"Asylum of the Daleks" Reaction Post
I thought that was quite well done. Actually very atmospheric (although they could have expanded some portions to make it damn creepy and really show the creepiness of insane daleks). But, I must admit, especially after the travesty that was the technicolor Power Ranger / Skittles Daleks that was "Victory of the Daleks," that was the first time in a long time that the Daleks have genuinely made me shiver a bit. Wish there had been more in the intensive care room, though. I wanted to see stark raving Daleks.
I appreciate the quite old school theme, as well. My inner-eight year old also liked the "eggs" wordplay bit.
I thought that the Amy/Rory thing, even after Pond Life, was a little forced. But quite telling about where each of them are in terms of their relationship. Also, Oswin I quite liked. She had a big red plot flag flying from her from the very first part of the episode (anyone who is a "Genius, genius" I questions immediately. Geniuses have a high mortality rate in Who.) Wonder if she is really the "Clara" of legend or her appearance was meant to be the face that launched a thousand fan rants.
I thought the human Daleks were a nice touch, too. I haven't quite worked out the implications of them in my head, but it seems awesome. Also, Zombie!Dalek humans?? Trop over-kill.
Some random things: I laughed out loud at the notion of a Dalek Parliament. I was like lol wut? This seems at odds with what I know about the Daleks. I think they should have some strange dictatorship or something. I honestly had never given much thought to the political structures of the Dalek population.
Similarly, I'm still up in the air on the Daleks forgetting the Doctor. I get that this is part of the whole lying low. But, I won't lie and say a small part of me didn't cry "Sacrilege! What are you doing to 49 years of dubiously cohesive canon!" But, I also think it really depends on what they are going to do with this.
Overall, though, I was solidly entertained, perplexed, and even a bit creeped out. It was quite a solid outing. I remain cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series.