory of the Daleks. 9/10

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