The Inmates are running the Asylum -- [Doctor Who s7e01 - The Asylum of the Daleks]
The seventh series of Doctor Who arrives with the return of the Ponds, a Parliament of Daleks, and a quick demonstration that Moffatt has no intention to change the style or tone he has brought to the show for his two years in charge.
Luckily, that kept my expectations low.
( More than a few spoilers within. )
Luckily, that kept my expectations low.
( More than a few spoilers within. )
- It was far more entertaining than "Victory of the Daleks" or "Daleks in Manhattan". Which is grading on about the most aggressive curve imaginable, but given that every single Dalek story since "The Parting of the Ways" has been face-slappingly awful, merely mediocre was something of a surprise. (Imagine how much better the story would have been with no Daleks at all!1) The Daleks have a parliament now? Fine, sure, whatever.
- If nothing else, Moffat seems to have figured out that a few Daleks slowly coming to life are a lot scarier than endless hordes of them failing to make a single shot. I actually cracked a smile when Rory offered the stray orb to the Dalek asking for eggs.
- While I have every expectation that the "the Doctor is hiding" / "Doctor WHOOOOO?!" / "Fall of the Eleventh" / "Fields of...tralfamadore? Whatever." plotline will eventually contain much to annoy me, it has yet to wear out its welcome in the way that the entire Silence/River Song/Astronaut/Etc plot had. So there's that.
- Speaking of which: a blissful lack of River Song.
- I was surprisingly taken with Oswin and Ms. Coleman's performance thereof. For some reason it reminded me a bit of Mary Tamm, and that's never a bad thing. Not looking forward to whatever mechanism that they use to bring the actress back though.
If they'd just left out the entire angst-for-angst's-sake bit with the Ponds in the middle and used any monster other than the Daleks, I'd've probably liked it pretty unreservedly. As it was... eh? It had some moment.
1Actually, this would probably have made brilliant sense as a vehicle to reintroduce the old-school Cybermen: cyber-conversions via airborne nanites would be perfectly in character, as would a planetful of botched conversions. Pity Kit Pedler's estate didn't drive the same kind of deal as Terry Nation's.
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Although I will say that this is more evidence that weird pacing issues and all, "Remembrance of the Daleks" is still the single best Dalek story the series ever did: the Daleks wouldn't solve the problem of there being many slightly different types of Daleks floating around the universe with democracy, they'd solve it with bloody civil war to the last Dalek rolling thanks very much.
Which remind me: have you been reading this guy?
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Not willing to concede that, although I have always been fond of that baseball bat.
the Daleks wouldn't solve the problem of there being many slightly different types of Daleks floating around the universe with democracy, they'd solve it with bloody civil war to the last Dalek rolling thanks very much.
Exactly, something even acknowledged in "Victory of the Daleks"
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Which remind me: have you been reading this guy?
No. I had come across him a couple of times, though. I just haven't been reading him consistently.
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That's a fair comment.
Sadly.
- If nothing else, Moffat seems to have figured out that a few Daleks slowly coming to life are a lot scarier than endless hordes of them failing to make a single shot. I actually cracked a smile when Rory offered the stray orb to the Dalek asking for eggs.
Honestly, if they had simply stumbled across the Asylum on their own, and it was just mysteriously empty with creepy half-working Daleks coming to life asking for eggs, I would have probably liked this episode a lot more.
- Speaking of which: a blissful lack of River Song.
Will be happy with a long break from her, too.
- I was surprisingly taken with Oswin and Ms. Coleman's performance thereof. For some reason it reminded me a bit of Mary Tamm, and that's never a bad thing. Not looking forward to whatever mechanism that they use to bring the actress back though.
I agree with everything in this paragraph except for Mary Tamm, but I can see it now that you've said it.
Actually, this would probably have made brilliant sense as a vehicle to reintroduce the old-school Cybermen: cyber-conversions via airborne nanites would be perfectly in character, as would a planetful of botched conversions. Pity Kit Pedler's estate didn't drive the same kind of deal as Terry Nation's.
Very true. In fact, throwing this power onto the Cybermen is thematically more coherent, both for the Cybermen wanting it and the Daleks not wanting defectives.
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