The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The second Dalek story remains one of the best. The whole idea of a future Earth decimated by plague with the Daleks ruling over it is a frightening one. Pockets of human resistance are there, but it takes the time travelers to finally do something concrete, to remove the Dalek threat - and give the Earth back to its rightful owners.
Terry Nation's script is one of the best aspects of the production. The introduction of the Black Dalek is a great move, and the whole production works well as an allegory of Nazism (the Daleks raise their sucker-arms in the Hitler salute, and the extermination of humans is referred to as "the final solution"). Although, truth be told, the Daleks' goal really is classic B-Movie stuff with the invaders wanting to build an engine in the Earth's core, so they can move the planet round the universe - but this never seems lame, this is science-fiction after all.
Director Richard Martin rather famously didn't like Doctor Who and thus has a reputation for flat, lifeless work (particularly in the three Season Two stories under his care), but especially when filming on location, he's capable of impressive visuals. The Daleks roaming through a deserted London is the lasting memorable image, even if more could have been done with them. The studio work, however, is less impressive, particularly the action sequences, and a few dodgy effect shots (such as the model Dalek saucer in flight) that should have been scrapped. Being in black-and-white is a big help, as always, and throughout there's a sinister, oppressive atmosphere.
So many details contribute to the doom-laden mood - the fact that guns are scarce and everyone uses knives instead. The posters declaring "It is forbidden to dump bodies in the river." Everyone gathering around a radio. A woman crying at the Dalek line: "the males, the females, the descendants," which I found very eerie. All this is important for the story's evocation of Nazi occupation.
The Robomen are an interesting part of the story as well. They are very much the walking dead - slow and lumbering cadavers of humanity - updated for a science-fiction concept. The ultimate scene comes in episode five "The Waking Ally" where Ian's friend Larry discovers that his brother Phil has become a Roboman and dies strangling him. This is a truly heartbreaking and incredibly dark moment.
Being Carole Ann Ford's last story, the plot is partly centered around Susan growing up, falling in love and gradually becoming more independent. Her dilemma of being torn being staying on Earth with David Campbell or continuing her travels with her grandfather is a sentiment motivated by her desire to belong somewhere, which builds upon her feelings first touched upon in "An Unearthly Child".
The climax of the story is a little poor as the idea of Ian simply falling down the shaft and sticking some bundles of wood to block the explosive capsule doesn't give for the most exciting of endings, but the best is to come back at the TARDIS. The final farewell scene between the Doctor and Susan is, simply put, just magical. There's a definite sense of sorrow and sadness to the scenes and William Hartnell pulls it off magnificently. The shot of Susan slowly walking away in David's arms, having dropped the TARDIS key behind her is poignant and serves as a wonderful ending to the story.
"The Dalek Invasion of Earth" is one of the true high points of Doctor Who.
4 / 5 stars